In the past, around 2007, when I was still in college and not yet of legal drinking age, the original Mass Effect stood out as my favorite video game. I replayed it more than a dozen times before Mass Effect 2 was released, eagerly diving back into BioWare’s space opera for its intriguing cosmic puzzles. At that time, I was also a die-hard Star Wars fan who had grown frustrated with the prequel movies. Mass Effect managed to fill that void for me.
Jump forward a couple of decades, I’ve recently completed reading Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space series, a science-fiction novel series whose first book gave it its name. Starting in the early 2000s, Reynolds published this collection as a trilogy, a standalone spinoff novel, a prequel, two novellas, and numerous short stories. All of these works are set within his unique and strikingly influential science-fiction universe. After reading them, it’s hard not to notice the traces of Reynolds’ most innovative concepts appearing in various video games—Stellaris, Destiny, Dead Space, Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect, for example, immediately come to mind as potential sources where these ideas might have been drawn from.
After some time, I finally took the chance to read those books, as they’re often recognized as influencing the concept of Mass Effect’s Reapers. In Mass Effect, the Reapers are an advanced machine race that emerge periodically to destroy any new civilizations in the galaxy. However, in Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space (published in 2000), we encounter the Inhibitors – another ancient machine species that do the same thing. Although it’s common for science fiction writers to explore ancient space civilizations, these similarities are too striking to be dismissed.
It’s clear that Mass Effect shares similarities with Revelation Space, but it’s important to note that I’m not suggesting BioWare plagiarized. Instead, like many stories, Mass Effect is a blend of various influences. You can find elements of Star Wars, Babylon 5, and Starship Troopers in its roots just as easily as you can find Revelation Space. However, Mass Effect doesn’t adhere strictly to the hard sci-fi genre like Revelation Space does. It’s possible that BioWare drew inspiration from some concepts in Revelation Space, but they’ve certainly taken those ideas in unique directions. In my view, none of these new directions compare to Reynolds’s original vision.
The Revelation Space series, penned by Alastair Reynolds, charts the journey of humanity as they venture deep into space and encounter extraordinary phenomena along the way. Given Reynolds’ expertise in astrophysics, this series is a prime example of “hard” science fiction that delves intricately into the operational details of everything, even when describing implausible occurrences. This propensity for exploring the impossible gives the narrative an unconventional structure, which might not always meet traditional storytelling expectations – but it’s more about challenging convention than falling short in terms of skill.
The expansive series, Revelation Space, primarily revolves around a 400-year narrative set in the 26th century. This story begins at an archaeological excavation on a distant planet named Resurgam. The dig focuses on an ancient alien race known as the Amarantin, who had been wiped out a million years earlier, just as they were preparing to venture into space. As we discover later in the novel, the Amarantin met their demise at the hands of the Inhibitors – advanced machines that appear and obliterate any civilization capable of leaving its home solar system and unintentionally activating the warning devices left behind by the Inhibitors throughout the galaxy. Although humanity had expanded within a 20-light-year zone around Earth without setting off the Inhibitors, this fortunate streak is about to conclude.
In Revelation Space, due to its deep-rooted hard sci-fi aspects, this conflict stretches out for an extraordinarily extended period. A distinctive feature of this cosmos is that faster-than-light travel remains impossible; any who have dared to attempt it mysteriously vanish from existence in a curious twist. Without the luxury of FTL travel, journeys between solar systems become lengthy affairs, taking years or even decades, making quick hops across the universe impractical and challenging.
Throughout our journey, we delve profoundly into numerous extraordinary and peculiar ideas. Among these are alien beings such as the Shrouders, who inhabit restructured and condensed areas of spacetime, and the Pattern Jugglers, apparently sentient ocean bacteria capable of performing strange, thrilling, and terrifying actions on human consciousness. We also encounter the human Conjoiners, who have computers implanted in their brains, granting them a sense of a collective mind, and who have been communicating with future versions of themselves to prepare for the upcoming arrival of the Inhibitors. The novels are filled with engaging cyberpunk themes, including discussions on AI, digital consciousness, and various body modifications. Additionally, it’s worth noting the neutron star that houses an ancient alien computer, which can only be accessed by destroying one’s physical body.
It’s reasonable to conclude that Reynolds, in his debut novel Revelation Space, took on an incredibly ambitious project that perhaps stretched his storytelling abilities a bit too far. The main criticism leveled at these early books, particularly, is their hurried conclusions, a flaw that I suspect arises from Reynolds’ meticulous approach to thoroughly considering every aspect of the narrative. When he immerses himself in this thoughtful process, clear stopping points tend to elude him because one event often leads seamlessly to another. Consequently, the endings are frequently abrupt and overly tidy. However, the bizarre and enlightening journey leading up to these conclusions is so captivating that I find myself willing to overlook those minor shortcomings.
In the intricate world of Revelation Space, I find an aspect that, more than 20 years on, aids me in addressing some lingering, unconscious annoyances I’ve harbored about the Mass Effect trilogy. Specifically, I’ve long felt that Mass Effect 2 was the series’ Achilles heel – it offers numerous engaging tales, but they lack cohesion and seem disjointed. The enigmatic Cerberus and the Illusive Man are hard to fathom, their actions often incomprehensible, the human Reaper feels like a disappointing letdown, and most of the game involves completing missions that seldom connect to the main narrative or each other. Although I could identify which parts of the game annoyed me, I struggled to grasp the reasons behind it.
After finishing these books, I find myself drawn back to the human Reaper character once more, as my understanding of its role within the Mass Effect narrative has deepened. The Reapers’ premise involves them erasing civilizations by harvesting their population, which means dismantling individuals and uploading their essence into a new Reaper. In Mass Effect 2, this process is portrayed as something to be stopped at all costs, with the human Reaper appearing as a horrifying entity that must be destroyed. After shooting the human Reaper until it no longer exists, you’re given an option about its corpse, but in the end, your choice doesn’t impact the story in any way.
If BioWare had fully developed their initial idea for the Reapers, they could have presented an intriguing twist. Originally, the Reapers were intended to upload entire populations into some sort of digital construct, preserving civilizations almost entirely intact within the Reaper form. This concept bears a resemblance to the neutron star supercomputer from Revelation Space, but in a distinctly different application.
Instead of complex ideas, Mass Effect series seldom delved, and the original concept was significantly reduced. If BioWare had fully embraced this one idea, the ending of Mass Effect 2, as well as the entirety of Mass Effect 3, could have taken a completely different turn. This singular concept might have profoundly influenced our approach to the human Reaper, possibly offering insights into the Illusive Man and Cerberus’ actions. Furthermore, the battle against other Reapers in Mass Effect 3 would likely have had a distinct atmosphere due to this change.
Reflecting now, I believe the true sorrow of Mass Effect lies in this new perspective. It seems BioWare drew inspiration from Revelation Space, yet failed to delve deeply into these concepts or present fresh perspectives that surpassed their origins. The human Reaper, for instance, could have been an opportunity to imbue the Reapers with personality and provide a compelling rationale for accepting their continued existence at the end of Mass Effect 3.
Despite the fact that Mass Effect 3 largely steered clear of oddities, its ending didn’t stand a strong chance of being well-received due to the absence of proper foundation for the significant choices presented by the Catalyst at the trilogy’s conclusion. The magnitude and importance of these choices were such that players found it difficult to comprehend them because they hadn’t been adequately prepared throughout the series. Regardless of additional explanation provided in the extended cut ending, the streamlined narrative for a broad audience over three games meant that any ending with substantial concepts was destined to feel like unexpected and unconvincing plot twists. In essence, it felt out of place and nonsensical, just as it was.
It’s been a decade since Mass Effect 3 was released, and fortunately, certain aspects of the gaming industry have significantly evolved. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, released more recently, delve deeply into the cyberpunk elements that Mass Effect avoided, mirroring my initial feelings about Mass Effect in 2007. Interestingly, both Cyberpunk 2077 and Revelation Space share similarities due to their immersion in cyberpunk themes, with Cyberpunk 2077 offering a comparable exploration of these concepts. As a result, playing Cyberpunk 2077 could provide a good introduction to the world of Revelation Space.
If you’re a seasoned Mass Effect enthusiast seeking a more complex and captivating narrative, or if you’re a Cyberpunk 2077 fan craving something even more peculiar, Revelation Space will stimulate parts of your mind you didn’t know existed. These books and tales are strangely alluring and essential reads for any sci-fi enthusiast.
See Revelation Space series at Amazon
Main thread
- Revelation Space
- Redemption Ark
- Absolution Gap
- Inhibitor Phase
Prefect Dreyfus noir thriller prequel series
- Aurora Rising
- Elysium Fire
- Machine Vendetta
Standalone works
- Chasm City (novel)
- Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days (two novellas)
- Galactic North (short stories)
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2025-02-01 17:10