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[LPPrince]

121 out of 127 people found this review helpful-

D. Earnshaw wrote...

Leading up to the release of this book, I re-read all three of Drew Karpyshyn's novels. I've always enjoyed them in the past, and so I wanted to see the story continue. I was mildly concerned when I saw that Karpyshyn had moved on, but William C. Dietz had a decent track record, so I figured this book would probably turn out okay.

Boy, was I mistaken. As soon as I opened the book, I could tell something was wrong. I like quality writing, but I'm usually able to enjoy pretty much anything. Unfortunately the writing in this book is of extremely poor quality. In places it makes it very hard to get through. The language is sloppy, the narrative is very confused, and it's full of poor grammar.

Now if this was all that was wrong with the book, I supposed I would dock it a few points and leave it at that. But this is tie-in fiction. That's where it's biggest weakness comes into play. As I read through the book, I became more and more confused. The problem is simple: the book appears to have been written by someone who had no knowledge of the previous three books, or the subject matter in general. The timeline is impossible to reconcile with the other books. Numerous terms are misused. Characters lose important traits, and act out of character at seemingly every point. The book is full of these issues. It's very hard to understand how they made their way through quality control.

Even setting these problems aside, the book has little to offer. The characters, both returning and new, are flat and uninteresting. The audience is asked to accept as fact various things that seems to make little sense.

All in all, I'm extremely disappointed. Anyone who enjoyed the previous three books is going to be sorely disappointed when they reach the end of this installment. It really is a shame, because the series once held such promise.

I hope this review is helpful in making an informed decision. There are also various excerpts available online, and I urge you to read them for yourself, so you can see the issues I've detailed, before committing your hard-earned cash to purchasing this book.

[Yuoaman]

LPPrince wrote...

HiroVoid wrote...

I'd definitely say that's the biggest step out of all the publicity. I said near the beginning of the thread that Penny Arcade would probably be the best news spreader(or something like that.).

Also, great letter about two pages back.

Noooooo. Kotaku was our big break- we just needed ONE site to catch on, and the rest would follow.

It was a domino effect- other sites visit Kotaku for news and then cover what Kotaku covers, so it spread.

IGN was our biggest achievement, because they went out and contacted Bioware about it.

Penny Arcade is a good one to grab the attention of, but its certainly not IGN insofar as making progress to disavow this novel goes.

Yeah, without Kotaku reporting on this none of this would have happened - it's just that for me, Penny Arcade commenting on the situation is the biggest leap since.

[LPPrince]

And for those of you who don't know what I did yesterday, I went straight to Dietz's facebook page, befriended him, and then posted this-

Yuvraj Linares-Mohan wrote...

Mr. Dietz, what are your thoughts on the rather negative reaction for Mass Effect: Deception lately?

I should clarify- I'm asking because if you weren't aware, the Bioware Social Network has a near 450 page thread(as of this posting) with 10K+ posts universally against the novel, even wishing it disavowed from the lore. On top of that, many gaming websites are covering that fans want the novel disavowed and that there's a google document(Fan made) that lists all the inconsistencies in the novel. On top of that, one fan even burned a copy of the book.

So I'm just curious where you stand on this. Its quite shocking, really.

Also, as an author, its expected that you would defend your work(as would I). But several inconsistencies have rubbed fans the wrong way, some even insulting them, such as a character who was autistic suddenly having it hand-waved off, and a homosexual character suddenly becoming heterosexual. Some fans are offended, and we're put off by your defense of the novel in an email you sent to a fan(said email being well worded, mind you).

I believe the fans just want to know what you REALLY think. Not the author, not the businessman, but the real inner sanctum of who you are- They want to know what YOU think about all this. I am simply their leader- Here to let you know how the masses feel. But personally, I ask you what I asked earlier- what are your thoughts on this situation?

Should I ever get a response, I will let you know.

[Yuoaman]

LPPrince wrote...

And for those of you who don't know what I did yesterday, I went straight to Dietz's facebook page, befriended him, and then posted this-

Yuvraj Linares-Mohan wrote...

Mr. Dietz, what are your thoughts on the rather negative reaction for Mass Effect: Deception lately?

I should clarify- I'm asking because if you weren't aware, the Bioware Social Network has a near 450 page thread(as of this posting) with 10K+ posts universally against the novel, even wishing it disavowed from the lore. On top of that, many gaming websites are covering that fans want the novel disavowed and that there's a google document(Fan made) that lists all the inconsistencies in the novel. On top of that, one fan even burned a copy of the book.

So I'm just curious where you stand on this. Its quite shocking, really.

Also, as an author, its expected that you would defend your work(as would I). But several inconsistencies have rubbed fans the wrong way, some even insulting them, such as a character who was autistic suddenly having it hand-waved off, and a homosexual character suddenly becoming heterosexual. Some fans are offended, and we're put off by your defense of the novel in an email you sent to a fan(said email being well worded, mind you).

I believe the fans just want to know what you REALLY think. Not the author, not the businessman, but the real inner sanctum of who you are- They want to know what YOU think about all this. I am simply their leader- Here to let you know how the masses feel. But personally, I ask you what I asked earlier- what are your thoughts on this situation?

Should I ever get a response, I will let you know.

I doubt we'll get a response, but nice to see you on top of this, Prince.

[LPPrince]

62 of 65 found this review helpful-

jnie8412 wrote...

Although I'm a fan of science fiction and a huge fan of the Mass Effect video games, I honestly had no plans of checking out the novel Deception, but then I started to read news from others on the BioWare forums that the novel blatantly (and in some cases, horribly) altered and changed elements from the Mass Effect series canon. Hearing those reports, I decided to take a look for myself and read it... this novel is bad - it is wretchedly, horribly bad and for far more reasons that just canonical errors to the lore of Mass Effect.

For someone unfamiliar with Mass Effect, many of the major canonical issues brought up by Deception to the series lore might fly over your head (like how the alien race of the quarians are suppose to be wearing environmentally-sealed suits or why a human wouldn't be allowed on the batarian home-world of Khar'Shan), but the sheer number of errors to the series on display in this novel is simply staggering and suggest a complete lack of research and/or understanding on the author's part for the universe that he was writing for. The errors to canon even extend to the previous three novels Revelation, Ascension, and Retribution: characters ages are rewritten for no reason (Gillian and Nick, who should be 15-16 by the correct ME timeline, are now 18), a character described as a hardened racist and xenophobe in the previous novel now openly flirts with alien women, and a character previously killed off in the novel Ascension has been magically brought back to life in Deception (only to get unceremoniously killed off shortly after he's reintroduced, I might add).

Two of the most egregious example of poor canon inconsistencies and downright offensive "retconing" displayed in Deception comes in the form of two of the novel's main characters, Gillian Grayson and Hendel Mitra (two character which we haven't even seen since the novel Ascension):
In Ascension, a crucial defining character trait of the character Gillian was that she suffered from a severe case of "high-functioning" autism, which made normal social interactions with most of the other characters next to impossible. Well, not so, according to Deception - in this novel, Gillian behaves and thinks like a perfectly normal girl, with the only explanations by the author for her complete lack of autism was that she previously was a very angry "unstable 12 year old" and that she simply "outgrew it"... to me, that is one of the worst recons I've seen in any media in ages and is completely offensive to those individuals who do suffer from autism in real life to state that a person could simply "outgrow it" like its a case of the Terrible Twos or something. Things aren't any better for the Hendel character, who up until this point was the Mass Effect series only established homosexual male character - thanks to Deception, though, the character has now been completely rewritten into a straight heterosexual man, even going so far as to "oogle" women and female aliens with the other main character (pretty sure that human sexuality doesn't work like that, Mr. Dietz...).

All of these problems with the plot, the characters, the lore inconsistencies, etc., all of those things would have been somewhat easier to swallow all down if the novel has actually been written reasonably well... which it isn't, not by a long shot. I have not read any of Mr. Dietz's previous works, but I honestly have no desire to do so after this novel, because the writing skill displayed by its author is so amateurish and poorly constructed, you would have thought it was written by a middle school student for his English Lit. class. The book's prose never goes any higher than an 8th grade comprehension level, exposition is constantly delivered in the simplest of terms to the reader, characters reactions and emotions are surprisingly muted and schizophrenic as the novel jumps from one scene to another, elements from other fictional works are slap-dashingly ripped off and inserted into the plot... it's all just a great big mess. Honestly, as someone who has been reading novels for nearly his entire life and who greatly values the art of writing, Deception is truly one of the worst written works of fiction that I've read in well over a decade.

And now I reach what I view as the principle, primary flaw of Deception - an issue that I truly can not overlook whatsoever:

**SPOILERS!**

How completely worthless is this novel when the entire plot contained within is MEANINGLESS? The only major outcome that occurs in Deception is that the three characters previously created in the novel Ascension - Gillian, Hendel, and Nick - are all randomly killed off at the very end for no other purpose other than to erase their existence from the Mass Effect universe. Other than that, nothing matters in this novel to the plot of the Mass Effect series, NOTHING - Anderson and Kahlee make no progress into investigating either Cerberus or the Reapers, the Council still actively dismisses the existence of the Reapers, there is no mention of the events of Arrival or the escalating tensions between the Alliance and the batarians over it, there is no active effort by Cerberus into any of their secret projects... none of the characters grow or evolve, none of the conflicts previously established in other Mass Effect media are resolved, nothing is any different for the Mass Effect universe or its characters from the beginning of this novel to its end, not a single darn thing...

This is no "lead-in" to the Mass Effect 3 video game, as some of the game developers previously claimed... there's nothing for it to lead to anywhere! It's utterly pointless, a waste of the trees used to make the paper to print this worthless book and a waste of the time and energy of anyone who bothers to read through it from start to finish.

If you're a fan of science fiction, there is literally an infinite selection of better novels out there that are worth your time.
If you're a fan of Mass Effect and its lore... just wipe this stain clean from your mind and pretend that it never existed.

[LPPrince]

Yuoaman wrote...

I doubt we'll get a response, but nice to see you on top of this, Prince.

I have to be. Otherwise we lose ground.

[Yuoaman]

Got to love those reviews.

Anyway, the nightly version of the Errors Doc is saved, and I'm off to bed.

SEE YOU ON THE MORROW, DECEPTICONS.

[LPPrince]

Yeah folks, rest up.

We all need it.

[DnVill]

Yuoaman wrote...

Got to love those reviews.

Anyway, the nightly version of the Errors Doc is saved, and I'm off to bed.

SEE YOU ON THE MORROW, DECEPTICONS.

Make sure your cereal boxes locked up otherwise Kai leng will eat it

Modifié par DnVill, 03 février 2012 - 11:07 .

[OniRogue]

DnVill wrote...

Make sure your cereal boxes locked up otherwise Kai leng will eat it

I would be more worried about my Vases, actually

[LPPrince]

I have yet to consume any cereal since this whole thing got under way.

[OrbitalWings]

The PLC wrote...
You people sure are making this seem like a huge deal... It's still just a book based on a videogame, calm down.

For people offended by some of the book's bigger problems - e.g. Gillian and Hendel - this is a huge deal.

If it was nerdy nitpicking, that'd be another thing - but this book goes far beyond that. It's less the problems themselves, and more what it says about whoever is responsible for letting the huge list of errors slide.

[XXIceColdXX]

Inspirational stuff LPPrince. If Dietz responds that would be great. If not at least you tried, and we will all keep on trying to sort this mess out.

[SpartHawg948]

The PLC wrote...

Metal-Dragon-Kiryu wrote...

The PLC wrote...
You people sure are making this seem like a huge deal... It's still just a book based on a videogame, calm down.

For people offended by some of the book's bigger problems - e.g. Gillian and Hendel - this is a huge deal.

If it was nerdy nitpicking, that'd be another thing - but this book goes far beyond that. It's less the problems themselves, and more what it says about whoever is responsible for letting the huge list of errors slide.

Offended is a strong word.

A strong but suitable word for a lot of this. For example, say you or someone you know has autism. Now, how would you feel if a character who, in the previous two novels she was in, had autism, suddenly just "grew out of" in this one? Might you not be a bit miffed at the insensitivity of the author? 

And on the topic as a whole, if you become a fan of a series, eagerly following it as it progresses through games, books, comics, etc, enjoying the twists and turns, might it not offend you if the newest work you've been waiting patiently for turns out to be a shoddy piece of garbage slapped together by some freelancing author who clearly didn't even bother to do the most basic research, yet who maintains that there is noting wrong with the book? No one likes being talked down to or patronized, and this book essentially does just that. It's BioWare and the author saying "Look, we know you're going to buy it anyways, so who cares if it's crap? We still get our money."

Modifié par SpartHawg948, 03 février 2012 - 11:52 .

[ZLurps]

Galactic Runner wrote...

nitefyre410 wrote...

Galactic Runner wrote...

Guys and Gals, LET'S KEEP TALKING ABOUT CEREAL, GYROCYCLES, HAPPY BOWLS, and TOOTHBRUSHES!! I WANT MY CEREAL NOW!!

 



excuse me but just what is a gyrocycle?  

Ratchet and Clank were riding one in Tools of Destruction.

This is something that is still bothering me. There were people asking about what is gyrocycle earlier in this thread and there was similar kind of picture about gyrocycle posted.

If gyrocycle really is like that, then there is one more error to be added.

From Deception:
"Look!" Anderson exlaimend. "Gyrocycles. I saw them on the way in. Let's grab one."
...
A tight left-hand turn was called for, the gyro-stabilized bike took it with ease, and Anderson performed an unintentional wheelie as he cranked the throttle open. There was a thud as the front tire came back down, a street vonder went diving for cover, and the two-wheeler hit a rare section of straightaway."

WTF?

Modifié par ZLurps, 03 février 2012 - 12:36 .

[XXIceColdXX]

Come on Bioware, please respond!. This novel is really tarnishing the overall quality of the franchise. Take the high ground here and admit mistakes were made. We're all here trying to protect this amazing universe that you have worked so hard to create. Time for you to do your part...

[Uezurii]

SpartHawg948 wrote...

The PLC wrote...

Metal-Dragon-Kiryu wrote...

The PLC wrote...
You people sure are making this seem like a huge deal... It's still just a book based on a videogame, calm down.

For people offended by some of the book's bigger problems - e.g. Gillian and Hendel - this is a huge deal.

If it was nerdy nitpicking, that'd be another thing - but this book goes far beyond that. It's less the problems themselves, and more what it says about whoever is responsible for letting the huge list of errors slide.

Offended is a strong word.

A strong but suitable word for a lot of this. For example, say you or someone you know has autism. Now, how would you feel if a character who, in the previous two novels she was in, had autism, suddenly just "grew out of" in this one? Might you not be a bit miffed at the insensitivity of the author? 

And on the topic as a whole, if you become a fan of a series, eagerly following it as it progresses through games, books, comics, etc, enjoying the twists and turns, might it not offend you if the newest work you've been waiting patiently for turns out to be a shoddy piece of garbage slapped together by some freelancing author who clearly didn't even bother to do the most basic research, yet who maintains that there is noting wrong with the book? No one likes being talked down to or patronized, and this book essentially does just that. It's BioWare and the author saying "Look, we know you're going to buy it anyways, so who cares if it's crap? We still get our money."

I'm not going to defend this book, but I do have a problem with the issue of Gillian's autism. Wasn't it already stated in Ascension, Gillian's autism came from the meds Cerberus gave her, and that, after she didn't get the dose of meds anymore, she started to improve? So isn't it possible that after a few years of not being drugged, she could be rid of the autism?

I do apologize if I'm wrong though, it's been a while since I read Ascension, but I do remember characters in the book stating that the autism became less when she didn't get drugged, hinting that was the cause.

[XXIceColdXX]

Uezurii wrote...

SpartHawg948 wrote...

The PLC wrote...

Metal-Dragon-Kiryu wrote...

The PLC wrote...
You people sure are making this seem like a huge deal... It's still just a book based on a videogame, calm down.

For people offended by some of the book's bigger problems - e.g. Gillian and Hendel - this is a huge deal.

If it was nerdy nitpicking, that'd be another thing - but this book goes far beyond that. It's less the problems themselves, and more what it says about whoever is responsible for letting the huge list of errors slide.

Offended is a strong word.

A strong but suitable word for a lot of this. For example, say you or someone you know has autism. Now, how would you feel if a character who, in the previous two novels she was in, had autism, suddenly just "grew out of" in this one? Might you not be a bit miffed at the insensitivity of the author? 

And on the topic as a whole, if you become a fan of a series, eagerly following it as it progresses through games, books, comics, etc, enjoying the twists and turns, might it not offend you if the newest work you've been waiting patiently for turns out to be a shoddy piece of garbage slapped together by some freelancing author who clearly didn't even bother to do the most basic research, yet who maintains that there is noting wrong with the book? No one likes being talked down to or patronized, and this book essentially does just that. It's BioWare and the author saying "Look, we know you're going to buy it anyways, so who cares if it's crap? We still get our money."

I'm not going to defend this book, but I do have a problem with the issue of Gillian's autism. Wasn't it already stated in Ascension, Gillian's autism came from the meds Cerberus gave her, and that, after she didn't get the dose of meds anymore, she started to improve? So isn't it possible that after a few years of not being drugged, she could be rid of the autism?

I do apologize if I'm wrong though, it's been a while since I read Ascension, but I do remember characters in the book stating that the autism became less when she didn't get drugged, hinting that was the cause.

It was mentioned she had autism before she was getting drugged. The drugs made it worse.

[Gabey5]

You were deceived

[OrbitalWings]

Uezurii wrote...

I'm not going to defend this book, but I do have a problem with the issue of Gillian's autism. Wasn't it already stated in Ascension, Gillian's autism came from the meds Cerberus gave her, and that, after she didn't get the dose of meds anymore, she started to improve? So isn't it possible that after a few years of not being drugged, she could be rid of the autism?

I do apologize if I'm wrong though, it's been a while since I read Ascension, but I do remember characters in the book stating that the autism became less when she didn't get drugged, hinting that was the cause.

It's mentioned in Ascension that she has it before Cerberus did anything to her.

It's entirely plausable that what Cerberus did to her made the symptoms worse, but nothing can "give" you autism, and nothing can magically get rid of it.

[ElitePinecone]

Whoever posted the "LOOOOORE!" gif, mind if I use it as an avatar?

[NPH11]

EsterCloat wrote...

Penny Arcade just put up a comic that talks about the book. Thought you guys might want to know.

Who was it that said it would be amazing if Penny Arcade took notice? I remember someone saying this a few days ago.

Pretty awesome either way.