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Dead Space
Dead Space: Catalyst
Two hundred and fifty years in the future, extinction threatens mankind. Tampering with dangerous technology from the Black Marker—an ancient alien artifact discovered on Earth eighty years earlier— Earthgov hopes to save humanity. But the Marker’s influence reanimates corpses into grotesque rampaging nightmares. Steeped in desperation, deceit, and hubris, the history of the Markers reveals our ominous future….
Brothers Istvan and Jensi grew up under the poorest dome on Vinduaga. Jensi has always looked after Istvan, who sometimes lashes out in sudden episodes of violent paranoia. When Istvan is sent offworld to a high-security prison, Jensi is determined to follow and find a way to keep his brother safe. But the prison guards a horrible secret, one that will push both brothers to the cusp of something much greater and darker than they ever imagined.
Brothers Istvan and Jensi grew up under the poorest dome on Vinduaga. Jensi has always looked after Istvan, who sometimes lashes out in sudden episodes of violent paranoia. When Istvan is sent offworld to a high-security prison, Jensi is determined to follow and find a way to keep his brother safe. But the prison guards a horrible secret, one that will push both brothers to the cusp of something much greater and darker than they ever imagined.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
February 7, 2015
After reading Dead Space: Martyr a book I really enjoyed I went looking for more Dead Space books. Searching the internet I discovered it was a video game so it surprised me more to discover how well the book was written.
Well at the book store I discovered Dead Space Catalyst and was excited to start reading as I enjoyed the first one so much. I was not disappointed. Dead Space Catalyst is extremely well written with Characters and a Plot that was believable. The Plot through the whole book just keeps building until an unexpected ending. I would recommend this book to Sci-fi and horror fans a like.
Well at the book store I discovered Dead Space Catalyst and was excited to start reading as I enjoyed the first one so much. I was not disappointed. Dead Space Catalyst is extremely well written with Characters and a Plot that was believable. The Plot through the whole book just keeps building until an unexpected ending. I would recommend this book to Sci-fi and horror fans a like.
July 7, 2013
This is the second book by B.K. Evenson set in the Dead Space universe and is again a prequel to the first game. Unlike the first book which establishes the universe, the history of the Marker and the religion of Unitology set around its unwilling martyr Michael Altman, this is a story that is stand alone and does not add anything new to the canon.
It is about two brothers who find their lives intertwined with signals from the Markers. The novel certainly has high points especially in the last third when the story picks up pace but characters which Evenson spends some time developing in the first two thirds are killed off pretty quickly soon after with literally no thought or repercussions of their deaths. You almost feel Evenson got bored of it or was subject to a tight publication date and that by the end he wanted to end it as quickly as possible. The book suffers from plot holes, undeveloped story lines and focuses little on the necromorphs that sometimes you wonder if this is a Dead Space story at all.
As a stand alone science fiction book it is fine but if you are huge fan of Dead Space you will not miss anything if decide to skip this book.
It is about two brothers who find their lives intertwined with signals from the Markers. The novel certainly has high points especially in the last third when the story picks up pace but characters which Evenson spends some time developing in the first two thirds are killed off pretty quickly soon after with literally no thought or repercussions of their deaths. You almost feel Evenson got bored of it or was subject to a tight publication date and that by the end he wanted to end it as quickly as possible. The book suffers from plot holes, undeveloped story lines and focuses little on the necromorphs that sometimes you wonder if this is a Dead Space story at all.
As a stand alone science fiction book it is fine but if you are huge fan of Dead Space you will not miss anything if decide to skip this book.
February 16, 2016
Minor spoilers about the pacing below.
Approximately 2/3 of the book was in my opinion part of the intro, and even though it really got going towards the end I felt that it was just too late - The intro dragged on for too long and got a bit slow.
I debated giving a 4 stars instead because of how the suspense picks up later on but after spending so many pages just wishing for the "real" story to begin I settled for a 3 stars.
Approximately 2/3 of the book was in my opinion part of the intro, and even though it really got going towards the end I felt that it was just too late - The intro dragged on for too long and got a bit slow.
I debated giving a 4 stars instead because of how the suspense picks up later on but after spending so many pages just wishing for the "real" story to begin I settled for a 3 stars.
February 20, 2013
Niente male, ma dall'autore di "Dead Space: Martyr" mi aspettavo molto di più.
June 11, 2018
This book has a great plot and the ending was amazing.
February 12, 2020
“It took just a moment more to seperate all the limbs and make sure he was immobilised once and for all. Then he lay there on his back staring up at the ceiling. Hardly fair, he thought, to have to kill the same person twice. But then again, he told himself, life was never fair.”
3 stars.
Dead space Catalyst; the second book of the series and sequel to Martyr is a perfectly safe book. Not really adding anything to the existing canon, it simply is just another entry in the Dead Space mythos.
Not that I didn’t enjoy this, I just thought it was a little forgettable.
B.K Evenson is a funny writer. Reading the dialogue gushing from the mouths of insane people has never been so much fun, but the book was kind of slow until right up until that VERY abrupt ending.
Was left wanting a little bit more from this, Martyr was definitely the better book of the two.
3 stars.
Dead space Catalyst; the second book of the series and sequel to Martyr is a perfectly safe book. Not really adding anything to the existing canon, it simply is just another entry in the Dead Space mythos.
Not that I didn’t enjoy this, I just thought it was a little forgettable.
B.K Evenson is a funny writer. Reading the dialogue gushing from the mouths of insane people has never been so much fun, but the book was kind of slow until right up until that VERY abrupt ending.
Was left wanting a little bit more from this, Martyr was definitely the better book of the two.
January 7, 2026
I would give this book 4/5 stars. It was a great and well written book that was a lot of fun to read. It had lots of the Dead Space tropes that I know and love, it had lots of fun references to the games and lore, and was quite the page turner. the back 1/4 of the book seemed a little rushed and left some threads open but I think stories like the Dead Space IP are better left open and unanswered to keep the mystery alive. I loved this book, it was a good read.
January 29, 2020
Unless you are a hardcore Dead Space fan, even then it doesn't improve upon the previous book. Nothing much happens until the final third, and even then the previous book did everything better.
June 4, 2013
The protagonist is likable, if a little... disturbingly unaffected at times by the awful things happening around him, or the awful things he had to do. I suspect this was a result of a tight deadline, though; some passages showed him being really broken up by events, so the author likely just didn't have the time to focus on the character's emotional trauma at every turn.
The story is engaging, albeit rather slow-paced. The Necromorphs don't even show up until the last third of the book or so. Still, the author does things to keep the reader interested, and it worked for me. This is a worthy addition to the Dead Space franchise. It fills in some of the gaps in the mythology, while still leaving some important questions unanswered.
I was bothered by the ending, though. I thought it was appropriate and that the events leading up to the climax and denouement made sense, it just bugged me that the book ended when it did. I felt like some important plot lines had been left dangling, unfulfilled.
Even so, I enjoyed the book.
The story is engaging, albeit rather slow-paced. The Necromorphs don't even show up until the last third of the book or so. Still, the author does things to keep the reader interested, and it worked for me. This is a worthy addition to the Dead Space franchise. It fills in some of the gaps in the mythology, while still leaving some important questions unanswered.
I was bothered by the ending, though. I thought it was appropriate and that the events leading up to the climax and denouement made sense, it just bugged me that the book ended when it did. I felt like some important plot lines had been left dangling, unfulfilled.
Even so, I enjoyed the book.
January 10, 2015
Another Great "Dead Space" Work!
Fans of the "Dead Space" game have officially found their literary home in B.K. Evenson. I finished reading his first "Dead Space" book, "Martyr," and knew I had to come back for more.
Benson's pacing is perfect for a literary adaptation of such a suspenseful game. He keeps the plot and action moving. He doesn't sacrifice painting a world for the reader as he does so while at the same time not getting bogged down in minute description of everything in the scene.
Evenson taps into the story of two brothers, Jensi and Istvan, as they are caught up in the sinister will of something far more powerful than them both: The Marker. Evenson can spin a good character without it having to stay cramped in their heads. I find myself rooting for even the more minor characters he writes in.
It's not easy to capture the fear and terror that comes with "Dead Space" on purely a written from, but Evenson excels at that.
I couldn't put it down! Give this one a read!
Fans of the "Dead Space" game have officially found their literary home in B.K. Evenson. I finished reading his first "Dead Space" book, "Martyr," and knew I had to come back for more.
Benson's pacing is perfect for a literary adaptation of such a suspenseful game. He keeps the plot and action moving. He doesn't sacrifice painting a world for the reader as he does so while at the same time not getting bogged down in minute description of everything in the scene.
Evenson taps into the story of two brothers, Jensi and Istvan, as they are caught up in the sinister will of something far more powerful than them both: The Marker. Evenson can spin a good character without it having to stay cramped in their heads. I find myself rooting for even the more minor characters he writes in.
It's not easy to capture the fear and terror that comes with "Dead Space" on purely a written from, but Evenson excels at that.
I couldn't put it down! Give this one a read!
August 30, 2018
I enjoyed the first book in this series, although I had higher expectations from the game lore. The writing is sometimes "immature" but looking past that, I enjoyed the story.
This book started off somewhat strong and I couldn't stop reading, but as I prepared for an exciting ending, it felt rushed and almost incomplete.
It seems as if there was a time limit for the author and he didn't get to fully expand on his ideas or story in time to meet a deadline. When I got to about 85% completion of the book, I checked to see how many pages were left, as I was confused on how a good ending could happen with so little pages left.
It was readable definitely and I still enjoyed the story, I just really wish the ending was more detailed and that more was put into it.
This book started off somewhat strong and I couldn't stop reading, but as I prepared for an exciting ending, it felt rushed and almost incomplete.
It seems as if there was a time limit for the author and he didn't get to fully expand on his ideas or story in time to meet a deadline. When I got to about 85% completion of the book, I checked to see how many pages were left, as I was confused on how a good ending could happen with so little pages left.
It was readable definitely and I still enjoyed the story, I just really wish the ending was more detailed and that more was put into it.
March 11, 2020
I had high expectations going into this one since I loved the first novel, Martyr. Unfortunately this is nothing like it. The horror and mystery elements are nowhere to be seen, neither are the characters that defines the series like Michael Altman. The main characters, the brothers, are totally uninteresting, and it took 150 pages until I even found a single trace of sci-fi. I fast-forwarded until the last part but still there's no lore to read about here that you already didn't know about reading the first novel or playing the game. The ending is also really predictable. Since the story is standalone, there's really no reason to read this one.
May 23, 2015
This book really continued on the feeling generated by the first book, Dead Space: Martyr.
The story felt the same as well and if one can compare the sequence of events to the other, than it is possible to compare them by about the time where shite hits the fan. Both of the books were good at building the suspense and linking the presence of the markers to the events happening at stations and other places.
Interesting, to say the least, I would definitely read a third installment should one come around.
The story felt the same as well and if one can compare the sequence of events to the other, than it is possible to compare them by about the time where shite hits the fan. Both of the books were good at building the suspense and linking the presence of the markers to the events happening at stations and other places.
Interesting, to say the least, I would definitely read a third installment should one come around.
June 28, 2015
As a fan of the games I couldn't not like this book. That said its a smidge messy, but there's a sort of beauty in it that suits the tone of the games really well. Unexpectedly, there's a sympathetic and insightful caricature of mental illness in Istvan that made this book all the more unique and compelling.
Read
November 11, 2015I love Sci Fi but this was not what I expected or what I wanted (why did it come up in a search for books having to do with the Yucatan and the Maya?). I'm glad I read it after returning home from our trip; this is not a vacation read. Unless your vacation is way too fun and you're trying to temper that a bit.
May 17, 2013
The first novel in this series was better. The characters and plot were more developed and felt more like a Dead Space based book. But I can't get over how much I love this author's style! keep it up BK Evenson!
January 17, 2013
Really slow in some parts, especially in the first third. Many unanswered plot points.
Taken alone this book adds very little to the Dead Space universe.
Taken alone this book adds very little to the Dead Space universe.
April 12, 2021
Dead Space: Catalyst is a Tie-In Novel set in the Dead Space universe, written by B.K. Evenson. Although it takes place before the first Dead Space game, it has no major connection to any other story in the series or Dead Space: Martyr, Evenson's other Dead Space novel.
Istvan Sato has always had mental problems, like hearing voices, seeing patterns everywhere, zoning in and out of reality, and a mild case of Lack of Empathy. The only person he will listen to is his younger brother Jensi, who has taken care of his brother since they were kids. One day, Istvan kills a local politician (though he says he was told the gun would shoot red dye) and is sent to a prison colony on the planet Aspera for political prisoners.
Coincidentally, Aspera is also home to a secret research facility that is building a Marker, led by fervent Unitologist Dr. Enoch Briden. As is customary with Markers, it's presence is causing people to hallucinate, mutilate, and kill themselves. Dr. Briden and his team discover that Istvan is not affected by the Marker's presence. B.K. Evenson, author of Dead Space: Catalyst, provides an exceptional addition to the Dead Space expanded universe. Evenson remains faithful to the Dead Space mythos while providing insight with further details of the Marker’s methodical approach to universal dominion.
Evenson divides the narrative arc in two; dedicated to the protagonist and the Marker. Just as the backstory of the Marker takes form along with the relevance of its architecture, the novel continues a similar pattern. Beginning with the wide foundation, the novel slowly builds upwards, weaving together character storylines to an unexpected conclusion. This analogy is important, taking into consideration the complex mythology of the Dead Space universe.
The tone of the novel, as expected, was dark with little to no humor. The video game series relies heavily on visual effects and surroundings for the purpose of immersing the player within the horrors of the Marker’s dominion. In a similar manner, Evenson utilizes powerful imagery by replicating the terrors and fears emulating the game’s grotesque environment.
Overall, Dead Space: Catalyst is a great read for both fans and non-fans alike of the video games series. It’s bizarre, grotesque and a very enjoyable read. As the Marker creates an unbreakable bond with its victims, perhaps it will take hold of you, too. Thanks for reading.
Istvan Sato has always had mental problems, like hearing voices, seeing patterns everywhere, zoning in and out of reality, and a mild case of Lack of Empathy. The only person he will listen to is his younger brother Jensi, who has taken care of his brother since they were kids. One day, Istvan kills a local politician (though he says he was told the gun would shoot red dye) and is sent to a prison colony on the planet Aspera for political prisoners.
Coincidentally, Aspera is also home to a secret research facility that is building a Marker, led by fervent Unitologist Dr. Enoch Briden. As is customary with Markers, it's presence is causing people to hallucinate, mutilate, and kill themselves. Dr. Briden and his team discover that Istvan is not affected by the Marker's presence. B.K. Evenson, author of Dead Space: Catalyst, provides an exceptional addition to the Dead Space expanded universe. Evenson remains faithful to the Dead Space mythos while providing insight with further details of the Marker’s methodical approach to universal dominion.
Evenson divides the narrative arc in two; dedicated to the protagonist and the Marker. Just as the backstory of the Marker takes form along with the relevance of its architecture, the novel continues a similar pattern. Beginning with the wide foundation, the novel slowly builds upwards, weaving together character storylines to an unexpected conclusion. This analogy is important, taking into consideration the complex mythology of the Dead Space universe.
The tone of the novel, as expected, was dark with little to no humor. The video game series relies heavily on visual effects and surroundings for the purpose of immersing the player within the horrors of the Marker’s dominion. In a similar manner, Evenson utilizes powerful imagery by replicating the terrors and fears emulating the game’s grotesque environment.
Overall, Dead Space: Catalyst is a great read for both fans and non-fans alike of the video games series. It’s bizarre, grotesque and a very enjoyable read. As the Marker creates an unbreakable bond with its victims, perhaps it will take hold of you, too. Thanks for reading.
January 11, 2023
I’m a huge Survival horror gamer fan. I’ve played many of the staples from Silent Hill to Resident Evil to Fatal Frame, you name it. Dead Space universe is in my top 5 favorite series in the genre. The remake for this 10+ year old series’ first adventure is set to release at the end of this month (January 27, 2023) and I am going down memory lane re-reading/finishing many of the franchise’s forms of media. The movies, comics, spin-off games, and books I will be devouring. So this time around it’s Dead Space Catalyst.
It’s another prequel to the first game but this time around it’s a new cast of characters not based on any figures mentioned in the games at least that I know of. We follow 2 brothers and their lives growing up in poor conditions and having all sorts of bad luck. I won’t say much but one brother ends up going to prison and the other laments their upbringing and wants to save him. Is the elusive marker or unitology behind all this?
This book was messy but kept my intrigue. The opening chapters are slow paced but it felt cozy and centered, at first I thought. I appreciated getting to know the brothers and the people in their lives. The middle is when the pacing gets wobbly. B.K. Evenson’s first outing, Martyr, was fast paced with lots of characters but still felt exciting. This one meanders. Also one of the brother’s may be schizophrenic which I guess may seem interesting against the marker which boggles the mind but you walk a fine line adding that. It can come off distasteful. Not enough questions answered why the brother is like this other than an abusive parent and maybe the poor slumps they grew up in.
The last few chapters picks up real well bringing the dead space action we come to know. I got so excited. All storylines colliding but unfortunately brings it to a whimpering crescendo end.
This one is harder to recommend, while its bookends strong it ultimately fails. While not a real hot mess, I can only suggest to hardcore fans who want to know every inch of the universe and story. I still had fun with this one but there were points I wanted to take a break. Hope this helps.
It’s another prequel to the first game but this time around it’s a new cast of characters not based on any figures mentioned in the games at least that I know of. We follow 2 brothers and their lives growing up in poor conditions and having all sorts of bad luck. I won’t say much but one brother ends up going to prison and the other laments their upbringing and wants to save him. Is the elusive marker or unitology behind all this?
This book was messy but kept my intrigue. The opening chapters are slow paced but it felt cozy and centered, at first I thought. I appreciated getting to know the brothers and the people in their lives. The middle is when the pacing gets wobbly. B.K. Evenson’s first outing, Martyr, was fast paced with lots of characters but still felt exciting. This one meanders. Also one of the brother’s may be schizophrenic which I guess may seem interesting against the marker which boggles the mind but you walk a fine line adding that. It can come off distasteful. Not enough questions answered why the brother is like this other than an abusive parent and maybe the poor slumps they grew up in.
The last few chapters picks up real well bringing the dead space action we come to know. I got so excited. All storylines colliding but unfortunately brings it to a whimpering crescendo end.
This one is harder to recommend, while its bookends strong it ultimately fails. While not a real hot mess, I can only suggest to hardcore fans who want to know every inch of the universe and story. I still had fun with this one but there were points I wanted to take a break. Hope this helps.
October 31, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book, but that doesn't make it a good book.
First off, the pacing - the book starts when the two main characters are boys, and ends when they're men. In the meantime, we get blips and excerpts of their lives, but honestly, not much of what occurred in their youth matters, and could've been removed altogether.
We get a lot of glimpses into the psyche of one of the brothers, and the rate at which we are repeatedly thrust into his insanity made me want to skip entire sections of the book. We also get lots of looks at shady governmental characters, but none of these go anywhere either. Could've been mostly removed.
Secondly, the book didn't provide many details that would make the world feel more real. Dead Space is one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played, and it's many little things coming together that make it whole (haha). There was very little of that here - entire scenes would play out and all we get is dialogue. On a related note, there were some pretty clear editing errors throughout the book that I found a little jarring - the same word being used multiple times in a sentence, or other baffling word choices.
Here's what I did like though -
1. Once the Necromorphs appear (that's not a spoiler, right?), there's a very appropriate amount of tension and action. The book could've done a bit better of a job explaining the hideous monstrosities being faced (we just hear the word "scimitars" being used a lot), but they're appropriately fearsome.
2. The book features just the right amount of callbacks to the game (a contact beam is used at one point, and someone all but says "cut off their limbs!").
3. The shady government characters were great, for what they did - but it wasn't altogether clear what they did or why they were doing it.
4. The overall plot of one brother seeking out the other was well done, even if it wasn't well understood why one brother could still love the other who is insane, a criminal, and physically abusive.
The biggest fix overall this book could've made would be to reduce the first 2/3 of the book and expand the last third.
First off, the pacing - the book starts when the two main characters are boys, and ends when they're men. In the meantime, we get blips and excerpts of their lives, but honestly, not much of what occurred in their youth matters, and could've been removed altogether.
We get a lot of glimpses into the psyche of one of the brothers, and the rate at which we are repeatedly thrust into his insanity made me want to skip entire sections of the book. We also get lots of looks at shady governmental characters, but none of these go anywhere either. Could've been mostly removed.
Secondly, the book didn't provide many details that would make the world feel more real. Dead Space is one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played, and it's many little things coming together that make it whole (haha). There was very little of that here - entire scenes would play out and all we get is dialogue. On a related note, there were some pretty clear editing errors throughout the book that I found a little jarring - the same word being used multiple times in a sentence, or other baffling word choices.
Here's what I did like though -
1. Once the Necromorphs appear (that's not a spoiler, right?), there's a very appropriate amount of tension and action. The book could've done a bit better of a job explaining the hideous monstrosities being faced (we just hear the word "scimitars" being used a lot), but they're appropriately fearsome.
2. The book features just the right amount of callbacks to the game (a contact beam is used at one point, and someone all but says "cut off their limbs!").
3. The shady government characters were great, for what they did - but it wasn't altogether clear what they did or why they were doing it.
4. The overall plot of one brother seeking out the other was well done, even if it wasn't well understood why one brother could still love the other who is insane, a criminal, and physically abusive.
The biggest fix overall this book could've made would be to reduce the first 2/3 of the book and expand the last third.
January 19, 2026
I'm currently reading this book and it's no where near as compelling as Martyr. I don't like Istvan as a character because his sections are just him rambling on inside his head, ignoring the tangible world around him. A lot of his sections are just him sitting idly trying to find "the patterns in the whispers" which doesn't come across as interesting nor compelling. It feels like filler because it's seriously the same thing over and over. His hallucinations don't scare him nor really teach him anything, since at the start of the book he'd hallucinate regularly because he's a troubled person with mental problems. I'm hoping he'll turn into an "Architect" for a Marker but his sections are so drab and lame that I'm currently getting irritated reading them. I'm more interested in his little brothers journey to find him, which comes with real sacrifices and mistakes made, while Istvan sits in his imaginary world doing nothing. I'm getting sick of reading "He's sitting there listening to the whispers thinking to himself" repeatedly. At least in Martyr, Altmen has a compelling mystery that he wants to solve regarding the Marker, with his sense of self holding back the influence the Marker so desperately tries to break. Istvan doesn't have any mystery, only imagined nonsense that makes his character lame and a bore. So far he hasn't grown to be any better as the story goes on. I'm really looking forward to him dying so his arch will be done with. I'm currently at 53% completion and I hope it picks up soon because I'm getting really bored with Istvan and his arch.
- Finished it! The action really sets off around the 70% mark compared to the firsts 80%, but overall I wouldn't recommend this book over the first one. The story just isn't all that interesting until the outbreak truly starts, and most of it just felt like filler. Like I said before, Istvan is a really unlikable character, he doesn't do much but sit or stand around mumbling to himself from beginning to end. The ending doesn't disappoint though. B.K. Evenson really does like bleak endings, and it ended rather well compared to the first one.
- Finished it! The action really sets off around the 70% mark compared to the firsts 80%, but overall I wouldn't recommend this book over the first one. The story just isn't all that interesting until the outbreak truly starts, and most of it just felt like filler. Like I said before, Istvan is a really unlikable character, he doesn't do much but sit or stand around mumbling to himself from beginning to end. The ending doesn't disappoint though. B.K. Evenson really does like bleak endings, and it ended rather well compared to the first one.
January 19, 2024
Probably the weaker of the two books in the series. I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it unless you're a major fan of the Dead Space series as it doesn't add much to the universe. Evenson does a great job of fleshing out the universe and its characters and his writing is pretty engaging, just like it was for his first book " Dead Space Martyr". I found the main relationship between the brothers to be frustrating though as it was mostly categorized by Jensi protecting his brother (usually to his detriment) and very little actual bonding or happiness between the two of them. It made me wonder why Jensi kept risking so much for a brother that he seemed to have very little connection with aside from his sense of familial obligation. Even considering this, I think the story relied too heavily on that as being a motivating factor for it to be believable.
October 20, 2020
B.K. Evenson did it again, unmistakenly, he captured the nightmarish gloominess and hopelessness of the dead space universe, where the hope for a better future is virtually nonexistent. Here, the most important battles are not of the physical but of the mind. He delivers and builds tension throughout the first 2/3 of the book and delivers the final blow in the last third which culminates with a mind-blowing, franchise-well-suited end.
I wished that this book is not standalone in the series and that it continues and influences the dead space universe on a larger scale. However, this is not the case, catalyst basically stands as a separate story in the multimedia series.
I wished that this book is not standalone in the series and that it continues and influences the dead space universe on a larger scale. However, this is not the case, catalyst basically stands as a separate story in the multimedia series.
March 25, 2018
GLORY TO THE CHURCH OF UNITOLOGY
Time and again we find these records - these BLASPHEMIES of those who would fight the salvation that our faith offers. Time and again we must endure their ridicule, their arrogance in fighting the deathless glory. We must stand strong, brothers and sisters, ready to embrace eternal life when the time comes.
Praise be to Altman
PS
But seriously, I don't remember this one all that well - meaning it didn't make a particular impression on me. I remember it being entertaining, but that could have just been my DEEP love for the setting.
Time and again we find these records - these BLASPHEMIES of those who would fight the salvation that our faith offers. Time and again we must endure their ridicule, their arrogance in fighting the deathless glory. We must stand strong, brothers and sisters, ready to embrace eternal life when the time comes.
Praise be to Altman
PS
But seriously, I don't remember this one all that well - meaning it didn't make a particular impression on me. I remember it being entertaining, but that could have just been my DEEP love for the setting.
May 30, 2023
3.5 / 5.
Not quite as good or horrifying as Martyr, but still not a bad read. Dead Space: Catalyst at times feels a bit safe, takes a while to get going, and doesn't quite expand on the lore as much as Martyr did, but the back half of this book really helps bump up my rating here, as it quickly becomes intense and really interesting, specifically things to do with the marker.
The book isn't overly long, is paced nicely and for fans of Martyr, this too is worth a read.
Next up, Dead Space comics (:
Not quite as good or horrifying as Martyr, but still not a bad read. Dead Space: Catalyst at times feels a bit safe, takes a while to get going, and doesn't quite expand on the lore as much as Martyr did, but the back half of this book really helps bump up my rating here, as it quickly becomes intense and really interesting, specifically things to do with the marker.
The book isn't overly long, is paced nicely and for fans of Martyr, this too is worth a read.
Next up, Dead Space comics (:
March 16, 2024
I'm a big fan of the Dead Space franchise and while it was interesting enough to find out what caused the first outbreak on Aegis 7 before the events of the first game, and the Ishimura. This book just seemed to drag for the vast majority of it.
Neither Jensi or Istavan were super interesting. At least with Martyr, we got to know the famed "founder" of Unitology and the founding of the Black Marker.
If Catalyst had the interesting characters that Martyr had, I would've rated it higher.
Neither Jensi or Istavan were super interesting. At least with Martyr, we got to know the famed "founder" of Unitology and the founding of the Black Marker.
If Catalyst had the interesting characters that Martyr had, I would've rated it higher.
June 28, 2018
Like Martyr, Catalyst starts off with an unusual story and ends full-blown Dead Space. Amazing writing, amazing characters, and an amazing story.
B.K. Evenson, if Dead Space ever comes back, I hope you're behind the novels to follow. No one else would be able to keep me reading and wanting more like you do.
B.K. Evenson, if Dead Space ever comes back, I hope you're behind the novels to follow. No one else would be able to keep me reading and wanting more like you do.
July 1, 2020
Curiously, this book falls victim to the cliche of the second-rate sequel of an untouchable predecessor. I read this book in one setting, and though well done, a far cry of the authors first work, Martyr, in the Dead Space dilogy.
I appreciate the deep dive into the unimaginable coverup and if you are a lover of all things DS, pick it up for a quick read.
I appreciate the deep dive into the unimaginable coverup and if you are a lover of all things DS, pick it up for a quick read.
June 14, 2017
Since not much is actually happening, they stretch the book by using a multiplying number of POW-characters, most of which are killed off, and some are simply forgotten by the end of the story.
An OK piece of game lore, but an average book by itself.
An OK piece of game lore, but an average book by itself.
January 1, 2019
I absolutely love the Dead Space universe, and was happy to spend more time in it. This story is a little slow at times, but does a good job of building dread for what Dead Space fans know is ultimately coming.
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