Review: Mass Effect: Deception SPOILERS!

The tie-in novel to the Mass Effect game series, Mass Effect: Deception by author William C. Dietz, has many screaming for blood. This is because of continuity errors that are spread about in Bill's novel. They are listed here.

Now, I've read and loved most of Bill's other media tie-ins, but this one takes the cake. He screws up continuity between characters, history, technology, and military that it forces one to take a step back from the novel. Even Star Trek has better continuity than this.

Now, don't get me wrong, the premise of this novel is great but sacrificed nearly everything established by author Drew Karpyshyn in the previous three novels. It's a fun read if you've played the games and read the books if only to see how many of the continuity errors you can spot. If you've done neither, read the book with the link above and below to get a clear idea of how things went.

That said, with a good premise, this novel could've taken place after Mass Effect: Invasion, but the lack of fact-checking and simple knowledge prevent it from working within the series as a whole.

Writing Challenges

Setting aside the entirety of NaNoWriMo and writer's block, there are a few ways to get the creative juices flowing. For instance, if you're just not feeling the urge to sit down and write, try reading a book that's not in the genre you're writing in.

Here are just a few things to do to get the juices flowing:

• Try taking the first or last sentence of a novel you've read and write a scene using your characters. What would they do? How would they act?*
• Take a game you've just completed (be it board, card, x-box, or console) and try to write those characters and their situations.*
• Try writing an essay that summarizes the events of your world. It can prove fun and get the creative side warmed up.

This is my challenge to you all. If you feel the creative need to write but can't put thought to paper or screen, then relax and still write. you never know when an idea will spark.

* Note: I'm not saying this has to be published or even revealed or shared. A friend of mine challenged me to do so and I've done it but kept them to myself. Don't want the lawyers coming after me.