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Tex Murphy #3
Tex Murphy and the Tesla Effect
From the author of "Tex Murphy and the Pandora Directive" and "Tex Under a Killing Moon" comes the latest thrilling adventure in the series. Tex Murphy is an old-school P.I. living in the New San Francisco of 2043. He fancies himself hard-boiled, but is more like sunny-side up. He’s also been known to get fried, scrambled and poached. He’s just solved the biggest case of his life (so far) and actually got paid for it. After a romantic dinner with the lovely and elusive Chelsee Bando, Tex is in love, out of debt and on top of the world. What could possibly go wrong? When Tex wakes up, disoriented and head pounding, on the fire escape outside his office at the Ritz Hotel, he soon discovers that all his memories since that night with Chelsee have been erased. Years have passed and everything in Tex’s life has changed. Old friends are hostile. Former enemies are now allies. And Chelsee is gone…maybe forever. Whoever did this could have given Tex a one-way ticket to zombie land by wiping his memory completely…but they didn’t. There was something specific they wanted him to forget. But what? And who was behind it? The rival P.I. who was doing surveillance on Tex’s office and turns up murdered? One of the mysterious characters racing to find a priceless collection of Nikola Tesla’s documents and lost inventions? Or the shadowy organization that’s made a fortune in cryonics – freezing (and, rumor has it, reanimating) dead bodies? Tex Murphy, the last of the old-school gumshoes, is on the case for himself this time. Motivated by lost love, revenge and the world’s strongest coffee blend, Tex will need every bit of his questionable social skills, relatively quick thinking, blind luck and the ol’ Murphy charm. Only by investigating his own past can Tex hope to regain his memory in time to solve the mysteries of the past and present and prevent a devastating future.
266 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2014
6 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 18, 2018
Great novel by Mr. Aaron Conners as Tex Murphy returns to the spotlight.
This novel picks up where The Pandora Directive ends (no spoilers) and then proceeds to jump forward a few years (or 7 in time) as Tex attempts to recover his memory in the style of the tried-and-true plot device.
This novel is the basis for the award-winning video game, Tesla Effect, and, in my opinion, is the superior of the two! The ending is quite different from the game, though I believe it to be far better.
As usual, Tex is an immensely likable fellow, and the supporting cast is well-rounded. 5 stars for me.
This novel picks up where The Pandora Directive ends (no spoilers) and then proceeds to jump forward a few years (or 7 in time) as Tex attempts to recover his memory in the style of the tried-and-true plot device.
This novel is the basis for the award-winning video game, Tesla Effect, and, in my opinion, is the superior of the two! The ending is quite different from the game, though I believe it to be far better.
As usual, Tex is an immensely likable fellow, and the supporting cast is well-rounded. 5 stars for me.
October 13, 2019
Excellent read
Riveting from start to finish, the pace is non-stop. Loved it all
If your a Tex Murphy fan you'll love it. If you have never read any of the Tex Murphy books I'd suggest starting with Under a Killing Moon. It all relates.
Riveting from start to finish, the pace is non-stop. Loved it all
If your a Tex Murphy fan you'll love it. If you have never read any of the Tex Murphy books I'd suggest starting with Under a Killing Moon. It all relates.
March 27, 2020
A must read for fans of the video game series. I admit, I had a hard time following the story from the video game but this was much more compelling in terms of story. As others have mentioned changes were made for the game adaptation.
June 2, 2022
I liked the game.
The book is a bit different and more of a extended version.
But the writing and plot are fun and quirky.
Plus, there are tons of weird characters which I love.
The book is a bit different and more of a extended version.
But the writing and plot are fun and quirky.
Plus, there are tons of weird characters which I love.
February 11, 2023
If you enjoyed the game from the 2000's, then you will enjoy this book
June 2, 2016
So, I have read the three Tex Murphy´s books, and in the whole I have enjoyed them more than I was expecting. I´m a fan of the games, but reading the books gives you the "true story".
My favorite still is Under a Killing Moon, but if you are a fan of Tex, I believe you must read at least one of those books. Aaron Conners is a gifted writer.
Tesla Effect has many ups and downs, so I´ll give you a short review, avoinding spoilers, dividing the book in 3 parts:
First 1/3 of the book: A bit tiresome (more or less like the game), with a lot of jokes that are now sounding old - because they were used already in the other books (mainly the ones about the Brew & Stew and its food). At this point I was thinking this would be the worst book in the series.
Middle of the book: Stronger than the game by a mile. Everything is clearer, better, more coherent. Some characters that are not very well defined in the game (mostly Raymond Mantus) is very well written here. The tension gets building up and at this point I was thinking the book, despite the beginning, could become the best in the series. This part in the game is quite a mess (the scenes with the girls etc.), but it´s very streamlined in the novel.
Last part of the book: Worse than the game. A lot of things that are amazing in the game are too simplistic here, and shorter. The scene with the Spirit Radio doesn´t have half the emotion you get in the game. I won´t spoil the last chapters, but I must say the ending is worse than any ending in the game - and it´s quite different from the paths you can get in the game. There´s a particular decision from Tex that didn´t sound good to me. It´s the kind of ending that is not fulfilling, and a very important character simply disappears some chapters before and you don´t know what will happen to him/her, leaving a big question mark over the whole situation.
The game gives you a satisfying conclusion, and if Tesla Effect is the last game in the series, I´m pleased. But the end of the book is not satisying, and it begs for a follow-up. Let´s hope Aaron writes that.
My favorite still is Under a Killing Moon, but if you are a fan of Tex, I believe you must read at least one of those books. Aaron Conners is a gifted writer.
Tesla Effect has many ups and downs, so I´ll give you a short review, avoinding spoilers, dividing the book in 3 parts:
First 1/3 of the book: A bit tiresome (more or less like the game), with a lot of jokes that are now sounding old - because they were used already in the other books (mainly the ones about the Brew & Stew and its food). At this point I was thinking this would be the worst book in the series.
Middle of the book: Stronger than the game by a mile. Everything is clearer, better, more coherent. Some characters that are not very well defined in the game (mostly Raymond Mantus) is very well written here. The tension gets building up and at this point I was thinking the book, despite the beginning, could become the best in the series. This part in the game is quite a mess (the scenes with the girls etc.), but it´s very streamlined in the novel.
Last part of the book: Worse than the game. A lot of things that are amazing in the game are too simplistic here, and shorter. The scene with the Spirit Radio doesn´t have half the emotion you get in the game. I won´t spoil the last chapters, but I must say the ending is worse than any ending in the game - and it´s quite different from the paths you can get in the game. There´s a particular decision from Tex that didn´t sound good to me. It´s the kind of ending that is not fulfilling, and a very important character simply disappears some chapters before and you don´t know what will happen to him/her, leaving a big question mark over the whole situation.
The game gives you a satisfying conclusion, and if Tesla Effect is the last game in the series, I´m pleased. But the end of the book is not satisying, and it begs for a follow-up. Let´s hope Aaron writes that.
January 8, 2015
Unlike previous Tex novels, this one seems to have been written in parallel with the game rather than as an adaptation after the fact, and as such the differences are pretty pronounced. What's more, there seems to have been some continuity problems created in the game by editing and restructuring after the fact.
This novel goes a long way toward consolidating the somewhat convoluted story of the game. It features most of the same characters and some of the dialog is almost word-for-word, but the order in which plot points are revealed is radically different, and some of the more outlandish story elements are gone altogether. The ending is also considerably different than any of the game's endings and really quite poignant. Recommended for any Tex fan. If you're not familiar with the earlier games or novels, they're probably a better starting point, though.
This novel goes a long way toward consolidating the somewhat convoluted story of the game. It features most of the same characters and some of the dialog is almost word-for-word, but the order in which plot points are revealed is radically different, and some of the more outlandish story elements are gone altogether. The ending is also considerably different than any of the game's endings and really quite poignant. Recommended for any Tex fan. If you're not familiar with the earlier games or novels, they're probably a better starting point, though.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews