I'm a big fan of the 'Mass Effect' video game series, and seeing as EA/Bioware have iced the series, hopefully only temporarily, and with no extra DLC planned for the game, I'm enjoying any extra content that adds to the expansion of the universe. And so a 'Mass Effect' book (co)written by the Hugo Award winning author NK Jemisin?! I'm so down for that!
'Initiation', co-written with 'Mass Effect' creative director Mac Walters, focuses on Cora Harper, one of NPCs from your squad in the Andromeda game, and her prospective boss, Alec Ryder (father of the playable character in the game), with the POV switching over every once in a while, but this is Cora's story, as she's recruited by Ryder into his Andromeda Initiative program.
We get to know Cora a lot more than when we see her in the game, as Jemisin takes what was almost a bland NPC and fleshes out her character a lot more, making her a likeable hero, creating a much more emotionally engaging character and also getting a sense of how determined she can also be as she overcomes the obstacles that bar her way. Whereas, as hinted at in the game, Ryder is definitely committed to the Andromeda Initiative project, and stubbornly so.
The book is set some time around the time of the 'Mass Effect 2' game, with Commander Shepard spoken of in the interludes, told in the style of news reports, that pepper in between the chapters. As such, there are also mentions of other characters like Khalisah al-Jilani, Councillor Udina, as well as other locations and events that will be very familiar to players of the original trilogy of games.
The story is certainly fast paced and action packed, as Cora is sent out to retrieve the stolen kernel code for the AI system that Alec Ryder was developing, which ends up her chasing leads across the galaxy after things don't exactly go to plan.
It's a great read, with a sense of nostalgia, that will be welcomed by fans of the game series. Recommended if you like the 'Mass Effect' series and into science fiction.
