Deus Ex: Icarus Effect

Not exactly an experienced novel reader, or sci-fi expert, but what I can say is that each time I pick up action-thriller novels as philosophically dense as this, I feel and think about things I hadn't quite realized. Things that help me to further extrapolate on material and subject matters I thought I had a pretty good understanding about.I'm a fan of Cyberpunk, technology, science, machines, devices changing the world. As well as history, culture, time periods and worlds that are dealing with societal trauma while simultaneously on cusp of change. That's my thing, that's my cup of tea when it comes to it.I like there to be a real, solid focus of realism in the novels I read. Something really possible, tangible something that foreshadows and relates to this real world that we're in with politics, corporations, technological advancements, societal quandaries.Which is probably why I tend to gravitate to darker, more calloused , dare I say, bleaker stories.I can't necessarily say that this work in particular hits the most powerful and darkest chords possible, for me at least, but I did enjoy the style and the effort the author made to help place readers in that stort of head-space, especially for readers who not familiar with the more spy, tactical military-like, action-thriller kind of genre. The world as I've experienced, and the world I've sparsely traversed in my real-life and through the Deus Ex video games, reinforces within me an understanding of how unfair and how utterly hopelessly it is to reverse trauma, to stop or prevent harm, and to create ever-lasting beneficial change in the world that is very likely pre-set and determined for everyone.I don't really promote or commend conspiracy and quasi-realms of how things are "rigged" or "fixed", but a part of me does question. A part of me enjoys rebelling, breaking from tradition, cutting off from alliances I no longer feel aligned with, and seeking the truths out there while still remaining open to such possibilities, other facts and evidences that would otherwise scare and confuse the public eye.However, when I read about this kind of stuff in novels, conspiracies and the whole Determinism idea of organize megacorps and secret factions, it radiates with such significance. To the point where readers have to wonder about such things in real-life, in real-time. I certainly do.Nothing is what is seems, you find one artifact and some sources at once stanza and then things might take a drastic take a turn. Things take beatings, we ourselves take hits to our own systems, and continue to get depleted. Continuing to lose who we wish we could be in order to deal with the reality we gradually see falling apart, unmatched to our expectations.Perhaps the story, maybe even the genre is a question:Do you fall, fleeing away and hoping for some kind of break, some peace to start over, or do you force yourself to get back up from defeat and somehow survive the chaos, driving our small, insignificant selves into the shadows, coordinating strikes and interception after interception again, again, and again against the colossal opposition to no avail?I don't know.Most people don't attempt, most won't or don't concern themselves with challenging "the system", while few try and fail horribly.Falling, and quiting, losing what we want, sacrificing for the better or the worse just comes.Sometimes, it's left to chance. And, really, no one reallys hears about it.That's basically the message of this story. The metastasizing system of order, and the status quo that those with power will and very well do counter opposition, threats or likely threats to them.It's markable.I think that anyone who vibes and relates to the more progressive, liberal, non-traditionalist, rebel, dark and sullen attitude about things, this is solid book for you. Hands down.Is the absolute best? Maybe not.This work sort of echoes that pretty clear, unsettling, uncertain feeling about the future coming to meet us all.I felt all throughout, despite it being more of an action-thriller trope. I was surprised just how consistent and how many nuances of the dread and anguish there was with intricate, detailed obstacles the characters faced in the story. I love it.In my head, especially since I've played the Deus Ex tiltles, I could already imagine the story enfolding pretty clear as if I were transported in its gameplay adaptation. Kind of impressive actually.In closing, I wish I could give this a 4.4, 4.5 instead of 5. To me, it could have been a tad bit better. Which may just be subjective.But what I liked and took away from this novel was the relatable, undeniable pressure, the exhaustion, the struggle to live and fight. Each day we try our best to remain tact as as a global society that either watches or ignores the encroaching reality drifting into a dark and dying place that we'll do what we can to continue make this place our home.

I don't read too many novels, I'll get that out first, but one of my favorite series of games happens to be Deus Ex, from the original in 2000, to Invisible War, to finally, Human Revolution after a long time waiting. When Human Revolution was announced, there was a lot of press, and even this novel. I always wanted to pick it up, but at the time when I could, I decided to preorder the game instead.Now I purchased this book here. When it got to my doorstep, I was excited and immediately when I started reading I was greeted by the atmosphere in the world being set by the words of James Swallow, and it hyped me up. The way certain arguments and scenes were described were also very well written. All in all, it's a short book (It's a novel, but most people blow through those) and it's well worth the read, even if you aren't a fan of the Deus Ex universe. This is a great book that didn't get a lot of publicity. Now for the actual review.The story takes place before the events of Human Revolution, and during. You don't hear much about Adam Jensen or Mexicantown. So if you were looking for details on that, you're out of luck when it comes to this book. Right away you're set in the shoes of the tenacious Anna Kelso, who works for the United States Secret Service. I won't spoil what happens, because then why would you buy the book? So lets just talk about character development instead. The characters the story revolves around are very detailed, and even features some cameo appearances that might very well be informative for your next playthrough of the entire series. I know I had some light shed upon things as I went forward with the book. From the way the characters are described all the way up to how they move, their emotions, the way they interact with the world, is all well thought out. Enough that you even feel for the characters to the point where you may even start to think about their well being.There's no real shortage of action. It almost seems like the story thrusts you into the midst of it before you can blink, and at times seems like something you'd read in a Modern Warfare novel, but certainly not something that detracts from the novel itself. Needless to say, the action sequences are well written and are well detailed. Not enough to paint the picture in your mind to the point where you can articulate everything, but it does give you a basic picture of what's going on. Although the way some things are described is a bit much.Overall, this book has it where it counts. If you want a gripping story, awesome characters, great combat scenes and overall atmosphere, then this is a great book to read. Even if you're not a fan of Deus Ex, and I won't say that you should be, you might find yourself really enjoying this book.Oh, yeah. Ben Saxon is a pretty amazing dude. It's a shame none of the protagonists make an appearance in the games.

Unlike other video game tie-in books, which generally don't add much to the game's story/world, this book is an integral addition to the Deus Ex world. Events take place in the same timeframe as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and further help set the stage for the original Deus Ex game (which takes place shortly after). Given that the author was a writer for DEx:HR, this all makes sense. That alone makes the book worth its price.What makes this a great book, however, is James Swallow's talent for gritty action scenes. He sucks you into the action, engages your senses and emotions--it's hard to put down. I usually read fiction before going to bed and it's hard to keep me awake for more than 15 minutes, but this book kept me reading for hours each night.I just started playing DEx:HR, and like another reviewer mentioned, you might enjoy reading the book before playing the game, as the book concludes shortly before the main events of the game. Either way, though, you won't be disappointed.Note that the iOS/Android game Deus Ex: The Fall is actually based on the characters and events from this book, not Human Revolution! That goes to show just how seriously the developers take the characters and story line of Icarus Effect. The book and two games form a trinity that all links together.In sum, Deus Ex: Icarus Effect truly expands the canon of this fascinating world, it's not just something tacked on the side to make a few extra bucks. Combine that with first-rate writing and it's a real winner. Kudos, Mr. Swallow, you've accomplished quite a feat.Oh, and Gunther Hermann gets his orange soda. Aww yea.

This is a really great tie-in book.The story's set in the near-future world of the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. We even get a little Adam Jensen cameo, for those who've played the game, which is a nice nod.Without going into too much detail, the story's great and the characters are awesome here. It switches POV from Anna Kelso, a Secret Service agent, and Ben Saxon, an ex-soldier turned gun-for-hire working for Belltower. Both of their respective stories are compelling and it all comes to together nicely when their paths intersect about two thirds of the way through the book.Personally, my favourite character has to be Anna Kelso. She carries herself in a certain way and it's not often we see strong female characters that aren't oversexualised or aren't total badasses. I feel Swallow has written a female character who isn't just a male action hero with a vagina, as some may say.James Swallow works a lot with his descriptions. Particularly the brutal and realistic depictions of fist fights and gun fights. While this is great and helps me paint a picture in my mind's eye of the scene that's unfolding, I sometimes found it hard to "see" what was going on precisely. Either it's my lack of comprehension or Swallow's fast-paced action descriptions, but anyway, you can you usually get the gist of what's going on.I do have some small gripes with the book, however. Throughout, Anna Kelso is referred to as Anna, but now and then the author will refer to her as Kelso (even when it's her own POV we're experiencing), sometimes in the same scene or page even, which was a weird. I think this should have been kept consistent.Another editorial oddity that kinda threw me was the fact that Swallow often used "said [name]", instead of the typical "[name] said". It was odd and was a bit off putting as it wasn't even consistent throughout. These are little things and don't reflect my review score, but I just wanted to note them.Overall, you're getting a good read here. It may appeal more to people who've played the video games, but I'd say its worth a look, even for someone who's just into action stories with great characters and a bit of sci-fi (mostly augmented humans with cybernetic limbs or neural implants) mixed in.

Anm.: Ich habe das Buch auf Englisch gelesen.Swallow soll einer der Writer für DE:HR gewesen sein. Das kommt beim Lesen dieses Buches allerdings nicht wirklich durch.Dafür, dass Deus Ex: Icarus Effect sich sichtlich an Fans der Reihe und der Welt richtet, bleiben die Parallelen zu dem bekannten Universum verhältnismäßig dünn. Bis auf die Namen der Schauplätze und einiger Personen, die ein kurzes 'aha' erzeugen, fehlen mir einfach zu viele Dinge, um aus dem Buch mehr als nur einen mäßigen Zeitvertreib zu machen.Swallow legt meiner Meinung nach zu großen Fokus auf Kampfszenen, diesen dann allerdings auch relativ repitetiv. Die Charakterisierung der Welt und - nunja - Charaktere ist spärlich. Das Buch lebt davon, dass man die Bilder des Spieles im Kopf hat.Ein Kritikpunkt bei DE:HR war damals, dass die Bosskämpfe gegen die Söldner weder atmosphärisch gepasst haben, noch eine Motivation (außer 'es sind Söldner und das ist ihr Job') erkenntlich war. Ich habe gelesen, dass das mit dem Buch ausgeglichen würde, weil man die Hintergrundgeschichte zu Namir, Federova und co. erfahren sollte. Aber außer 'es sind Söldner und das ist ihr Job' bleibt auch hier nichts. Es wird gesagt, welcher Organisation sie angehören und wie sehr sie ihren Job lieben, weil sie eiskalte Tötungsmaschinen sind. Aber das ist weder eine Charakterisierung noch besonders interessant.Die anderen Protagonisten, Kelso und Saxon, bleiben auch relativ eindimensional. 'Ich will Gerechtigkeit für Matt!' und 'survivor's guilt' fassen sie in jeweils einem Ausdruck zusammen. Ich habe sicherlich kein Weltliteraturniveau erwartet, aber im Großen und Ganzen war bis auf ein oder zwei Momente niemals eine wirkliche Empathie für irgendeinen Charakter vorhanden. Und das könnte ich nur mit extremem Wohlwollen als bewusst anrechnen, als Allegorie an eine zunehmend kalte und technisierte Welt und damit auch ihrer Bewohner.Zumal ist der sowieso schon schwache Spannungsbogen um die Charaktere zusätzlich ausgedünnt, weil man, wenn man das Spiel und die Welt kennt, von Anfang an weiß, welche Charaktere dank 'plot-armor' sowieso nie in wirklicher Gefahr schweben, da sie zu Ereignissen, die erst später stattfinden werden, noch am Leben sind.Letztlich bin ich mir unsicher, wo genau Swallow mit dem Buch hinwollte.Die Charaktere sind zu schwach ausgearbeitet, als dass man wirklich mit ihnen mitfühlen könnte.Die Welt ist nicht so detailliert beschrieben, als dass man sich wirklich hineinversetzen könnte.Die Anspielungen und Verbindungen zum Deus Ex Universum sind nur ein paar Namen von austauschbaren Figuren.Die Kampfszenen laufen oft ähnlich ab, wenn Saxon mal wieder seine letzten Kraftreserven mobilisieren muss um einen scheinbar überlegenen Gegner dann doch noch zu erwischen.Die eigentliche Geschichte ist nicht sonderlich verworren oder voller Wendungen oder Intrigen, wie man es von einem Deus Ex Titel erwarten würde. Eher formulaisch und vorhersehbar.Daher bleibt nur ein Buch, das ganz klar darauf abzielt und davon lebt, von Fans gekauft zu werden, die 'mehr' Deus Ex wollen und von sich aus wenig Substanz bietet. Nicht so schlecht, dass man es weglegen muss, aber schnell vergessen.

I actually enjoyed this better than playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I think that's probably because my imagination created a better atmosphere. But yeah this is a good read, especially if your already into Deus Ex. One thing that kinda bugged me though is the author has a slightly annoying habit of over-describing things, which, although that should be a good thing, it ends up making you wait a couple of extra words to find out what he is actually trying to describe, which I found kinda annoying. Would be interesting if anybody else felt that. But still, great atmosphere, great narrative, great book!!!

Book was slightly damaged by a drink of some kind but only a small amount also the book seems a bit aged but overall i'm happy with my purchase

I really enjoyed reading the "Icarus Effect", bearing in mind that I started this book with no high expectation to find a sci-fi story of the most engaging kind. I am a fun of Deus-Ex, I liked HR so I was simply looking for more details related to 2nd characters and general pre DX world. The book is easy to read, I wasn't surprised by the author choice of introducing 2 characters and 2 perspectives (this is a tecnique used often even by Agatha Christie to make 2 sotrylines convey at a crucial point after building up a climax of events for each). I warmth towards both the main characters, and even if the "bad" and the "good" guys were defined with clear cut colours, I thought that everything fitted the purpose of the book. The only, truly, truly, truly disappoinitng aspect was the ending. I will never understand why authors decide to litterally throw away one of the most important moments of the reading experience. "Icarus Effect" does just that and it truly annoyed me. This is why I have given it 3 stars.