Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1

This book is absolutely excellent. I did not play the BioShock games, but I was vaguely familiar with them and with Ayn Rand's ideas prior to reading the book. I enjoyed the book so much that I almost did not want it to end. I wanted to know more about all the other intricacies of the city (e.g., more details about incidents that were only explained in passing). But overall, still, a really good book that is both entertaining and captivating, while posing important questions that will keep you thinking about the book long after you finished it. I have some thoughts about the plot that contain spoilers, so don't read further if you are still planning to read the book! *******Spoilers Ahead******* The book really elegantly captures how people use ideas (especially Marxist ideas) to persuade and gain the confidence of vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, these people's true intention is not to help those vulnerable individuals, but rather to satisfy their own desire for power. The individuals (in this case, the ordinary and particularly the downtrodden citizens of Rapture) are just pawns in their game to overthrow the person who is in power (i.e., Andrew Ryan) so that they can become the leaders of Rapture (i.e., Lamb and Fontaine). So what exactly was it that caused Rapture to fail so spectacularly? I mean, Andrew Ryan founded the city upon such good intentions?!? He had it all figured out, right? ;) The irony of what Andrew Ryan says in the beginning about what Rapture will be and what he eventually ends up doing when things start to unravel is made clear in the book. He basically goes from being this cross between Ayn Rand and Rockefeller to someone not much different to Lenin or Stalin. But where specifically did he go wrong? I have a few ideas: - His need to control the city in a top-down (central planning) manner was most likely his biggest mistake. This is ironic, given that his philosophy of how Rapture would be governed (at least in the beginning) was more akin to a libertarian point of view. However, he never relinquished power, nor was he particularly open to the perspectives of others. Consequently, Rapture never really developed naturally as a society, but was heavily top-down engineered from the start. The chances of it becoming a libertarian utopia was therefore dead from the get-go. - Ryan's civic education program was also a bad idea. Of course, he also chose the worst possible person for the job, but even if he did not choose someone that was basically out to usurp him from day one, the desire to educate people into liking Rapture was a tenuous idea at best. I understand that he had (seemingly) good intentions with it: he assumed that people might not enjoy their stay in Rapture because they do not understand how bad it really is out there and how brilliant the philosophy that underpins Rapture really is. He understood that he needed people to buy into the philosophy of Rapture, in order for them to identify with and contribute to the city in a meaningful way. But then he should have done that education *before* people were allowed into Rapture, not afterwards when they have already made the commitment. Moreover, as a Research Psychologist, I can say with conviction that social education programs are controversial (I guess I am sceptical of people that feel that these kinds of programs are necessary in the first place). These types of programs are often used in insidious ways, without people's consent, in order to further top-down goals which may not always be to the benefit of the individual (which once again goes against Ryan's original ethos). The assumption that people's lack of understanding is what is driving their behaviour is also flawed, because other factors, such as their social environment, also play important roles in shaping their behaviour. - Not allowing people to leave the city was probably one of his worst decisions. I understand that he felt it necessary to isolate the city as much as possible, and keep it a secret from the outside world, but forcing people to stay just does not seem practical or humane. In any normal community, people invariably come and go. If people enjoy living there and (importantly) are able to work there, they will be more likely to stay. Ryan was clearly flirting with disaster by restricting people's freedom of movement and forcing people who are, understandably, not happy anymore to stay in Rapture. - Similarly, banning the import of religious materials and other books that might run counter to Ryan's belief system was also a poor move. Apparently, when you ban something, people just want it more! You could also argue that people innately need culture/religion and by banning books you only serve to alienate people more from you as their leader. And obviously, by banning certain things you inadvertently help to develop the illicit trade of these items, which brings about other undesirable things such as organised crime. Ultimately, I think Andrew Ryan would have been better off if he had just built a mansion for himself under the sea. Not a city, just a house for himself. He could have stayed there for the rest of his life and arranged for contractors to come and do repairs, etc. under sworn secrecy.

!!WARNING!! This book is a prequel to the games, but DO NOT read this book before playing them (Why haven't you played them yet???). It will give away certain "details" that the player should not know about when playing the games. This holds especially true for the first BioShock. I won't mention any of these spoilers in this review, so read on... I wasn't expecting much when my copy of BioShock:Rapture arrived in the mail, but I consider myself a pretty big fan of the series and the idea of a prequel in print was enough to make me preorder it. I was not disappointed... far from it in fact. If you've played the BioShock games then you know a great deal of the storytelling is done via audio diaries. These audio diaries are exactly what they sound like... the audio recorded thoughts of those that lived in Rapture. As you progress through the games you discover these recordings scattered about here and there. Each diary contains a small piece of a puzzle; a very dark puzzle that paints a picture of what took place in Rapture. From these diaries we learn of some of the horrible experiences of its citizens, as well as the events that ultimately caused its downfall. John Shirley does an extraordinary job of tying these diaries together into a novel that really fleshes out the story of Rapture. In bringing these diaries together, Shirley takes side-characters from the games and gives our brief encounters with them more meaning. People that had small cameos from the games are given new life as you see the events that led to their fate in greater detail and from different angles. Not every character is given as much attention as others, but overall I was very satisfied. I'm a very big BioShock fan so I'll admit that I might have some bias, but I'm trying to look at the book as objectively as I can. As one other reader mentioned, there are many different POVs. I can see where one might feel that some of these don't quite fit when considering the book by itself, as they serve little purpose to move the story along at times and can seem out of place. But for those that experienced the games, these "teasers" that seem unnecessary are actually a prelude for what came afterward. They're more fan-service than anything else; Shirley even dedicated the book itself to the fans of BioShock and BioShock 2. In addition to the spoilers the book contains, this is another reason I strongly suggest reading the book only AFTER you have played the games. These different POVs will be more familiar to you and will likely be more appreciated if you've played the games. That's my opinion anyway. The only other issue I could see some readers possibly having is that the book definitely doesn't read like your everyday novel... it's choppy and jumps around, taking place over the entire decade that housed the rise and fall of Rapture (430 pages to cover 14 years, actually). I had no problem with this myself; the story was still very easy to follow and flowed well. Bottom line... this book was a great read and it has me wanting to play through both games all over again! If you are a fan of BioShock then I highly recommend this book. UPDATE: The BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition is out! $29.99 gets you both BioShock and BioShock 2, including all their DLCs!

If you play first person shooters, chances are you've played or seen or heard people exclaim over Bioshock and Bioshock 2, games that attained materpiece status by virtue of excellent gameplay and weapons, a compelling storyline and fascinating characters. This novel by award winning scifi author John Shirley is a fitting prequel to the games, giving the backstory to tycoon industrialist (and Ayn Randian hero) Andrew Ryan and the underwater city he built to escape the confines of law, religion and government -- Rapture. When the player enters the first game, the city is already under the tyranny of lawless splicers as well as several big players who are struggling for control. Splicers are humans who've altered their body chemistry in order to use plasmids -- powers that allow one's body to generate fire, ice, electricity, let one teleport, etc. And plasmids are developed and created using ADAM and EVE which in turn are farmed within the bodies of little girls who are guarded by humans altered for the task -- Big Daddies. It is a complex, fascinating world, and at least half the fun of the game is figuring out who did what to whom and why. This book introduces us to the major players whose actions will eventually lead to the downfall of Ryan's city, and presents a believable story about the events leading up to your entry into the game. The narration shifts among many characters familiar to the player. We learn, for instance, that Ryan wants people to record their experiences for posterity, and when you play the game, you often run across these audiodiary entries, sometimes more than one from the same character, so that as you travel through the game you piece together the stories of multiple men and women who once populated Rapture; some of the stories are heartbreaking, others are horrifying; and with this novel you get backstory on many of these people. While the game itself is amazingly three-dimensional, this book helps flesh it out even more. If you love Bioshock and can barely contain your excitement about the third instalment (due in December 2012), this will scratch that itch. I thought the author did a great job of putting together plausible stories that interweave the storylines found in the game. And while other reviewers seem nonplussed by the short shifting POV chapters, I thought this was a good approach, and I enjoyed the narrative. My problem with the book was the pacing and lack of action. The game is like a ten-ton locomotive barreling through high adrenaline situations; the book is a slow build to a known conclusion, and so lacks the excitement, action and tension of the game. That's to be expected -- a book is not a game. But I still found the book less compelling. The narrative is focused to a large extent on Bill McDonagh, a plumber who is hired by Ryan to come help build Rapture. The action of the novel takes place over 14 years, from Bill's entry onto the project team in 1945 until the time of the first game's beginning, 1959. I found his story quite interesting and his proximity to Ryan makes him an informative narrator. I also really enjoyed running into various characters whose diary entries I'd heard in the games. I wish there's been even more! Personally, I disagree that one has to play the game(s) first in order to enjoy the book. I think it could work either way. Alternatively, one could even play Bioshock 1, then read the book, then play Bioshock 2. It's all good!

One of my favorite books. I played all three games and beat him. The games are also one of the best story mode games ever. The movie is coming out on Netflix but been delayed. SPOILER ALERT A story about how one billionaire, sick of government corruption and decided to start his own city under the water in a secret society filled with the most brilliant minds. BioShock Rapture like a modern 1984 book, it shows how the government became not to trust the people anymore. This book shows how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Creating a perfect Utopia City, everything on paper look perfect. Except one thing imperfect people ruin it. It really shows that no matter how perfect and bulletproof you have made your declaration of Independence, corrupt imperfect people will ruin it. I believe what they should have done, instead of focusing in all in technology. They should have built a system that corrects human behavior. Taken notes from some cultures that have honor and have moral built-in, trust in community then from that solid foundation build great technology and science Because with great power comes with great responsibility. 🕷️

I have loong been a fan of this franchise. From game one where I got the chain tattoo to do double duty of my zeal for the game and to remark on my leave from religion (no gods...) I had no idea this book weas even a thing ten years ago or I would have read it then, it is a prequel to bioshock. Where we lay the ground work for how Rapture came to be and the assorted cast of characters the you come across in the game. Because a lot of the characters in the game are only menitoned in recordings it's easy to forget them, but the book and the writer do a great job of fleshing them out some, especially our main man speaking with the queen's english. It didn't hurt that was was playing the game as I read the book...this helped me sink deeper into the mythos,, and I honestly relished it much more so. It helped make sense of things that didn't really seem to make sense in the game. LIke how automatic guns know it's you or a bad guy (the book explains this with the use of "flashers". This book is for anyone who loves the games of course, but also for anyone who enjoys and good sci fi read that takes places not in outer space but below those waves. It's surreal but it appeals to me. Always had a thing for "the deep".

Whether Canon or not to the Bioshock games this book was really good. I felt like I was exploring the history of Rapture all over again.

As a fan of the Bioshock video games I was eager to read Bioshock: Rapture. However this book did not prove to have the same luster of the games. The novel follows a slew of character, primarily: Andrew Ryan, a man with a vision to build a utopian society underwater, away from the “evil” of the surface world, Bill McDonagh, a plumber who is recruited to help build the city and becomes Ryan’s most trusted ally, and Frank Fontaine, a greedy businessman trying to make it on top and pull the rug out from under Ryan and gain control of Rapture. I would put a spoiler warning, but if you familiar with the game you know that eventually Rapture begins to fall, and unfortunately that point (located about midway through the book) is where things start to get interesting. I cannot say i was ever truly bored but I was not fully engaged with the novel until things started to crumble. And that is a result of many things, most notably the writing style and the overload of information. The characters mentioned above are only a handful of ones the story focuses on; just about everyone with a speaking role in the game gets their own story line. The book throws so much at its reader it becomes difficult to keep things straight, especially when trying to tie in information given by the game. The book is very careful to answer every question provided in the game and tries a bit too hard. Nearly everything seen or mentioned in the games is mentioned here and a lot of it feels forced or monotonous. And while the mystery of everything is taken away, which is suppose a prequel is designed to do it opens some new questions and concerns. Like for example many of the crazies from the game, most notably Sander Cohen and Dr. Steinman, were just as crazy before the the introduction of plasmids as they were after, leading me to question why they would even be admitted to the city in the first place. However my biggest problem with the book is the inconsistency of style. There are times when the writing is rather bland and very simple and other times when imagery is flying in your face. It makes the book feel choppy and in turn makes it difficult to sit through. Although the book is not all a garbled mess; the plot for the most part is very interesting and is the glue holding the whole thing together. Many characters who only appeared in optional audio diaries in the game are flushed out into interesting well developed characters, mainly Bill McDonagh and Bridgette Tenenbaum. The action sequences are probably the best written sections in the book with a focus on choreographing the events to make it flow better and not get garbled like many books do. And as I mentioned before after everything starts falling apart the writing gets more consistent, with a the exception of name calling things from the game, and the book really goes into it’s own thing and holds little back making it a gritty and engaging read. Something you may have to wait for but is a definite good note to end on. All in all Bioshock:Rapture is a good read for anyone who is a fan of the game or someone looking to read a decent dystopian story set many leagues beneath the sea. I will warn you however, this book spoils every plot twist in the games so I would strongly recommend playing those first if you are interested. And since I prefer to rate out of ten, I am give Bioshock: Rapture a 6/10.

John Shirley did a remarkable job adapting this book from the videogame Bioshock. He filled in a lot of the details that did not make sense when I played the actual game. The transition from utopia to dystopia was complete, from the conception of the idea of Rapture to the gangland chaos into which the city devolved. BioShock: Rapture was also an indictment of communes, where restriction and rules are avoided, and yet become more repressive than the societies its members originally fled. For the most part, BioShock: Rapture told the story of Bill, the plumber turned engineer for a powerful tycoon, Andrew Ryan. Bill was a congenial, empathetic former Brit who was level-headed and loyal. The reader will generally like his character. He is mentioned in the original bioshock game, but the game seems to take place after the book ends. Andrew Ryan, the creative force behind Rapture, began as an empathetic character, but slowly let his obsession for the perfect free market economy drives him to extremes. Eventually his capitalistic society stagnates into a depressed police state, with hostile factions forming. Ryan tries desperately to maintain his ideals, but it is a losing battle. The antagonist of Rapture was Frank Gorland/Fontaine, who pursues Andrew Ryan throughout the book. He was the classic conman/thug or mob boss. His ultimate motivation seemed to be having power over people. This was never resolved, but seems again to end where the videogame began. BioShock: Rapture was worth reading, despite the risk of its being an adaptation. It was well thought-out, had complicated characters, and helped to set the scene for the original BioShock game.

iyi

I've played through all three Bioshock games and they're some of my absolutely favourites - in fact, I think in terms of storyline, these games have the best character developments and plot arcs of just about any video game I've ever played. I'm also a huge science fiction lover (when it comes to reading, at least...I don't read a ton, but when I do, it's almost always sci-fi) and this book marries the two really well. In my opinion, it's well worth a read and if you've played the games there's a ton of extra detail and information that really helps to further set the tone and atmosphere of the story. Overall I think it's a wonderful book and definitely a good read!

Such a good read! Helps you understand the game alot more too. Even if you aren't familiar with the game it's a awesome standalone story.

"Permettez moi de vous poser une simple question. Ce qu'un homme obtient par le travail à la sueur de son front, cela ne lui revient il pas de droit ? Non répond l'homme de Washington, cela appartient aux pauvres. Non répond l'homme du Vatican, cela appartient à Dieu. Non dit à son tour l'homme de Moscou, cela appartient au peuple. Pour ma part, j'ai choisi d'ignorer ces réponses. J'ai choisi une voie différente. J'ai choisi l'impossible. J'ai choisi Rapture." Citation d'Andrew Ryan, Fondateur de Rapture. 1945, fin de la seconde guerre mondiale. L'utilisation de l'arme ultime sur Hiroshima et Nagasaki révèle au monde l'horreur de la puissance nucléaire. Ici est l'élément déclencheur dans l'esprit d'un homme qui ne doute plus d'une guerre imminente entre l'Amérique et l'URSS, une guerre atomique mondiale qui réduira en cendres les nations de ce monde. Cet homme, c'est Andrew Ryan. Un homme révolté par le contrôle des gouvernements sur les sociétés actuelles, ayant la main mise sur les marchés et imposant les règles dans tout les domaines. Un homme révolté que le genre humain puisse se mettre à genoux devant une prétendue divinité. Un homme révolté que l'éthique et la moralité puisse être un frein à la science et à l'art. Un homme révolté que les grands de ce monde soient humiliés par les petits. Il décide alors d'engager toute sa fortune dans le plus grand projet de toute l'histoire de l'humanité. Un projet qui lui permettra d'échapper à la guerre proche ainsi qu'à tout ces éléments qui le révolte sans cesse. Il va faire le choix de l'impossible, il va faire le choix de créer Ratpure. Une ville sous la mer, à l'abri de tout les regards mais ouvert à une infime partie de partisans à un nouveau monde. A ceux qui veulent un nouveau départ dans un nouveau modèle de société unique. A ceux désireux de vivre dans une utopie. Entouré des "grands" de ce monde, la citée va naître et s'épanouir attirant les élites du monde tout domaine confondu. Acteur, chirurgien, docteur, psychiatre, architecte...tous répondront à l'appel de Rapture qui leur promet gloire et fortune dans un monde idéal. Andrew Ryan n'avait cependant pas prit en compte, dans son rêve d'utopie, qu'une seule et unique ville ne serait peut-être pas assez pour les ambitions des plus grands de ce monde... --------------------------------------------- Une oeuvre tirée du jeu vidéo "Bioshock" que l'on ne présente plus. Ayant fait sa révolution à l'époque pour son ambiance et univers très soigné des années 50/60 ainsi que pour son scénario, on ne peut attendre que du bien du livre. Préquel au premier jeu, l'action se déroule donc au début de la fondation de la ville jusqu'au fameux nouvel an 1959 qui scellera le destin de Rapture. C'est un vrai plaisir à travers la lecture de pouvoir retrouver tout les personnages que l'on connait grâce aux jeux. Le livre nous apporte effectivement un approfondissement sur chaque personnage avec à chaque chapitre leur rôle, point de vue, pensées...et j'ai été surpris à travers ma lecture de constater que personne n'a été oublié. Tous y passe que se soit les personnages principaux tel que Tenenbaum, Atlas, Cohen, Lamb...ou bien les personnages un peu plus secondaires dans le jeu tels que Bill MacDonagh, Suchong, Diane McClintock...et c'est un vrai régal pour les passionnés de cet univers. Sans oublier, bien entendu, Andrew Ryan. Ce roman constitue une base d'informations incroyable à ne pas manquer et donne réponse à beaucoup de questions se permettant même de faire certaines révélations. On notera au passage les multiples clins d'oeil au premier jeu qui nous permettent de faire certains liens et ainsi avoir une image du lieu où se déroule l'action. L'histoire est dans son ensemble bien ficelée et l'on suit avec passion l'élévation de Rapture jusqu'à sa descente peu à peu vers les abysses des profondeurs. C'est ici que se trouve ce qui m'a le plus touché à travers ce livre et que je trouve le plus réussi. Voir à quel point les choses peuvent, malgré les bonnes intentions, s'empirer et devenir peu à peu l'enfer. Une description qui aide une fois encore à mieux cerner les scènes que l'on vit à travers les jeux. La lecture de ce livre vous donnera assurément un autre visage de Rapture et vous apportera un complément énorme de compréhension des personnages et de la ville. Je sais que ce livre a bien entendu été rédigé après la sortie des jeux mais il réussit avec talent à faire le lien entre les deux et à faire revivre Rapture un peu plus longtemps dans notre imaginaire. Rien que pour ça j'adhère ! On peut regretter que le livre soit assez court, 420 pages, cela se fait sentir indéniablement sur certains points qui sont à mon sens vraiment sous-développé. Un peu dommage, peut-être que ma passion en demande trop, mais manifestement certains grands thèmes ont volontairement été mit de côté dans cet oeuvre. Mais déjà très heureux de ce qui a été fait. Attention le livre est en anglais et nécessite un peu de pratique. L'ensemble reste assez simple cependant et demandera peut-être un peu d'effort pour les non-initiés. N'oubliez pas cependant, qu'à la sueur de votre front, cette ville peut aussi devenir la vôtre...

I like the book, but really poor quality. One page got ripped while flipping through the pages.