Book Review: Bioshock Rapture by John Shirley

Hi readers, 

Today, I'm finally bring you my review of the Bioshock novel. Those of you that have read my life up date posts will have noticed I've been playing games one and two for a little while now. I did pick up this book before and I read a little of it then put it down. That was because it wasn't set in the 'Rapture' the games where and I really wanted it to be. I really love the abandoned, dystopia feeling you get from the Rapture in the games and it feels so real to me. I often imagine what it must have actually looked like and the novel does help with that. 

I picked this book up again halfway through playing the first one, just because I felt like giving it another shot and I knew it'd have some interesting background information. It's a very well written and true to the games story. It includes all the main characters from both games and you get to learn a lot about their backgrounds. I know in the games, you learn too, but this goes into more depth. There's also a nice tie in with the use of the voice records and some lines are quoted from the games, which just brings you to thinking about that moment in the game. 

For those of you who haven't heard of Bioshock, you might find this book a bit hard to get into and understand. Even though all the right information and the description of characters and settings are really good, it really is aimed at the players. And whilst, I think most of the players will like it, there are a few that maybe won't, just because if you've played the games well enough and a few times, there's not a lot new to be learnt about the main characters or the creation of Rapture from this novel.

The novel starts with a prologue set in 1945 New York City with Andrew Ryan, a millionaire business man, deciding to began his dream of building an underwater city. The idea behind it is to escape the control of the government but also to provide safety from the growing threat of nuclear war. Ryan wanted the best people from Earth to live in Rapture and able to develop scientifically and creatively with no rules to stop them. Ryan comes across as an interesting character in the novel with a scarred background which drives him. 

The actual main protagonist of the novel isn't actually Ryan, it's his chief engineer Bill McDonagh as the novel focus on his life and development a lot. By chance Bill meets Ryan when he comes to do some plumping and Ryan takes an interested in him. Slowly, Bill is let onto the secret building of Rapture out in the Atlantic Ocean. He then gets to work and live in Rapture and becomes Ryan's left hand man. (On the right is the chief of security).

The rest of the plot reveals how Frank Fontaine got into Rapture and his work with the scientists, Tenenbaum and Suchong to discover and develop ADAM -found in sea slugs-and EVE-which they make. Thus, meaning people could change their DNA and gain super human powers. However, there is an addiction to it and also some side effects so the splicers were born. When the ADAM starts running out, it's discovered that little girls with the implanted slugs can find and gather ADAM. They become Little Sisters, but even though they become immortal due to the slugs, they still need protecting and so the Big Daddies where created. 

Then there's the fall of Rapture and how that all came about. The ending was interesting with Bill trying to escape with his family and not being able to as no one is allowed to leave Rapture. I did find it sad because I'd got attached to Bill! 

I did find this novel a bit hard going due to the science fiction genre and my dyslexic brain. Though in the end, I'm glad I got through it. I'm sure though if I hadn't played through Bioshock and didn't love it then I won't have bothered with the book. But that's just me. I think that people who like science fiction with a utopia and dystopia theme will enjoy it. 

Overall, this novel is really aimed at fans and players of the Bioshock games. I like the writing and the characters, I liked learning more about the different character's backgrounds and the creation of Rapture. But though, I still feel that the games are better! 

Thanks for reading and I'd loved to hear your thoughts. 

I'm off to London tonight, so next week will be kicking off a new month with a life update about that. Till then.      

   

  

Images from: 

Amazon.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock

Book Review: Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite

Hi readers,

Today we are going to look at one of my all time favorite books and authors. I'm not sure how I first heard about Brite, but I do know that Exquisite Corpse was the first novel I read by her/him -though I did just look it up and Brite does now prefer to be known as a him, so little confusing there, but anyway- Lost Souls was the second book I read. What drew me were the vampires, because they feel far from the main stream ones, which in my mind are the ones before Twilight, but you get what I mean. Also, the way the story is written, because the writing really had its own 'voice' as it were.

The plot of Lost Souls can kinda be divided into two, as firstly there is the story of five vampires and their friendship/relationship. Secondly is the story of Steve, Ghost and Ann, who become tangled up in the vampires due to a few different events. The main setting is New Orleans, though we get to see some of the humans and vampires travelling about early on in the novel. The narrative spends a good amount of time with both sets of characters, who also have developing time and do really start to feel like real people.

I think the real story focus on the character Nothing, who sets out to find his real parents and discovers himself. He meets the vampires who turn him and they help him to achieve is goal. I won't go into too much detail, but there's no dramatic twist about this plot because it is the prologue of the novel. My favorite character happens to be Ghost. For some reason I can really connect with him, because though like all the other characters he has major problems - he can see ghosts and is haunted by visions, which often come true-he is very loyal and kind. He creates brotherly like relationships with his best friend Steve- they are in a band together called Lost Souls? -and some of the other characters.

It isn't just the vampires that makes me love this book so much, its the fact that it feels really gritty and gives a much darker, Gothic, view to New Orleans and life in America. I like how Brite isn't scared to write about topics that people might see as controversial, like homosexual relationships and incest. There is a great level of detail too and it does have that horror genre feel and not the supernatural as most vampire novels are now falling into.

Overall, I would recommend that anyone give Brite ago, even if you don't like vampires or horror, just to experience the refreshing way he writes and goes about controversial topics. I really do wish he had more books out there, because I do love his work.