10 Sep, 2011
Title: Deus Ex Icarus Effect
Platform: eBook
Writer: James Swallow
Publisher: Del Rey Books (US) | Titan Books (UK)
Tagline: Sets the stage for Deus Ex Human Revolution
Family Friendly: Many detailed accounts of people dying from immolation, dismemberment, severed necks, bullet wounds and more. Also, at least one sexual encounter is assumed to happen, and there are numerous language issues. It is probably meant for the same age group playing the game.
I have always been a huge fan of the first Deus Ex title, and before the release of Deus Ex Human Revolution, I decided that it might be a wise idea to pick up the Deus Ex book, Icarus Effect. I am a nut for extended fiction, as it can fill in a lot of gaps with story or expand on characters that do not get extended time in the main game. Extended fiction can be hit or miss depending on the writer’s engagement with the game developers, and if he has a solid grasp on the universe in general. I can say that James Swallow nails both of these elements with Icarus Effect and gives us two new characters to add to the Deus Ex universe, and expands on several others that show up in the main game, extrapolating more into their actions and motives.
Icarus Effect centers around two characters that do not show up in Deus Ex Human Revolution – Ben Saxon and Anna Kelso. Ben is a former SAS soldier who has moved from Her Majesty’s service to private security firm Belltower. With Belltower, Ben has seen action around the world, going into hotspots and taking care of business with no questions asked. Anna Kelso on the other hand is at work as a United States Secret Service Agent assigned to protection detail for United States Senator Jane Skyler. Skyler has been on the end of numerous death threats for her pro-augmentation stance.
Ben is sent on a mission for Belltower that goes south, after intelligence claimed that it would be a simple insert and kill operation in the Australian outback. However, opposition forces are waiting with fighter drones that attack and kill all of his crew. Ben manages to escape the chaos and take down the enemy drone, but not before it leaves him with a mangled mess of augmentations and broken down flesh. Anna Kelso on the other hand finds her detail attacked by a mysterious black ops team. The black ops team takes down almost all of the Secret Service agents protecting Skyler, but Anna survives the attack after killing one of the ops team. Strangely, Skyler is not killed, but an associate she is with is gunned down, execution style by the black ops team.
From there, the two characters slowly come together through a situation of events that lead them to find out about a secret society called the Illuminati that has been using a covert team of assassins known only as The Tyrants. The Tyrants are the muscle of the Illuminati, performing tasks around the world to shape the path of humanity. Slowly you start to unravel the path of why these events are happening, and they all come together into a stunning climax of events that shape events in Deus Ex Human Revolution.
Icarus Effect does pay homage not just to Deus Ex Human Revolution, but also to elements that end up coming into play in the first Deus Ex title. We meet familiar characters like Lebedev, Janus and even the nascent elements of the NSF. Swallow seems steeped in the lore of Deus Ex and uses many elements to create a flowing universe. And for those concerned, Adam Jensen does come up a couple of times and it blends seamlessly into his story in Human Revolution.
The biggest plus from Icarus Effect is the steady pacing that Swallow manages throughout the entire book. Many times, a novel will meander a bit too long on a section of the plot, or focus on elements that do not need more than half a page of exposition, but here the story flows at a constant pace. Action sequences are broken up nicely with focus points on story elements. Just when you think it is going to drag, you are whisked away to another point in the story, or a strong action sequence. Swallow paints a scenic picture with each chapter, and I can attest to that as I blazed through all 271 pages in two days.
Icarus Effect is a solid read for anyone that loves a good science fiction novel. Obviously, fans of the Deus Ex series will garner more out of the story, but anyone can sit down to this book and enjoy the well-crafted story, expert pacing and strong character development. It is a quick read and leaves you wanting to hear more about the tales of Ben and Anna in the future. Definitely pick this up when you find yourself on your Kindle or in a bookstore, as you will be well rewarded.
The Good:
- Solid pacing throughout the book
- Great character development
- Builds on the fiction of the Deus Ex universe nicely
The Bad:
- It had to end
- Skyler almost disappears from the novel after her introduction
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