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Deus Ex: Icarus Effect (2011)

by James Swallow(Favorite Author)

3.53 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0345523598 (ISBN13: 9780345523594)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Del Rey

review 1: Deus Ex. A prominent brand in video games, fan favorite franchise. Great storylines and interesting characters in a cyberpunk world set in the near future. Deus Ex games are unique so it didn't came as suprise to me that there's a novel based on the latest of the series - Human Revolution.First of all, the book is quite tightly connected to the game, but it is not necessary to know its story to enjoy this one. I would higly recommend to play the game, though. Lots of things makes better sense and makes you understand what is really going on and why.The name of the book itself is deeply connected to the game, there are mentions of this myth, the main theme is named "Icarus" and so on. Though the Icarus Effect here has a different meaning. Quite interesting and with a potent... moreial to further exploration. Sadly, you won't find that exploration here.There are two main plot lines here, one of Agent Anna Kelso, and the second of a soldier Ben Saxon. Both have their ups and downs, but I liked the Ben's part of the story a great deal better. Anna, when you think about her as a person and not about her "mission", is quite a hollow character. Not only that, she proves you repeatedly that she couldn't be very good at her former job of an agent. She just lacks the skill.Now Ben is much more interesting with his history, moral code and beliefs. He wants to make a world better, but learns that road to hell is paved by good intentions the hard way. Even with so many military augmentations and dead bodies behind, he is very much human, for the good and for the bad.As for the story, it seemed to me that there was a huge ambition, I mean, there's a future of humanity at stake. There's nothing wrong with ambition or a desire to play it big, but it looked like the story went a bit out of the hand by the end. It grew so big, that even the main characters, as heroic as it gets without ending up as Rambo, couldn't do much of significance. I've read the last 3 chapters while holding my breath, but at the very end, I was just "meh". It surely could've been better.If you want to know how is the book written, I can't offer you much as I'm not a native speaker (obviously). The language is on the easier side, though it's still a cyberpunk, so quite a lot of technical stuff here - no surprise. I didn't have any problem with fighting scenes or anything else that is usually harder to read.Just the last thought: The story, characters and the whole outline reminded me of Spook Country by legendary William Gibson. If the summary of Icarus Effect sounds interesting to you, but you would like something a bit smarter, and if you don't mind the story set in present world together with quite a slow and long opening, I would recommend Spook Country rather than Icarus Effect. It's a good book for a fan of the game, but all-around it's not that great.
review 2: Being a fan of the Deus Ex video game series, I knew that this book would unlikely to be a complete disappointment. Actually, it has turned to be a neat expansion into the world of these games, uncovering the back stories of many of the familiar characters, in particular those that came from the original Deus Ex: the book successfully bridges the gap between the first and the latest installment in the game series (Human Revolution itself is not as good at it).The more detailed account of the Tyrants alone makes this book a must for a fan, as these mercenaries and the battles against them are probably the worst thing there is about HR. 'Icarus Effect' redeems this fault to some extent, adding depth to these characters.Novel's belonging to the Deus Ex world notwithstanding, it is an engaging, fast-paced and entertaining read with lots of aug action. less

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