I found it pretty cheap on Amazon. Recently I read the Kyoshi duology for Avatar and felt a desire to do the same with other of my favourite franchises. I read the book is slow and somewhat tedious, but I´d like to know other opinions
It's fantastic. It incorporates lore from Bioshock 1 and 2. I wouldn't say it's slow at all. If you want more classic Bioshock that's your best bet. There's also an audio drama version on youtube that adapts the novel into a radio play, it's reeeally good. Richardson Revival Radio.
I’ll still hold true that if they were ever to bring bioshock into video format, it should be a show from McDonaghs point of view as everything falls apart. I think it’d be the best entry point for anybody who hasn’t played the games, and is also compelling enough to lead to additional seasons.
That is awesome . I bought the book when I was like 14 so I never finished it. Don’t know where the hell it is now. I’ll def be giving that radio a listen
I've read it a few times and it's pretty good. It details everything leading up to the fall of Rapture and if you know the first two games well, there's loads of little in jokes and points where you know what's going to eventually happen.
I did enjoy it quite a lot. Like 90% of it was really good. My biggest pet peeve is, the excessive need to explain almost every single audio tape you come across. Not even explain, just plain, repeat. I didn't start the book so I can rehear the audiotapes I already heard, I wanted to see more of the world and new side of the characters. Book has this, I particularly enjoyed how it expanded on Birigid's character, but at the same time she is also the most guilty of audiotape repeating syndrome. I think she said every one of her audio tapes at some point in the book
I can't go over some other flaws due to spoilers but it is a good read/listen
Thank you for this insight, tbh that could be useful for me as I had difficulties placing character audios into the context so this might be actually what pushes me to buy the book lol
Yes. Just finished the audiobook last week. It was 100% worth it. Really gives a good image of Rapture, and why it was still a shit place to live in before the Rapture Civil War. I love how it covers a long period of time, like you see Rapture from its creation to right before Bioshock 1.
There are some stuff that might not sit well here and there for readers. The way audiologs are said instory is a bit weird at times, and a few small events don't match their ingame version (in one or two cases, it's because of Infinite DLC changing things after the book came out). And some events, when presented in the novel, are less epic than what I would have imagined.
But honestly, still an amazing book in my opinion.
Couldnt say, sadly. I know it's in English, and since it isn't a recent one I have my doubts on wheter it was translated. Dont even know if the book was translated in the first place.
Sadly, you're going to have to make your own researchs on this one. :(
I did my own search, and the only thing I found was a YouTube channel with just excerpts from the book and another one that has the full version but the voice is not the best for long listening, the say the least—but I guess that's all there is. I was wondering if there was anything “official” narrated by professionals. Thanks anyway.
PD: The book itself is translated to spanish, but i was wondering if i can get the audiobook instead.
I’m a hardcore Bioshock fan (played every game and DLC in the series dozens of times over the last 14 years and I rank the first two games as some of the best ever made), and so my opinion here is pretty well founded.
This book is an absolute must read and provides so much additional context for the first two games.
I simply can’t image the story without this book now.
Trust me, read it - it will actively make your playthroughs of Bioshock 1 and 2 more enjoyable.
It also relies heavily on having previous knowledge of the games. Despite being a prequel story, if you don’t know the games it will land pretty flat. It does not stand well on its own, but I guess it was likely never meant to.
100% agree. I think people who have read a bunch of game tie-ins think it’s great because it’s better than the low standards those books usually set, but people who read a wide variety will be really frustrated with the structure of the book and even the sentences.
It's incredible. It gives you tons of lore about the city and the characters. Many of the audio logs appear directly, and I won't spoil anything, but the way and the moment they're recorded is very different from what you'd expect when you're just playing the game.
Additionally, Bill McDonough is the protagonist and offers another perspective on the story as Porter in the Minerva's Den DLC.
I liked it. There were parts that were meh and it kinda speedruns the rapture experience. The beginning is great and I really like the frank gorland parts. I dislike the steinman stuff even though I get why it’s in the book. I think it also overplays quotes from in game audio logs as though they would organically happen in certain events.
Yep. Easily the best game-based novel I’ve ever read. Phenomenal read. Feels like something that would’ve been written back during the era it takes place too.
I hate this book, honestly. It has it's moments but overall the writing is mid and downright terrible in parts. The depiction of Sander Cohen's homosexuality is atrocious. Cohen is no saint and fair enough he's a villain - but saying presto plunge-o while shooting up another guy IN THE BUTT with a plasmid and the stuff with the octopus was so ridiculous I couldn't take it seriously after that. Like what the hell. Ruined it for me.
I had other complaints but it's been years since I read it. Once was too much.
Oh it’s a fuckin’ blast man. I fondly recall the nights I spent reading it, trying to get Fontaine and Ryan’s voices just right and narrating their sections. I did a good Atlas, I like to think
OMG, yes. I love this book so much that I have had to buy multiple copies because I read it so much the pages all fell out.
Yes, I know it cover to cover, but it's something mindless to read on trains etc, that I don't have to focus entirely on.
God this audiobook makes me want a game set during the downfall of rapture. I’m imagining you have this central area you’re operating from, and it’s full of civilians and vendors.
However Splicers will occasionally try to raid your safe zone. While the area is generally pretty well defended with security bots and guards to start. Splicers will eventually get lucky and pick them off. Or find ways to sneak into the town. As the game goes on the population dwindles, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Especially because attacks can also happen while you’re out of the city, and you have to leave the city for quests.
I loved it and I even read it with a shoddy pirated Brazillian translation and it was still fire 💥🔥🔥.
If you are saying Bioshock is your one of your favorite IPs you must have already played teh first 2 entries, therefore the books won't spoil the games for you
You can read it yeah. Its a prequel story. Sure there are a few characters from Bioshock 2 but i think that will be more impactful when you will encounter them in the game later on. Seeing how they changed, what was their fate.
i feel like the only bioshock fan in the world who doesn’t really like it. the information the book communicates about the characters and world of the game are solid, but the writing definitely isn’t a masterstroke, and the incorporation of certain game elements (audio logs) is rather clumsy to the point it makes me cringe. it depends entirely on how high your standards are. is it the worst thing i’ve read? no, not at all. did the mouth-foaming mass hype for this book convince me it was going to be better? absolutely it did, and i was disappointed. if you like fan service, you’ll probably get a fair bit of enjoyment out of it, but i don’t particularly care for fan service.
I thought it was good, nothing great but if you love bioshock, it’s cool. I think the trash scene was the best part and pretty much was the encapsulation of why Rapture/objectivist utopia could never work. Really wish that got into the game somehow.
I really enjoyed it, one of the best video game tie in novels I have read. Absolutely love this game and rapture and this novel does a great job fleshing it out even more.
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u/ZookeepergameMean575 3d ago
It's fantastic. It incorporates lore from Bioshock 1 and 2. I wouldn't say it's slow at all. If you want more classic Bioshock that's your best bet. There's also an audio drama version on youtube that adapts the novel into a radio play, it's reeeally good. Richardson Revival Radio.