Reviews

Initiation by Mac Walters, N.K. Jemisin

Only show reviews with written explanations

mxknits's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Ordinarily I wouldn't care for a Mass Effect Andromeda spin-off novel, but when it's one written by N.K. Jemisin? Yeah, I'll check that out.

Turns out it's pretty good! Nothing mind blowing, but still a solid, fast-paced thrill ride with plenty of twists. It was fun to get a whirlwind tour of parts of the ME universe, even if the need to tie it into Andromeda leads to some clunky pacing.

Glad I read it, even if only to be a Jemisin completionist

chriszook's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

3.5 stars. It took the combination of my all-time favorite video game series with one of my favorite SFF authors for me to read my first-ever video game tie-in novel. Mass Effect: Initiation is a mostly solid and enjoyable story that provides a lot of good backstory to SAM, Cora, Alec Ryder, and the Initiative, providing deeper insights into its impetus and goals. I wouldn't put this book on par with Jemisin's other novels, and I don't recommend reading it just because her name is listed as an author if you are not otherwise familiar with the Mass Effect universe. On a side note, I think it's great that Jemisin is a fan of the series, and I've enjoyed watching her livestream her playthroughs on Twitch.

aido_potato's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This book really exceeded my expectations. I love Mass Effect (my favorite video game series ) and I love N.K. Jemisin (my favorite author), but I came into this book expecting to be disappointed. I really was not. This book was a fast paced and emotional space opera. The protagonist, Kora, was wildly cool and felt much more real and complex than I’ve heard she does in the game. The various action scenes in this book had me on the edge of my seat, and there were just enough Easter eggs from the original games to make me feel like an insider.

I’m glad playing back through Mass Effect Legendary finally got me to give this book a try. N.K. really impresses with everything she touches and I think this book is well worth a read even if you aren’t a Mass Effect junky like me. It left me wanting to maybe give Mass Effect Amdromeda a try despite the poor reviews. It also left me very much wanting to read some more space adventures written my Jemisin (a person can hope). A success on all fronts.

anteus7's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I never would have picked this series up if N. K. Jemisin was not one of the authors (love her, by the way--read her stuff). That is not to say that Mass Effect novels aren't worth reading, but I found this book while looking for N. K. Jemisin stuff.

Anyway...this was a ton of fun.

I like the Mass Effect games a lot. The world is compelling, the characters feel as real as video game characters ever do (uncanny valley effect notwithstanding), and the action is dynamic--this all came through in this book in spades.

I had no idea that this was the second book in the series. It's funny because from the start to the finish, I felt like this was a standalone story. I have played Mass Effect: Andromeda, so I already have the...what would you call it?...front story (the bit that comes after the story--the opposite of backstory--I don't think that's a thing but here we are). I need to go find the first book and see if it gives me anything I should have had to better appreciate Initiation. It's not by Jemisin, though, so I doubt it (no shade on the author of that book, she's just a juggernaut).

corina10755's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Some Mass Effect game knowledge might be necessary to understand what's going on more. But there are quite a few Easter eggs for people who've played both sets of games. In between every chapter was a sort of in universe document/report/news which was nice.

Content Warnings

celestyna's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

3.75

brisingr's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I obviously still enjoyed this, and what I really like about these books is that so much of the vibes and atmosphere of the Mass Effect games are kept throughout. And with a name such as N. K. Jemisin on board, it was impossible not to be an incredibly engaging journey.

However, the plot of the book itself, while it was interesting, it was not necessarily up my alley and I must admit, Cora is not necessarily my favourite character in the Andromeda game (oups). I liked the glimpses we've got at Alec Ryder though, and about SAM though.