Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Revelation SPOILERS!

On 29 November 2011, US version, Oliver Bowden published the final book in the Ezio storyline. Synopsis: Older, wiser, and more deadly than ever, Master Assassin Ezio Auditore embarks on an epic journey to find the lost library of Altaïr--a library that may hold the key to defeating the Templars. However, a shocking discovery awaits him. The library holds not only hidden knowledge but also the most unsettling secret the world has ever known, a secret the Templars hope to use to control humankind's destiny. Five keys are needed to access the library--to find them, Ezio must travel to the troubled city of Constantinople, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the Ottoman Empire. Walking in the footsteps of his predecessor, Altaïr, Ezio must defeat the Templars for the final time. The stakes have never been higher, and what started as a pilgrimage has become a race against time. . .

The novel opens with Ezio arriving at Masyaf only to find it occupied by Leandros and an army of Templars. Ezio gets captures, and rethinks on how he undertook this journey: he found a letter to his father and recalled the first Codex and decided to head to Masyaf; he also recalls learning from Machiavelli that Caterina is dead, leaves his sister temporarily in charge, and travels with Bartolomeo to Bari; from there, Ezio travels to Cyprus, then to Greece, and finally to Acre. Once Ezio is done rumenizing, he fights his way free and hunts Leandros down in a town far from Masyaf. Ezio kills Leandros and discovers a book and that the Templars got it in Constantinople. Ezio journeys there and chats with Prince Suleiman; Ezio takes notice of a lovely Italian woman named Sofia Sartor. Once they arrive in the great city, Ezio is spirited away to the Assassin Headquarters by Assassin leader Yusuf Tazim. Ezio also learns of the hookblade and how to use it. Ezio tells Yusuf about his trio and why he's there, but another assassin warns them of an impending two-prong attack on two of the Assassin Dens. Ezio defends one of the dens while Yusuf goes to defend the other, but Ezio arrives to help out once he's done.

Ezio asks Yusuf the location of the old Polo Trading Outpost, and Yusuf directs him to Piri Reis--the two hit it off and Reis points Ezio in the direction of a new book shop. At the bookshop, Ezio discovers that Sofia runs the place and asks to take a look inside. He finds a secret passage that leads into the sewers and promptly tells a curious Sofia that he's "the most interesting man" she will ever meet. He tracks down and the first key and a map of other books; Ezio returns to Sofia and asks her for help in locating the other books. Sofia gladly does this, provided she can republish the books. During a party, Ezio, as a minstril, saves Suleiman's life. Suleiman requests that Ezio eavesdrop on a conversation between him, his uncle Ahmet , and the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti. He tails Tarik and discovers that the Janissary captain has dealings with Manuel Palaiologos; with this knowledge, Suleiman requests that Ezio assassinate Tarik. In his dying moment, Tarik reveals that his forces were to ambush Manuel after gaining his favor. He then entrusts Ezio to continue his plan, and set sail for Cappadocia. During all this, Ezio continues to hunt for the books that will lead him to Altaïr's keys and falling in love with Sofia, who loves him.

In the first one, Ezio experiences Altaïr saving Rashid ad-Din Sinan--Al Mualim--from former assassin Haras. The second key details Altaïr burning Al Mualim on a pyre and Abbas Sofian's failed rebellion through utilizing an Apple of Eden, which Altaïr later retrieved. The third memory details Altaïr's fall from power in 1228; after defeating Genghis Khan's army with his son Darim and wife Maria, Altaïr found out that Abbas had usurped command from Altaïr's appointed proxy Malik Al-Sayf, and that his son Sef was murdered by Swami, Abbas' right hand man. Altaïr confronts Abbas and his loyalists, but was overcome with rage and used the Apple for revenge, which caused the death of both Swami and Maria. In the wake of this incident, Altaïr fled Masyaf with Darim before Abbas could apprehend them. The fourth key shows Altaïr's return to power in 1247, with the help of several Assassins who grew tired of Abbas' iron clad rule; he achieved this through Abbas' death at his hands, where Altaïr used his newly crafted Hidden Gun.

After the death of Tarik, Ezio informs Suleiman of Tarik's allegiance and Ezio apologizes for killing an honorable man; they are interrupted by Ahmet, who assumes his enemies killed Tarik to lose his small favor with the Janissary guard; Ezio leaves with Suleiman's blessing. After destroying Constantinople's Great Chain, Ezio arrives at Cappadocia, then seeks out Tarik's ally, Dilara in the city of Derinkuyu. After freeing her captured friends, Ezio blows up the firearms, which causes Cappadocia to go up in flames and smokes out Manuel. Ezio kills Manuel, then is greeted by Ahmet, who is the Grand Master of the Templar Order. The fifth key plays out with Altaïr, now the Mentor, escorting Niccolò and Maffeo Polo from Masyaf as the invading Mongols drew near the city. Altaïr gave the brothers his Codex as a parting gift, and escorted them out of the city. As the brothers left on their horses, Altaïr gave Niccolò the keys, which he asked to be hidden from others, so that the one who was meant to know the message could seek it out. Ezio races back to Constantinople with Piri Reis and the two arrive in time to find out Ezio's a wanted man.

He races back to Sofia's book shop to find it ransacked and Yusuf dead. Ezio hunts down Ahmet, but Ahmet, after telling Ezio to bring the keys or else he'll kill Sofia, flees; Suleiman witnesses this and tells Ezio to kill his uncle before his Templar fantasy destroys Constantinople. After the funeral, Ezio gathers the assassins and brings Ahmet the keys, then climbs up Galata Tower and frees a dangling Sofia. But it's not Sofia, it is one of the assassin's and Ezio parachutes off the tower to rescue Sofia who's being hanged. Not understanding what's going on, Sofia takes over the horse coach while Ezio picks off Ahmet's guards. Eventually, Ahmet and Ezio crash their carts and they can barely stand. Suleiman's father, Selim I, arrives with his forces and Selim kills his conniving brother. Meeting with Ezio, Selim went on to threaten that Ezio be killed if he returned to Constantinople, sparing him only due to Suleiman's good word. As tensions grew between the two men, Ezio's rage was quelled by Sofia, and as Selim left, so too did Ezio and Sofia, heading for Masyaf.

Once they arrive, Ezio completes his tale of how the Assassin's came to be and the tale of the great mentor Altaïr. Once inside the castle, Ezio places the five keys on the door and it opens to reveal an empty library. Ezio, with a torch, scours the scene and comes across a corpse holding a sixth key. Ezio picks it up and witnesses Altaïr telling Darim to flee for Alexandria, then seals himself in Masyaf castle, places the Apple on the pedestal in the empty library, then sits for a moment to rest. Ezio says "Requiescat in pace" to Altaïr, then looks at the Apple and refuses to do anything with it and Tinian--Jupiter--appears to give a message to Ezio for someone else; it depicts the end of the First Civilization and how it can be averted in some other time. After Ezio receives the message, he and Sofia depart Masyaf castle. After arraigning for Lodovico Ariosto--Lucrezia Borgia's husband--to be the next Mentor, Ezio and Sofia, now his wife, retire to live outside Florence. They produce two children and Ezio, with Machiavelli, watches Leonardo da Vinci succumbs to memory loss; they learn later that he died. Years later, a young Chinese Assassin--Shao Jun--comes to seek guidance from Ezio and he trains her to help her prepare to drive the Templars out of China. Years later, after she's gone, Ezio and Sofia, with the kids, go for a trip to Florence where Ezio dies of old age.

All in all, a well-crafted book that wraps up Ezio's storyline in the series. Hihgly recommended for all fans of the Assassin's Creed series.

And with this last tie-in post comes the end of November for me. I will pick up with four books in December to wrap it up. The list, not in order, follows: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Last Command, Honor Harrington: Shadow of Saganami, Star Wars: X-Wing: Wraith Squadron.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade SPOILERS!

On 28 June 2011, Oliver Bowden decided the time was right to compose the novelization of the first Assassin's Creed game. Synopsis: Niccolò Polo, father of Marco, will finally reveal the story he has kept secret all his life--the story of Altaïr, one of the Brotherhood's most extraordinary assassins. Altaïr embarks on a formidable mission - one that takes him throughout the Holy Land and shows him the true meaning of the Assassin's Creed. To demonstrate his commitment, Altaïr must defeat nine deadly enemies, including the Templar leader, Robert de Sable. Altaïr's life story is told here for the first time: a journey that changes the course of history; his ongoing battle with the Templar conspiracy; a family life that is as tragic as it is shocking; and the ultimate betrayal of an old friend.

The novel opens with Ezio reading Niccolò Polo's tale of the great Mentor of the Levantine Assassins Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad as related to him by Altaïr; Niccolò's relating this tale to his brother Maffeo. The story starts with Masyaf being besieged by Salah Al'din's army. Salah Al'din holds Ahmad Sofian--father of Abbas Sofian--hostage, but Umar Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr's father, surrenders himself and asks Al Mualim to train his son. Years later, Altaïr, Malik Al-Sayf and Kadar Al-Sayf enter Solomon's Temple and find Robert de Sable and his Templar brothers surrounding the fabled Ark of the Covenant. Altaïr challenges Robert, but the Templar easily defeats him.

Altaïr flees back to Masyaf, but Robert and the Templars are right behind him. Altaïr alerts Al Mualim to his failure, but Malik arrives with the Apple of Eden and blames Altaïr for Kadar's death. Altaïr helps drive the Templars back, but Al Mualim strips Altaïr of his rank. Altaïr is sent to Damas (thought why Bowden doesn't just say Damascus, I have no idea) to assassinate Tamir. Altaïr collects enough information and reports to the Rafiq who grants him permission. Altaïr kills Tamir, who reveals his information to Altaïr. Altaïr, back at Masyaf, is sent to Acre to assassinate Garnier de Naplouse, and receives permission from Jabal once he's collected enough information (look, you get the idea, right? It's just the main game's plot being recycled here). Then he heads to Jerusalem, where Malik now serves and is still angry with Altaïr, to assassinate the slaver Talal. It's after this assassination that Altaïr begins to suspect that something binds these men together.

Back in the past, it's revealed that Ahmad, after having fled Masyaf years ago, returned and slit his throat in front of Altaïr, but Al Mualim forbids Altaïr from telling Abbas. Back in the main event of the story, Al Mualin tells Altaïr to set these thoughts aside. Altaïr travels back to Acre, Damascus, and Jerusalem to assassinate William de Montferrat, Abu'l Nuqoud, and Majd Addin, each of whom confesses to something about 'the new world'. Altaïr relates this to Al Mualim, who again tells Altaïr to ignore it and reveals what the Templars are after: the Apple. He relates certain historical figures and biblical figures to it and states that it has a great power to force men to do the users bidding. Next, Altaïr is sent to Sibrand and Jubair al Hakim.

Back in the past, Altaïr tells Abbas the truth, but Abbas refuses to believe him and beats Altaïr up, but Al Mualim intervenes. Back in the main story line, Altaïr, in Damascus, assassinates Jubair, then leaves for Acre to kill in insane Sibrand. After learning their reasons for doing what they did, Altaïr comes to the conclusion that the Templars seek the same thing as the Assassin's: peace. But Al Mualim states that their intentions are more harmful than helpful. Back in the past, Altaïr notes that Abbas refuses to do anything with him anymore. Back in the main story line, Altaïr is sent to kill Robert de Sable. He arrives in Jerusalem and reports to Malik. Altaïr apologizes to Malik for his former arrogance, but Malik refuses to accept, stating that Altaïr isn't the same person anymore. At the funeral of Majd, Altaïr is caught unaware as the Templars ambush him. He fights them and defeats the leader, who reveals herself to be Maria Thorpe, de Sable's most trusted assistant.

Altaïr spares her life and reports to Malik and tells him that de Sable plans to have King Richard the Lionheart and Salah Al'din join forces to wipe out the Assassins. Altaïr arrives and begs Richard to listen to reason, but Richard leaves it up to God, stating that who ever wins in a fight is the right one. Altaïr, after a duel with several Crusader Templars, kills de Sable. The truth is revealed that there are ten Templars, the last being Al Mualim, and King Richard decides to talk peace with Salah Al'din while Altaïr races back to Masyaf to confront the Mentor. Al Mualim uses the Apple to bring up ghost images of each of Altaïr's recent kills, but Altaïr easily beats them, then duels and kills Al Mualim.

Here, Niccolò speeds over events, and relates Altaïr's travels to Cyprus to kill the Templar Grand Master Armand Bouchart; Altaïr's accompanies by Maria, even though she attempts to betray him several times, but eventually, after killing many Templars and an Assassin who was converted, Altaïr and Maria succeed in killing Bouchart. During this, Altaïr wrote the Codex that Ezio would later find and read. Altaïr and Maria head to the east to stop the advance of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. After they come back with their eldest son Darim Ibn-La'Ahad, they learn that Sef Ibn-La'Ahad, their youngest son, was killed by Malik. Altaïr breaks Malik out of prison and learns that Abbas had his son killed, then Altaïr and Maria confront Abbas. Abbas still bears hatred for what Altaïr said years ago about his father killing himself, then reveals that he killed Malik. Altaïr, angered, attempts to kill Abbas, but ends up fleeing with Darim when Abbas' corrupt Assassins kill Maria. (Note: this differs heavily from Revelation, but Bowden rewrites it to Revelation's setting in the next book, proving that Bowden makes some of this up as he goes along.)

Years later, and elderly Altaïr returns to Masyaf and gathers the poorly trained Assassin's together to confront Abbas and stop him from his power-hungry quest, but Abbas is surrounded by his loayal Assassins. Altaïr uses his newly fashioned hidden gun to kill Abbas, then Altaïr takes over the Assassins. This is where the events catch up to Niccolò and Maffeo as Altaïr gives them certain disks and the Codex to hide. They flee Masyaf as the Mongols attack and Altaïr rallies his Assassins to defend the city. The Polos lose the Codex, but still held on to the artifacts. They decide to hide them in Constantinople for an Assassin of the future to find. They also spread word of the Creed and set up an Assassins guild there, in Constantinople. At the end, Ezio closes the book and looks over the cityscape of Constantinople as the ship he's on pulls into the harbor.


All in all, a wel-paced novel that captures the spirit of the original game, even with the liberties to cut off the information gathering that the game replies upon. Recommended for every Assassin's Creed fan.

Up next, and last for November, Assassin's Creed: Revelation by Oliver Bowden.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood SPOILERS!

On 30 November 2010, Oliver Bowden wrote and published another lame edition to the Assassin's Creed series, this time badly adapting the events of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Synopsis: "I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn't built in a day and it won't be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood." ―Ezio Auditore. Rome, once mighty, lies in ruins. The city swarms with suffering and degradation, her citizens living in the shadow of the ruthless Borgia family. Only one man can free the people from the Borgia tyranny - Ezio Auditore, the Master Assassin. Ezio's quest will test him to his limits. Cesare Borgia, a man more villainous and dangerous than his father the Pope, will not rest until he has conquered Italy. And in such treacherous times, conspiracy is everywhere, even within the ranks of the brotherhood itself . . . 

The novel opens briefly recapping the opening to Brotherhood as Ezio and Mario flee Rome for Monteriggioni. Once there, Ezio calls a war council together and tells them what happened, but Niccolò Machiavelli is displeased that Ezio spared Rodrigo's life. Later that day, Caterina Sforza and Ezio have sex to form an alliance. The following day, Cesare Borgia―son of Rodrigo―along with his sister and lover Lucrezia, banker and Cardinal Juan Borgia, French general  Octavian de Valois, and Micheletto Corella, storm Monteriggioni and kill Mario Auditore, steal the Apple, then severely wound Ezio. Ezio wakes up to help Claudia (his sister) and Maria (his mother) escape, then rides off. He faints due to his wounds and wakes up in Rome. He meets Machiavelli and the two plan to take down the Borgia―though Ezio would rather use the courtesans, thieves, and mercenaries to help him while Machiavelli believes they should strike now. He helps Bartolomeo d'Alviano secure his small fortress from further attacks by Cesare's guards, helps La Volpe establish a better thieves guild in Rome, then, with anger, helps Claudia set up a better brothel for the courtesans to work in. While he does this, he frees certain parts of the city from Borgia control. La Volpe, however, believes Machiavelli to be a traitor to the Brotherhood and voices his suspicions to Ezio. Learning that his former lover, Caterina, is being held by the Borgia, Ezio sets off to rescue her, but he's told by Machiavelli to make sure that Rodrigo and Cesare die first.

Entering Castel Sant'Angelo, Ezio learns that Cesare has left for the battlefield while Rodrigo is locked in a meeting with the Cardinals. Ezio, after capturing Lucrezia, gets Caterina free, then they escape. During this, Caterina declares that she only slept with him so he would send the Assassins to help defend Forlì, but soon after she's healed, she leaves. Ezio, heartbroken, resumes his work. He meets Leonardo da Vinci―also "working" for the Borgia―and gets back many of his damaged equipment (and some of the stuff only available in game if the player completes the four Leonardo missions). From Claudia, Ezio learns that a certain senator owes the mysterious Banker money and helps him. Ezio, during a party―which Bowden describes somewhat differently than the game, with orgies instead of occurring outdoors―kills the Banker, who is none other than Juan, Cesare's uncle. Ezio then helps Bartolomeo rescue Pantasilea Baglioni, his wife, from Octavian's clutches; Ezio kills Octavian. Later that week, Ezio tails Micheletto―Cesare's right hand man―and steals costumes for his Assassin's to use during a play. At the play, Ezio prevents Micheletto from killing Lucrezia's boy toy, then notices a thief that supposedly died during the Battle of Monteriggioni. Ezio captures him, but the Borgia thief declares that the Borgia will kill the Assassins and impales himself of Ezio's hidden blade. Ezio takes a letter off the dead man and knows that it was the deceased thief, not Machiavelli, who sold out the Brotherhood.

He stops La Volpe from killing Machiavelli and the men reunite. Ezio arrives back at the brothel and finds several guards killed. Fearing for his family's safety, Ezio storms in, only to find more dead guards surrounding Claudia; he inducts her into the Italian Assassin Brotherhood. Machiavelli proclaims that Ezio is the true Mentor and allows Ezio to take over the reigns since Mario's death. Together, the Brotherhood decides to fully up their game and openly take back Rome. Ezio learns that Cesare has returned and storms Castel Sant'Angelo again, then watches as Cesare, infuriated at the loss of his funds and troops, bickers with Rodrigo. Rodrigo, however, has poisoned Cesare, and demands that his son needs to die because he brought the Assassin's down on them because of his (Cesare's) stupidity. Lucrezia informs her brother that their father has poisoned him and Cesare kills Rodrigo, then storms off to find the Apple. Ezio learns from Lucrezia what Cesare intends to do and races to find the Apple. Ezio steals it and for the next couple of days, deprives Cesare of all support, eventually leading to Cesare's arrest. Ezio, Machiavelli, and Leonardo learn that he's been freed by Micheletto in Spain and they race to stop him, but Leonardo becomes ill and he and Machiavelli depart, leaving Ezio to finish the task. Ezio watches as Cesare kills his right hand man, then departs for Viana. During the Siege of Viana, Ezio kills Cesare, then takes the second Apple and hides both away.

All in all, a mediocre book that pales next to its game counterpart. The only good thing Bowden does is explain that it took a month to rebuild Rosa in Fiore, Bartolomeo's hideout, and The Sleeping Fox Inn each. But unlike Renaissance, Bowden refuses to use the down-load content (DLC) The Da Vinci Disappearance. Though, once more, Bowden refuses to acknowledge the existence of Desmond and the gang or the real time events. All the Courtesan, Thief, and Leonardo missions are said to have been performed by Ezio's recruits. Definitely not worth reading for fans of the game.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade by Oliver Bowden.

Book Review: Assassin's Creed: Renaissance SPOILERS!

In March 2010, Oliver Bowden published the first novel in the Assassin's Creed set of novels. It's a tie-in to the events of the game Assassin's Creed II, stars Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he takes up the responsibilities of being an Assassin in Renaissance Italy, taking us from Firenze (Florence) to Monteriggioni to San Gimignano to Venice to Forli as Ezio hunts down those responsible for killing his family. Synopsis: "I will seek vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin . . ." Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honor, he will learn the art of the Assassins. Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli--knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live. To his allies, he will become a force for change--fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. So begins an epic story of power, revenge, and conspiracy. Truth Will Be Written In Blood.

First, let it be noted that Bowden has taken extreme liberties with the game. Unlike the game, certain things don't happen at all, such as Ezio sending money back to rebuild Monteriggioni, taking away Ezio's eagle vision to spot targets, rewriting the ending. But he does include the down-load content such as the Battle of Forli and the Bonfire of the Vanities, as well as adding in the Cristina flashbacks. Note: he does change Cristina's last name from Vespucci to Calfucci, changes Dante Moro's ex-wife's name from Carlotta to Gloria, got rid of the Sword and Armor of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, and had all the codex pages limited to being found on the Templars. No mention is made of Minerva's message to Desmond Miles--instead, Bowden treats it as if it doesn't happen.

The novel opens in Firenze (Florence) with Ezio, preparing his men for a fight with Vieri de' Pazzi and his men, is hit in the forehead with a rock by Vieri (note: in the game, Ezio got hit in the upper lip). After a very brief fight, Ezio's brother, Federico, appears and has Ezio loot the bodies of Vieri's men, then takes him to a doctor to heal his wound; it's during this that Ezio recalls the first time he met Cristina and how he fought Vieri because the young Pazzi was harassing her. Ezio sneaks into the "Calfucci" house and sleeps with Cristina. In the morning, after being chased off by her father, Ezio returns to the Auditore house, where he's sent on a number of quests--beating up Duccio, Claudia's cheating fiance; collecting feathers for Petruccio, the youngest Auditore; and delivering letters to Lorenzo de' Medici, warning him of a conspiracy against the Duke of Milan (note: the game has it as a plot against Lorenzo)--before helping his mother bring over a painting done by Leonardo da Vinci. Later, Ezio delivers letter to three people--a mercenary, a thief and his courtesan companion--then retrieve a letter warning Giovanni--Ezio's father--about the Pazzi family moving that night. Ezio returns home to send Claudia and Maria to the housemaid's sister. Once that's done, he goes and sees his father, but is warned off and told to find a chest in Giovanni's office. Ezio finds the Italian Assassin robes and a broken hidden blade. He runs to Uberto Alberti for help, but the man betrays him and has his father and brothers hanged, while Rodrigo Borgia watches on; Ezio attempts to fight, but ends up running for his life. He finds Cristina and tells her what's happened; she agrees to help Ezio burn his father and brothers bodies, then asks her to go with him, but she refuses. Returning to find Anneta, she takes him to her sister Paola who teaches him how to blend in with the crowd. Then, she sends him to Leonardo to have the gifted man repair the broken blade. Once that's done, and the Codex page inside it deciphered, Ezio hunts down Uberto and slits his throat, then declares that the Auditore family isn't dead. He's promptly chased off and goes back to Paola's courtesan house where they make their escape to Monteriggioni.

Vieri's waiting for them and tries to attack, but Mario Auditore--Ezio's uncle--drives him off. Ezio sends Claudia and Maria to a nunnery (in the game, Mario welcomes them into Monteriggioni), then trains with Mario. Ezio wants to travel farther, but ends up helping Mario invade San Gimignano to kill Vieri, who's a Templar working for Rodrigo Borgia; Ezio kills Vieri and retrieves another Codex. He learns about the history of the Templars and Assassins from Mario, then takes the Codex pages to Leonardo, who tells Ezio that there are new ways to assassinate people. Ezio then tracks down La Volpe (in the book, he's called Gilberto) and finds out where the Pazzi are hiding, then learns that there's a conspiracy to take over the Republic of Florence by the Pazzi, supplied by the Barbarigo family in Venice, and supported by others, and led by Rodrigo. They plan on killing Lorenzo de' Medici during church, but Ezio foils their plans. Ezio helps Lorenzo get to his safehouse, then find and kills Vieri's father, Francesco, and hangs him as a warning to the elder Pazzi, Jacopo. Jacopo and his allies (Bernardo Baroncelli, Stefano da Bagnone, Francesco Salviati, and Antonio Maffei) flee to San Gimignano where Ezio spends a few years hunting and killing them all, except for Jacopo. Jacopo meets with Rodrigo and Emilio Barbarigo and both promptly severely wound Jacopo. Ezio delivers the killing blow after kissing Jacopo on the forehead. Ezio then goes back to Florence and finds out that Cristina's engaged to a man who gambles, but Ezio sets him straight. Then, he tells Lorenzo that the Pazzi are dead, then goes to see Leonardo, but finds that he's leaving for Venice. Ezio rides with Leonardo's convoy (in the game, it was just the two of them), and then fights guards who are after Ezio. Ezio meets Leonardo in Forli, and rescues Caterina Sforza, who ensures that Ezio has proper passage to travel to Venice; Ezio is struck with how beautiful she is. Once in Venice, Ezio helps a wounded Rosa get back to the thieves hideout, where he meets Antonio de Magianis. Antonio and Rosa help Ezio find and kill Emilio, then spends more time tracking the rest of the Templars. He learns that Carlo Grimaldi, a government official and member of the Council of Ten, was close to Giovanni Mocenigo, the Doge of Venice, and hoped to turn him to the Templar cause.

But this proved too much and instead Rodrigo ordered his death. Ezio fails to stop the assassination attempt, but does kill Carlo. Days later, Marco Barbarigo is named the new Doge and hosts a party during Carnevale, but Ezio--with Sister Teodora, another courtesan and ally of the Assassins'--plan to kill Marco. Ezio runs into Cristina and kisses her, but she gets angered when she finds out it was Ezio and tells him to leave her alone. Ezio then competes in several competitions and wins, only for a bribed judge to declare Dante Moro the winner. Ezio steals the grand prize, a golden mask which will allow the wearer to enter Marco's party undetected, and enters the party. He kills Marco with his hidden gun undercover of the fireworks, then flees back to Teodora's brothel. With his quest nearly complete, Ezio learns that Silvio Barbarigo and Dante are fleeing to Cyprus, for unknown reasons. Ezio enlists the help of Bartolomeo d'Alviano, who leads the Venetian mercenaries, and they storm the Venetian Arsenal. Ezio kills both Dante and Silvio, again retrieving more Codex pages. Two years later, and involved in a large love life with Rosa, Ezio finally learns that the Templar ship has arrived and is carrying a Piece of Eden. It's being delivered to the "prophet", but when Ezio arrives, he finds Rodrigo and they attempt to fight over who gets the Apple. La Volpe, Mario, Paola, Antonio, Teodora, and Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli arrive and help Ezio force Rodrigo into fleeing. They then induct him into the Assassin Brotherhood. Mario, Ezio, and Machiavelli take the Appel to Leonardo for examination, but they end up sending Ezio and Machiavelli to Forli to hide it with Caterina, another member of the Brotherhood. When they arrive, however, Forli comes under attack by the Orsi brothers, Checco and Ludovico. They've taken Caterina's two of her kids hostage, but Ezio frees them and kills Ludovico. He returns them to Caterina who informs him that she and Machiavelli were ambushed by Checco who stole the Apple. Ezio hunts Checco down and kills him, then succumbs to his wounds and the Mad Monk Girolamo Savonarola takes the Apple. Ezio heals and has a short but fun relationship with Caterina before he departs for Florence.

Ezio kills Savonarola and his allies in the Bonfire of the Vanities, and finds Manfredo--Cristina's husband--dying. Ezio asks him where Cristina is and Ezio chases after her, killing the men on her tail, but she dies in Ezio's arms, saying that she wished they'd had a second chance. Ezio, grieving, takes the Apple back to Monteriggioni where every Assassin met in the game is there. Ezio discovers that Lorenzo is dead and that Rodrigo is now Pope Alexander VI. The Codex pages contain a map that leads Ezio and company to Roma (Rome) where the Vault is hidden. Rodrigo plans to open it with the Staff of Eden, but Ezio interrupts. They fight and Ezio looses to Rodrigo, but Ezio, unwilling to give up, chases him down and defeats Rodrigo. Rodrigo declares that it was his destiny to open the Vault, but Ezio denies this to the old man and enters himself. He meets Minerva, who claims to be one of "Those Who Came Before, and she tells him that he's a cipher for someone else (though Bowden refuses to use Desmond's name). Ezio leaves and Rodrigo, having poisoned himself, asks to know what Ezio found, to which Ezio replies "Nothing." He leaves and rejoins his friends to rebuild the world. (Note: this never happened in either ACII or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the game.)

All in all, a decent novel that barely fleshes things out. Good enough for a non-gamer, but not good enough for fans of the series.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood by Oliver Bowden.

Book Review: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire SPOILERS!

On May 1996, Steve Perry and Ballantine Spectra books published the novelization to the Nintendo 64 game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It removes the entirety of the Hoth sequence in favor of starting with an introduction to the main villain, Prince Xizor. The events of the game and novel take place between Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Synopsis: It is a time of crisis. Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, is being taken to the vile ganster Jabba the Hutt. As Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission and Darth Vader scours the Galaxy for Luke Skywalker, another sinister figure emerges. Cunning and ruthless, leader of a powerful crime syndicate, he will pit himself against Vader for the favor of their mutual master . . . the dreaded Emperor. His name is Xizor, Underlord of a galaxywide criminal organization called Black Sun. He seeks to displace Darth Vader as Emperor Palpatine's right hand. To do so, he will hatch a brilliantly evil plan to discredit Vader in the Emperor's eyes. But in the meantime he will join the Dark Lord in an unholy alliance whose common target is the young Rebel hero, Luke Skywalker. While Vader and Xizor bait their trap for Luke, Han Solo is being held captive, flash-frozen in a carbonite slab. Mourning the loss of the man she loves, Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission to free Han. She enlists the aid of Luke, who is sharpening his skill in the Force at Ben Kenobi's home on the edge of Tatooine's Western Dune Sea. Skywalker organizes a crack fighting force, including Wedge Antilles and his famous X-wing squadron; Lando Calrissian; and the mercenary Dash Rendar. Yet the fierce battle that ensues to rescue Han will not go according to plan. For the Empire's spies are everywhere. What's worse, though he is cold and reptilian, Xizor has a certain predatory charisma that not even Leia can totally resist. Against the judgment of Chewbacca, who has promised Han to keep her from harm, Leia walks willingly into Xizor's lair in a dangerous play of passion and willpower to get the information she needs to defeat him. At the same time, Luke stands in the crosshairs of a conspiracy of assassins and bounty hunters recruited by Xizor's lieutenant, the beautiful but lethal Human replicant Guri. As the struggle between Xizor and Vader intensifies, Luke finds himself the potential prize of the two most evil entities in the galaxy — one who wants him alive, and one who wants him dead. In a final, explosive showdown, the Rebels must infiltrate Xizor's impregnable stronghold and fight the combined forces of Black Sun and the Empire in deep space. With death and betrayal looming on every side, Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie must use every weapon and resource at their disposal, including the Rebel fleet and some intriguing new allies, if they are to prove victorious. In Shadows of the Empire, Steve Perry adds an exciting new chapter to the Star Wars saga and introduces important new characters and situations no Star Wars fan will want to miss.

The novel opens with Xizor witnessing Palpatine talking to Vader about Luke Skywalker during the events of The Empire Strikes Back and how Vader will turn his son to the dark side. On Tatooine, Leia has a nightmare about the day Han was frozen in carbonite, while Luke is off trying to keep up his Jedi training. Later, Lando arrives and informs Leia that an old friend named Dash Rendar says he's tracked Boba Fett to Gall, the moon of Zhar. The gang leaves and lands on Kile, the other moon, where Dash and Rogue Squadron's waiting for them. Together, Luke leads Rogue Squadron in a battle to keep the Imperials distracted while Dash, in his ship Outrider, takes Lando, Leia, and Chewbacca--on Millennium Falcon--to the surface of Gall. During the battle, an X-Wing pilot is killed and Dash bails when they approach the base. During the rendezvous back to the rebel base, Luke's attacked by Wes Janson's X-Wing--it's revealed that Wes' droid's been programmed to kill Luke. Luke disables Wes' ship and they land on the base, but Luke demands answers about why Dash left; Dash states that he was paid to lead them there, not stay and fight. In the hangar, Wedge and Luke are ambushed by a mechanic who killed the droid; they find out that he was working for someone, but unbeknownst to anyone, the hit came from Xizor. Prince Xizor's looking for a way to strike back at Vader for killing his family on Falleen many years ago.

The group splits up: Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, and C-3PO heading for Rodia to ask Black Sun for help while Luke goes back to Tatooine in case Fett shows up. Leia pays Dash to keep an eye on Luke. Luke's ambushed by bounty hunters and, after a chase through Beggar's Canyon, Dash arrives and saves Luke. They find a package waiting for Leia--it tells them about the Bothan's having recovered technical plans for a secret project the Emperor is overseeing. The two, plus R2-D2, head to Kothlis to find out. They arrive and join with the Bothans to prepare a fight, but it goes wrong and Dash's missile seemingly destroys the Bothan squadron. Devastated, Dash begins to lose faith in his abilities, despite the fact that they recovered the intel. Meanwhile, on Rodia, Guri arrives per Xizor's instructions and brings Leia and Chewbacca to Imperial City to meet with the Dark Prince. Once there, Xizor attempts to seduce Leia, but fails when Chewbacca interrupts. Chewbacca flees Xizor's palace while the Dark Prince holds her captive. Alone, Luke's captured by Barabel bounty hunters; they tell Vader, but before Vader can arrive, Lando and Chewbacca break him out. They head to Imperial City to rescue Leia. Vader's not pleased and angrily returns to Imperial City. While there, he senses Luke, but also Leia, though he doesn't realize it at the time. Luke, Lando, and Chewbacca run into Dash who agrees to help them.

They suborn a Black Sun member who leads them through the sewers into Xizor's Palace. He attempts to kill them, but Dash kills him. Once inside, they rescue Leia. Xizor, annoyed by the fight taking place, heads them off, but Lando drops a thermal detonator down a chute to the bottom of the palace. Xizor flees to his skyhook in orbit while the others race to the top. Luke fights and defeats Guri--she flees--and board the Falcon, piloted by C-3PO and R2-D2. They manage to escape, but Xizor sends his fleet to fight them; even with the arrival of Rogue Squadron, they can't hold off much longer. Earlier in the novel, Vader warned Xizor multiple times to stay away from Skywalker and his friends, and having found out what's going on and why Xizor bears a grudge against him, arrives. Vader demands that Xizor stand down, but the Dark Prince refuses. Vader orders the crew of the Executor to open fire on the skyhook. Xizor's killed, and the rebels manage to escape, but not before Dash, now on his ship, is seemingly killed. In the end, back on Tatooine, Luke finishes his recording to Jabba Desilijic Tiure and installs his lightsaber into R2-D2's dome. He and Leia get word from the Bothans that Dash is considered a hero and to let him know that he didn't kill the Bothans, it was the Imperials who fired a shot at the same moment Dash's missile impacted. The novel closes, setting up for Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

All in all, a well crafted and paced novel. Steve Perry gracefully cuts away the dried action of the game and replaces it with a sense of epicness that the game sorely lacks. The cut level of the Battle of Hoth is referred to, but not shown since it has no bearing on the novel or the game itself. Xizor is also given some missing cunning and evilness that the game doesn't have. It utilized the Original Trilogy heroes and villains well. A must read for all Star Wars fans.

Up next: Assassin's Creed: Renaissance by Oliver Bowden, the first novelization of any Assassin's Creed game. Yes, this means I'm going to do them in the order they were published.

Book Review: Mass Effect: Retribution SPOILERS

In 2010, Drew Karpyshyn penned a third Mass Effect novel. This time, Pual's been kidnapped and only Kahlee and Anderson can save him. Synopsis: Humanity has reached the stars, joining the vast galactic community of alien species. But beyond the fringes of explored space lurk the Reapers, a race of sentient starships bent on “harvesting” the galaxy’s organic species for their own dark purpose. The Illusive Man, leader of the pro-human black ops group Cerberus, is one of the few who know the truth about the Reapers. To ensure humanity’s survival, he launches a desperate plan to uncover the enemy’s strengths—and weaknesses—by studying someone implanted with modified Reaper technology. He knows the perfect subject for his horrific experiments: former Cerberus operative Paul Grayson, who wrested his daughter from the cabal’s control with the help of Ascension project director Kahlee Sanders. But when Kahlee learns that Grayson is missing, she turns to the only person she can trust: Alliance war hero Captain David Anderson. Together they set out to find the secret Cerberus facility where Grayson is being held. But they aren’t the only ones after him. And time is running out. As the experiments continue, the sinister Reaper technology twists Grayson’s mind. The insidious whispers grow ever stronger in his head, threatening to take over his very identity and unleash the Reapers on an unsuspecting galaxy.

The novel opens with the Illusive Man thinking about what Shepard did on the Collector Base (the ending to Mass Effect 2). He receives a transmission from Kai Leng, Cerberus' top "wet-work" agent, who says he's located Paul Grayson on the lawless Omega space station in the Terminus Systems. The Illusive Man's pleased by the news and tells Leng to capture Grayson alive, for he needs human subjects for his investigation into Reaper technology recovered from the Collector Base. Grayson, currently working for Aria T'Loak, finishes an assignment with fellow batarian gang member Sanak, and an asari named Liselle, whom Grayson's sleeping with, to transport red sand from a Talon warehouse on Omega. They stash the red sand at Grayson's apartment, since they don't want to bring it into the Afterlife Club. Grayson stays behind and opens up a comm channel with Kahlee Sanders, currently at the Jon Grissom Academy; he asks her how everything is going with his daughter. Kai Leng watches him leave Afterlife, stalks him to his apartment, and then attempts to capture him. Liselle's there, and Kai Leng kills her, then kidnaps Grayson and steals the red sand. During the confrontation, Grayson managed to send his dirt on Cerberus to Kahlee via the extranet; Kai Leng is unable to stop the transmission. They leave little evidence that Cerberus was there.

Kahlee receives the transmission and, unsure as to what she should do, asks David Anderson for help. They decide they can't go to the Alliance for help due to undercover Cerberus agents being among the Alliance's ranks. The only viable option is to ask the turians for help, since Anderson's gotten to know the turian Ambassador Orinia through his recent political negotiations. Grayson awakes, and finds the Illusive Man near; the Illusive Man explains that he's about to pump Grayson full of Reaper technology. He also lets Grayson know that he (Grayson) won't be a human any longer. Overtime, Grayson becomes indoctrinated via the Reaper tech, but the Illusive Man wants faster progress and injects red sand into Grayson. Grayson goes haywire and freaks out. The Illusive Man orders that Grayson be put down in three days, but a squad of turians--tasked with destroying all of Cerberus' bases--arrive and wreck havoc. The Illusive Man and Kai Leng escape, unable to kill Grayson; the Illusive Man's not happy about letting Grayson live. Grayson, under control of the Reapers, gets the turians to set him free. The Reapers kill them, and order Grayson to sleep to heal his wounds. They change his flight course to allow for the healing. When the turians and their shuttle don't report back, Kahlee and Anderson grow worried for themselves and for Grayson.

They head to the station and find out about his indoctrination, but are captured by Aria's forces, but they bring Kahlee to Aria instead. The Reapers want her information and change course yet again, this time with Grayson's help. He runs into assassins and escapes to Grissom Academy; Kahlee and David chase him down with the help of Kai Leng. Once on Grissom Academy, Grayson hacks their terminals and sends the Reapers all the information about the space station. Kai Leng, Kahlee, and Anderson dock and they split up--Kai Leng finds Nick and they search for Grayson. Grayson manages to fight them, severely wounding Nick in the process, before Anderson and Kai Leng shoot him. Kai Leng refuses to be taken prisoner and also refuses to help save Nick. A fight breaks out and Anderson blows Kai Leng's kneecaps apart, then help Kahlee save Nick. Kai Leng, angered and wounded, still manages to escape and flees back to the Illusive Man. The Illusive Man grudgingly accepts the resolution to the catastrophe. Eventually, everyone in Grissom Academy recovers, including Nick and Anderson. Anderson intends to study Grayson's remains and asks Kahlee to join his research team; the two finally kiss. The Illusive Man finds a way to profit from this without abandoning his own research efforts. He pays Aria for databanks she recovered from his overrun station, allowing her to keep a copy of the data.

All in all, a rushed book that details too heavily into the lore of the Mass Effect universe. It adds many pages of exposition on how Grayson was altered for the Reaper tech, but, like always, Karpyshyn merely tells this and doesn't bother showing any of it. Again, Karpyshyn takes what would be a great idea and kills it.

Up next, a return to the Star Wars Expanded Universe since I forgot about the novelization to the 1997 game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

Book Review: Mass Effect: Ascension SPOILERS!

In 2008, Drew karpyshyn returned to the Mass Effect universe and wrote a second, cringe-worthy novel called Ascension. This time, Kahlee Sanders goes with a madman and his child as they flee to the Terminus systems, then act in a one day time-frame to get the girl away, because Karpyshyn rushes everything to the most illogical time just to get "up" the stakes. Synopsis: When they vanished fifty thousand years ago, the Protheans left their advanced technology scattered throughout the galaxy. The chance discovery of a Prothean cache on Mars allows humanity to join those already reaping the rewards of the ancients’ high-tech wizardry. But for one rogue militia, the goal is not participation but domination. Scientist Kahlee Sanders has left the Systems Alliance for the Ascension Project, a program that helps gifted “biotic” children harness their extraordinary powers. The program’s most promising student is twelve-year-old Gillian Grayson, who is borderline autistic. What Kahlee doesn’t know is that Gillian is an unwitting pawn of the outlawed black ops group Cerberus, which is sabotaging the program by conducting illegal experiments on the students. When the Cerberus plot is exposed, Gillian’s father takes her away from the Ascension Project and flees into the lawless Terminus Systems. Determined to protect Gillian, Kahlee goes with them… unaware that the elder Grayson is, in fact, a Cerberus operative. To rescue the young girl Kahlee must travel to the farthest ends of the galaxy, battling fierce enemies and impossible odds. But how will she be able to save a daughter from her own father?


The novel opens with the Illusive Man watching the recordings of Saren's attempted coup and how Commander Shepard (note: Karpyshyn refuses to say whether Shepard is male or female) stopped the rogue turian Spectre, musing on how idiotic it was for the Council to deny Sovereign as a Reaper, insisting that it was a geth ship. He believes that the time is right to push forward with Cerberus' asset in the Ascension Project. Paul Grayson dreams the same dream he's been having for the last few years, that of helping Charles Saracino get the top slot for the xenophobic Terra Firma party; Paul's an addict of the drug red sand. Pel tells Paul that the Illusive Man wants to have more meds pumped into Gillian; Paul's against it, but, for now, puts up with it because the Illusive Man keeps giving him red sand. Kahlee runs some tests on Nick, a biotic teenager; she leaves and runs into Hendel Mitra who's on his way to inform Gillian that Paul intends to visits and will deny the request, but Kahlee tells him to approve the request and she'll tell Gillian. Gillian's less than thrilled, and states that she has homework to do. Pel meets with Golo, a quarian agent who sold some of his people to the Collectors, points Pel toward another quarian who can hand over the flotilla's transmission codes. Paul arrives, and he and Jiro--an Ascension Project scientist working for Cerberus--gives Gillian meds; Jiro gives Paul updated reports on all the students at Grissom Academy, including Gillian.

Pel takes out a squad of quarians and takes Hiro'Jaa vas Idenna--the pilot of the scout ship Cyniad of the Migrant Fleet ship Idenna--captive. Gillian starts acting different, starts integrating with the other students; Nick tries to antagonize Gillian, but she flings him back with her biotic powers, then proceeds to tear up the cafeteria. Hendel takes her down with a stun shot. Jiro abducts Gillian, and Hendel and Kahlee chase after them. Jiro administers a dose of the drug to Gillian, and she has a seizure. Hendel arrives and Jiro stuns him, then flees. Hendel manages to hold on and tries to save Gillian. Kahlee takes Jiro down and demands answers. Kahlee comms Paul to let him know, and Paul tells the Illusive Man. The Illusive Man tells Paul to pull Gillian out of the Ascension Project and to bring her to Cerberus. Pel and Golo talk about the Collectors and how Golo can get in contact with them. Paul takes Gillian away, but Hendel and Kahlee want to help him protect Gillian from Cerberus; Paul agrees. They head to Omega; Pel separates the biotics from the non-biotics. Pel reveals to Kahlee and Paul that he's planning on handing them over to the Collectors. Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya--a quarian on his Pilgrimage--breaks into Pel's base and helps Kahlee get Hendel and Gillian out. Lemm takes them to the Migrant Fleet. They dock on the Idenna. Paul reports to the Illusive Man personally and face-to-face what happened; the Illusive Man sends Paul back to Golo to get a team ready to storm the Migrant Fleet and retake Gillian.

Eventually, the quarian guards bring Kahlee, Hendel, and Gillian to Captain Ysin'Mal vas Idenna--Leem's already there--and Ysin'Mal tells them that the Admiralty (note: Karpyshyn refuses to use any of their established names) is coming to visit and invites the gang to meet them. Between them, they recap Revelation and Mass Effect, focusing on how Saren and Sovereign were able to control the geth. Grayson and Golo prepare to leave Omega on Cyniad to help the Cerberus agents attack. They arrive, dock, and let Cerberus through. A fight breaks out. A team of Cerberus agents finds Gillian and she kills them; she runs into Paul and he tries to get her to leave, but she refuses. Kahlee attempts to rescue Gillian, but Golo captures her. Grayson kills Golo and surrenders. Together, Paul and Hendel manage to shut down a bomb on Cyniad that Cerberus had prepared to wipe out the Idenna. After the battle Lemm'Shal vas Idenna, Kahlee, and Paul leave; Hendel and Gillian stay behind. During the trip to the Alliance colony on Cuevro Paul knocks Leem and Kahlee out, then lands on the volus world of Daleon and escapes. In the end, Paul calls the Illusive Man, tells him he quits, tells him to leave Kahlee alone or he'll go public to the Alliance with everything he knows about Cerberus; the Illusive Man threatens to find and kill him.

All in all, a prose-heavy book that has information from the games pasted in just to add pages and really doesn't serve a purpose. A sham, Drew Karpyshyn takes what could be a fantastic idea and kills it.

Next time: Mass Effect: Retribution by Drew Karpyshyn.

Book Review: Mass Effect: Revelation SPOILERS!

In 2007, wannabe author Drew Karpyshyn published a story hinted at in the first Mass Effect game: the tale of the rivalry between Saren and Anderson, but like Karpyshyn's other books, he completely drops the ball, ham-fists the characters and situations so that everyone and their dog come across as jackasses and assholes. He dumbs it down, coming across as, "that's how you heard it, this is how boring an predictable it really was." Synopsis: Every advanced society in the galaxy relies on the technology of the Protheans, an ancient species that vanished fifty thousand years ago. After discovering a cache of Prothean technology on Mars in 2148, humanity is spreading to the stars; the newest interstellar species, struggling to carve out its place in the greater galactic community. On the edge of colonized space, ship commander and Alliance war hero David Anderson investigates the remains of a top secret military research station; smoking ruins littered with bodies and unanswered questions. Who attacked this post and for what purpose? And where is Kahlee Sanders, the young scientist who mysteriously vanished from the base–hours before her colleagues were slaughtered? Sanders is now the prime suspect, but finding her creates more problems for Anderson than it solves. Partnered with a rogue alien agent he can't trust and pursued by an assassin he can't escape, Anderson battles impossible odds on uncharted worlds to uncover a sinister conspiracy . . . one he won't live to tell about. Or so the enemy thinks.

The novel opens with Admiral Jon Grissom and then-N7 Lieutenant David Anderson preparing to head off into the first naval conflict of the First Contact War/the Relay 314 Incident with the Turian Hierarchy. Eight years later, humanity was recognized by the Citadel Council and granted an embassy. During a patrol of the Skyllian Verge, Anderson happens upon an SOS coming from the destroyed human research station on Sidon. Once there, he finds and fights mercenaries and a couple of dead scientists. Meanwhile, on Elysium, scientist Kahlee Sandershas gone AWOL with several classified files, intending to report her superiors for conducting illegal research. Kahlee is attacked by a merc posing as an Alliance MP, but she fights him off and realizes that her escape from Sidon hasn't gone unnoticed; she flees to find help. On Camala, a rich batarian named Edan Had'dah meets with the Blue Suns and hires them to attack the human research facility on Sidon. But he learns too late that Sanders has fled and fears that the information she has would point to his involvement. He sends the mercs to deal with her, but he received news of their failure and hires krogan bounty hunter Skarr to assassinate her. Anderson arrives at the Citadel to meet with Ambassador Anita Goyle, who informs Anderson that the Sidon facility was researching AI, which is illegal. She sends Anderson to locate Sanders, who may know who was behind the attack and the whereabouts of Dr. Shu Qian, the brilliant scientist in charge of the Sidon facility.

Meanwhile, the turian Spectre Saren Arterius has tracked an illegal weapons exchange to a warehouse on Juxhi. As a Spectre, Saren is above the law and, unfortunately, bears a grudge towards humanity after losing his brother in the First Contact War. After killing most of both sides, Saren interrogates a survivor, and learns that the weapons were meant for the Blue Suns, who were planning a major operation, but pulled out at the last minute to avoid Spectre attention. Saren's interest is piqued. After hunting a Blue Sun mercenary named Groto Ib-ba, Saren learns about Skarr and his new target. Anderson tracks Sanders to her father's home--that of Jon Grissom--but Skarr turns up, so Anderson fights him, but Saren turns up and drives Skarr off. Saren interrogates Sanders, but she lies and says she was studying human biotics. Saren departs, but Sanders warns Anderson that the equipment for her project came from Dah'tan Manufacturing on Camal. The pair leave for Camala; Skarr reports to Edan, who sends the Blue Suns to help the krogan destroy the facility. They're mostly successful, but Saren interrogates the surviving member, Had'dah's contact, Jella. Meanwhile, the Council finds out about the AI research, and admonishes Goyle, but Goyle works out an arrangement with the Council. Sanders tells Anderson that Dr. Qian was responsible for the destruction of the facilty and that it was to cover his tracks because he was studying an alien artifact that might even pre-date the Protheans, and that after he started studying, he became obsessed with it.

Sanders believes Qian's working with Had'dah, so the Council send Saren after him--Goyle asks that Anderson be taken along, as a Spectre candidate. They plan to smuggle Sanders off Camala, but Saren alerts Had'dah to this. Had'dah sets up an ambush using Skarr and the Blue Suns; Sanders gets captured and Anderson is furious with Saren--who has become fixated on Qian's research more than his mission. Saren gives Anderson some time to save Sanders, but blows up the facility just as Anderson is about to rescue her. Saren kills Had'dah and Qian, then takes the research for himself. Anderson and Sanders return to the Citadel to find out that Saren gave a damning report on his conduct during the mission, and because of this, the Council isn't willing to induct a human Spectre yet, nor do they want to chase after Qian's "artifact" without evidence. Despite attraction between Anderson and Sanders, they part ways: Anderson to follow his military career; Kahlee's been promoted and reassigned a new classified posting. Saren, meanwhile, studied the stolen research and is fascinated by Sovereign, an enormous starship of devastating power. He believes his whole life, even his career as a Spectre, has just been a prelude to this discovery. Saren plans to use the data to find this warship, and use it to exact his revenge upon humanity.

All in all, a short, rushed novel that barely has anything major happen. It's all ham-strung with the game characters acting like they were always that way: Saren has always been an utter bastard who hates everyone; Anderson is too pious. I wouldn't recommend this to any fan of the Mass Effect series.

Up next: Mass Effect: Ascension by Drew Karpyshyn. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleahsed II SPOILERS!

In 2010, W. Haden Blackman returned to LucasArts with another shitty script for a four-hour game called The Force Unleashed II. Galen's not dead, he's been cloned trillions of times, and he seeks Juno. Synopsis: The dark side could not seduce him (like it even tried), the Empire could not control him (like they even tried), death could not defeat him (which is BS, by the way). And now, nothing can stop him from seizing his destiny (what, to have the worse cliffhanger in the history of cliffhangers? There's not even going to be  a TFU3). As ruthless apprentice to Darth Vader, Starkiller was mercilessly schooled in the ways of the dark side, commanded to exterminate the last of the purged Jedi Order, and groomed for the ultimate Sith power play: assassination of the Emperor. He served without question, killed without remorse, and lost his heart without warning to beautiful Imperial fighter pilot Juno Eclipse, never suspecting that he was just a tool in the schemes of his masters—until it was too late to escape their lethal betrayal. Juno mourned Starkiller as dead . . . but now he is back, purged of all memories and programmed to kill. And as fate brings Juno and Starkiller closer to reuniting, with Darth Vader determined not to lose his assassin a second time, they will both have to make a stand. The prize is freedom. The punishment for failing will be eternal enslavement to the dark side of the Force . . . .

The novel opens with Juno Eclipse, now part of the Rebellion, on Salvation, watching as the raid over Cato Neimoidia happens, and she warns Rahm Kota to stay out of trouble and that the Rebellion can't officially sanction his actions. Juno helps Bail, Leia, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis by agreeing to lead a team to help take Dac from the Empire. This goes well, even with Ackbar appearing, but Imperial forces manage to chase them off. (By the way, this all takes place two months before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.) Starkiller, the insane clone of Galen Marek, awakens to a training room, but he doesn't know who he is and destroys the cloning facility on Kamino to cover his escape. He ends up on Cato Neimoidia where he frees Kota from captivity and they flee in the Rogue Shadow. PROXY is there as well, having been retrieved and repaired since the events on Corellia. Kota tells him that the Rebellion needs him, but Starkiller doesn't agree. Meanwhile, Juno's trying to get back to the fleet, and finally manages to succeed in some of the best Rebellion scenes in the book, or would be if she didn't keep harping about how great and holy and noble Galen is. Starkiller has a ridiculously stupid meeting with Yoda on Dagobah. Starkiller, Kota, and PROXY arrive at the main fleet to find it under attack in the Itani Nebula. He also notes that his family's symbol is everywhere. Boba Fett leads the Imperial Forces and they manage to steal Juno before Starkiller can get them. Starkiller leads the Rebellion to Kamino to destroy the cloning facility there. Once there, the Rebellion bombards the facility while Starkiller fights his way to Vader and finds Juno dead. Starkiller defeats Vader, then revives Juno spares Vader's life and the Rebellion takes him hostage, but Boba Fett follows the Rogue Shadow in the Slave I.

And that's how it ends. Seriously. No afterthought or mention of how Vader gets free, or what happens to Starkiller, Juno, PROXY, Kota, and the storyline. It just ends badly. Oh, and throughout it all, both Juno and Starkiller declare their love for each other, which is still weird considering they only knew each other for a month and aren't together until the end in this bit. And that stupid placing of this book almost before A New Hope. How does that make sense? When Luke goes around, looking for Jedi training between ANH and ESB, why does no one remember Kota or Starkiller? Were they embarrassments to the Rebellion? See, these are the sort of questions W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams ignored in favor of a crap story, like Troy Denning in the post NJO section of the Expanded Universe. Anyway, rant over. 

Up next, Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn, which isn't a revelation at all, more like a bland one-dimensional story with one-dimensional characters.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed SPOILERS!

In 2008, LucasArts released a game taht most fans claim is the penultimate of garbage, an eight hour game called The Force Unleashed, which really doesn't allow the player to use every aspect of the magical Force, but rather limits the Force powers to about eight or ten. Synopsis: "The Sith always betray one another....I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough." The overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious–the cunning Sith Lord better known as the former Senator, now Emperor, Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for...and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal apprentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side’s victory with the Jedi’s doom. Since childhood, Vader's nameless agent has known only the cold, mercenary creed of the Sith. His past is a void; his present, the carrying out of his deadly orders. But his future beckons like a glistening black jewel with the ultimate promise: to stand beside the only father he has ever known, with the galaxy at their feet. It is a destiny he can realize only by rising to the greatest challenge of his discipleship: destroying Emperor Palpatine. The apprentice’s journeys will take him across the far reaches of the galaxy, from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to the junkyard planet of Raxus Prime. On these missions, the young Sith Acolyte will forge an unlikely alliance with a ruined Jedi Master seeking redemption and wrestle with forbidden feelings for his beautiful comrade, Juno Eclipse. And he will be tested as never before–by shattering revelations that strike at the very heart of all he believes and stir within him long-forgotten hopes of reclaiming his name...and changing his destiny.

This is by far the worst novelization of any game I've ever ready. Sean Williams can't write properly and just copies down what happens on the screen for the first act before he decides to try and do anything to enhance the story, but by then it's too little too late. 

The novel opens with Darth Vader ordering the Secret Apprentice/Starkiller/Galen Marek to kill former Jedi General and Jedi Master Rahm Kota, but once Starkiller gets to the orbital station above Nar Shaddaa, Kota has already set traps for him. Starkiller and Kota duel briefly, and Kota, damaged and blind, tells him that Vader will kill him and that he (Kota) will be part of Starkiller's future. Starkiller shoves Kota out of the station and brings his lightsaber back to Vader as proof that he killed the renegade Jedi. Vader then tasks Starkiller with killing insane two-bit Jedi Kazdan Paratus on the junkyard world of Raxus Prime, which Starkiller does, but this time actually killing his target. Another mission pits him against Jedi Master "Shaak Ti" on Felucia. (I say that because most fans like to believe this character is really Ahsoka Tano from the shitty Star Wars: The Clone Wars kiddy show around that time.) "Shaak Ti" has an apprentice named Maris Brood, who escapes before Starkiller kills "Shaak Ti," but "Shaak Ti" kills herself after telling Starkiller that both Vader and the Emperor will kill him and that there's no hope for him. It's during these missions that we're introduced to Juno Eclipse, Starkiller's pilot and obvious love interest--this this bit still comes out of nowhere in both novel, comic, and game formats, like they're not even trying. She spends the majority of the book brooding over being ordered to bomb her own homeworld by Vader. Once Starkiller rejoins with Vader, Palpatine shows up and orders Vader to kill him. Vader does so, then retrieves the body and orders Starkiller's crazy droid PROXY to have Starkiller found a rebellion to help him overthrow the Empire.

Starkiller retrieves PROXY and Juno and sets about to complete his mission. He goes to Cloud City, Bespin and gets Kota to side with him, despite Kota's protests. Then they head to Kashyyyk, where Starkiller runs into Leia and R2-D2, before setting the Wookiees free and destroying the shipyards. It's there that Starkiller learns of his parents being killed by Vader during the Occupation of Kashyyyk and that his dad was a Jedi Master named Kento Marek. He also learns that his name is Galen Marek. They head back to Felucia and Galen defeats Maris and saves Bail Organa. Organa wants proof that Galen is a Jedi and that he can defeat the Emperor and Vader; Vader suggests via PROXY that Galen should hit the shipyards above Raxus Prime. Back they go and Galen kills many Imperials just to destroy the orbital docks. PROXY tries to fulfill his mission to kill Galen, but Galen defeats him. Then everyone heads to Corellia where Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Leia, and Garm Bel Iblis agree to start a rebellion and to make war, but they're interrupted by Vader and the 501st. Vader and Galen duel, but Vader wins and almost kills Galen when PROXY intervenes as Obi-Wan Kenobi and they fight. Vader kills PROXY and watches Galen fall to his death. Miraculously, Galen survives and, with Juno, tracks Vader to the Horuz system, to the planet of Despayre, to the Death Star. Galen leaves, but not before Juno delcairs her love for him (which comes out of nowhere) and Galen slaughters his way through the Death Star, frees Bail, Mon, Garm, and Kota, then duels Vader. Vader wins, but Galen destroys the room they're in and kills himself. Palpatine and Vader take his body while, on Corellia, Bail, Mon, Leia, Kota, and Juno form the Alliance to Restore the Republic using the Marek family crest as their symbol.

The ending fight on the Death Star, in the Horuz system completely and utterly contradicts previously established cannon by both George Lucas and the Expanded Universe, where the Rebellion remained ignorant of the Death Star and where it was, and had to formulate a plan, called Operation Skyhook, to find its location after hearing numerous rumors about such a thing. This is why W. Haden Blackman and Sean Williams' story have become so hated. It wasn't just the 8hrs of gameplay, nor the shitty script, nor the out-of-left-field romance, but also the complete and utter disregard for previously established cannon. This book/game/comic deserves the reputation of trash and should never be spoken of again. But I still have that annoying sequel to review.

Up next, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams, based on a story by W. Haden Blackman.