‘Mass Effect: Redemption’ review
By Brittney MacDonald, Columnist
5/5
Mass Effect: Redemption takes readers into a graphic novel version of the blockbuster video game series with an exciting story set in a rich universe of Mass Effect characters and design. The book will appeal to both fans of the games and newcomers to the series.
Set two years prior to the events that take place in the video game Mass Effect 2, the book centres around Dr. Liara T’Soni as she searches for clues to Commander Shepard’s disappearance. Working with the corporation Cerberus, her mission is simple: retrieve Commander Shepard’s body before the enemy alien race called the Collectors gets to it.
Written by Mac Walters, Mass Effect: Redemption provides a good picture of what occurs between the end of the Mass Effect video game and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Yet the book explains enough for a less video game-inclined individual to be able to read and enjoy the series.
The art by Omar Francia, who is best known for his work in Star Wars: Legacy, seemed a little cartoony at first when compared to the cover art by Daryl Mandryk. But this is soon easily forgotten by the first few pages, as Francia’s depictions of this very deeply futuristic, sci-fi world hit their stride and show his experience in this genre.
The only issue with this graphic novel is that with games like Mass Effect, the experience is too individualistic to translate into a book. In the game, the player chooses the main character’s gender, name, and abilities, which means the Commander Shepard of the game will never match up with the one that Liara hopes to find in Mass Effect: Redemption. Still, the book’s plot is engaging enough to make a reader see past that minor detail.
Mass Effect: Redemption is definitely recommended for any sci-fi enthusiast—gamer or not.
