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Mass Effect: Retribution (Mass Effect #3)

by Drew Karpyshyn (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 1,736 ratings · 77 reviews

Humanity has reached the stars, joining the vast galactic community of alien species. But beyond the fringes of explored space lurk the Reapers, a race of sentient starships bent on "harvesting" the galaxy's organic species for their own dark purpose.The Illusive Man, leader of the pro-human black ops group Cerberus, is one of the few who know the truth about the Reapers....more

Paperback, 356 pages

Published 2011 by Orbit (first published January 1st 2010)

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Mar 01, 2013 Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-character-growth, based-on-game, mass-effect, science-fiction, sad

The lie ran so deep that even those who’d helped bury the truth had convinced themselves the Reapers were nothing but a myth. They continued on with their mundane existence, too weak and too stupid to acknowledge the horrific destiny awaiting them. But the Illusive Man had devoted his life to facing unpleasant truths. - Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect Retribution

Mass Effect Retribution picks up two or so years after the end of Ascension. Grayson, a former Cerberus operative, is living incognito on O...more The lie ran so deep that even those who’d helped bury the truth had convinced themselves the Reapers were nothing but a myth. They continued on with their mundane existence, too weak and too stupid to acknowledge the horrific destiny awaiting them. But the Illusive Man had devoted his life to facing unpleasant truths. - Drew Karpyshyn, Mass Effect Retribution

Mass Effect Retribution picks up two or so years after the end of Ascension. Grayson, a former Cerberus operative, is living incognito on Omega. In Ascension he was a drug addicted father of an autistic biotic girl. Against the wishes of Cerberus, Grayson removes his daughter from the experimental clutches of the Illusive Man and sends her to live unmolested among the quarians, untouchable amidst their enormous flotilla. The Illusive Man wants him, but not dead.
Grayson is now a trusted foot soldier of Aria and he has kicked the red dust habit. He keeps in tenuous touch with Kahlee Sanders who still lives and works at Grissom Academy in an effort to ensure her safety per a deal he made with the Illusive Man that she would not be harmed.
But the Illusive Man is not to be thwarted and he learns of Grayson's whereabouts. The Illusive Man sends Kai Leng to obtain Grayson.
If you're familiar with the ME games then you already know who Kai Leng is, a former Alliance officer hyped up on Reaper tech who acts as the Illusive Man's top assassin. He's ruthless, patient, and utterly deadly. Kai Leng is also mentioned by Anderson in ME3 wherein he mentions not being one of Kai Leng's favorite people because he once shot out both of his legs. You get to see how that happens in Retribution. For those of you who know the beloved Captain Anderson, he can be just a ruthless as Kai Leng and we get to see him here in rare form.
Retribution is the saddest of the books thus far. Grayson, poor man, can never catch a break. His life is a long series of bad choices and worse outcomes and what eventually happens to him, thanks to the Illusive Man, is probably worse than death. What happens to him also screams "borg" to me. Borg as in Star Trek.
Like the others, this book is fast paced and well written with a crisp concise story line that does not wander away from the original ME story but runs parallel to it. There is no pretended happy ending here though, so as much as one might root for Grayson to finally have some peace in his life, you won't be satisfied.
Kahlee Sanders isn't as annoying in this book as she was in Ascension. In fact, she's quite a trooper, even if a little soft around the middle. Anderson, who we know is a bit of a badass, but only from rumors and attitude, shows us exactly why he can be counted among the Shepards in the ME universe. He isn't just the deep voiced on point soldier with a commanding attitude. He's a calculating and dangerous opponent even without Reaper cybernetic implants, a bad attitude, or indoctrination.
As for the last book in the ME novel series, Deception, I'm unsure if I will read it. I understand that it was authored by someone other than Drew Karpyshyn and reviews are somewhat lackluster. We shall see.(less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nothing about this book I didn't like. Karpyshyn is one of my favourite writers for Bioware, and I was sorely sad to see him leave the team, and this was definitely my favourite book of his.

Many people forget that the galaxy had more than what Commander Shepard was dealing with, and that important events that shaped the plot for Mass Effect 3 conspired without the intervention of everyone's favourite human Spectre/N7 Commander/neighbourhood playboy/girl.

As much as I loved Revelation and Ascensi...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first two Mass Effect books, "Revelation" and "Ascension", surprised me with clear writing and engaging storylines, so I've known for a while that I would be reading through all of them. I guess "Retribution" moved up on my "to-read" list after BioWare (the video game company that created the Mass Effect franchise) "fixed" the endings of Mass Effect 3.

OVERALL: 3.6 out of 5
I loved this book. It's great science fiction, but it's also a fun "chase the monster" story, with all these different gr...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, favorites, sci-fi

This is the third novel in the series, and it once again goes in a slightly different narrative direction. The focus seems to be more on action than the previous two novels, and it achieves an exciting pace while also giving readers further insights into the Mass Effect universe.

Kahlee Sanders and Paul Grayson are at the heart of the story, and even David Anderson is back in the thick of things this time. The plot picks up a couple of years after the end of the second novel, and pivots around Ce...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Michael Alexander Henke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, video-games

I'm catching up with my Mass Effect fiction in preparation for the imminent release of Mass Effect 3. It's been a while, so I was happy to once again be in the Mass Effect universe, with all it's alien races and technology. While the book is enjoyable in it's own right, I really miss the characters from the game. I understand that with the nature of the game, and all the choices you make, they can't really set down a story in a novel based on those characters. There are a few secondary character...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Alex Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fun enjoyable story when taking on its own, but is even better when taken as a part of the Mass Effect universe. Retribution is a fairly stand-alone story, but it does involve characters and mention occurrences from the last two books, as well as skipping over some of the world/character building done in the games. This shouldn't be a problem for most, as anyone who has played one of the games or read one of the previous books will find this means that the plot can speed along without...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Wendy White rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This really makes reading the first two Mass Effect books particularly worthwhile. Events set in motion in the previous two books come to a head, here. Well, some of them. There's still some threads to tie up in the fourth book, naturally.

This novel, like ME2, has a strong focus around Cerberus, and re-vists several key ME2 locations. Do not read this without playing ME2. You'll miss far too much. And you definitely want to read the first two books in this series to enjoy the pay off in this one...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Scott James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is not too much to start out with other than this is another amazing addition to the Mass Effect Universe. Of course Drew Karpyshyn is the lead writer of both Mass Effect and Star Wars Knights of the old republic so of course he can deliver a great story. This novel continues with Kahlee Sanders and brings David Anderson back in. Taking place three years after the previous novel and in between Mass Effect 2 and the anticipated mass Effect 3. Of course I don't plan to give any spoilers but...more

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Dec 03, 2010 William Johnson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, since-joining-goodreads

If you'd like to see my reviews of the first two Mass Effect books click on the links: Revelation and Ascension.

The first Mass Effect book, Revelation, was a way to get Mass Effect suited to the book world. It involved characters from the first game and acted as a prequel. The novelty of it was that you read about places you, technically, had been to (walked through, ran through, shot at people through, etc). By involving the characters we knew it was a test to see if Mass Effect could adapt to...more If you'd like to see my reviews of the first two Mass Effect books click on the links: Revelation and Ascension.

The first Mass Effect book, Revelation, was a way to get Mass Effect suited to the book world. It involved characters from the first game and acted as a prequel. The novelty of it was that you read about places you, technically, had been to (walked through, ran through, shot at people through, etc). By involving the characters we knew it was a test to see if Mass Effect could adapt to the written medium. And it succeeded. It was a load of fun and actually made the game deeper. You could never look at Captain Anderson the same since you knew so much about him from Revelation. It was a book that was canon that ADDED to the depth of the first game.

The second book, Ascension, was a chance for the writer to expand the Mass Effect universe not seen in the games (well, at least at the time it was published, being published between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2). This was a tough task mainly because, having taken place after Mass Effect 1, the setting couldn't be expanded on too much as there were literally thousands of scenarios in the game-play that were, likely, different for loads of people . The writer had to expand the universe but couldn't mention Commander Shepard with any specifics (like, if Shepard was male or female since s/he could be either in the game, etc.), if the Council lived, who was running things for humanity, etc.

But luckily the universe was so deep that Ascension successfully created characters we cared about (or continued their stories, as is the case with Kahlee Sanders, who showed up in Revelation as well) and could isolate everything away from Mass Effect 1 when necessary. It also could utilize people and places we hadn't seen yet but would see in Mass Effect 2. There was a lot of freedom there. And, for the most part, the book was fun. I did wish though that we could have a Shepard book but. . .would they come out with 18 versions based on what you chose in, now, two video games???? (Shepard books are impossible because it would piss somebody off due to the options in the game-play).

And as interesting as Captain Anderson is (who was not seen much at all in Mass Effect 2) and Kahlee Sanders, Mass Effect 2, when it came out, really turned up the drama and the darkness, creating situations that were/are compelling and frightening and changed the mythos entirely. Mass Effect: Retribution is much like Ascension, in which it is trying to expand the universe without touching the games. It worked in Ascension but, because Mass Effect 2 is out with that expanded mythos, Retribution is just frustrating. While we get to see what goes on in a Reaper's head and see Mass Effect 2 characters The Illusive Man and Aria extensively, this feels like a pretty pointless tale that doesn't add anything to the Mass Effect universe. And that's a shame.

We do get to see Captain (now Admiral) Anderson and Kahlee again but Retribution ends up becoming trapped in the non-game mythology created in Ascension mainly because Retribution is held prisoner to it, since it can't encroach on anything from the game due to the multiple game-play possibilities and two games worth of mythology. So you just feel like you're cutting corners and AVOIDING situations in Retribution as opposed to being put in them. You also can't help but assume a big 'ol dues ex machina is gonna fall too so that, come Mass Effect 3, nothing that happens in Retribution effects the game-play.

Ascension managed to bring the Illusive Man into the proceedings pre-Mass Effect 2 in limited but effective ways. In Retribution, since we have to see him so much (since he was only in small, unrevealing parts in the second game), we kind of learn too much about him. He does things in this book that completely destroy the mystery of his motivations in the game and will actually taint Mass Effect 3 a bit. Author Drew Karpyshyn had this problem in Revelation as well with the 'villain' Saren. In Mass Effect (the game), Saren is always portrayed as evil but it is possible for him to be redeemed come the end (due to the heavily established idea of Indoctrination by the Reaper Sovereign). And if you so chose that ending it created the possibility that Saren was actually as good as Shepard once was at one point in time. . .but Revelation makes Saren a fucking sadist and completely unsalvageable. Karpyshyn makes a habit of explaining too much sometimes so this isn't totally Retribution's fault.

I like the idea of Mass Effect books. For the most part, they are fun and enjoyable and, in two out of three cases, they aren't simply throw-away media tie-in entertainment. These books appear, for the most part, to be canon to the universe but Retribution seems like a television episode while the other books and games feel like epic cinematic adventures. I'm interested to see where they go from here after the disappointment that is Retribution. They could keep following Anderson/Kahlee which, as Retribution shows, will be extremely limited, or they could focus on characters seldom seen (an Aria book might be interesting or, as I suspect, a book on the biotic child Gillian, introduced in Ascension, is a plausible and welcome possibility). But I do think that by trying to stay within the timeline of the games, which grow extremely complex as time goes on, I think the books will end up being dreadful.

My real wish is to see the dense mythology depicted: perhaps a War and Peace like view of the First Contact War between Turians and Humans? An internal look at how the Genophage is effecting the Krogan? Prequels involving the Normandy and the Normandy II's crew? Possibilities are ripe but the current approach has to go unless it is DIRECTLY associated with the forthcoming Mass Effect 3. Mass Effect is too rich and deep for something as shallow as Retribution. Hopefully this is just a bump in the road and not a forming habit.(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Alexandru-Rudi Mățău rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked it. The way most of the scenes were told from each character's point of view was impressive. It made it easier to see the whole scene rather than a smaller scene being filtered through one's perspective.

I really enjoyed reading this one to the end. As with all the previous Mass Effect novels it had enough twists, action and intrigue to keep you going.

The story is continued right from where the previous novel ended. So if you want to pick this up I strongly recommend reading the previous...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Tim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the Mass Effect Games

So far I have found each of the Mass Effect novels to be a good supplement to the video games. They serve the purpose of fleshing out the universe well. As stand alone novels, they are simply ok and I would not imagine one getting near as much enjoyment out of them if you have not played the games.
As for the third novel specifically - I found it to be entertaining, fast-paced book. The plot was pretty good if you are willing to overlook some things. You learn a little bit more about the space...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Christopher rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surprisingly, this one had the barest glimpse of potential at being an interesting story. Squandered, but there was the gem of an idea here. However, the writing was awful. Once more, nearly every line of dialog is accompanied by a phrase telling us the internal mental state of the character in question. And the paragraphs of prose in between dialog blocks are merely transcriptions of what the characters are thinking, what their base motivations are, punctuated by clumsily written actions.

Show,...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was simply amazing. As a big fan of the Mass Effect universe I couldn't wait to get into this one. The previous two were more back-story, filling in the gaps that the games didn't fill. And while they each were exciting stories in their own rights, they didn't quite captivate me like Retribution did.

The events were very fast-paced and I found this book to be the first in a while that I simply didn't want to put down. It was definitely interesting to see more information about the Reape...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mass Effect fans, sci-fi readers

An entertaining and fun read that follows up the events of Ascension nicely. The background information on the Illusive Man and Kai Leng is also really interesting, so I'd it recommend any fans of the games. The only thing that would have made this better would be if it gave more background information on the reapers, but as the third game had yet to be released at the time I can see why it might not have been practical. The ending also slightly contradicts Kahlee's role in ME3, but that isn't t...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Goudreads rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Drew Karpyshyn's third installment in the Mass Effect series of books serves up a mix of action, adventure, romance, and suspense all elegantly packed together in Mass Effect's intriguing sci-fi universe.

In Retribution, the "cast" is back, Kahlee Sanders, David Anderson, Paul Grayson, and the antagonist, The Illusive Man, who has now taken a somewhat backstage position to a greater enemy called the Reapers. As the story progresses the reader is brought through a roller coaster of events that ha...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Keith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's safe to say you can probably knock at least one star off that rating if you're not an obsessive Mass Effect fan, but being massively into the games and the universe Bioware have created I got a real thrill from this. There's plenty of time spent on Omega, which was one of the most vivid locations in ME2 so it's a pleasure to get some more depth to Aria T'Loak. Cerberus (and the Illusive Man) are also fleshed out big time, and the way the extended fiction in ME intertwines (with characters a...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Jack Bravo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bioware, mass-effect, sci-fi, videogames, favorites

Set after the events of "Mass Effect 2", Retribution starts with the leader of the terrorist pro-human organization Cerberus, The Illusive Man, in a fight against time. The Illusive Man knows the Reapers are coming and he will stop at nothing to save humanity. Eager to study the process and effects of reaper indoctrination, he has the perfect subject for the terrible experiments needed. Paul Grayson, the only man who betrayed him and got away. But no one can hide from the Illusive man forever an...more Set after the events of "Mass Effect 2", Retribution starts with the leader of the terrorist pro-human organization Cerberus, The Illusive Man, in a fight against time. The Illusive Man knows the Reapers are coming and he will stop at nothing to save humanity. Eager to study the process and effects of reaper indoctrination, he has the perfect subject for the terrible experiments needed. Paul Grayson, the only man who betrayed him and got away. But no one can hide from the Illusive man forever and after Grayson is captured by Kai Leng, a ruthless and brutally efficient Cerberus agent, its up to Kahlee Sanders and Captain Anderson to deal with the situation! As Grayson fights against the reapers influence in his mind, Anderson and Kahlee must uncover The Illusive Man's plans, deal with Aria and her thugs and survive Kai Leng.
This is the third and final "Mass Effect" book written by Drew Karpyshyn and he goes out on top. While Retribution never quite reaches the heights of Mass Effect: Revelation , the first book, its a great adventure and provides great insight into the "Mass Effect" universe and plot. This is the first time we meet Kai Leng, later seen in "Mass Effect 3" and he is the highlight of the book. He is cunning, dangerous and very threatening with a mysterious aura and it truly is a shame to see what happened to the character in ME3. In this book he is portrayed as a worthy adversary for the coming duel with Shepard and even though things just didn't come together in the game, its a pleasure to read the character written by Karpyshyn and wonder what might have been. The book also offers a more in depth look at The Illusive Man and we get a detailed picture of how absolutely determined and amoral he truly is. Karpyshyn really brings one of the most interesting characters in the universe alive and this is truly where The Illusive Man's downfall, seen in ME3, begins with his obsession in reaper indoctrination.
We also get a better portrait of Aria, "The Pirate Queen of Omega" and learn more about her. A lot more! To avoid spoilers i'll just say this!
Anderson is back after being absent in the second book and he is the perfect companion for Kahlee Sanders. We get a bit more of the romance which sadly wasn't to be, hinted at in the first book and in ME3. Anderson is more like the games, tough and likable and he proves a worthy opponent for Kai Leng. Kahlee is also back and ultimately she is the heroine of this book trilogy. Although a good character I feel that she ended up being the less developed character over the three books but still I liked her.
The other highlight of the book is the actual description of reaper indoctrination. Grayson's fight for control of his body and then his own mind against reaper influence is described in detail and Karpyshyn paints a picture of just how it works that is both scary and magnificent and something the games were never able to truly show with such vivid detail.
Unfortunately there is no appearance of Gillian Grayson and no ending is given to her story. That was saved for the fourth book, Mass Effect: Deception (Mass Effect 4) , which unfortunately was not written by Karpyshyn and was so disrespectful of the characters and of the ME universe in general, with numerous errors and all around bad writing that Bioware and the publishers had to issue a public apology and promise a revised edition that never came and probably never will as it has been a year since it was first published. Personally I only consider Drew Karpyshyn's books as canon and so Gillian's plot was sadly left unresolved probably forever.
As for "Mass Effect: Retribution", it is a fitting end for the trilogy of books and something that a fan of the universe cannot afford to miss. A great adventure, with exciting set-pieces, action and lots and lots of goodies for the fans! Get it. (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Sesana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, science-fiction, video-games

Timeline note: Retribution is set almost immediately after the main storyline of ME2 concludes, but before The Arrival DLC. Which, I suppose, makes it canonical that The Arrival is post-game, even if you can play it through in the middle of the storyline. But it always worked better, from a story perspective, as a post-game adventure than a mid-game one.

Retribution has a strong hook: The Illusive Man has infected Grayson with Reaper nanotech as revenge for the events of Ascension, the prior book...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Urania rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, purely in the comparative context of the Mass Effect novels, Retribution is all right and actually noticeably better written than Revelation. (I haven't read Ascension yet.) That honestly isn't saying much, though.

If you're a fan of the Mass Effect game series as I am, it may be worth a read-through as a companion to the game. As a novel, though, I can't really say much in praise of Retribution, I'm afraid. Many of the same problems plague Retribution as did Revelation. The dialogue is nat...more

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Dec 27, 2010 John Kivus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-collection

I’ve been a major fan of BioWare’s games, and their associated tie-ins, since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003. The games have stories that are tightly coupled to their gameplay mechanics and this combination makes it nearly impossible for me to walk away once I’ve started playing them. The Mass Effect universe was a unique IP created by BioWare that has already spawned two mega-hit video games (with a third game due Christmas 2011). In addition to the game itself, there have been...more I’ve been a major fan of BioWare’s games, and their associated tie-ins, since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003. The games have stories that are tightly coupled to their gameplay mechanics and this combination makes it nearly impossible for me to walk away once I’ve started playing them. The Mass Effect universe was a unique IP created by BioWare that has already spawned two mega-hit video games (with a third game due Christmas 2011). In addition to the game itself, there have been tie-in books and comics. Mass Effect: Retribution is a fairly direct sequel to 2008’s Mass Effect: Ascension (the novel) and also builds upon the events of Mass Effect 2 (the video game).

ME:Retribution is the first of the ME novels that contains the same characters as the previous novel. The other two novels took place in the same universe as the video game but introduced new characters for each particular story. This book centers on the two main characters from the previous book, introduces one major new character, and also contains appearances from two characters that players of the ME games will be familiar with. The ME Books have never been particularly rich on character development, however, and this one is no exception. The book moves at a quick pace, going from beat to beat without much time to reflect or to showcase the characters. It’s what I expected, but it doesn’t necessarily excuse that style of plotting.

One of the reasons I get so wrapped up in the BioWare games is their tight plots. They drive the player hard to an end goal. The first to ME books followed this kind of tight plotting. ME: Retribution, however, seemed to meander. The book seemed to have trouble finding its way at points and, were it not for its attachment to the ME universe, I might have set it aside for a bit. Ultimately, it’s the book’s attachment to the ME universe that is its biggest selling point. Even though the plot is only tangentially related to the games, seeing characters you’re familiar with from the games is entertaining. I was disappointed with the plotting in this book when I compare it to previous ME efforts, but I would still recommend it to ME fans. With the third Mass Effect game about a year away, it’s decent way to scratch that ME itch.

Originally posted at: http://johnkivus.com/2010/12/27/mass-...(less)

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May 16, 2011 MMOGC rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: video-games, science-fiction

The third book in the Mass Effect series, and the first time I actually felt a twinge of disappointment. I felt the story was sloppier than the others, filled with plot points that jarred me out of my reading, distracting me from really getting into the book. It almost felt like the author was rushed.

Also for the first time, I started to get very irritated with Kahlee Sanders. Characters in the book even made it a point to remind her she's not the best judge of character, but seriously, how many...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Aside from Jim Butcher, I think Drew Karpyshyn is my favorite living sci-fi author. But don't make him say his name backwards or he'll disappear to his his home dimension. Heh.

I preferred DK's Star Wars: Darth Bane series to his Mass Effect trilogy...and I look forward eagerly to his upcoming Star Wars book about Darth Revan--from the stellar Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. DK was head writer for both the Knights of the Old Republic game and the Mass Effect series of games, bo...more Aside from Jim Butcher, I think Drew Karpyshyn is my favorite living sci-fi author. But don't make him say his name backwards or he'll disappear to his his home dimension. Heh.

I preferred DK's Star Wars: Darth Bane series to his Mass Effect trilogy...and I look forward eagerly to his upcoming Star Wars book about Darth Revan--from the stellar Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. DK was head writer for both the Knights of the Old Republic game and the Mass Effect series of games, both from BioWare (which is now owned by EA).

Retribution is the third novel in DK's "Ascension" trilogy in the Mass Effect video game universe. David Anderson, a supporting character in the Mass Effect game series, is one of the main characters in this series. Dr. Kahlee Sanders is the other protagonist. Both of them are trying to stop dire threats to civilization.

On one hand, the alien-hating, human terrorist organization known as Cerberus (headed by the shadowy Illusive Man) is resorting to evil experiments for the betterment of humankind. Cerberus is working to stop the Reapers, an ancient race of sentient machines who believe they must wipe out galactic civilization every fifty thousand years. Very few people in the galaxy acknowledge the existence of the Reapers and the rest are just oblivious or are hiding their heads in the sand. But when the Illusive Man uses Reaper nanotechnology to settle an old score with a rogue agent by experimenting on him, things get bad in a hurry. The Reapers seize control of the agent, giving him nearly supernatural powers. And what started out as a Cerberus experiment to find a way to combat the Reaper's technology quickly becomes a threat to the whole galaxy.

Both Cerberus and the duo of Anderson and Sanders spend most of the book hunting for the rogue agent, Paul Grayson, who was a protagonist/anti-hero in the first two books of the series. Now, as an avatar for the Reapers, he is a danger to all organic life. But his function seems to be more of an information gatherer than a herald of the galactic apocalypse the Reaper's are planning.

I liked "Retribution." It was an easy book to pick up and put down whenever I needed something to read. If I had liked it more, I suspect I would have had to finish it a lot sooner. Since we're dealing with a lot of characters that are pretty much guaranteed to surivive (since some of them are in the upcoming Mass Effect 3 game) the dramatic suspense is lessened. I'd say the focus of the book was smaller than I expected. The story was pretty linear, without much in the way of twists. I liked all the characters, even the ones I'm supposed to boo and hiss at. I guess I found the book to be a bit predictable in most places. It's demonic possession with a sci-fi twist and a Frankenstein angle to boot.

If you're a fan of the Mass Effect series or of Drew K. and the other books in this trilogy, I would recommend this book and rest of the series. A regular sci-fi fan who hasn't played the Mass Effect games might find these books a hit and miss endeavor. And non sci-fi fans...probably wouldn't be reading this review. So there you have it.(less)

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Nov 04, 2010 Scott Polifka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The third book in the Mass Effect universe, it is meant to be a transition between the second and third installment of the Mass Effect video game game series. The book includes many characters that appear throughout the games and novels. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys the Mass Effect universe. The story is fast-paced and delves deeper into some of your favorite characters from the games.

Like its two predecessors, Retribution serves as a bridge between games and expands on the already i...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Marco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is simply no universe more apt to clone the Star Wars fanaticism such as that crafted by Bioware's Mass Effect universe. The third novel penned by the game series' main writer, Drew Karpyshyn, continues the trend of well-written, fast-paced, character-driven novelizations. Drew created this rich universe and in these side stories, there is certainly enough substance to dedicate separate games or movies, should that day come. This particular story focuses on a revenge tale and one man's str...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Jon Cole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mass Effect: Retribution takes the rich Mass Effect universe from the popular video game series and expands on it in a meaningful way. As a direct story sequel to Mass Effect 2, this novel tackles the deeper motivations of many familiar races and organizations, including Cerberus, the Reapers, and the Turian Hierarchy. More specifically, it follows the Illusive Man's extensive interest in the Reapers and his morally deficient attempts to learn more about them.

As the third book in the Mass Effect...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Warren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thought this book did a nice job of mixing in characters and plots from the first two novels (which went in very different directions).

It also charmed by offering new story and character developments for some characters that I enjoyed from the second mass effect game.

I thought the romance was kind of weird. But weird romances are fun too. I'd say this was solid scifi pulp. (but only to be read after the previous 2 books in the series).

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May 18, 2012 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Indoctrination is a sad sad thing. Slowly losing your free will and becoming something grotesgue and no longer human. Retribution is the thrid book in the Mass Effect series and tells the story of Paul Grayson, a former Cerberus operative from the previous to books. After being captured by Cerberus, years after the second book takes place, he's implanted with reaper technology. This book does a great job at explaining how the Reapers take control of a person's mind. If you love Mass Effect and w...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Jose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Ok, so this one was an action oriented story.
We get to see the same characters Kahlee, Anderson and Grayson in a new evolved scenario where the Reaper threat is increasingly more dire!
Very satisfying book, read it in 2 days because of the action, it was hard to stop.
Minus points for having very little to add to the ME universe. I was hoping for more juicy details of whats to come...

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Sep 25, 2011 Melinda Snodgrass rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a surprisingly enjoyable spin off set in a massively popular game world. Since I'm an ardent Mass Effect player I quite enjoyed it. Karpyshyn is a writer for the game so we got some nice hints for those of us who play and an over all very well done, exciting read it you don't know the world. Hey, and it's science fiction instead of fantasy and that makes me happy.

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May 21, 2012 Matthew McAlpine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

I went into this book with fairly low expectations following some unfavourable comments I'd heard about it. For the majority of the book, those low expectations were more-or-less met. There were a few interesting parts, but on the whole it was a thoroughly lackluster affair for most of the book. It did pick up in the final half-dozen chapters or so, and I did begin to feel for the characters & their plight, but overall I came away feeling underwhelmed by an average novel. It's not terrible b...more

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About Drew Karpyshyn

Drew Karpyshyn is a Canadian author and game designer. After working at a credit union for some time, he eventually became a game developer. He joined BioWare towards the end of the Baldur's Gate series, and wrote the tie-in novel for Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. He stayed with BioWare, where he worked on Neverwinter Nights, and became the Senior Writer on the critically acclaimed Star Wars:...more

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Books by Drew Karpyshyn

Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #1)

Dynasty of Evil (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #3)

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Mass Effect: Retribution (Mass Effect #3)

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