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Dead Space
Dead Space: Martyr
The first novel in the multi-million dollar video game franchise Dead SpaceWhen geophysicist Michael Altman hears of the mysterious signal emitted from deep within the Chicxulub crater, he can not resist the lure of an undiscovered artifact. With his girlfriend Ada, he joins a team excavating the underwater crater, determined to find the source of the baffling message. The artifact, named "The Black Marker," possesses a mysterious power. Close proximity to the stone causes strange visions of the dead, vivid dreams, and violent murders. When Michael secretly obtains a small piece of the marker, he too begins to dream. The Black Marker has chosen him to hear his You need to prove yourself worthy of eternal life, or the slate will be wiped clean on Earth.This is the story of the origin of "The Black Marker," the foundation of the Church of Unitology, and a discovery that will change the world.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
December 7, 2022
For fans of Dead Space I really enjoyed this novel. I thoroughly loved the video games and their universe. Interesting to see the cause behind the Church of Unitology.
January 31, 2018
Το Dead Space είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα βασισμένο στο ομώνυμο παιχνίδι. Δεν το έχω παίξει, δεν ξέρω παραπάνω πληροφορίες πέραν του ότι είναι τρομακτικό και δεν θέλω να αναλωθώ σε πράματα που θα το συνδέσουν με διεκπεραιωτική λογοτεχνία για την βιομηχανία των παιχνιδιών. Το βιβλίο είναι γραμμένο από τον μοναδικό Έβενσον, κάθε του βιβλίο που έχω διαβάσει με έχει ενθουσιάσει με αυτόν τον επικίνδυνο τρόπο που αθόρυβα με τραβάει σε σκοτεινές γωνίες του ανθρώπινου ψυχισμού. Έχει την ικανότητα ο Έβενσον να εντοπίζει ποιότητες μέσα μας που δεν θέλουμε να ξέρουμε. Κι όμως, όσο ενοχλημένος κι αν γυρνάω τις σελίδες, νιώθω γοητευμένος από το όραμα του Έβενσον. Είναι ένας σπάνιος συγγραφέας και ένα βιβλίο του πρέπει να έχει την ανάλογη προσέγγιση.
Η ιστορία εδώ έχεις ως εξής: ένα παράξενο αντικείμενο εντοπίζεται σ' έναν κρατήρα που έχει ανοίξει η προϊστορική πρόσκρουση ενός μετεωρίτη στην Γη. Ο κρατήρας είναι υπαρκτός, ονομάζεται Τσίξουλουμπ, βρίσκεται κοντά στην ομώνυμη πόλη του Μεξικό και θεωρείται η καταστροφική πρόσκρουση που τον δημιούργησε έπαιξε δραματικό ρόλο στην εξαφάνιση των δεινοσαύρων. Το αντικείμενο στο βιβλίο εκπέμπει παράξενα σήματα που προκαλούν εφιάλτες στον κόσμο, νεκροί εμφανίζονται και προμηνύουν αινιγματικές εξελίξεις και γενικά γρήγορα δημιουργείται ένα κλίμα επικείμενης καταστροφής. Εκεί μπλέκεται ο ήρωας του Έβενσον, ένας γεωφυσικός ανήσυχος, που αφήνει την βολή του για να ανακατευτεί εκεί που δεν τον σπέρνουν. Ως συνήθως, τοποθετείται Καφκικά εν μέσω άγνωστων οργανισμών που θέλουν να καρπωθούν ό,τι κοιμόταν για χιλιετίες στον βυθό και τώρα ξύπνησε, χωρίς να υπολογίζουν τον κίνδυνο στον οποίο θέτουν την ανθρωπότητα.
Οι ήρωες του Έβενσον βρίσκονται αντιμέτωποι με την παράνοια ενός ολόκληρου κόσμου που βυθίζεται στην καταστροφή. Ή καμιά φορά είναι ήδη αργά και έχει ήδη διαβρωθεί η πραγματικότητα δια παντός σε ένα άγνο, άγριο τοπίο. Ο τρόπος που κινεί ο Έβενσον τους χαρακτήρες του κάνει τις ιστορίες του τρομαχτικές αλλά παράλληλα, έτσι κάπως αδέξιοι και άλλοτε απρόβλεπτα αποφασιστικοί καμιά φορά στην επιβίωσή τους, χαρίζουν στιγμές μαύρου χιούμορ. Οξύμωρο; Μπορεί. Ίσως εγώ να έχω μια λανθασμένη εκτίμηση για το χιούμορ και να γελάω εκεί που δεν υπάρχει απολύτως τίποτα αστείο. Μου συμβαίνει συχνά στην καθημερινότητα, οπότε είναι πιθανό και οι αναγνώσεις μου να λανθάνουν με τον ίδιο τρόπο.
Η ιστορία ήταν απολαυστική, η γραφή όπως πάντα χαρακτηριστική του Έβενσον, εδώ προσαρμοσμένη στις απαιτήσεις του εγχειρήματος που ανέλαβε, δηλαδή να κάνει το παιχνίδι βιβλίο (ή κάτι τέτοιο), διαμορφώνουν ένα τρόμο επιστημονικής φαντασίας διασκεδαστικό, ζοφερό με δόσεις χιούμορ υποδόριου, λεπτού (ή ανύπαρκτου).
Το προτείνω δίχως καμία επιφύλαξη.
Η ιστορία εδώ έχεις ως εξής: ένα παράξενο αντικείμενο εντοπίζεται σ' έναν κρατήρα που έχει ανοίξει η προϊστορική πρόσκρουση ενός μετεωρίτη στην Γη. Ο κρατήρας είναι υπαρκτός, ονομάζεται Τσίξουλουμπ, βρίσκεται κοντά στην ομώνυμη πόλη του Μεξικό και θεωρείται η καταστροφική πρόσκρουση που τον δημιούργησε έπαιξε δραματικό ρόλο στην εξαφάνιση των δεινοσαύρων. Το αντικείμενο στο βιβλίο εκπέμπει παράξενα σήματα που προκαλούν εφιάλτες στον κόσμο, νεκροί εμφανίζονται και προμηνύουν αινιγματικές εξελίξεις και γενικά γρήγορα δημιουργείται ένα κλίμα επικείμενης καταστροφής. Εκεί μπλέκεται ο ήρωας του Έβενσον, ένας γεωφυσικός ανήσυχος, που αφήνει την βολή του για να ανακατευτεί εκεί που δεν τον σπέρνουν. Ως συνήθως, τοποθετείται Καφκικά εν μέσω άγνωστων οργανισμών που θέλουν να καρπωθούν ό,τι κοιμόταν για χιλιετίες στον βυθό και τώρα ξύπνησε, χωρίς να υπολογίζουν τον κίνδυνο στον οποίο θέτουν την ανθρωπότητα.
Οι ήρωες του Έβενσον βρίσκονται αντιμέτωποι με την παράνοια ενός ολόκληρου κόσμου που βυθίζεται στην καταστροφή. Ή καμιά φορά είναι ήδη αργά και έχει ήδη διαβρωθεί η πραγματικότητα δια παντός σε ένα άγνο, άγριο τοπίο. Ο τρόπος που κινεί ο Έβενσον τους χαρακτήρες του κάνει τις ιστορίες του τρομαχτικές αλλά παράλληλα, έτσι κάπως αδέξιοι και άλλοτε απρόβλεπτα αποφασιστικοί καμιά φορά στην επιβίωσή τους, χαρίζουν στιγμές μαύρου χιούμορ. Οξύμωρο; Μπορεί. Ίσως εγώ να έχω μια λανθασμένη εκτίμηση για το χιούμορ και να γελάω εκεί που δεν υπάρχει απολύτως τίποτα αστείο. Μου συμβαίνει συχνά στην καθημερινότητα, οπότε είναι πιθανό και οι αναγνώσεις μου να λανθάνουν με τον ίδιο τρόπο.
Η ιστορία ήταν απολαυστική, η γραφή όπως πάντα χαρακτηριστική του Έβενσον, εδώ προσαρμοσμένη στις απαιτήσεις του εγχειρήματος που ανέλαβε, δηλαδή να κάνει το παιχνίδι βιβλίο (ή κάτι τέτοιο), διαμορφώνουν ένα τρόμο επιστημονικής φαντασίας διασκεδαστικό, ζοφερό με δόσεις χιούμορ υποδόριου, λεπτού (ή ανύπαρκτου).
Το προτείνω δίχως καμία επιφύλαξη.
January 14, 2013
Since I played all the Dead Space games, this book came as most welcoming because the games didn't reveal too much about Black Marker or Altman or how everything started. Book is a prequel to the games so it can be read by anyone interested in horror sci-fi. Also, possibly could be more interesting for those who didn't play the games as they don't know what's all about therefore reading experience could be much more intense. Personally, it gave me quite few chills late at night as just the same as games did (and trust me, they are really crazy on PS3).
It's fast paced, straight to the point, horror elements are excellent (no, not the ones including plasma cutter, those are nothing comparing to dementia ones ;), plenty of action and mystery, it's simply good horror sci-fi book. Fans of the series will love it, others too as it can be read as standalone.
(edit: Forgot to mention, 4.5 stars would be more accurate rating)
It's fast paced, straight to the point, horror elements are excellent (no, not the ones including plasma cutter, those are nothing comparing to dementia ones ;), plenty of action and mystery, it's simply good horror sci-fi book. Fans of the series will love it, others too as it can be read as standalone.
(edit: Forgot to mention, 4.5 stars would be more accurate rating)
May 28, 2018
2.5
An okay read, a mixture of alien horror and scientist versus military/corporation thriller. The ending leaves you with interesting consequences for the future that I actually enjoyed. But the book is full of inconsistencies, e.g. scientists that aren’t all that intelligent.
An okay read, a mixture of alien horror and scientist versus military/corporation thriller. The ending leaves you with interesting consequences for the future that I actually enjoyed. But the book is full of inconsistencies, e.g. scientists that aren’t all that intelligent.
October 24, 2011
I'm a big fan of the Dead Space franchise and the backstory that the games have set up in Dead Space, Dead Space 2 and Dead Space: Extraction. There's a wealth of other media, too - a comic series, a graphic novel, two animated movies, an iOS game, and a Live Arcade/PSN downloadable game. The quality really lurches all over the place when it comes to the 'extended universe'. I really enjoyed the original comic, but hate both animated features with a passion, for example.
I was intrigued, then, by Dead Space: Martyr. It promised to go into the origins of the Church of Unitology, the religion at the heart of much of what goes on in the Dead Space games. The Unitologists worship divine "Markers", relics they belief can grant them eternal life, together - the unity in their name. In the games, Michael Altman is viewed as the founder of their Church, with "Praise Altman" being a familiar refrain. Martyr shows he wasn't exactly a willing prophet, looking at how he was one of the researchers who discovered the original Black Marker's signal at the centre of a crater in South America.
What you get is a story that, while interesting, often seems poorly or just carelessly written. It's hard to feel Brian Evenson had any investment in the franchise or its characters, even though at times he manages to pull together some compelling sequences - particularly when looking at the effects of the Marker on the psyches of the researchers and military personnel working with it. More than one character succumbs to madness and hallucinations, and he usually handles those sections with aplomb. Other parts of the book seem perfunctory at best, with one chapter describing being particularly bad. Even hanging a lantern on it as being like a 'sci-fi novel' doesn't really excuse it.
Going back to the characters, well, it's a really mixed bag - but nothing in the bag is very good. Altman himself is neither likeable nor offensive, being something of a non-entity going through the motions of researching the Marker and dealing with the consequences of interacting with it. Other characters are generally quite shallow, either being killed off soon after their introduction, or lingering on to demonstrate just how bad they are - the cartoonishly villainous and his torture-happy subordinates are the worst example of this. It's one thing to suggest that the military or a corporation might seek to exploit the Marker - it's a sci-fi trope that always makes me think of the Weyland-Yutani representative in Aliens, if nothing else - but typically there's a motive, or a rationalisation, beyond the characters apparently being evil for evil's sake. I did wonder if the Marker was meant to be influencing their personalities, as it does drive many to madness, suicide, or murder, but even before interacting with it is hardly an angel.
Ultimately, I think there's very little here for anyone who isn't a fan of the game, and a pretty dedicated fan at that. If you can overlook some of the writing and characters, you do get a look at the origins of Unitology and how Altman becomes their prophet - a reasonably convincing arc (for the most part - but I'll get to that) as he . We also get some insights into what the Marker is, and what it does, though it isn't presented in the clearest of ways. You get the impression that the developers/EA want the meat of the story to come out in the games, not any tie-in media, which is fair enough - but the insights you do get become a bit thin on the ground, and there's not really enough 'novel' here to be an enjoyable read even without learning anything new.
Unfortunately, much of what is achieved with Altman's arc is tossed out in the last few pages, with what has to be the worst ending I've come across for quite some time. In a baffling move,
Aside from the hilariously bad ending and the mediocre-with-moments-of-intrigue earlier on, it's also worth noting that the book doesn't seem to have been edited particularly well. There are typos here and there, including a few lines that simply don't make any sense - the villain at one point points out to a man he's about to have killed "I warned you, you aren't expendable." Sorry, what's that? Don't you mean he is expendable? Finally, in what seemed like a wonderful face-palm moment after that terrible ending (I really can't get over it), Evenson has an acknowledgement section - in which he thanks EA and Visceral for their 'first-person dismemberment' game. I'm not really sure what to take from that. Dead Space is a third-person game (Extraction aside, but that's an outlier), so one gets the impression that either Evenson hasn't played it or simply doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to videogames. That's fair enough, to a point, but I also can't believe no one in EA's marketing department caught it. It just seems emblematic of the lack of thought that went into the book.
Two stars. Read at your own risk. It's not the worst story in the world, especially in the genre of videogame tie-in media, but other companies have put out increasingly high quality works - Karen Traviss's Gears of War books are particularly outstanding, adding depth to the universe whilst being great stories in their own right. Martyr, sadly, doesn't even come close.
I was intrigued, then, by Dead Space: Martyr. It promised to go into the origins of the Church of Unitology, the religion at the heart of much of what goes on in the Dead Space games. The Unitologists worship divine "Markers", relics they belief can grant them eternal life, together - the unity in their name. In the games, Michael Altman is viewed as the founder of their Church, with "Praise Altman" being a familiar refrain. Martyr shows he wasn't exactly a willing prophet, looking at how he was one of the researchers who discovered the original Black Marker's signal at the centre of a crater in South America.
What you get is a story that, while interesting, often seems poorly or just carelessly written. It's hard to feel Brian Evenson had any investment in the franchise or its characters, even though at times he manages to pull together some compelling sequences - particularly when looking at the effects of the Marker on the psyches of the researchers and military personnel working with it. More than one character succumbs to madness and hallucinations, and he usually handles those sections with aplomb. Other parts of the book seem perfunctory at best, with one chapter describing being particularly bad. Even hanging a lantern on it as being like a 'sci-fi novel' doesn't really excuse it.
Going back to the characters, well, it's a really mixed bag - but nothing in the bag is very good. Altman himself is neither likeable nor offensive, being something of a non-entity going through the motions of researching the Marker and dealing with the consequences of interacting with it. Other characters are generally quite shallow, either being killed off soon after their introduction, or lingering on to demonstrate just how bad they are - the cartoonishly villainous and his torture-happy subordinates are the worst example of this. It's one thing to suggest that the military or a corporation might seek to exploit the Marker - it's a sci-fi trope that always makes me think of the Weyland-Yutani representative in Aliens, if nothing else - but typically there's a motive, or a rationalisation, beyond the characters apparently being evil for evil's sake. I did wonder if the Marker was meant to be influencing their personalities, as it does drive many to madness, suicide, or murder, but even before interacting with it is hardly an angel.
Ultimately, I think there's very little here for anyone who isn't a fan of the game, and a pretty dedicated fan at that. If you can overlook some of the writing and characters, you do get a look at the origins of Unitology and how Altman becomes their prophet - a reasonably convincing arc (for the most part - but I'll get to that) as he . We also get some insights into what the Marker is, and what it does, though it isn't presented in the clearest of ways. You get the impression that the developers/EA want the meat of the story to come out in the games, not any tie-in media, which is fair enough - but the insights you do get become a bit thin on the ground, and there's not really enough 'novel' here to be an enjoyable read even without learning anything new.
Unfortunately, much of what is achieved with Altman's arc is tossed out in the last few pages, with what has to be the worst ending I've come across for quite some time. In a baffling move,
Aside from the hilariously bad ending and the mediocre-with-moments-of-intrigue earlier on, it's also worth noting that the book doesn't seem to have been edited particularly well. There are typos here and there, including a few lines that simply don't make any sense - the villain at one point points out to a man he's about to have killed "I warned you, you aren't expendable." Sorry, what's that? Don't you mean he is expendable? Finally, in what seemed like a wonderful face-palm moment after that terrible ending (I really can't get over it), Evenson has an acknowledgement section - in which he thanks EA and Visceral for their 'first-person dismemberment' game. I'm not really sure what to take from that. Dead Space is a third-person game (Extraction aside, but that's an outlier), so one gets the impression that either Evenson hasn't played it or simply doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to videogames. That's fair enough, to a point, but I also can't believe no one in EA's marketing department caught it. It just seems emblematic of the lack of thought that went into the book.
Two stars. Read at your own risk. It's not the worst story in the world, especially in the genre of videogame tie-in media, but other companies have put out increasingly high quality works - Karen Traviss's Gears of War books are particularly outstanding, adding depth to the universe whilst being great stories in their own right. Martyr, sadly, doesn't even come close.
February 10, 2015
This is a solid novel, especially considering how thin the setting felt in the original games. There are a lot of elements here that remind me of Evenson's other work: the stripped down prose, film-noir dialogue, gorgeous take on violence, hints at the mythical, and even moves towards a similar thematic complexity. The main differences were structural, as here he gives the book the pace and feel of a thriller. The last act was especially impressive, I think, as it explodes in a mess of gore that's quite a bit like the games, and fits together so well with Evenson's own writing. I don't know if this is one of his better books, but it's an incredible display of versatility that not many authors could pull off. Four stars for the beautiful audacity of it.
June 19, 2011
I REALLY LOVE this book. I think it was mostly because i had played both of the game, and i had wondered days and nights about the mysterious Markers and Necromorphs.
The plot in both games (Dead Space 1&2) are mind-fucking as hell, and I was somewhat disappointed after the credits rolled, with thousands what and why and WTH spinning in my mind, so I decided that maybe reading the novel would provide me some insight about what the hell is going on. I was wrong, unfortunately, but enjoyed the ride somehow.
I must admit... that I was a scaredy cat, chicken stew… when I first played DS1, it got me scared so bad, I even had nightmares. Stupid but true. Lol! and I remember it went like this (with some additional cooked up details, in the name of lulz):
(this part of review is so stupid, u might want to skip it)
**begin**
I suddenly woke up in some kind of room, maybe lab, or maybe a western-style kitchen.. cannot tell. One thing that i could tell is, it was fucked up. Really damn fucked up. Just similar to a certain scene, on a certain horror fps i recently played. And of course, no one was there… silence all over. Cliché
Well, the silence keep pressing me, and eventually worked its way through me very shortly after, and I panicked.. gelabah like a little bitch. It ocurred to me that it was epic scary down here, so I tried to venture outside.. at least that was the plan. overstepping broken glasses, jumping over some overturned tables, metal shelves, funny shaped chairs, and crawling under a shaft of electrical cables. That was soo bad ass, I can’t help feeling like the Colonel Jack O’Neill at the moment.
A certain sound, froze me halfway on my chickadees step. It was the creepiest, unholiest sound evar heard by any mortal ears, and i have no clue how to describe it, so i didn’t. Let’s just called the sound, ‘the sound’, ok? Yeah. Right. So the sound creep me out, I froze, and slowing turn my head towards the direction of the sound. I turned my head so damn slow, I even heard the hinge of my neck creaking like an old heavy oak door.
Holy.. mother.
I only see the shadow of a grotesque someone/monstah, with blade-like appendages protruding from his/her/its shoulders. It was so hideous, I promptly acted like any brave, sane, handsome man did; I jumped to a nearest cover, cower, and prayed with tears running down my cheeks, while saying ‘mama, mama.. help' repeatedly, that whoever/whatever is it out there, will not see me, and will not try to make friends.
Upon my manly crying, and sobbing, it suddenly came to me that this monstah also similar to a certain horror fps game monsters, which I don’t quite remember.. Whatever, I said. The important thing now need to stay.. very.. still.. like the broken table over there.. so the someone/monstah won't acknowledge and fuck me. I knew I couldn't even dream to beat/shoot it down like a Colonel O’Neill, but I am quite sure he wouldn’t object a manly concealment.
Suddenly, he/she/it screamed.
Shocked, i screamed along with he/she/it.
I covered my mouth spontaneously, but it was too late. Silence commenced for a few seconds, before I heard footsteps approaching, accompanied by the sound. very fast. like horse jumping, instead of running.
not wasting my time, I started to break my cover and run. I have no idea where to, but i have an idea that i need too. I must. For the sake of my soul, I must.
But just after two or so steps over the entrance, my peripheral vision caught something standing, running, and jumping at the same time at the end of the corridor turn, forever produced the tuneless sound. I didn't wish to register his/her/its grotesque movement and silhouette, but I helpless to control my thought.. what images my mind had presented to me was not pretty. Not pretty at all. Ugh...
Worse, I think he/she/it saw me. and I think he/she/it wanted to be friend.
Perhaps a friend to march with, to the Convergence. Damn, am I screwed.. a question appear to me like a blinking red neon sign: WHAT WOULD COLONEL JACK DO?? (with 'WOULD DO' letters being underlined and bolded)
Suddenly I woke up.
Thoughtlessly, I ran downstairs, opened the fridge and drink chilly HL lowfat milk. That’s was so refreshing. It occured to me sometime later that it was exactly what Colonel Jack O'Neill would do.
lulz!!!!11
**end**
The main character is Michael Altman, the supposedly founder/prophet of crazy religion Unitology, and this story told the tale of the discovery of Black Marker and his martyrdom. The religion was crazy because they see the Marker as holy relic, a gift from God. Of course, upon playing DS, you certainly an epic tool if you decided to get along with them religious nuts, as there is nothing holy about monsters with bladed appendages, bloody tentacles, and sharp teeth, which tried to eat you every time they see/smell you. Still, we didn’t really cared about that, don’t we? Technically, we just wanted something to dismember with a cool plasma cutter and others, and the necromorphs will serve the purpose just fine. Marker be praised, indeed.
SUMMARY:
1. Characters are lovable, and I think the novel is nicely written, or maybe i just past to be concerned about that. now i just want to read something enjoyable. the mood is right, the story is right, hence solid ratings.
2. The level of suspense really tense me up. it was mundane at first, but only for a few pages. the moment i hit the lines about local finding something alien on the beach, i knew the story will catch me going. the last part about the hero fighting through hordes of necromorph is somewhat refreshing for the lulz.
3. the Marker purpose was not revealed, but being smart as i am, at least a theory: the Marker has two minds. good and evil interlocked with each other, depicted by its double helix shape. some people listened to the bad part, some the good part. but most people couldnt handle these two force raging inside their minds, and just went crazy. Meanwhile, small portion of people managed to resist them altogether, like Altman. However this theory still couldn't explain why the damn Marker reanimated dead tissue and what the hell is Convergence.
4. i like the ending, and i guess the novel is loyal somewhat to the games. At a point in the story, a victim just turned into necromorph after being bitten (like zombie) but it never happened or told so in the game. I considered this as just a minor plothole, and it didn't bother me in the slightest. i even willing to accept it as a fact, maybe the games just missed it somehow.
i do expect the developer or writers of the games can keep up the good work they are doing and please don't screw so much with the storyline. I rather being told in pieces about what is actually happening in Dead Space Universe, and i hope it would make sense in the end, unlike a certain stories i read recently, with a certain gun toting cowboys in it. lulz!!!!111!1
Fullhouse stars. Recommended to scifi horror fans, and DS fans.
The plot in both games (Dead Space 1&2) are mind-fucking as hell, and I was somewhat disappointed after the credits rolled, with thousands what and why and WTH spinning in my mind, so I decided that maybe reading the novel would provide me some insight about what the hell is going on. I was wrong, unfortunately, but enjoyed the ride somehow.
I must admit... that I was a scaredy cat, chicken stew… when I first played DS1, it got me scared so bad, I even had nightmares. Stupid but true. Lol! and I remember it went like this (with some additional cooked up details, in the name of lulz):
(this part of review is so stupid, u might want to skip it)
**begin**
I suddenly woke up in some kind of room, maybe lab, or maybe a western-style kitchen.. cannot tell. One thing that i could tell is, it was fucked up. Really damn fucked up. Just similar to a certain scene, on a certain horror fps i recently played. And of course, no one was there… silence all over. Cliché
Well, the silence keep pressing me, and eventually worked its way through me very shortly after, and I panicked.. gelabah like a little bitch. It ocurred to me that it was epic scary down here, so I tried to venture outside.. at least that was the plan. overstepping broken glasses, jumping over some overturned tables, metal shelves, funny shaped chairs, and crawling under a shaft of electrical cables. That was soo bad ass, I can’t help feeling like the Colonel Jack O’Neill at the moment.
A certain sound, froze me halfway on my chickadees step. It was the creepiest, unholiest sound evar heard by any mortal ears, and i have no clue how to describe it, so i didn’t. Let’s just called the sound, ‘the sound’, ok? Yeah. Right. So the sound creep me out, I froze, and slowing turn my head towards the direction of the sound. I turned my head so damn slow, I even heard the hinge of my neck creaking like an old heavy oak door.
Holy.. mother.
I only see the shadow of a grotesque someone/monstah, with blade-like appendages protruding from his/her/its shoulders. It was so hideous, I promptly acted like any brave, sane, handsome man did; I jumped to a nearest cover, cower, and prayed with tears running down my cheeks, while saying ‘mama, mama.. help' repeatedly, that whoever/whatever is it out there, will not see me, and will not try to make friends.
Upon my manly crying, and sobbing, it suddenly came to me that this monstah also similar to a certain horror fps game monsters, which I don’t quite remember.. Whatever, I said. The important thing now need to stay.. very.. still.. like the broken table over there.. so the someone/monstah won't acknowledge and fuck me. I knew I couldn't even dream to beat/shoot it down like a Colonel O’Neill, but I am quite sure he wouldn’t object a manly concealment.
Suddenly, he/she/it screamed.
Shocked, i screamed along with he/she/it.
I covered my mouth spontaneously, but it was too late. Silence commenced for a few seconds, before I heard footsteps approaching, accompanied by the sound. very fast. like horse jumping, instead of running.
not wasting my time, I started to break my cover and run. I have no idea where to, but i have an idea that i need too. I must. For the sake of my soul, I must.
But just after two or so steps over the entrance, my peripheral vision caught something standing, running, and jumping at the same time at the end of the corridor turn, forever produced the tuneless sound. I didn't wish to register his/her/its grotesque movement and silhouette, but I helpless to control my thought.. what images my mind had presented to me was not pretty. Not pretty at all. Ugh...
Worse, I think he/she/it saw me. and I think he/she/it wanted to be friend.
Perhaps a friend to march with, to the Convergence. Damn, am I screwed.. a question appear to me like a blinking red neon sign: WHAT WOULD COLONEL JACK DO?? (with 'WOULD DO' letters being underlined and bolded)
Suddenly I woke up.
Thoughtlessly, I ran downstairs, opened the fridge and drink chilly HL lowfat milk. That’s was so refreshing. It occured to me sometime later that it was exactly what Colonel Jack O'Neill would do.
lulz!!!!11
**end**
The main character is Michael Altman, the supposedly founder/prophet of crazy religion Unitology, and this story told the tale of the discovery of Black Marker and his martyrdom. The religion was crazy because they see the Marker as holy relic, a gift from God. Of course, upon playing DS, you certainly an epic tool if you decided to get along with them religious nuts, as there is nothing holy about monsters with bladed appendages, bloody tentacles, and sharp teeth, which tried to eat you every time they see/smell you. Still, we didn’t really cared about that, don’t we? Technically, we just wanted something to dismember with a cool plasma cutter and others, and the necromorphs will serve the purpose just fine. Marker be praised, indeed.
SUMMARY:
1. Characters are lovable, and I think the novel is nicely written, or maybe i just past to be concerned about that. now i just want to read something enjoyable. the mood is right, the story is right, hence solid ratings.
2. The level of suspense really tense me up. it was mundane at first, but only for a few pages. the moment i hit the lines about local finding something alien on the beach, i knew the story will catch me going. the last part about the hero fighting through hordes of necromorph is somewhat refreshing for the lulz.
3. the Marker purpose was not revealed, but being smart as i am, at least a theory: the Marker has two minds. good and evil interlocked with each other, depicted by its double helix shape. some people listened to the bad part, some the good part. but most people couldnt handle these two force raging inside their minds, and just went crazy. Meanwhile, small portion of people managed to resist them altogether, like Altman. However this theory still couldn't explain why the damn Marker reanimated dead tissue and what the hell is Convergence.
4. i like the ending, and i guess the novel is loyal somewhat to the games. At a point in the story, a victim just turned into necromorph after being bitten (like zombie) but it never happened or told so in the game. I considered this as just a minor plothole, and it didn't bother me in the slightest. i even willing to accept it as a fact, maybe the games just missed it somehow.
i do expect the developer or writers of the games can keep up the good work they are doing and please don't screw so much with the storyline. I rather being told in pieces about what is actually happening in Dead Space Universe, and i hope it would make sense in the end, unlike a certain stories i read recently, with a certain gun toting cowboys in it. lulz!!!!111!1
Fullhouse stars. Recommended to scifi horror fans, and DS fans.
March 20, 2011
Brian Evenson doing straight genre work still feels very much like Evenson proper with its mimetic style and epistemological quandaries. Interesting work for writers looking to bridge the gap between genre and literature.
September 8, 2017
اولش خیلی لوس بود یک روند خنک و نچسب و اینا
بعد دیگه تو ۱۰۰ صفحه اخر نمیشد ول کرد کتابو 😂
اما درمجموع کتاب جالبی بود
خیلی منو یاد سری مجموعه فیلمهای بیگانه allien انداخت
اصلا انگار همون بود 😂
بعد دیگه تو ۱۰۰ صفحه اخر نمیشد ول کرد کتابو 😂
اما درمجموع کتاب جالبی بود
خیلی منو یاد سری مجموعه فیلمهای بیگانه allien انداخت
اصلا انگار همون بود 😂
September 8, 2016
Underwhelming, poorly written, macabre filler that sullies the Dead Space lore with unnecessary and contradictory exposition.
It's the story of Michael Altman, the religious figure at the heart of the church of Unitology, and his clumsy journey from a lowly computer tech to an unwilling cult legend. Far in the future, Earth's resources are dwindling, and major mining corporations have already wasted thousands of lives and dollars fighting over the surface of the Moon during "the moon skirmishes". Now, they use robots to comb the landscape and ocean floor to dredge up anything left that could be used for energy and ore.
One such corporation, known as "DredgerCorp", actually a front for the military, is camped out in the Yucatan Peninsula on the edge of the massive underwater crater known as Chicxulub. Their compound borders a shantytown where the underprivileged locals live. DredgerCorp have contracted out to specialists from many different continents (now called "sectors") to serve as technicians and foremen. One such technician, Michael Altman, a geophysicist, discovers gravity fluctuations coming from the center of the crater.
Then really strange and spooky things start happening. An ancient and alien presence is stirring at the bottom of the ocean, something that may or may not have humanity's best interests in mind, and the world is about to change. Rather than sitting it out like a good little "company man", Michael decides to dig deeper and spread his findings far and wide, a noble but nonetheless mistaken endeavor that will probably cost him his life, and humanity much more in the long run.
The book is good in some parts, but never really soars. B.K. Evanson has a tendency to describe everything in a streamlined fashion, absent any flair or creative description. There is very little "love" to his writing. He just gives it to you straight-forward, to the point of using the same exact words in adjacent sentences, and sometimes in the same sentence, which is lazy and a huge literary no-no. There isn't even any environmental detail-- not once does he make mention of the Yucatan climate, the ocean, the skyline, the horizon, anything-- the characters move in and around vague geographical locations, like "the beach" "the sand" and "the ocean", in between human-made settings like "the bar" "the lab" and "the boat". This feels like a gyp, but it does give the story a simple momentum that makes it easily digestible, completely stripped of the "fluff" that normally makes a story colorful and interesting, instead giving you the impression of constant action even when nothing is really happening. The result is a sensation in the reader of melancholy emptiness.
This format does however work wonders for the horror sequences. These are the points where Brian suddenly isn't afraid to go all out with his descriptiveness, while still maintaining that "casual stroll" narration he seems to love so much. One of the first sequences in the book involves a child finding a not-quite-dead creature washed up on the shore of the ocean. This part is absolutely petrifying, one of the scariest things I've ever read. More and more townsfolk gather as the monster proceeds to change and grow, morphing it's half-human body into a giant pump as it futilely attempts to "reconfigure" the surrounding environment to its liking. It's disgusting, it's creepy, it's terrifying in its singular focus, it's pure Dead Space, and the rest of the book-- including a predictable massacre towards the end-- is a letdown in comparison to this stunning section. It's too bad more of the book doesn't have the kind of fervor and clarity of direction featured in these moments.
Dead Space: Martyr is also a really depressing book. That wouldn't be so bad if there was some sort of payoff. You'll get to the last page and go "Really? Is that it?" Evenson uses his talent for stripped prose to drag us through a series of build-ups that take us to new locations and introduce new characters but we never feel like we're going anywhere, giving the 10 or so sections of the book misleading names like "collapse" "all hell breaks loose" and "the end of the world", even though the events contained in these sections hardly live up to their titles. Brian does do a great job of sneaking subtle hints and implications into his dialogue that tie into and flesh out what we already know about the Dead Space universe. His characters make implications.
I like this technique because it requires the reader to think a little bit, to use their imagination, organically creating mental anguish in their mind through the effective use of fan service. It also goes a long way to explaining how the Artifact works, what it is trying to do, and why Altman seems immune to most of its effects. The cryptic, mystic natives of Chicxulub fear the alien artifact and its power with a kind of cross-generational savvy. It infects their cultural myths and social attributes, revealing that the artifact is eerily attuned to human nature. They understand it without really understanding it, and try to contain without really knowing why.
Unfortunately, Evanson is more interested in trumpeting his ability to fill in these blanks than with writing a captivating story with realistic characters and motivations. For instance, sans a compelling conversation in a bar, we're never told why Altman behaves the way he does, why he even cares, other than he is super bored or inherently rebellious. Wowee. His girlfriend, Ada, is even shallower, thrown in as a token female character that does nothing but worry, give Altman someone to worry about, and conveniently tie one plot thread to another at a critical moment for no other reason than to serve the story. This lack of depth, ironically, helps make the bad-guys seem that much more menacing, if only because their motivations are also unclear, and bad people with unclear motivations are dangerous. All that we know is that the military has plans for the "Marker", they like to torture people, and they love to manipulate scientific discovery for their own fortune and gain. You will really hate these bastards by the end of the book, just don't expect any sort of payoff for your bitterness.
The artifact itself, as we know, operates on multiple plains; the electromagnetic field it projects creates paranoia, hallucinations, religious fervor, and worse. Which of these elements are manifested by the artifact, and which are a function of our own bodies and souls? Which parts of the artifact are malignant, which benevolent? Both? Neither? How does one describe a wholly alien creation in human terms? I appreciated the way Evanson at least went to the trouble to play up the mysterious nature of the Marker and how it plays into, and perhaps shapes, the strengths and weaknesses of the organisms around it.
But beyond the otherworldly nature of the alien device, there is a noticeable lack of information about the World of the Future. Some obligatory minor details pop up here and there, staples that tie into current events (a standby of science-fiction) and a few anachronistic references in the dialogue to make the world of Martyr seem coherent and lived-in. But just barely. The end result feels minimum and canned, and the payoff, while accomplishing the goal of filling us in as to how Unitology got started, but not quite why, is extremely depressing and never really succeeds in telling us who Altman is or why we should care about him, other than that he is some sorry dupe who was too curious and got martyred for it. But I guess that's the point. History is written by the victors, and legends are created to serve the ruling class. It's all dreary and sad like the rest of the Dead Space universe, but not nearly as rich or compelling.
During the interview I watched with Evanson at a convention, he seemed like a well-spoken, thoughtful writer, and stated that with Martyr he was "exploring the theme of running out of oxygen". So I kept an eye out for it here, and while suffocation plays into the story at a key point, it's nothing to write home about. If he was trying to create a claustrophobic atmosphere through dry, simplistic descriptions, then he succeeded, and the book is definitely interesting and spooky enough to be worth a forgettable read.
It's the story of Michael Altman, the religious figure at the heart of the church of Unitology, and his clumsy journey from a lowly computer tech to an unwilling cult legend. Far in the future, Earth's resources are dwindling, and major mining corporations have already wasted thousands of lives and dollars fighting over the surface of the Moon during "the moon skirmishes". Now, they use robots to comb the landscape and ocean floor to dredge up anything left that could be used for energy and ore.
One such corporation, known as "DredgerCorp", actually a front for the military, is camped out in the Yucatan Peninsula on the edge of the massive underwater crater known as Chicxulub. Their compound borders a shantytown where the underprivileged locals live. DredgerCorp have contracted out to specialists from many different continents (now called "sectors") to serve as technicians and foremen. One such technician, Michael Altman, a geophysicist, discovers gravity fluctuations coming from the center of the crater.
Then really strange and spooky things start happening. An ancient and alien presence is stirring at the bottom of the ocean, something that may or may not have humanity's best interests in mind, and the world is about to change. Rather than sitting it out like a good little "company man", Michael decides to dig deeper and spread his findings far and wide, a noble but nonetheless mistaken endeavor that will probably cost him his life, and humanity much more in the long run.
The book is good in some parts, but never really soars. B.K. Evanson has a tendency to describe everything in a streamlined fashion, absent any flair or creative description. There is very little "love" to his writing. He just gives it to you straight-forward, to the point of using the same exact words in adjacent sentences, and sometimes in the same sentence, which is lazy and a huge literary no-no. There isn't even any environmental detail-- not once does he make mention of the Yucatan climate, the ocean, the skyline, the horizon, anything-- the characters move in and around vague geographical locations, like "the beach" "the sand" and "the ocean", in between human-made settings like "the bar" "the lab" and "the boat". This feels like a gyp, but it does give the story a simple momentum that makes it easily digestible, completely stripped of the "fluff" that normally makes a story colorful and interesting, instead giving you the impression of constant action even when nothing is really happening. The result is a sensation in the reader of melancholy emptiness.
This format does however work wonders for the horror sequences. These are the points where Brian suddenly isn't afraid to go all out with his descriptiveness, while still maintaining that "casual stroll" narration he seems to love so much. One of the first sequences in the book involves a child finding a not-quite-dead creature washed up on the shore of the ocean. This part is absolutely petrifying, one of the scariest things I've ever read. More and more townsfolk gather as the monster proceeds to change and grow, morphing it's half-human body into a giant pump as it futilely attempts to "reconfigure" the surrounding environment to its liking. It's disgusting, it's creepy, it's terrifying in its singular focus, it's pure Dead Space, and the rest of the book-- including a predictable massacre towards the end-- is a letdown in comparison to this stunning section. It's too bad more of the book doesn't have the kind of fervor and clarity of direction featured in these moments.
Dead Space: Martyr is also a really depressing book. That wouldn't be so bad if there was some sort of payoff. You'll get to the last page and go "Really? Is that it?" Evenson uses his talent for stripped prose to drag us through a series of build-ups that take us to new locations and introduce new characters but we never feel like we're going anywhere, giving the 10 or so sections of the book misleading names like "collapse" "all hell breaks loose" and "the end of the world", even though the events contained in these sections hardly live up to their titles. Brian does do a great job of sneaking subtle hints and implications into his dialogue that tie into and flesh out what we already know about the Dead Space universe. His characters make implications.
I like this technique because it requires the reader to think a little bit, to use their imagination, organically creating mental anguish in their mind through the effective use of fan service. It also goes a long way to explaining how the Artifact works, what it is trying to do, and why Altman seems immune to most of its effects. The cryptic, mystic natives of Chicxulub fear the alien artifact and its power with a kind of cross-generational savvy. It infects their cultural myths and social attributes, revealing that the artifact is eerily attuned to human nature. They understand it without really understanding it, and try to contain without really knowing why.
Unfortunately, Evanson is more interested in trumpeting his ability to fill in these blanks than with writing a captivating story with realistic characters and motivations. For instance, sans a compelling conversation in a bar, we're never told why Altman behaves the way he does, why he even cares, other than he is super bored or inherently rebellious. Wowee. His girlfriend, Ada, is even shallower, thrown in as a token female character that does nothing but worry, give Altman someone to worry about, and conveniently tie one plot thread to another at a critical moment for no other reason than to serve the story. This lack of depth, ironically, helps make the bad-guys seem that much more menacing, if only because their motivations are also unclear, and bad people with unclear motivations are dangerous. All that we know is that the military has plans for the "Marker", they like to torture people, and they love to manipulate scientific discovery for their own fortune and gain. You will really hate these bastards by the end of the book, just don't expect any sort of payoff for your bitterness.
The artifact itself, as we know, operates on multiple plains; the electromagnetic field it projects creates paranoia, hallucinations, religious fervor, and worse. Which of these elements are manifested by the artifact, and which are a function of our own bodies and souls? Which parts of the artifact are malignant, which benevolent? Both? Neither? How does one describe a wholly alien creation in human terms? I appreciated the way Evanson at least went to the trouble to play up the mysterious nature of the Marker and how it plays into, and perhaps shapes, the strengths and weaknesses of the organisms around it.
But beyond the otherworldly nature of the alien device, there is a noticeable lack of information about the World of the Future. Some obligatory minor details pop up here and there, staples that tie into current events (a standby of science-fiction) and a few anachronistic references in the dialogue to make the world of Martyr seem coherent and lived-in. But just barely. The end result feels minimum and canned, and the payoff, while accomplishing the goal of filling us in as to how Unitology got started, but not quite why, is extremely depressing and never really succeeds in telling us who Altman is or why we should care about him, other than that he is some sorry dupe who was too curious and got martyred for it. But I guess that's the point. History is written by the victors, and legends are created to serve the ruling class. It's all dreary and sad like the rest of the Dead Space universe, but not nearly as rich or compelling.
During the interview I watched with Evanson at a convention, he seemed like a well-spoken, thoughtful writer, and stated that with Martyr he was "exploring the theme of running out of oxygen". So I kept an eye out for it here, and while suffocation plays into the story at a key point, it's nothing to write home about. If he was trying to create a claustrophobic atmosphere through dry, simplistic descriptions, then he succeeded, and the book is definitely interesting and spooky enough to be worth a forgettable read.
December 16, 2016
For some reason, this book took me longer than usual to read, ( I would usually read a book like this in 3-5 days, but it took me 2 weeks). I think that this is mostly due to the slow start, and trust me, it is Slow (with a capital 'S' for emphasis). Although slow, the author does a great job of building up tension, all this tension leading up to an absolutely amazing second halve.
I don't tend to read novels based on games, but this one, luckily, isn't a novel of the actual game (oddly enough, also called Dead Space) it's what you could call a prequal to the game. The fact of it being a prequal, obviously means the ending is sort of a cliff hanger, and isn't exactly.. 'happy', and you can only find out what happens next by playing the games, (I've played them, and they're great, really worthwhile)
The narrative did an excelent job of sucking me in, i liked the way it switches from character to chracter at times. The main story however, revolves around an initially ordinary chap, named Machael Altman. Who soon becomes considered a prophet.. (I'm not one to let out spoilers, so i shall say no more about the story)
At times, you find yourself flying through the pages, wanting and yearning to know what happens next, I often found myself- at the bathyscaphe section for example - feeling claustrophobic and genuinely scared, but at other times you find yourself dosing off while reading, and having to go back and re-read a whole chapter, just because you started thiking about what you'd have for supper later on. Which leads me to another problem I had with this book, I felt that if i missed even a paragraph i would'nt be a able to understand the rest of the chapter.
Concluding, I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 because i felt that the first half was really a letdown, and too slow, but i didn't give it 2 stars because it did win some kudos in the second half.
This ofcourse, is MY opinion, and i'm not one to say you shouldn't read it, I do recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the Dead Space games and to anyone that enjoys a descent thriller.
I don't tend to read novels based on games, but this one, luckily, isn't a novel of the actual game (oddly enough, also called Dead Space) it's what you could call a prequal to the game. The fact of it being a prequal, obviously means the ending is sort of a cliff hanger, and isn't exactly.. 'happy', and you can only find out what happens next by playing the games, (I've played them, and they're great, really worthwhile)
The narrative did an excelent job of sucking me in, i liked the way it switches from character to chracter at times. The main story however, revolves around an initially ordinary chap, named Machael Altman. Who soon becomes considered a prophet.. (I'm not one to let out spoilers, so i shall say no more about the story)
At times, you find yourself flying through the pages, wanting and yearning to know what happens next, I often found myself- at the bathyscaphe section for example - feeling claustrophobic and genuinely scared, but at other times you find yourself dosing off while reading, and having to go back and re-read a whole chapter, just because you started thiking about what you'd have for supper later on. Which leads me to another problem I had with this book, I felt that if i missed even a paragraph i would'nt be a able to understand the rest of the chapter.
Concluding, I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 because i felt that the first half was really a letdown, and too slow, but i didn't give it 2 stars because it did win some kudos in the second half.
This ofcourse, is MY opinion, and i'm not one to say you shouldn't read it, I do recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the Dead Space games and to anyone that enjoys a descent thriller.
May 21, 2013
This book was freaking brilliant when it comes to introducing us to Altman. From the games we are only presented with the fact that he is the founder of a religious movement, called unitology and that he died misteriously.
These informations will make you assume that he is evil or, as the rest of the believers, completely ignorant about the Marker and its intentions and effects. Well, this book may change your view on him.
Since the beginning of the book we follow Altman and the events that led to his involvement with the Marker and how he became 'the founder' of this so called religion. These events are not easily predictable and you will be surprised at how the first Marker, the black one, was discovered and delt with.
Nothing in this book is random, everything makes sense and everything will tie together in the end, which was one of the reasons that made me like it so damn much. I must confess though that in the beginning it was a little slow for me, mostly because I like it better when the main events of a book start right away, but with this book there needed to be a slow start so that you could get to know Altman as a human being and relate to him or at least connect in a way that you could almost experience his journey as your own.
There is no need to say that I became a 'fan' of Altman and that this makes me want to go back to the Dead Space games and yell at Isaac to not believe everything that he his told, but part of me knows that Isaac already knows that.
Read the full review at:
http://liisadventuresinbookland.blogs...
These informations will make you assume that he is evil or, as the rest of the believers, completely ignorant about the Marker and its intentions and effects. Well, this book may change your view on him.
Since the beginning of the book we follow Altman and the events that led to his involvement with the Marker and how he became 'the founder' of this so called religion. These events are not easily predictable and you will be surprised at how the first Marker, the black one, was discovered and delt with.
Nothing in this book is random, everything makes sense and everything will tie together in the end, which was one of the reasons that made me like it so damn much. I must confess though that in the beginning it was a little slow for me, mostly because I like it better when the main events of a book start right away, but with this book there needed to be a slow start so that you could get to know Altman as a human being and relate to him or at least connect in a way that you could almost experience his journey as your own.
There is no need to say that I became a 'fan' of Altman and that this makes me want to go back to the Dead Space games and yell at Isaac to not believe everything that he his told, but part of me knows that Isaac already knows that.
Read the full review at:
http://liisadventuresinbookland.blogs...
March 27, 2011
As a fan of Dead Space and Dead Space 2, I really enjoyed this book. Having played both games I started sense of foreboding about what is to come. I would have liked to know more about the church of unitology but perhaps we'll get a sequal.
March 3, 2013
Well, if you're a fan of the video game series, this is probably worth a peek. If you're not, it's probably not going to do much for you. The idea is that the author is trying to give you some backstory for how mankind first got interested in the Marker (some form of pre-human monolith that generates nearly limitless energy) and the founding of the Church of Unitology (the group that worships the Marker, believing it will bring them to transcendance.)
I personally don't think the book accomplished much in either of those areas.
The majority of the tale is focused on Dr. Michael Altman, a geologist working along the Gulf of Mexico. When he begins getting strange readings and radio signals coming from somewhere within a massive crater - a crater the locals claim holds the "Tail of the Devil" - and starts digging into it, conspiracies begin flying, bodies start appearing and Altman ends up kidnapped by shadowy government operatives who force him to work on their new pet project - digging up whatever's producing those signals and seeing what profit or tech they can scavenge from it.
As far as plotting goes, it's not bad; again, not doing much to present the concepts that it promised, but tolerably interesting. The pacing is quick enough, the language clear. The problems start cropping up when characters other than Altman begin getting involved. The Marker - the thing in the crater - causes, among other things, vivid hallucinations. Those phantoms typically take the form of the voices, personalities and appearance of one's dead loved ones. We're often told of who appears to any individual, but are rarely given more than a brief snapshot of the person in question. "Oh, that's Bob. He's a security guard. His dead wife is talking to him." "Oh, that guy? That's Ralph. He's an astrophysicist. His son's been whispering to him." They have very little emotional impact, because the characters it happens to are so rarely fleshed out enough for us to care about them. Further, not knowing much about them and thus even less about their loved ones, I could never really get behind why these folks are so hot to trot to listen to what these hallucinations are saying without stopping to question it. I accept it - primarily because my experience with the games and animated films fills in some of these blanks - but I don't have to like it.
Then there's the manner of motivation. Okay, the military wants the Marker because they think it can help solve their energy crisis or provide advancements in military technology. Yep. I get that. Then they find out that it produces dementia, paranoia, hallucinations. Does this make them think twice? Of course not! Then some of the scientists working on it start taking samples and trying to replicate the thing - and the weird fleshy mess that surrounded it - and inadvertently create a plague of undead murder-machines. Again, does this stop anyone? Nope; they decide that not only do they want it even more, they start worshipping the thing, claiming that transformation into one of these monstrosities is some sort of holy state. I don't care how unbalanced you may have been to start with, or how many blows to the psyche the Marker might cause just by being in proximity, I have difficulty believing that ANYONE would suddenly decide that this is an object of awe and devotion and that they should try harder to create more and set it free upon the world.
Next would be the matter of the action sequences. As the book approches the climax, the research facility is infested with the beasties - Necromorphs, in the Dead Space universe's terminology - and Altman is often shoved into battle with them to reach his objectives. That's fine. The long, run on sentences where it constantly tells us "Altman shot three of this kind, four of that kind, one of this one and stopped to reload" before doing a rinse-repeat, however... those are not fine. There's no real horror to be had in the necromorph's introduction, and within 10 pages of that it seems almost like combat with them has become routine and worthy of even less description or tension than the chair in the corner of the cafeteria. For a scientist. Who's never owned a gun or committed a violent act. Yeah, not buying it. Further, it's just dull. These are metamorphic piles of blood and sinew, animated by the alien sentience of the Marker. They are horrific to look at, do not move or react in the manner of a human - or even animal - opponent, do not feel or react to pain and only seem to stop coming when all their methods of attacking or subduing prey have been removed. Such as having all their limbs cut off, or complete disintegration. Very little of this level of detail is ever addressed - most of it I know from my experience with other media in the franchise, that lets me fill in the blanks.
That right there is one of the reasons I utterly loathe most sci-fi books that spring off movies, TV shows, games or other media; the authors seem to come pre-equipped with a checklist of stuff they MUST include... but they don't bother detailing them much, as they operate under the near universal assumption that someone is already familiar with the concepts from the other media. "See? It's a Slicer! You know what that is, you played the game! Moving on!" My belief tends to be, even if your audience is likely familiar with it, you can spare a moment of description. Both to provide those who already know some of the material a more vivid glimpse of YOUR imagination regarding it, and for accessibility to people who aren't already rabid fans. Plus, would it hurt to expand a bit? Try something that wasn't already in the source material but that fits reasonably well? Apparently, it would.
The book's inevitable conclusion was also ridiculous and unbelievable; anyone who knows the source material is well aware that Altman isn't going to come through this unscathed, of course, but the manner of his removal and the dialogue of the other characters once it's done is just silly and doesn't really feel like it would lead to the situations presented in the games. It felt more like the author said "Oops, hit my target page count! Time to wrap it up!"
Honestly, with all the issues I have with this book, I was tempted to rate it even lower; what stopped me is a little story I made up in my own head. This isn't what REALLY happened; this is some in-universe conspiracy theorist's story of what happened. Reading it as metafiction - even if that's not actually the author's intent - improved the value. Slightly. Or could just be a sign of my own Marker Dementia.
All in all, I found very little to like in this book except for it bearing the Dead Space logo on the cover; perhaps the next attempt will do better. But as I said above, unless you're already a Dead Space fun, there's not much here to recommend. It doesn't stand well on its own as decent sci-fi. Even if you ARE a Dead Space fun, it doesn't have much to offer, either. Not one of the higher points in my literary exploits of late, I'll say that.
I personally don't think the book accomplished much in either of those areas.
The majority of the tale is focused on Dr. Michael Altman, a geologist working along the Gulf of Mexico. When he begins getting strange readings and radio signals coming from somewhere within a massive crater - a crater the locals claim holds the "Tail of the Devil" - and starts digging into it, conspiracies begin flying, bodies start appearing and Altman ends up kidnapped by shadowy government operatives who force him to work on their new pet project - digging up whatever's producing those signals and seeing what profit or tech they can scavenge from it.
As far as plotting goes, it's not bad; again, not doing much to present the concepts that it promised, but tolerably interesting. The pacing is quick enough, the language clear. The problems start cropping up when characters other than Altman begin getting involved. The Marker - the thing in the crater - causes, among other things, vivid hallucinations. Those phantoms typically take the form of the voices, personalities and appearance of one's dead loved ones. We're often told of who appears to any individual, but are rarely given more than a brief snapshot of the person in question. "Oh, that's Bob. He's a security guard. His dead wife is talking to him." "Oh, that guy? That's Ralph. He's an astrophysicist. His son's been whispering to him." They have very little emotional impact, because the characters it happens to are so rarely fleshed out enough for us to care about them. Further, not knowing much about them and thus even less about their loved ones, I could never really get behind why these folks are so hot to trot to listen to what these hallucinations are saying without stopping to question it. I accept it - primarily because my experience with the games and animated films fills in some of these blanks - but I don't have to like it.
Then there's the manner of motivation. Okay, the military wants the Marker because they think it can help solve their energy crisis or provide advancements in military technology. Yep. I get that. Then they find out that it produces dementia, paranoia, hallucinations. Does this make them think twice? Of course not! Then some of the scientists working on it start taking samples and trying to replicate the thing - and the weird fleshy mess that surrounded it - and inadvertently create a plague of undead murder-machines. Again, does this stop anyone? Nope; they decide that not only do they want it even more, they start worshipping the thing, claiming that transformation into one of these monstrosities is some sort of holy state. I don't care how unbalanced you may have been to start with, or how many blows to the psyche the Marker might cause just by being in proximity, I have difficulty believing that ANYONE would suddenly decide that this is an object of awe and devotion and that they should try harder to create more and set it free upon the world.
Next would be the matter of the action sequences. As the book approches the climax, the research facility is infested with the beasties - Necromorphs, in the Dead Space universe's terminology - and Altman is often shoved into battle with them to reach his objectives. That's fine. The long, run on sentences where it constantly tells us "Altman shot three of this kind, four of that kind, one of this one and stopped to reload" before doing a rinse-repeat, however... those are not fine. There's no real horror to be had in the necromorph's introduction, and within 10 pages of that it seems almost like combat with them has become routine and worthy of even less description or tension than the chair in the corner of the cafeteria. For a scientist. Who's never owned a gun or committed a violent act. Yeah, not buying it. Further, it's just dull. These are metamorphic piles of blood and sinew, animated by the alien sentience of the Marker. They are horrific to look at, do not move or react in the manner of a human - or even animal - opponent, do not feel or react to pain and only seem to stop coming when all their methods of attacking or subduing prey have been removed. Such as having all their limbs cut off, or complete disintegration. Very little of this level of detail is ever addressed - most of it I know from my experience with other media in the franchise, that lets me fill in the blanks.
That right there is one of the reasons I utterly loathe most sci-fi books that spring off movies, TV shows, games or other media; the authors seem to come pre-equipped with a checklist of stuff they MUST include... but they don't bother detailing them much, as they operate under the near universal assumption that someone is already familiar with the concepts from the other media. "See? It's a Slicer! You know what that is, you played the game! Moving on!" My belief tends to be, even if your audience is likely familiar with it, you can spare a moment of description. Both to provide those who already know some of the material a more vivid glimpse of YOUR imagination regarding it, and for accessibility to people who aren't already rabid fans. Plus, would it hurt to expand a bit? Try something that wasn't already in the source material but that fits reasonably well? Apparently, it would.
The book's inevitable conclusion was also ridiculous and unbelievable; anyone who knows the source material is well aware that Altman isn't going to come through this unscathed, of course, but the manner of his removal and the dialogue of the other characters once it's done is just silly and doesn't really feel like it would lead to the situations presented in the games. It felt more like the author said "Oops, hit my target page count! Time to wrap it up!"
Honestly, with all the issues I have with this book, I was tempted to rate it even lower; what stopped me is a little story I made up in my own head. This isn't what REALLY happened; this is some in-universe conspiracy theorist's story of what happened. Reading it as metafiction - even if that's not actually the author's intent - improved the value. Slightly. Or could just be a sign of my own Marker Dementia.
All in all, I found very little to like in this book except for it bearing the Dead Space logo on the cover; perhaps the next attempt will do better. But as I said above, unless you're already a Dead Space fun, there's not much here to recommend. It doesn't stand well on its own as decent sci-fi. Even if you ARE a Dead Space fun, it doesn't have much to offer, either. Not one of the higher points in my literary exploits of late, I'll say that.
August 19, 2025
DNF @ 40% cause i was bored and still have no clue where this is going. I think you might need context from the game cause while I wasn’t lost, i just didn’t really care about much.
January 19, 2016
Video game tie-in novels aren't known for being big-L Literature, and you won't spot B.K. Evenson's Dead Space, Martyr on any awards lists. That's a shame, too, because Evenson's novel is a unicorn --- a visceral, horrific unicorn. Dead Space, Martyr is a damn good work of fiction that transcends franchise appeal.
All too often, video game tie-in novels get by on series name alone. Stilted writing turns reading into slogging, and sometimes even an inventive story cannot save the novel from its poor structure.
You won't find these qualities in Dead Space, Martyr, however. The writing is solid, so much so that even readers who are not familiar with the source material can and will enjoy the read. Dead Space fans know how gripping the series' horror can be, and trust me, Evenson keeps the storytelling tight for this gory thrillride.
For those not in the know, the story centers on Michael Altman, a scientist researching a series of strange occurrences surrounding an alien relic in the center of a Mexican crater. The Black Marker causes hallucinations, paranoia, and violent outbursts in almost everyone who comes into contact with it, but Altman shows a surprising immunity to its effects. After he learns the Marker's true nature, Altman goes public with the classified information, but the results are more frightening than he imagines.
If you're in the market for some bloody, psychological horror, pick up Dead Space, Martyr. Even if you've never heard of the games, you'll have a great time with Evenson's novel.
November 13, 2023
''Whatever we're looking for from the Marker, whether we see it as something to be mined for power or something to be worshipped or an object of scientific inquiry, are we using the Marker or is the Marker using us?'' - Altman (p. 310)
Bücher, die zu anderen Medien wie Filmen oder Videospielen geschrieben werden, werden nicht umsonst manchmal mit Skepsis betrachtet. Denn nicht nur funktionieren Geschichten in manchen Medien besser als in anderen, auch werden diese Bücher oft an Autoren in Auftrag gegeben, die nichts mit dem ursprünglichen Material zu tun haben. Die das ursprüngliche Material erstmal verstehen und dazu auch noch mögen müssen, um eine kongruente, spannende Geschichte hervorzubringen, insbesondere, wenn es sich um ein Prequel handelt wie in diesem Buch zu einem der beliebtesten Horror-Shooter-Franchises der Welt.
Denn in Märtyrer geht es um Altman, einen Mann, der laut der Dead Space Lore vor einigen hundert Jahren die Kirche der Unitologen gegründet hat. Eine Kirche, die den Marker, ein Alien-Artefakt, das dafür sorgt, dass totes Fleisch sich zu furchtbaren Wesen zusammensetzt und nur dazu da ist, neue sogenannte Necromorphs zu erschaffen und im Zuge des Markers das ganze Universum zu vernichten, als Heiligtum ansieht. Ein Heiligtum, dass nicht das Ende des Lebens sei, sondern eine neue Stufe der menschlich-göttlichen Existenz. Und während man in der dreiteiligen Deadspace-Reihe 300 Jahre nach der Gründung dieser Kirche mit den Folgen derer zu kämpfen hat, soll man hier den Anfang davon erleben. Mit Altman, einem einfachen Wissenschaftler, der durch Zufall merkwürdige Veränderungen im magnetischen Umfeld in Chicxulub, Mexiko, findet, und dort dieses merkwürdige Artefakt geborgen wird. Und ehe man es sich versieht, haben die Menschen in der Nähe des Markers dauerhafte Kopfschmerzen, Halluzinationen und begehen kollektive Selbstmorde. Daher will Altman unbedingt wissen: ist es so richtig, dass sie dieses Artefakt geborgen haben?
Natürlich ist die Antwort nein, und das ist es auch, was dem Buch seinen Reiz nimmt. Denn Evenson lässt sich fast für 75 Prozent des Buches Zeit damit, zu erläutern, was der Marker eigentlich ist, und lässt uns währenddessen sehr vielen Charakteren über die Schulter schauen, die unter den Wirkungen des Markers leiden. Nur um sie kurz danach Suizid begehen zu lassen, wohlgemerkt. Und auch wenn Suizid etwas Grausames ist, so verliert diese ,Nebenwirkung' des Markers seinen Schrecken, wenn die Figuren einem quasi fünf Minuten vor ihrem Ableben vorgestellt werden und/oder ihren Zweck als Plot Device erfüllt haben.
Womit wir bei den zwei Hauptproblemen des Buches wären: zu repetitive Gewalt, die diesen durchaus furchtbaren Szenarien jeglichen Horror nimmt, und eindimensionale Charaktere.
Egal ob man Horror anschaut, liest oder spielt: wenn man oft genug dasselbe wahrnimmt oder mitmacht, verliert der Horror seinen Schrecken, das Adrenalin nimmt stetig ab und man ist im schlimmsten Fall sogar genervt von Jumpscares, Gore oder ähnlichen Elementen.
Evenson begeht hier leider denselben Fehler, indem er die psychotischen Zustände der Charaktere zum einen viel zu schnell beschreibt und zum anderen zu repetitiv. Besonders wenn es bei allen gleich abläuft und nicht ein einziger Charakter mal darüber nachdenkt, dass sie eigentlich keine verstorbenen Liebsten sehen könnten. Es ist fast schon lachhaft, wie - bis auf Altman - keine der zahlreichen Figuren mal auf die Idee kommt, zu hinterfragen, ob die Person, die sie vor sich sehen, echt ist. Obwohl sie wissen, dass sie tot ist. So ist man überhaupt nicht immersiert ins Geschehen und einem die vielen Tode egal.
Ebenso wie die vielen Figuren, die einzig aus ihren Toden und ihrer wissenschaftlichen Position in der Forschungseinrichtung Altmans bestehen. Kaum einen davon lernen wir richtig kennen, nicht mal Altman selbst kann wirklich mit Charaktereigenschaften geschrieben werden, die vom Autor auch gezeigt statt nur erzählt werden. Wenn sie denn überhaupt erzählt werden. So befindet man sich als Leser in einem Meer voller Statisten, für die man aufgrund ihrer Beliebigkeit und des immergleichen Ablaufs keinerlei Mitgefühl empfindet und die Szenen unmittelbar nach dem Lesen wieder vergisst.
Auch Altman selbst ist wie gesagt kein Charakter, dem man gerne folgt oder der interessant ist. Er ist von null auf hundert besessen von dem Marker, möchte herausfinden, was das ist, und ignoriert immer wieder die Ratschläge seiner Kollegen und seiner Frau, die Sache ruhen zu lassen. Warum? Keine Ahnung, weil er Wissenschaftler ist, vermutlich, denn sonderlich viel mehr erfährt man über ihn nicht. Außer, dass er der einzige ist, der nicht so große Psychosen durch den Marker bekommt wie andere. Und angesichts dessen, dass es sich hier um eine Origin-Geschichte handelt, in der man Altman und die Umstände seines Lebens kennenlernen soll, den Mann hinter der Legende, ist das verdammt wenig.
Ebenfalls ein großes Manko, besonders für die Kenner der Spieler, ist, dass Evenson auf eigene Faust die Lore rund um den Marker verändern wollte und dies - obwohl die Entwickler explizit sagten, sie wollen das nicht! - in der Veröffentlichung auch so umgesetzt hat. Und so die Geschichte aufgrund vieler etablierter Lore an manchen Stellen gar keinen Sinn macht. Dass der Autor die Geschichte rund um Dead Space dazu noch als third person shooter with dismembernment elements beschreibt, obwohl das Spiel aus er Egoperspektive gespielt wird, sagt schon alles darüber aus, wie respektvoll und mit wie viel Elan und Expertise diese Geschichte innerhalb des von Glen Shofield erschaffenen Universums geschrieben wurde - nämlich keiner!
Warum bekommt das Buch dennoch noch zwei Sterne, wenn es so langweilig, entgegen der Lore und auch ohne einen Sympathieträger geschrieben wurde? Weil nach etwa drei Viertel der Geschichte die Hölle losbricht, und dann Evenson genau das schreibt, was die Spielreihe so beliebt gemacht hat: eine isolierte Gegend, Dutzende von praktisch untötbaren Wesen, Dunkelheit und ein Protagonist, der keine Ahnung von Waffen hat und sich so einen Weg durch den überall lauernden Tod kämpfen muss. Teilweise auch mit Waffen, die es laut Lore noch gar nicht geben sollte, mit denen Evenson aber sicherlich dachte, dass er Fans damit glücklich machen konnte. War dieser letzte Teil so gesehen ein absoluter Abklatsch von Dead Space, eine einfache Kopie? Irgendwie schon. Aber es ist eben der Teil, der spannend ist, den man gerne liest, in dem endlich anderer Horror in der Fantasie des Lesers Einzug erfährt - und damit verdammt gut funktioniert!
Durch den letzten Teil dieses Buches fliegt man also praktisch, und auch wenn das hauptsächlich an der Spannung liegt und dass die geliebten Monster endlich auftauchen, und nicht daran, dass es eine komplette Qualitätssteigerung gab - es hat dennoch Spaß gemacht! Besonders der erste und einzige Twist der Geschichte, der Altman nochmal in ein ganz anderes Licht rückt und den Blick auf die Sekte rund um Unitology komplett auf den Kopf stellt. Das ist das Herausragendste am ganzen Buch!
Wäre das gesamte Buch so wie das letzte Viertel voller Action, neuem Horror und bekannten, gruseligen Szenarien gewesen, so hätte es definitiv mehr überzeugen können. So hält sich der Autor aber viel zu lange an einem Setting mit auf, deren Antworten die Zielgruppe - nämlich die Fans dieser Spielreihe - quasi schon wissen, und langweilt einen dem immergleich ablaufenden psychologischen Horror ab, der gar nicht greifen kann, weil die Figuren nur Strichmännchen sind und man damit gar nicht um all die verlorenen Leben trauern kann. Selbst Altman selbst ist bis auf das letzte Viertel sehr langweilig, tut selten etwas aus Eigeninitiative heraus und hinterfragt viel zu wenig. Nur, weil er ein Wissenschaftler ist, Herr Evenson, muss man nicht automatisch glauben, er sei schlau - er muss schon auch so handeln! Daher leider eine meine größten Enttäuschungen des Jahres, nicht nur, weil das Buch handwerklich und plottechnisch kaum Positives vorzuweisen hat, sondern auch, weil der Autor betont die Wünsche des Entwicklers ignoriert. Sehr schade.
Gesamtwertung: 2/5 Punkte
Bücher, die zu anderen Medien wie Filmen oder Videospielen geschrieben werden, werden nicht umsonst manchmal mit Skepsis betrachtet. Denn nicht nur funktionieren Geschichten in manchen Medien besser als in anderen, auch werden diese Bücher oft an Autoren in Auftrag gegeben, die nichts mit dem ursprünglichen Material zu tun haben. Die das ursprüngliche Material erstmal verstehen und dazu auch noch mögen müssen, um eine kongruente, spannende Geschichte hervorzubringen, insbesondere, wenn es sich um ein Prequel handelt wie in diesem Buch zu einem der beliebtesten Horror-Shooter-Franchises der Welt.
Denn in Märtyrer geht es um Altman, einen Mann, der laut der Dead Space Lore vor einigen hundert Jahren die Kirche der Unitologen gegründet hat. Eine Kirche, die den Marker, ein Alien-Artefakt, das dafür sorgt, dass totes Fleisch sich zu furchtbaren Wesen zusammensetzt und nur dazu da ist, neue sogenannte Necromorphs zu erschaffen und im Zuge des Markers das ganze Universum zu vernichten, als Heiligtum ansieht. Ein Heiligtum, dass nicht das Ende des Lebens sei, sondern eine neue Stufe der menschlich-göttlichen Existenz. Und während man in der dreiteiligen Deadspace-Reihe 300 Jahre nach der Gründung dieser Kirche mit den Folgen derer zu kämpfen hat, soll man hier den Anfang davon erleben. Mit Altman, einem einfachen Wissenschaftler, der durch Zufall merkwürdige Veränderungen im magnetischen Umfeld in Chicxulub, Mexiko, findet, und dort dieses merkwürdige Artefakt geborgen wird. Und ehe man es sich versieht, haben die Menschen in der Nähe des Markers dauerhafte Kopfschmerzen, Halluzinationen und begehen kollektive Selbstmorde. Daher will Altman unbedingt wissen: ist es so richtig, dass sie dieses Artefakt geborgen haben?
Natürlich ist die Antwort nein, und das ist es auch, was dem Buch seinen Reiz nimmt. Denn Evenson lässt sich fast für 75 Prozent des Buches Zeit damit, zu erläutern, was der Marker eigentlich ist, und lässt uns währenddessen sehr vielen Charakteren über die Schulter schauen, die unter den Wirkungen des Markers leiden. Nur um sie kurz danach Suizid begehen zu lassen, wohlgemerkt. Und auch wenn Suizid etwas Grausames ist, so verliert diese ,Nebenwirkung' des Markers seinen Schrecken, wenn die Figuren einem quasi fünf Minuten vor ihrem Ableben vorgestellt werden und/oder ihren Zweck als Plot Device erfüllt haben.
Womit wir bei den zwei Hauptproblemen des Buches wären: zu repetitive Gewalt, die diesen durchaus furchtbaren Szenarien jeglichen Horror nimmt, und eindimensionale Charaktere.
Egal ob man Horror anschaut, liest oder spielt: wenn man oft genug dasselbe wahrnimmt oder mitmacht, verliert der Horror seinen Schrecken, das Adrenalin nimmt stetig ab und man ist im schlimmsten Fall sogar genervt von Jumpscares, Gore oder ähnlichen Elementen.
Evenson begeht hier leider denselben Fehler, indem er die psychotischen Zustände der Charaktere zum einen viel zu schnell beschreibt und zum anderen zu repetitiv. Besonders wenn es bei allen gleich abläuft und nicht ein einziger Charakter mal darüber nachdenkt, dass sie eigentlich keine verstorbenen Liebsten sehen könnten. Es ist fast schon lachhaft, wie - bis auf Altman - keine der zahlreichen Figuren mal auf die Idee kommt, zu hinterfragen, ob die Person, die sie vor sich sehen, echt ist. Obwohl sie wissen, dass sie tot ist. So ist man überhaupt nicht immersiert ins Geschehen und einem die vielen Tode egal.
Ebenso wie die vielen Figuren, die einzig aus ihren Toden und ihrer wissenschaftlichen Position in der Forschungseinrichtung Altmans bestehen. Kaum einen davon lernen wir richtig kennen, nicht mal Altman selbst kann wirklich mit Charaktereigenschaften geschrieben werden, die vom Autor auch gezeigt statt nur erzählt werden. Wenn sie denn überhaupt erzählt werden. So befindet man sich als Leser in einem Meer voller Statisten, für die man aufgrund ihrer Beliebigkeit und des immergleichen Ablaufs keinerlei Mitgefühl empfindet und die Szenen unmittelbar nach dem Lesen wieder vergisst.
Auch Altman selbst ist wie gesagt kein Charakter, dem man gerne folgt oder der interessant ist. Er ist von null auf hundert besessen von dem Marker, möchte herausfinden, was das ist, und ignoriert immer wieder die Ratschläge seiner Kollegen und seiner Frau, die Sache ruhen zu lassen. Warum? Keine Ahnung, weil er Wissenschaftler ist, vermutlich, denn sonderlich viel mehr erfährt man über ihn nicht. Außer, dass er der einzige ist, der nicht so große Psychosen durch den Marker bekommt wie andere. Und angesichts dessen, dass es sich hier um eine Origin-Geschichte handelt, in der man Altman und die Umstände seines Lebens kennenlernen soll, den Mann hinter der Legende, ist das verdammt wenig.
Ebenfalls ein großes Manko, besonders für die Kenner der Spieler, ist, dass Evenson auf eigene Faust die Lore rund um den Marker verändern wollte und dies - obwohl die Entwickler explizit sagten, sie wollen das nicht! - in der Veröffentlichung auch so umgesetzt hat. Und so die Geschichte aufgrund vieler etablierter Lore an manchen Stellen gar keinen Sinn macht. Dass der Autor die Geschichte rund um Dead Space dazu noch als third person shooter with dismembernment elements beschreibt, obwohl das Spiel aus er Egoperspektive gespielt wird, sagt schon alles darüber aus, wie respektvoll und mit wie viel Elan und Expertise diese Geschichte innerhalb des von Glen Shofield erschaffenen Universums geschrieben wurde - nämlich keiner!
Warum bekommt das Buch dennoch noch zwei Sterne, wenn es so langweilig, entgegen der Lore und auch ohne einen Sympathieträger geschrieben wurde? Weil nach etwa drei Viertel der Geschichte die Hölle losbricht, und dann Evenson genau das schreibt, was die Spielreihe so beliebt gemacht hat: eine isolierte Gegend, Dutzende von praktisch untötbaren Wesen, Dunkelheit und ein Protagonist, der keine Ahnung von Waffen hat und sich so einen Weg durch den überall lauernden Tod kämpfen muss. Teilweise auch mit Waffen, die es laut Lore noch gar nicht geben sollte, mit denen Evenson aber sicherlich dachte, dass er Fans damit glücklich machen konnte. War dieser letzte Teil so gesehen ein absoluter Abklatsch von Dead Space, eine einfache Kopie? Irgendwie schon. Aber es ist eben der Teil, der spannend ist, den man gerne liest, in dem endlich anderer Horror in der Fantasie des Lesers Einzug erfährt - und damit verdammt gut funktioniert!
Durch den letzten Teil dieses Buches fliegt man also praktisch, und auch wenn das hauptsächlich an der Spannung liegt und dass die geliebten Monster endlich auftauchen, und nicht daran, dass es eine komplette Qualitätssteigerung gab - es hat dennoch Spaß gemacht! Besonders der erste und einzige Twist der Geschichte, der Altman nochmal in ein ganz anderes Licht rückt und den Blick auf die Sekte rund um Unitology komplett auf den Kopf stellt. Das ist das Herausragendste am ganzen Buch!
Wäre das gesamte Buch so wie das letzte Viertel voller Action, neuem Horror und bekannten, gruseligen Szenarien gewesen, so hätte es definitiv mehr überzeugen können. So hält sich der Autor aber viel zu lange an einem Setting mit auf, deren Antworten die Zielgruppe - nämlich die Fans dieser Spielreihe - quasi schon wissen, und langweilt einen dem immergleich ablaufenden psychologischen Horror ab, der gar nicht greifen kann, weil die Figuren nur Strichmännchen sind und man damit gar nicht um all die verlorenen Leben trauern kann. Selbst Altman selbst ist bis auf das letzte Viertel sehr langweilig, tut selten etwas aus Eigeninitiative heraus und hinterfragt viel zu wenig. Nur, weil er ein Wissenschaftler ist, Herr Evenson, muss man nicht automatisch glauben, er sei schlau - er muss schon auch so handeln! Daher leider eine meine größten Enttäuschungen des Jahres, nicht nur, weil das Buch handwerklich und plottechnisch kaum Positives vorzuweisen hat, sondern auch, weil der Autor betont die Wünsche des Entwicklers ignoriert. Sehr schade.
Gesamtwertung: 2/5 Punkte
June 19, 2013
This is a pretty good introduction to the Dead Space canon. A lot of the elements that made the video game fun like holoscreens, Convergence and various Necromorphs all make a show. The story is surprisingly original with the propagandist being a reluctant martyr as opposed to the stereotypical megalomaniac. It also takes a large slice from 2001 A Space Odyssey with the Marker stepping in for the Monolith. It even gets digged up after being purposely buried by "other" beings. The writing is fluid and B.K.Evenson likes to move things with a degree of pace. It has slightly too much conversational description but it is never boring. There was one continuity error when Altman (the hero of the story) tore a piece of his shirt to patch up a wound...after he stripped down to his waist to dive into water ???. There is also a short comedy section that is right out from The Life Of Brian.
Overall if you like Dead Space the game this novel can put some things into perspective such as the origin of the Church of Unitology and the Red Markers and because it takes the canon seriously the novel makes for a good back story.
Overall if you like Dead Space the game this novel can put some things into perspective such as the origin of the Church of Unitology and the Red Markers and because it takes the canon seriously the novel makes for a good back story.
August 22, 2023
Book Review #2: Dead Space: Martyr (2010) by Brian Evenson
Geophysicist Michael Altman detects a gravitational anomaly in the middle of a crater in Chicxulub. He doesn't realize that by investigating it, he will unleash Pandora's box of horrors involving evil corporations, sinister government agents, and of course, cosmic horror monstrosities.
Are you reading this novel to experience the action horror thrills you got while playing the Dead Space series? Well, temper your expectations a bit. Save for an iconic Necromorph making its way into a beach in the first chapter, there is no dismemberment action for you for most of the book. Evenson offers Kafkaesque paranoia instead, with Altman unsure who to trust and if somebody is going after him.
Then he goes all out on the dismemberment action near the end.
Kudos to Evenson, though, as he managed to keep the horror flowing even when everyone's favorite space zombies aren't around: he pushes claustrophobia and isolation to their horrifying ends with scenes of people losing themselves and gruesomely dying during trips to the Marker. That would delight Dead Space fans, at least
Geophysicist Michael Altman detects a gravitational anomaly in the middle of a crater in Chicxulub. He doesn't realize that by investigating it, he will unleash Pandora's box of horrors involving evil corporations, sinister government agents, and of course, cosmic horror monstrosities.
Are you reading this novel to experience the action horror thrills you got while playing the Dead Space series? Well, temper your expectations a bit. Save for an iconic Necromorph making its way into a beach in the first chapter, there is no dismemberment action for you for most of the book. Evenson offers Kafkaesque paranoia instead, with Altman unsure who to trust and if somebody is going after him.
Then he goes all out on the dismemberment action near the end.
Kudos to Evenson, though, as he managed to keep the horror flowing even when everyone's favorite space zombies aren't around: he pushes claustrophobia and isolation to their horrifying ends with scenes of people losing themselves and gruesomely dying during trips to the Marker. That would delight Dead Space fans, at least
February 27, 2015
4.5 - Well written with good pacing and suspense.
This review will contain very mild spoilers about the pacing
The good
I'm partial to the Dead Space series via the games, but my main concern going into this book was how the prequel would be able to capture the series disturbing atmosphere without coming on too strongly and losing the reader.
In my opinion the author manages to balance the ominous elements of the story so that there's always a sense of dread but at the same time it doesn't try too hard so that it feels forced. The characters are mostly interesting and believable and the writing succeeds in painting a picture of the events which feels "realistic".
The bad
There were some scenes that I had a little trouble visualizing but they were few and far between.
This review will contain very mild spoilers about the pacing
The good
I'm partial to the Dead Space series via the games, but my main concern going into this book was how the prequel would be able to capture the series disturbing atmosphere without coming on too strongly and losing the reader.
In my opinion the author manages to balance the ominous elements of the story so that there's always a sense of dread but at the same time it doesn't try too hard so that it feels forced. The characters are mostly interesting and believable and the writing succeeds in painting a picture of the events which feels "realistic".
The bad
There were some scenes that I had a little trouble visualizing but they were few and far between.
February 22, 2013
Reviewed by Kole for Book Sake.
I’ve been a Dead Space fan for a long time. And I always wanted a real prequel to them. This story has lived up to that in every way. It explains many things and makes the story of the series make more sense. You get to see the origins of the markers, or their discovery, and how the society spiraled into what is now Dead Space. I liked how the focus of the story was on a very important person in the mythology. This person was previously unknown, and I couldn’t really picture them in my mind. But this book paints a clear picture to what Altman was like. It sees him as a person amidst chaos. But this book doesn’t spare the gore that is the key to the franchise. Overall I loved this book and I can’t wait to read the next one.
I’ve been a Dead Space fan for a long time. And I always wanted a real prequel to them. This story has lived up to that in every way. It explains many things and makes the story of the series make more sense. You get to see the origins of the markers, or their discovery, and how the society spiraled into what is now Dead Space. I liked how the focus of the story was on a very important person in the mythology. This person was previously unknown, and I couldn’t really picture them in my mind. But this book paints a clear picture to what Altman was like. It sees him as a person amidst chaos. But this book doesn’t spare the gore that is the key to the franchise. Overall I loved this book and I can’t wait to read the next one.
November 30, 2021
Okay, I’m a huge fan of the games (2 out of the 3) and really never wanted to dig into the expanded universe since I’m skeptical to doing such. But I did buy this book cause I heard it was good. But it might have been the other one.
It suffers from an over abundance of he said/she said, automaton characters doing things because it’s what it should, a villain being a villain for the sake of being a villain since a villain must we have, and a sense I found missing: pain.
If a hallucination forced on you by the “marker” makes you cut yourself unknowingly then fine, but if the character wants to find out why there’s blood everywhere and why he can’t speak so he tries to look in the mirror I just wonder why he didn’t feel the pain from such a deep cut, especially when it seemed like the hallucination vanished immediately after.
It suffers from an over abundance of he said/she said, automaton characters doing things because it’s what it should, a villain being a villain for the sake of being a villain since a villain must we have, and a sense I found missing: pain.
If a hallucination forced on you by the “marker” makes you cut yourself unknowingly then fine, but if the character wants to find out why there’s blood everywhere and why he can’t speak so he tries to look in the mirror I just wonder why he didn’t feel the pain from such a deep cut, especially when it seemed like the hallucination vanished immediately after.
March 24, 2011
I am a fan of the dead space series.
I really enjoy this book
good well written story with twist and turns
True to the Dead Space series amazing book
Book is a prequel to the original Dead Space, set hundreds of years before that game. It covers the discovery of the original Marker and ultimately gestures towards the beginnings of the COU .This story is full of paranoid, horrific, violent and gut-wrenching moments.
This book is a must read for fans of Dead Space...
I love it...
I really enjoy this book
good well written story with twist and turns
True to the Dead Space series amazing book
Book is a prequel to the original Dead Space, set hundreds of years before that game. It covers the discovery of the original Marker and ultimately gestures towards the beginnings of the COU .This story is full of paranoid, horrific, violent and gut-wrenching moments.
This book is a must read for fans of Dead Space...
I love it...
March 26, 2017
I loved it. It was so well written. The only thing I would want to change is a little more detail on the Markers monsters because, for anyone who has never played the game, they'd struggle to form a true representation.
The book was big but not heavy. It was easy to read and most of the chapters were very short and well sorted out and sectioned.
The book was big but not heavy. It was easy to read and most of the chapters were very short and well sorted out and sectioned.
March 11, 2011
I couldn't get into this book but my 13 year old son wanted to read it once I mentioned the video game Dead Space. I actually wanted it for him so I'll be curious if he likes it. Review coming when he is done with it.
March 28, 2012
Not a bad read at all. Starts off a bit wonky, and I always feel silly when reading books based on games, but it picked up nicely. Some elements from the games felt like they were forced in, but it didn't really affect much.
August 26, 2025
Tiene un buen comienzo que sabe plantar correctamente el misterio gracias a un descubrimiento submarino que deja desconcertados a un grupo de científicos y de militares. Asimismo, los primeros capítulos cuentan también con momentos impactantes y fantasmagóricos que refuerzan el terror. Lo mejor del libro son precisamente esas escenas escalofriantes, las cuales no recurren al gore sino a la locura y a la paranoia, están muy bien llevadas, pero a la larga terminan cansando y pierden el factor sorpesa. Es una lástima, porque esto provoca que la narración vaya de más a menos, de hecho, cuando la trama avanza y empieza a parecerse al videojuego, pierde toda la gracia.
La acción no le sienta bien a esta novela, por muchos guiños que haya con la obra original o por muchos monstruos desagradables que suelten en el complejo flotante, el lugar donde suceden la mayoría de los eventos, ya que 'Martyr' está ambientada en la Tierra, no en el espacio exterior y funciona como una precuela que desarrolla el origen de la religión unitóloga. No esperéis reflexiones místicas profundas, es una mera excusa que sirve para desatar el caos y para enlazar un poco los productos de la franquicia, pero esta creencia ficticia no cuenta con un gran lore, es muy vaga y no convence mucho. Es un libro que puede merecer la pena para aquellos lectores que estén cómodos con el body horror, la claustrofobia, las tramas de criaturas asesinas y las conspiraciones.
ENGLISH
It has a good start that successfully establishes the mystery thanks to an underwater discovery that baffles a group of scientists and military personnel. The first chapters also feature shocking and ghostly moments that reinforce the horror. The best part of the book is precisely these chilling scenes, which don't resort to gore but rather to madness and paranoia. They're very well done, but in the long run, they become tiresome and lose their element of surprise. It's a shame because this causes the narrative to go from more to less. In fact, as the plot progresses and begins to resemble a video game, it loses all its charm.
The action doesn't suit well with this novel, despite the many nods to the original work or the many nasty monsters unleashed on the floating complex, where most of the events take place. "Martyr" is set on Earth, not in outer space, and functions as a prequel that develops the origin of the Unitologist religion. Don't expect deep mystical reflections; it's merely an excuse to unleash chaos and link a bit to the franchise's products. However, this fictional belief doesn't have much lore, is very vague, and isn't very convincing. It's a book that may be worthwhile for readers comfortable with body horror, claustrophobia, killer creature plots, and conspiracies.
La acción no le sienta bien a esta novela, por muchos guiños que haya con la obra original o por muchos monstruos desagradables que suelten en el complejo flotante, el lugar donde suceden la mayoría de los eventos, ya que 'Martyr' está ambientada en la Tierra, no en el espacio exterior y funciona como una precuela que desarrolla el origen de la religión unitóloga. No esperéis reflexiones místicas profundas, es una mera excusa que sirve para desatar el caos y para enlazar un poco los productos de la franquicia, pero esta creencia ficticia no cuenta con un gran lore, es muy vaga y no convence mucho. Es un libro que puede merecer la pena para aquellos lectores que estén cómodos con el body horror, la claustrofobia, las tramas de criaturas asesinas y las conspiraciones.
ENGLISH
It has a good start that successfully establishes the mystery thanks to an underwater discovery that baffles a group of scientists and military personnel. The first chapters also feature shocking and ghostly moments that reinforce the horror. The best part of the book is precisely these chilling scenes, which don't resort to gore but rather to madness and paranoia. They're very well done, but in the long run, they become tiresome and lose their element of surprise. It's a shame because this causes the narrative to go from more to less. In fact, as the plot progresses and begins to resemble a video game, it loses all its charm.
The action doesn't suit well with this novel, despite the many nods to the original work or the many nasty monsters unleashed on the floating complex, where most of the events take place. "Martyr" is set on Earth, not in outer space, and functions as a prequel that develops the origin of the Unitologist religion. Don't expect deep mystical reflections; it's merely an excuse to unleash chaos and link a bit to the franchise's products. However, this fictional belief doesn't have much lore, is very vague, and isn't very convincing. It's a book that may be worthwhile for readers comfortable with body horror, claustrophobia, killer creature plots, and conspiracies.
March 20, 2024
(Synopsis) - When geophysicist Michael Altman hears of the mysterious signal emitted from deep within the Chicxulub crater, he can not resist the lure of an undiscovered artifact. With his girlfriend Ada, he joins a team excavating the underwater crater, determined to find the source of the baffling message. The artifact, named "The Black Marker," possesses a mysterious power. Close proximity to the stone causes strange occurrences: visions of the dead, vivid dreams, and violent murders. When Michael secretly obtains a small piece of the marker, he too begins to dream.
(Review) - This was awesome! If you loved the dead space game or ocult gore horror like event horizon then this book is right up your alley! More so if your a fan of the games as as you can best visualise the necromorphs on how they look and act! And the feel visual feel of a hot plasma cutter cutting through a limb! Oh honestly it's outstanding, it's fun and really well written, i got a lot enjoyment out of it. Now i will say some fans will find enjoyment here, but there are Scrapped/Non-Canon Lore Elements that where changed in dead space 2! And this is because when they made the first game they didn't really settle on what the lore was going to be, so for the 2nd game they sat down and really hashed things out! But sadly the book was written before this, so a hardcore fan like myself will notice small inconsistencys in the story, but I'll be honest that the story is that intriguing that you either won't notice or care. Especially if you jump in with no knowledge of the games at all you'll really enjoy your time here. So overall if your a fan of the trilogy or just looking for your next psychological occult horror then this is your next read.
4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥
(Review) - This was awesome! If you loved the dead space game or ocult gore horror like event horizon then this book is right up your alley! More so if your a fan of the games as as you can best visualise the necromorphs on how they look and act! And the feel visual feel of a hot plasma cutter cutting through a limb! Oh honestly it's outstanding, it's fun and really well written, i got a lot enjoyment out of it. Now i will say some fans will find enjoyment here, but there are Scrapped/Non-Canon Lore Elements that where changed in dead space 2! And this is because when they made the first game they didn't really settle on what the lore was going to be, so for the 2nd game they sat down and really hashed things out! But sadly the book was written before this, so a hardcore fan like myself will notice small inconsistencys in the story, but I'll be honest that the story is that intriguing that you either won't notice or care. Especially if you jump in with no knowledge of the games at all you'll really enjoy your time here. So overall if your a fan of the trilogy or just looking for your next psychological occult horror then this is your next read.
4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥
February 20, 2024
I got into the Dead Space games last year and they are truly excellent. I heard about this book when I went looking for more of the story in novel form. Turns out it was out of print and some copies on Amazon cost >$80. But where capitalism failed, the public library succeeded and I found my copy.
Super creepy and fun with lots of what lovers of the game would expect, gore gore and more gore. Really cool as the set up for the whole franchise, Evenson did a great job with this one.
Super creepy and fun with lots of what lovers of the game would expect, gore gore and more gore. Really cool as the set up for the whole franchise, Evenson did a great job with this one.
August 22, 2021
Very interesting to read about the origin of The Black Marker and the foundation of the Church of Unitology. It plays out almost 300 years before the Isaac Clarke timeline. If you played and enjoyed the games you will probably like this book. Im a huge fan of the games so it was a good read for me!
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