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BioShock: Rapture

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 1,098 ratings · 149 reviews

It's the end of World War II. FDR's New Dealhas redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki hasbrought a fear oftotal annihilation. The rise of secret government agenciesandsanctions on business hasmanywatching their backs. America's sense of freedom is diminishing . . . and many aredesperateto take that freedom back.

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ebook, 448 pages

Published July 19th 2011 by Tor Books

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Aug 22, 2012 Thea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a prequel to one of my favourite survival horror video games called BioShock, so I just had to read the prequel. The plot of the video games are based loosely off of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. The game starts out with the protagonist crash landing in the middle of the Atlantic ocean where he then discovers and under water utopia called Rapture. You then slowly make your way through the city encountering its inhabitants who seem to be out of their minds and are a...more

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May 01, 2012 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a huge fan of the Bioshock series, and having played the first game through several times, I was looking forward to Shirley's Rapture. An easy read for sure, and not particularly challenging (then again, literature based on media rarely is), Rapture nevertheless puts the reader into the perspective of some very interesting characters.

Shirley brings characters from the games to life, and in choosing to show Rapture's glory and eventual downfall primarily through the eyes of a 'simple' mechani...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Roberts "elles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Biošoks: Ekstāze” autors Jons Širlijs. Izlasīju šo grāmatu manu draugu ieteikumu dēļ. Kā arī patika grāmatas īss apraksts, kas man likās intresants.
Galvenais varonis Džeks, kas sākumā ir lidmašīnas pašazieris, avarē Atlantijas okeānā. Viņš ir vienīgais izdzīvojušais, kas ticis līdz tuvējai bākai.
Džeks ar radio palīdzību sazinās un tiek vests uz drošību, bet ceļā satiktie mistiskie cilvēki viņu ved strupceļā, un viņam ir jāizlem, kam ticēt un kam nē…
Galvenais varonis Džeks ir savā ziņā visai iz...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Holden Attradies rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who liked bioshock

Shelves: fiction

This is the single best video game inspired piece of literature I've ever read. It stays incredibly true to both games (striding to connect them in ways the games were unable to do) and flushing out much of the world and answering many things I wondered about from the game. I always wondered why the splicers faces looked so messed up and this book gave a great answer to that, Perhaps that answer was in the game, but if it was, I missed it. It also really flushed out the character of Andrew Ryan....more

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Holden Attradies I understand where your coming from, but I have a few problems with it. The main one being that after the first two games there isn't much story left...more
13 de May 01:39

Michael We're both fans of what I think is a great franchise, so your tone is in the clear with me.

I think the trouble is that Shirley sticks to the original...more
13 de May 04:05

Aug 22, 2011 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a Bioshock fan and veteran I personally really enjoyed reading Bioshock: Rapture. Many of the brilliant subtle implications Shirley implants within the text (you'll get what I mean) provide the dark, disturbing atmosphere of this strange new world that doesn't cease to stretch the boundaries of imagination.

As a Bioshock player this was great because it added a whole new layer to the story and revisited the world of Rapture which I was already familiar with, but at a different angle, and that...more As a Bioshock fan and veteran I personally really enjoyed reading Bioshock: Rapture. Many of the brilliant subtle implications Shirley implants within the text (you'll get what I mean) provide the dark, disturbing atmosphere of this strange new world that doesn't cease to stretch the boundaries of imagination.

As a Bioshock player this was great because it added a whole new layer to the story and revisited the world of Rapture which I was already familiar with, but at a different angle, and that gave me a completely new perspective of the settings. The characters, some of which I had known as simply bosses or extra names to fill gameplay gaps, now turned into embodiments of their own, with their own backstory and their own personalities before the twisted events of Bioshock. It was also enjoyable to bridge the gaps, and see how all the events of Bioshock: Rapture eventally lead out into the events of the game.

Even if you're not a Bioshock gamer, you'll still enjoy it because of its writing style (which is truly suspenseful and gripping) and the world which is being introduced freshly to you. I think Shirley has done an excellent job making the new characters, which even Bioshock gamers don't known about, such as some of the constables or civilians which add an interesting texture to the story. You'll find that the storylines have been very well thought out and connected with such subtle precision.

The only slight downside to the story, which is only a downside to some readers, if that the story can be quite dark and slow paced. If you're a patient reader, more unlike usual Bioshock gamers, which have gotten used to the game's adrenaline pumped moments, you'd be right at home with the style of Bioshock: Rapture. I don't recommend this book for those aren't mature enough to grasp and accept some of things Shirley writes about in his story. There are some disturbing revelations and descriptions featured in those texts, and if you're sqeumish I don't think you should give it a try

But overall, a fantastic book, definitely 5 out of 5 stars. Go pick it up. NOW.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Elliott rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not care for this book, not because of the writing style, or any grudge against the author, but because of the book itself. I am a fan of the Bioshock game series, and the most intriguing and captivating part of the game to me was how the storyline enveloped me to the point where I was a character, as such I did not know everything about Rapture, or the situation as it stands and I was forced to piece it together as I went along. This book really takes all that hard work and sets itself ri...more

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May 01, 2013 Erin-Claire Pallott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: videogames-and-manga

An outstanding novel based on the videogame BioShock. It is the end of World War II. The whole world is in fear of annihilation after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The whole world is changing for whole countries and each single family or person. Andrew Ryan (Andrei Rianofski) is an incredibly wealthy man who pulled himself up from the depths of poverty. He dreamed of a place free of the government, religion and censorship. This lead to him creating Rapture; a city under the sea. This n...more An outstanding novel based on the videogame BioShock. It is the end of World War II. The whole world is in fear of annihilation after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The whole world is changing for whole countries and each single family or person. Andrew Ryan (Andrei Rianofski) is an incredibly wealthy man who pulled himself up from the depths of poverty. He dreamed of a place free of the government, religion and censorship. This lead to him creating Rapture; a city under the sea. This novel shows how it was created and also how it was destroyed.

I was captured by the first two videogames, which is what lead me to purchase the novel. After reading it, it only deepened my love for the series and increased my understanding. The novel follows the accounts of many characters. This includes the major influences of those who have control and authority such as Andrew Ryan himself, Frank Fontaine and Sofia Lamb. Their struggles and battles against each other provide a thought-provoking and intelligent storyline including politics and philosophy. Also, it follows the lives of people who endure more personal hardships such as Bill McDonagh who is trying to raise a family in an increasingly dangerous environment and Diane McClintock who struggles with her miserable love-life.

I was incredibly fascinated by the whole story. Andrew Ryan seemed to have created a utopia. I agreed with many of his views. He did not want the interference of the government or the church. He wanted a place where the artist would not be censored and the scientist would not be held back by morality. It all seemed so perfectly planned. But this book showed the inevitable downfall of a place with fewer morals and laws. Characters like Sander Cohen and Dr. Steinman flourished in a strange and almost evil way. Also, Andrew Ryan claimed to have created a free city yet he believed he had rights to kind of control it as he created it. This of course upset people and they began to miss certain comforts and some struggled on their own as Ryan strongly disagrees with altruism. This is when people who want the city for themselves can step in. Frank Fontaine and Sofia Lamb provided different views as to how things should be run. I feel their views were strong enough to make my mind sway, but my heart and mind lays with Andrew Ryan’s views. He is an incredibly powerful character who knows exactly what he believes and wants and his devotion to his city is somewhat inspiring.

My favourite story was the one of Brigid Tenenbaum (and her associate Yi Suchong). They played incredibly key roles in creating the things that made the games and the book so interesting. The whole idea of ADAM is extraordinary. Big Daddies and Little Sisters provide much to the story with their tormenting and almost beautiful relationships. Brigid is such a disturbed character. She’s incredibly strange and socially inept. She has to fight with her own mind and thoughts to realise who she is and what she wants.

I noticed how the narration is not at all very descriptive. It is straight to the point which I personally think worked okay for this. Rather than a description of the story of Rapture, I was reading it as an explanation. It was to help me understand complex parts of the game. As I have already played the games, the writer did not need to create a vivid image as it is already in my mind. However, I do perfectly understand why people may see it as a boring read especially for more creative people whereas I am more of an academic so I am happy with being given straight facts.

The book never got boring for me. John Shirley has done a terrific job of capturing the images of the game. I was gripped by the story of the city. The book provided so much extra information that you may not quite get from the game. I discovered so much extra about the characters and how things came to be. I loved the links that were directly between the book and the game such as quotes that you can find as audio diaries in the game. I believe this should definitely be read after playing the game (and maybe the second as well) as an extension rather than a straight forward book for reading. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has played and enjoyed the game.
(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Tyler Lavender rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is such a good book. I strongly recommend for any fan of the bioshock franchise. I strongly recommend that if you can look at as much of the locations in the game as you can that way it's easier to visualize the environment because the some what expects you to know. Regardless that's my only complaint, this book is a real page turner. Took me three sittings to finish and that's only because I decided to read out to myself(helps me visual the scenes). The book is fast pace and is written wit...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: video-games

Competently produced prequel book offers nothing new to the Bioshock mythos except an inexplicable cockney voice. A character featured in a few audio journals (which the book attempts to explain the prevalence of, but never quite pulls off) is thrust to the fore as our man on the ground and Shirley vaguely shows what it was like to live in Rapture from its inception to the time that it went irrevocably to hell.

While the plotting is competent, it's all really an entrée to the events of the games;...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Rachel Thompson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

First of all, let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the Bioshock games, especially the first one which this book is heavily based on. However, I feel like the game developers were much more successful in crafting the world of Rapture. I picked this book up based on the fact that a friend liked it, and because of how much I enjoyed the games, but this book was a giant letdown.

The narrative, for the most part, is bland and boring. There were very few scenes that could actually capture...more First of all, let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the Bioshock games, especially the first one which this book is heavily based on. However, I feel like the game developers were much more successful in crafting the world of Rapture. I picked this book up based on the fact that a friend liked it, and because of how much I enjoyed the games, but this book was a giant letdown.

The narrative, for the most part, is bland and boring. There were very few scenes that could actually capture my interest and Andrew Ryan never comes off as crazy or as narcissistic as he should -- even towards the end he sounds pretty sane -- he just spouts crazy ideas. I never really felt anything for the characters in the novel, and most of that is due to poor character development. There is so much time spent hopping between characters (Ryan, McDonagh, Fontaine, Tenenbaum, even Atlas and Steinman) that there isn't really time to form any attachments to these doomed people. The dialog doesn't help. While characters do have their specific accents, and the occasional speech ripped straight from the games, most of the the dialog is clunky and annoying.

Another big gripe is the author's love of both exclamation points and ellipses. Not only are they everywhere, they are used at completely inappropriate times. Yes, I know Rapture is going to fall. I don't need the majority of the chapters ending with an ellipsis to make it seem more epic or fateful.

Rapture is a beautiful world, specifically created to satisfy Ryan's paranoia regarding nuclear warfare. Yet, despite the descriptions offered in the book, the author is unable to recreate the breathtaking scenery or the majestic beauty. In fact, very little description is given -- there are more descriptions of the tech side of things since the main character is the head engineer.

Truly disappointing. I think a better author could have salvaged this hot mess. As a fan of the series, it was fun to read about the characters that inhabited Rapture, but as a reader looking for entertainment, this book was terrible.(less)

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Sep 18, 2011 Adam Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know, I remember a few months ago when I saw one of my friends playing Bioshock, how I thought it would make an excellent horror/science fiction novel. Imagine my

delight when I found this book and then, imagine my disappointment when I saw the author. Shirley is one of those authors that I have really tried hard to like but

haven't been able to. Black Butterflies is, so far, the worst short story collection and book I have ever read and I still don't know why it won the Stoker award. I

gave...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: political, gritty, fantasy

In a post war America that has the dark cloud of atomic war looming on its horizon, one man declares he's had enough and decides to built his own utopia under the sea, safe from corruption of government and socialists. Bioshock:Rapture tells the story of Andrew Ryan's city on the ocean floor, a great dream that quickly turns into a nightmare.

This book is the prequel to the two games, which 99% of the people reading it will know already. I have never been into reading books based on games since g...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now I'm not one to read books based on games. I have often found them boring and badly written and seemingly just a way to cash in on popular games.
However I have had this one recommended to me many times by friends and I was desperately in the mood for a dystopian/utopian type novel. Seeing as this fit that category and I did really enjoy the game, loving the setting and storyline and general tone, I thought I would give it a go.

I loved how we saw the utopian city built up and then fall as ofte...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Spoiler Warnings*

I loved LOVED this book. The only thing is that I wish the author dwelt a little more on the character of Jack. There is an audio diary of Dr. Suchong interacting with him and telling Jack to kill a dog. I know it's mentioned in the story, but I thought it would have been interesting to show that, or at least have Andrew Ryan see Jack in the labs, and have some thoughts about the boy(while not knowing it's his son). I thought the author did a great job of dwelling on Bill McDo...more

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May 12, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Bioshock: Rapture sells itself as a prequel, but it works better as an expansion pack - expanding on the established mythology of Bioshock. The novel does a better job than some of the other videogame-to-book franchises.

Those familiar with the world of Rapture and who have studied the history will find themselves comfortable with the book's narrative and pacing. The story examines Rapture from it's conception until the first year of the civil war. The first section of the book is entirely new m...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

So I read lots of crappy books. Sometimes I want to read a massive serious book, and other times I just want candy. It's unfortunate so much of this candy is bad and makes me sick afterwards, and I just keep eating it because I already opened it up, so might as well finish.

There's a flavor of this book candy that's based on video games, and pretty much without exception, it's all tooth-rotting-remainder-bin awful. If any of my reviews on these kind of books are like 3 stars or I say "Meh, though...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Snafu Warrior rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-adventure, novels

"I chose the impossible, I chose Rapture!"

Verovatno je bio poduhvat pretočiti sadržaj igre u knjigu. Vizuelno gledano, teško je preneti taj filing, ali donekle je uspeo, ovaj Shirley. Donekle, jer je ipak nemoguće to potpuno uraditi, a i smatram kako se previše oslanjao na igru, pa mi baš smetaju audio-dnevnici koji su bukvalno preneseni ovde.
Priča u suštini prati Billa Mcdonagha, iako se fokusira i na POV pripovedanje, gde imamo Ryana, Sullivana, Diane i ostale poznate i nepoznate junake iz ori...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Tori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, adult-books

This book was amazing.
I adored the Bioshock games, and I had always wondered what Rapture would have been like before the war, and even during the war. When I heard about this book, I immediately went and got it on my kindle. The beginning was very slow for me, but at the same time it was interesting. It did take me a bit to get really into it, but after things started moving along more I found myself wanting to read more and more.

I'm actually sad that it ended, I still wanted to know so much m...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book kind of represents everything that's wrong to me about books based on video games. It feels like it was put together too quickly, it is at times inconsistent with facts in the games it's based on (for no apparent reason), has pretty terrible dialogue, and is just kind of a chore to get through. I wanted to read this because it provides the backstory of the rapid rise and fall of Rapture, which I was always curious about since playing the first Bioshock. Obviously I'm willing to suspend...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: new-years-resolutions

I loved Bioshock. I wasn't that impressed with its sequel but the world was one of the best I have ever visited. So with my New Years resolution to read two books a month I decided to cheat a little and start early with this book.

The prequel to the aforementioned games. The plot is predictable even if you never played one of these games. The characters aren't exactly original and the description was lacking. I skipped paragraphs because I knew what they were going to say.

With all that said this...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Geo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scanned, reviewed

I'm a bit behind in my reviews, so I thought I'd do an easy one here. As usual, I feel compelled to preface this with a bit of disclaimer. I played the game to its conclusion (or one of them, at any rate), so I knew the story that this book derives its principle content from. This wasn't "The Book that became the Hit Movie", or "The Book that someone decided might be cool as a Game". This was "The very cool game that someone decided to write a bit more backstory for".

On a positive note, it was a...more I'm a bit behind in my reviews, so I thought I'd do an easy one here. As usual, I feel compelled to preface this with a bit of disclaimer. I played the game to its conclusion (or one of them, at any rate), so I knew the story that this book derives its principle content from. This wasn't "The Book that became the Hit Movie", or "The Book that someone decided might be cool as a Game". This was "The very cool game that someone decided to write a bit more backstory for".

On a positive note, it was a quick read. I think I was in and out in about 3 days. I didn't have to invest a lot of myself into this, since it really didn't demand much thought or deep diving into story ideas or character development. That had already pretty much been done in the game, and this followed on directly from that. If you think about video games, story is almost always a secondary effort, and not usually very rich, detailed or engaging. Bioshock (the game), was very different in that regard. The story in the game develops at a great pace as you explore and navigate that various areas. Characters are introduced, sometimes killed off, and all very, very twisted. So great, but I'm not reviewing the game here. The book took some of the characters a little bit further than the game. The most engaging part was the very beginning, which pre-dated being down in Rapture. Once things progressed into the decaying grotto, it got hairy pretty quick, and rightly so. The ambiance of the game translated pretty well into a twisted setting, part and parcel. I guess I should also consider it a strength of this work that the author was able to take that setting, and reflect it back in words as well as it had been in the game.

Maybe I shouldn't judge so harshly. This is, by definition, a somewhat daunting task to take that gritty world, and transcribe it into a written work. I think I might have liked it better if it had taken a smaller part of the "history" of Rapture and focused very heavily on that, adding more richness to the story I already knew, instead of just taking that story in situ and adding 10% more depth.

Ah well, I didn't dislike it. But I won't call this some kind of bleeding edge fiction that is a "must read". If you really liked the game and want to see another person's interpretation of some of the characters, and have a few extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket, buy a sammich for someone who needs it more than you do. If you still have a few extra bucks, then maybe go buy this book.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If by chance you haven't played the game yet, this book is a great way to start. There's no spoilers at all so no worries about knowing everything for the game. It's a great introduction to the story and the world of Rapture. You learn about all of the characters and even discover some surprising history about Andrew Ryan.

I adored this book and could not put it down, which I admit, surprised me a lot. I never have high hopes for books based on video games. They are usually alright but nothing th...more

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Dec 20, 2011 C.e. Crowder rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never played the Bioshock game, but I was drawn by the novel's premise. Rapture is an equivalent of the Atlantis valley from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged", moved to an underwater setting where everything goes tragically wrong. Industrialist Andrew Ryan is tired of government interference, so he sets up his own city outside of national boundaries to create a tax-free libertarian utopia. Its only downside is that once you're in, you can't leave. The flaws of Rapture are soon evident, when it be...more I've never played the Bioshock game, but I was drawn by the novel's premise. Rapture is an equivalent of the Atlantis valley from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged", moved to an underwater setting where everything goes tragically wrong. Industrialist Andrew Ryan is tired of government interference, so he sets up his own city outside of national boundaries to create a tax-free libertarian utopia. Its only downside is that once you're in, you can't leave. The flaws of Rapture are soon evident, when it becomes riddled with immoral characters who have no problem stomping on the rights of others and can't be sufficiently controlled. Meanwhile the underclass swells and quickly reaches a dead end. With large numbers of its citizens feeling trapped in this enclosed society where hand-outs are frowned upon, trouble is soon brewing. Layered over this is the necessary setup for the video games that will carry the story forward past this novel's end: we see bizarre new technologies being employed in this 1950s setting that are still the stuff of sci-fi today, arising from a complete lack of regulation and regard for morality. Scenes of horror ensue.

I wondered whether this novel would be openly judgemental of Ayn Rand (represented in the person of Andrew Ryan) but it is only a straightforward exploration of how her envisioned utopia’s rise and fall might play out, building on the premise that a fall would indeed happen. As a novel it would have been more successful had it remained focused on the two contrasting characters it starts with: Bill the plumber, who becomes a significant figure in Rapture's maintenance and Ryan's most trusted advisor, the kind of person Rapture was intended for; and Fontaine the mobster, who represents the darker side of people who are drawn by what Rapture has to offer. These could have sufficed to tell the entire story by themselves and been made to play off one another. Fontaine is the engine by which the fall comes about, but Bill's story is essentially that of the novel. Their stories and character depth become watered down due to other characters’ perspectives competing for page count, so it isn’t all that it could have been but the threads are there.

I became well-versed in what are presumably the game's key elements, except for the Big Daddies: in contrast to other things that were evolving step-by-step (e.g. the Little Sisters), I didn't see the same logical development of how the Daddies came to be; they just suddenly were. This was costly to fully portraying the latter half of Ryan's character arc as he’s confronted with the downfall of Rapture, something I'd anticipated reading to see how it was handled.

Bioshock: Rapture is a fast-paced story, it makes some fun allusions, and it displays some real effort and interest on the author's part that I’d feared would be lacking. Narrower focus and a less episodic structure would have helped, but I didn't feel the novel was simply riding on the video game's reputation. Viewed as a tragedy the utopia story is complete and I don’t feel forced to play the game afterward. As to how politically and socially realistic you find this tragedy’s portrayal to be, that will only depend on the baggage you bring with you. (less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Carlos Emilio rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Despite the fact that the book boasts a pretty good narrative, it would be unwise to delve into it without previously playing both editions of the game that spawned this book.
From someone who already played both editions of the game, the book gives a nice view of how the city fell into its degenerate state.
still at some points,the author seems more intent on appealing at the gamer and tossing at him characters he knew during his walk through rapture than at actually developing the story. Some j...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Jessica Strider rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pros: very interesting and complex characters, city founder has a unique philosophy, slow apocalypse, references to the game are subtle, has a sense of closure so it works as a novel not just a game history

Cons: don't learn as much about certain people/items from the game as I'd have liked, major spoilers for those who haven't played the game

Bioshock: Rapture is the prequel novel to the Bioshock video game franchise. It explains the founding - and ultimate deterioration - of the undersea city,...more Pros: very interesting and complex characters, city founder has a unique philosophy, slow apocalypse, references to the game are subtle, has a sense of closure so it works as a novel not just a game history

Cons: don't learn as much about certain people/items from the game as I'd have liked, major spoilers for those who haven't played the game

Bioshock: Rapture is the prequel novel to the Bioshock video game franchise. It explains the founding - and ultimate deterioration - of the undersea city, Rapture. Andrew Ryan, the industrialist who designs and builds Rapture has a philosophy upon which his uotopia is based, summed up in the following quote from the game:

"I am Andrew Ryan and I’m here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow? No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose....Rapture. A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by Petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."

The book is a slow apocalypse taking place in an enclosed environment, with characters and quotes from the games scattered throughout.

The novel is told through several points of view, predominately those of Chief Sullivan, Bill McDonagh and Frank Gorland. People familiar with the game will recognize - and probably read with more interest - scenes with Brigid Tanenbaum and Dr. Yi Suchong (the creators of ADAM and EVE), Frank Fontaine and others who get briefer attention.

There are two groups of people who would read this book, 1) those who have played the game and want to know more of the back story associated with the game and the people whose tape recorded messages you hear played throughout the game, and 2) those who haven't played the game, but who are interested in it or just want a decent soft apocalyptic / dystopian novel.

The book contains some major and minor spoilers for the game if you haven't played it yet. Most notably it explains who Atlas, the man who guides you through the first game, is. As a book independent of the games, the author did a good job of creating one narrative thread that extends beyond Rapture, giving the text a narrative arc with an element of closure. Since the book otherwise ends where the first game begins, this helped give it closure independent of the games, for those who might be interested in an apocalyptic story but who otherwise aren't interested in playing the game.

As a lot of the character explanations in the game happen during fights, the book does a great job of explaining things - in sequential order. The discovery of ADAM and the creation of EVE were very interesting, thought I'd have liked learning more about how the Big Daddies were made.

Because the book covers so much time, some characters, who get levels in the game, are barely touched on, like Dr. Steinman, Julie Langford and Sander Cohen. And most of the events in general are glossed over. Even with such fundamental aspects of the game as ADAM and EVE, the book doesn't go in depth, allowing the mystery of the various Plasmids (psychic powers obtained via taking ADAM) to survive. Also, some common elements of the game are late additions to Rapture, like the Circus of Values vending machines, and so only show up at the end of the book.

As an apocalyptic novel it succeeds quite nicely. The book doesn't depend on an immediate failure of everything as films like Jurassic Park and Westworld do, where one action (or several actions in one night) undermines everything quickly, Rapture faces a slow decline, but one heightened by the fact that the people living there are unable to leave when things start to go bad. There are economic problems, ideological clashes led by those who don't like how things are run, Plasmid addictions (compounded by the lack of regulations on science, especially when it comes to testing new drugs), and more.

I read the book fairly quickly between sessions of watching my husband play the first game, and enjoyed it a lot. I would suggest, if you want to play the games, to play the first one before reading the book. In fact, reading it between games gives you a good grasp of the history of the place (and many events from the first game) without spoiling the gameplay. I did notice a few extremely minor contradictions between what the book said and what characters in the game say, but they're so hard to catch I found myself questioning my memory over them. The writing is good and the story is quite interesting. (less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Andrew Balboni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading Shirley's printed story of Rapture, I can safely say that not only did 2K accurately give life to his story. They did, however, leave out thrilling parts that I think the reader(s) can pick up on their own, even if they have yet to play the series. Anyone who does intend to pick up the book and then the game; wise move. But I digress. Because I am a fan of deep, thrilling and epic story lines, it was not only an easy read but a good and time0worthy one at that. At first, you see th...more

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May 04, 2012 Siddharth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the BioShock fan, this book is a must read. John Shirley pieces together a picture of Rapture that holds true to the atmosphere so wonderfully created in the video game. While the video game was an immersive experience in the world of Rapture, the book brings most of the characters to life. Bill McDonaugh, Frank Fontaine, Andrew Ryan, Dr. Suchong, and Bridgette Tannenbaum. The only glimpses we got into the psyches of these characters was via the audio diaries in the video games, and those di...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Kelli Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being a big fan of the Bioshock video game franchise, I really wanted to read this book. It pulled me in by giving a more colorful view to the world of Rapture and how it came to be. This book also broadened my view of many of the characters in the first video game. Having played the first game multiple times, I was able to recognize people and quotes from the audio diaries in the game. It drew me in so much that I had to go play the game again just to see where a scene in the book had taken pla...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Robby Milligan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like it! It tied everything in with the game really well. Nothing was left skipped over. IT was dark a lot of the time which was to be expected. Like the game, a lot of things the psycho's did just left me sickened. When I finished a was laying inside a room a 1:30 am and there was window on the ceiling away from me. There was a blue filter pulled down over the window which gave me the sense of being underwater as the light streamed through. Especially since I wasn't sleeping under it and coul...more

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Feb 20, 2012 mirry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I love Bioshock, but it ended up being a disappointment. I'll admit that some parts were enjoyable (reading about the history of Rapture, the decline of the society, and learning more about some of the characters), but for the most part it seemed halfhearted and boring. Something about the writing style itself bothered me (too many sentences ending in ellipses?). It almost felt like the author was trying to understand the world of Bioshoc...more

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