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.
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.
