Deus Ex: Black Light

Deus Ex Universe #3

by James Swallow

ILLUMINATE THE SHADOWS The year is 2029, and the shining promise of a new age of human augmentation is in ruins in the wake of the devastating ‘Aug Incident’ – a horrific catastrophe triggered by a cabal of shadowy power brokers, where millions of cybernetically-enhanced people suffered a forced psychotic break.Awakening in the aftermath of a changed world, with gaps in his memories and suspicion on all sides, augmented ex-cop and former security operative Adam Jensen struggles to piece his life back together, in a new reality where ‘Augs’ have become the targets of hatred, fear and violent discrimination.Now the dark forces behind the Incident are gathering once again, reaching out to manipulate the course of global events through terror and intimidation. To find the answers that he seeks and the people who destroyed everything he knew, Jensen must return to the ashes of the past, reconnect with old allies, and risk all to expose a deadly conspiracy – but in a world shattered by secrets, can the truth be brought into the light?A brand-new official Deus Ex novel, bridging events between Deus Human Revolution and the brand-new game Deus Mankind Divided.

Genres: Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Video Games, Thriller, Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 2016

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid tie in novel between Human Revolution and Mankind Divided (though I've just started the latter). Well written, good action, brings back old characters I loved and introduced new ones I grew to like too. Swallow did a good job of writing a concise story for Adam Jensen while also working in the larger groups in the Deus Ex universe. All in all a really well rounded novel. A quick read too, if you're motivated.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deus Ex Black Light By James Swallow, is a video game tie-in novel based on the “Deus Ex video game franchise”.

Set a year after the events of Deus Ex Human Revolution, former security officer Adam Jensen awakens in a weak body with a fragmented memory and a year of lost time. He encounters a world now firmly gripped by anti-aug sentiment and a tightly-monitored populace of desperate people who depend on those same augmentations for their very survival. After regaining his strength, Jensen returns to Detroit with the intention of piecing his former life back together. Instead he gets wrapped up in a fresh conspiracy involving a ring of smugglers who intend on using stolen Sariff technology for nefarious means. With the aid of his old hacker comrade Frank Pritchard, Jensen sets out to bring the smuggling ring down, save a few lives, and to stop mysterious Illuminati’s plans.

One of my biggest complaints about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was the fact it was a story which took place in the middle of itself. There was a very weak beginning where lots of confusing as well as contradictory information was thrown at you as well as a weak ending where we didn't know what was going on.

 Despite this, I enjoyed quite a lot of the world-building and was curious about the novel set between Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. I, honestly, wasn't expecting much despite liking Deus Ex: Icarus Effect by the same author. After all, game fiction tends to be disposable. Well, this isn't.

Black Light is a book which absolutely should be read before a person plays the 2016 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It not only follows directly from the original game, but fills in a lot of events which are only alluded to in the main game. These include Adam Jensen being fished from the ocean, his recovery time in an Illuminati-run hospital, how he found out about Sarif Industries going under, and then deciding to work for both the Juggernaut Collective as well as Task Force-29. This is in addition to the book's main plot of preventing an arms deal secretly backed by the Illuminati.

I'm kind of irritated that so much of this was left out of Mankind Divided but I'm going to try to review the book based on its own merits. As such, James Swallow does an excellent job of getting down Adam Jensen's "voice" as well as his vitriolic relationship with fan favorite Francis Pritchard. We can feel Adam's dismay as he finds himself in a world where not only are Augments (cyborgs) despised but the truth of the incident which drove them violently insane for a day has been covered up.

The depiction of the world is moving with the sight of Detroit transformed from the crime-ridden but hopeful community in Human Revolution to a hellish wasteland even worse than our present reality. There's also a lot of emotion to be had from the fact Adam wanders around Sarif Industries, finding everything boarded up and forgotten. The Second Renaissance promised by augmentation technology is destroyed and it's all because we weren't able to stop Hugh Darrow and the Illuminati in the first game.

This isn't a book for individuals who didn't play Deus Ex: Human Revolution as it makes a staggering number of references to the game. It also has a surprising cameo from a character who played a big role in both the original Deus Ex and Icarus Effect. I appreciated this cameo and seeing Adam Jensen face off against him, even though I know they're never actually going to have a definitive fight.

The characters and politics are spelled out well with everything we need to know about the Illuminati, Juggernaut Collective, and Task Force-29 all shown. I especially liked how the Juggernaut Collective comes off as sinister and invasive to Pritchard rather than an Anonymous-stand-in like it has been portrayed in other games. The fact the Juggernaut Collective has utterly misread Task Force 29, thinking of them as nothing more than Illuminati puppets, is also a neat twist.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and think it's a pretty good addition to the Deus Ex universe. The problem is that this is all stuff which really should have been in the 2016 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided game, and it's frustrating to find important exposition regulated to side content. Deus Ex fans will enjoy this, but I think causal readers not familiar with the game’s universe might be little lost. Despite my problems Deus Ex: Black Light. I still found the book to be a decent cyberpunk techno thriller.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid: the world of Adam Jensen

James Swallow has a knack for descriptive language and prose that kept me captivated from beginning to end. I never felt lost...or at a loss for an image. And as lead in to a new chapter of events and introduction to an entire world, this novel does its job admirably all the moreso because the charachters had real heart, smarts and a personal stake in events that felt much bigger than any one of them alone. In fact, if anything, part of me wishes the novel had been even more wide-reaching and expansive in scope than it was, ultimately. However the intimacy and the rather close-quarters nature of the majority of the plot served its readers better than I would have anticipated. Most of all, I became thoroughly invested in the life and motivations of the titular man himself, Jensen, only wheting my appetite all the more for the game Mankind Divided to follow...

[Mart · Rating 3 out of 5]

He had never been given the choice, the chance to decide if he wanted to remain a flawed and broken human or become augmented with systems that had not only remade him, but forged him into a walking weapon.

I would have loved it if this was a prequel DLC of Mankind Divided. Basically this book is here to fill in the gaps between the two games and it was a welcome piece of work for me. I loved Human Revolution and Adam Jensen as its protagonist, so I was excited to get to the follow-up. It seems retarded games like Call of Duty or FIFA get a release every single year, while Deus Ex is set on hiatus because of low sales. The world is cruel to me, because Mankind Divided was (almost) everything I wanted from the sequel. Sadly, we won’t be seeing another Deus Ex game any time soon.
Black Light is a novel that sheds light on the events immediately after Jensen wakes up relatively one year after Panchea. He sets out to see for himself the consequences of the Aug Incident and returns to Detroit only to get involved in another elaborate plan of the Illuminati. I was happy to see Pritchard again and a little sad that Sarif had no appearance whatsoever.
The story was a little over the top and even though there was much going on, it still felt kind of dragging at times. Some part were too forced, as if the author didn’t have a clear idea where he was going with his story and had the need to constantly put forward new characters to later kill off. However, overall I quite enjoyed it. It wasn’t much but as a fan of the franchise I can appreciate it more than the random reader, I guess, even with all of its inconsistencies.

[Igor Veloso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its fine whether you read this book before of after the events of Mankind Divided, The Game.

It does fill the gap and might make you more familiar with some characters, but the game is designed for a cold start and does it brilliantly. If you have history with Deus Ex games, you might find the book too action packed, specially if you’ve built your perception of Adam Jensen as the smooth talking stealthy guy that avoids bloodshed at all costs. Book Jensen is much more of a loose canon even if it feels like the world is naturally against him.

The story villains seem way more one dimensional than you’re probably used to. The game has lots of build up and nuance, including its sociopaths. Even from Icarus Effect onward they feel more like normal but remarkably skilled people doing a job and less like cold blooded killers. There’s even respect for Jensen and for the job. Black Light on the other hand makes everyone sort of an extremist. A mirror of the times for sure, because of “The Incident”, but the trade off is I simply couldn’t connect to them.

The highlight of the book is Pritchard, of course – come on people, guy is in the cover – and the usual battle of personalities between him and Jensen. These guys always had great chemistry regardless of the spite they have for each other - and respect. Its a relationship that matured well.

If you’re not a fan of the saga, can’t really recommend you this book, unless you feel like risking it. What I love about the world of Deus Ex is its relateability to the real world. All the organizations you know of exist, and the saga simply adds what makes sense geopolitically. Again, Icarus Effect does this better as far as books go.

Can’t say I’m disappointed except for a couple things: one, its virtually non-stop action and there isn’t really any politics involved. Jensen shows vulnerability, but sometimes he's just too lucky; two, there are a couple of woke points in there that I’m not sure about, very minimal, but they were very noticeable because of the trope it represented. Can almost predict which surface physical traits and profile certain characters going to have just by their hierarchical position. Doesn’t feel natural. Feels quota. But like I said, not distracting, just noticeable, but I had to say it.

I enjoyed it nice enough. This is a world I love to immerse in and would like more fiction, multiple perspectives included. Not sure if the author just does it when he has to, or its a copyrights thing, but I would love more. Also, please, make Illuminati more illusive and mysterious, please? No more brute force stories.

I’m just a sucker for Human Revolution, it ticked all the right switches for me.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year, I had read the Icarus Effect and found it arguably the best book I read all year. So needless to say when I found myself digging around a few book sites recently and found out that another Deus Ex book existed and it was by the same author, I jumped to purchase it. This book is supposed to act as the gap between the video games, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It is a self contained adventure and is a wonderful bridge of a book.

Somewhere in Facility 451 in the far reaches of Alaska; Adam Jensen, former security operative is kept in confinement. He is an ex-cop and fully augmented which explains why he is in 451, a facility that keeps all people of his kind. I say "his kind" because Black Light deals with racism but the racism between humans (Naturals) and the augmented (anybody with cyber limbs or parts). The augmenteds that are most dangerous are being kept here while the rest are either in military groups or wither away in the gutters of the streets of America as outcasts.

Desperate for their next fix of neuropozyne, they will do anything to survive (Jensen is a very rare augmented that doesn't need the drug to keep his cyber running at full operation). Jensen is soon able to escape with his new found friend Stacks and then reunites with his hacker friend named Pritchard in the decaying city of Detroit. There he must find the people responsible behind his troubled past and put them to rest.

The story is extremely interesting and hard to put down due to the number of complex characters. Even the villains here go beyond the traditional two dimensional thug as we learn about the Illuminati, a secret society intent on ruling the world. Events are very well pieced together and all of the scenarios play out almost as if they were levels in the game. Which is the point I guess, but plenty of "game" books don't come close in this execution.

My only issue with the book was the chapters and the way they were spread out. Most chapters come in about 20-25 pages and are made up of 3 or 4 locations or events. I think it would have been better suited to half those amounts and this book would have been near perfect. Any other complaint I have pretty much starts with "I want more, more, more." I can only hope we see another Deus Ex novel from Mr. Swallow in the near future. A great story and solid recommendation from this reader. Enjoy.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been playing the “Deus Ex” video games since they were released. I read the first book, “Icarus Effect”, and thought it was good. I was excited about a new game, and made the accompanying book a priority. I was in the midst of a move though, so it took some time to finish.


SUMMARY
After the events of the “Human Revolution” video game, the world is in crisis following the “Aug Incident”, and people with cybernetic implants are falling under numerous legal restrictions. Adam Jensen is retrieved from the ocean (with some memory loss) and placed in a rehabilitation center. He soon realizes they have no good intentions and stages an escape with a fellow prisoner. He makes contact with Francis Pritchard (a former coworker and hacker) to continue his personal crusade against the Illuminati, a shadowy society of would-be world rulers who have been manipulating events for their own gain.


OVERALL: 3 out of 5
This is a good book, especially considering how lousy a lot of video game tie-in books tend to be. James Swallow is a solid author and he provides an added dimension to the overall story of the video games. I really felt like I was reading something that was carrying on the tradition of the Sprawl trilogy by William Gibson, though the Deus Ex universe and Swallow’s style are definitely their own.

There is a fight sequence near the ending (against a surprise character from the rest of the series) that is really well done. I was on the edge of my seat reading through that part.

Unfortunately the overall story is a bit weak. It’s great to have some of the holes between the two games filled, but the plot doesn’t stand strongly enough on its own. I understood the motivations of the characters, but I don’t get the importance placed on certain things. Maybe that is the intent, and I understand the need to keep some questions unanswered in a story about conspiracies, but some additional clarification on things would have been helpful.


RATINGS BY CATEGORY
CHARACTERS: 3 out of 5
People have complained that Adam Jensen is a boring character; he is a stoic figure in the games so that the player’s choices (which can range from benevolent to nearly psychopathic) don’t break against any established attitude or characterization the actor provides. Swallow is able to make an interesting guy out of him though. Anyone familiar with the excellent voice work done by Elias Toufexis can imagine him saying the lines in the book. There is also some explanation for some of his pauses during conversations, as the book reveals he is accessing data or programs available in his implants.

If justice is done to Jensen, the new characters introduced in the book are even better. The Interpol agents led by Christian Jarreau have their own relationships and intrigue (including the possibility of a potential traitor in their midst), gang banger “throwaway” characters are given some added dimensions, and there is additional light shed on the upper echelons of the Illuminati.


PACE: 3 out of 5
I am probably biased against the book’s pace because I started moving to a different state while reading (and changing jobs). The first half of the book felt slower, though it provides some good atmosphere and setting, while also setting up the characters. The second half of the book is fast and intense, as Jensen starts digging deeper into the conspiracies and things turn violent.


STORY: 2 out of 5
I liked this book, but the plot felt a little weak. The author actually doesn’t shed enough light on exactly what is going on and what’s at stake. On the surface I understand it’s about a bunch of weapon-grade implants being stolen from Adam Jensen’s former boss, but I am not sure why it matters that much. I am sure some of the questions are answered in the companion game (“Mankind Divided”), but the book should be able to stand better on its own feet. For instance, I am still not sure what “Black Light” even means. Is it a codename for Adam Jensen himself? I think that’s the case, but I am not positive.

The smaller plot elements and character interactions make up for the weakness of the overall plot though, and there are some A+ 5-star action scenes here. Jensen has a running chase through a burning warehouse and later boards a speeding train to rescue a bunch of people while stopping his enemies. What might be considered "boss fights" are really well done.


DIALOGUE: 4 out of 5
I really liked most of the dialogue in this book. Everyone sounds believable, and there is some good conversations between characters. Though not technically dialogue, I also enjoyed Adam Jensen’s thoughts. The antagonist does offer some monologue near the end that grew old fast, but fortunately the author seemed to realize this as well and didn’t make it last longer.


STYLE/TECHNICAL: 3 out of 5
The book is well –written. I was never confused about what was going on, even though some of the action scenes are a bit complex. A lot of the ideas regarding augmentations and the abilities available to the characters are also explained in good detail.

The only real gripe I have in the execution is a few too many adverbs, especially “grimly” which appears three or four times in a short period.


SPECIAL BONUS SECTION
MY FAVORITE BITS
“It will take something better than you to end me.” – spoken by a certain unnamed German assassin at the peak of an amazing action scene, and indirectly referencing the protagonist of the original “Deus Ex” game released in 2000.

“I’ve had enough of watching people pay the price for some superior bastard’s idea of what makes the world work.” – Adam Jensen, topping off a great explanation of his motivations.

[Calvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful writing, but the plot is unnecessarily convoluted.

[Adam Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent entry into a universe that deserves more

The book is pretty good, good pacing and action but a bit rigid in how the story unfolds. Several times Adam should have been dead, but due to “Dey’s Ex Machina” of sorts, ends up living. It helped fill in the gaps between the two games , but some of the dialogue felt jilted and off balance, and some of the characters remained 2d throughout without any additional development. Pritchard being the most annoying example, someone who is completely dedicated to trading barbs with Adam yet always helps him, but is never a friend? Would of liked to have seen some kinship at least there.

[Neon Snake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than you think it's going to be: as video game tie-ins go, this is actually excellent, and an excellent cyberpunk book in its own right. It hits all the expected Gibson-esque notes, and that is not a bad thing. It also has some excellent action sequences, some great philosophical points to make, and is, for those invested in the Deus Ex universe, a great story that fleshes out some long-missed characters.

[Ryan Ohashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Days Ex...nothing more to say.

This book was a great one even without the game it is based off of! The writing masse you want to keep reading! The only downside is that if you've never played the video game then you might get lost without the big pieces of info directly related with this story!

I just wish that Mr. Swallow would write more novels on Deus Ex games...

[Carlo Travierso · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's awesome and if you love the Deus Ex franchise and Adam Jensen this is a must read. It takes place in different parts of the world so Adam will be traveling a bit and the writing is excellent. I don't want to spoil anything for you but let's just say Adam has to fight hard to survive on this one.

[Christian Goeselt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

This is a good book and reads like a good scifi action movie. While it's a great tie-in between Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, it also stands up by itself as a great story.

[O. U. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really exceptional book set between Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The world and story transfer from video game into book format effortlessly.

[Chãndí · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a real Deus Ex Experience.

What is there to say?

If you love darker, bleaker, grittier, psychologically dense, action-thriller Sci-Fi stuff, especially Cyberpunk, you're going to have to read this.

Now, if you're a reader and also happen to be a gamer, you've experienced Deus Ex Human Revolution, especially multiple playthroughs like I have, reading this is A MUST.

Not too long ago, after completing Human Revolution for a third time, I was under the cocksure impression that I could strap in and reel myself for Mankind Divided.

I was wrong.

Not even two missions in Mankind Divided did I realized that there was so much I wasn't registering.

I can't say you have to read and consume everything in the Deus Ex Universe to get a real sense for things, but if you're anything like me where once you're on to something and you absolutely need to get to the bottom of things --YOU'RE HOOKED IN.

I hear that's called being a fan.

Now, aside from that, on the merits of the novel alone I had a great time. There was familiarity, there was thought-provoking dialogue, some impressive, well-described internal thought conflicts within Jensen, and not to mention the pretty awesome action scenes and "boss fights".

Reading this novel definitely filled in some holes I noticed when I started Mankind Divided.

Which is kind of werid and ironic because I have more experience with non-fiction books. But that doesn't cancel out the amout subjective and personal feelings I have about Deus Ex and the whole Cyberpunk, crime, and spy stories I like to analyze and immerse in.

If I hadn't experienced any of the Deus Ex tiltles, let alone my hours of cop/crime T.V., mystery, spy/espionage films, or even the Cyberpunk genre, I don't think I'd be confident to say that this novel would've hit home for me.

I don't know.
Who knows.


Having previously read Icarus Effect, reading Black Light felt way more familiar. I mean come on, it's Adam Jensen and Francis Pritchard once again.

I'm not here to hate on or critique the main characters in Icarus Effect, but I think having a story kind of encapsulated on just Adam Jensen and occasionally breaking off into to smaller segments with other characters, I find that structure a lot more enjoyable. It feels good, it really does. Icarus Effect handled that structure well, but for me, there were a bit too many variables and characters involved that didn't deserve as much attention verses others.
Black Light on the other hand had a focus on Jensen, his story, and fliping from time-to-time to the Task Force operatives, then to the cyberspace virtual meetings, then to the personal meetings of the conspiracy elitists members. To me, it was put together well. But, having Adam Jensen, in the field, scraping against the odds and against death, I love it. It's edgy as it gets.


Perhaps I have some bias since my real-life characteristics, I guess Jensen's personality and his lifestyle reflects my own. Which might explain why having a story built around him and the other characters he works along with/encounters is more "weighty" and comes across as a "full-sized meal" for me, if you catch my drift.


In closing, since I'm a fan of Deus Ex, a fan of crime, spy, action-thrillers, Cyberpunk, the psychologically darker expressions (like in manga and anime), the and bleaker sides to this world, I give Black Light a five-star rating.

Books like these work -for folks like me- because it expands a bit narratively that the video game titles themselves may not be able to hit consumers and fans emotional and cognitively. As a reader, you're free from the hype and excessive stimuli of the action, the exploration, the sounds and other visuals. Instead, you have to imagine and leave some things up to interpretation.
As one who reads Deus Ex titles, its simply more focused on putting pieces, truths, and dense dialoges together; which to be honest, I kind of took a bit for granted in the video game adaptations.

[Antero Tienaho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paikoin kohtuullisen jännittäväkin jatko Deus Ex: Human Revolution pelille. Valitettavasti homma lässähtää lopussa siihen, että pelien välissä tapahtuvaan kirjaan ei voida / haluta laittaa mitään kovin dramaattista.

Adam Jensen seikkailee vuoden 2027 helvetinmaisemassa, jossa ihmisten geenimuuntelusta ja kyberneettisistä lisäpalikoista on tullut arkipäivää. Human Revolutionin lopun jäljiltä augmentoidut ihmiset ovat poissa muodista ja käytössä on jonkinlainen ”rotuerottelu.”

Salaliitot, hämärät operaatiot ja paranoia ovat jälleen päivän sanoja. Kirjaa vaivaa tie in -median yleiset ongelmat - halutaan tunkea mukaan cameoita peleistä tutuilta hahmoilta, kuvaillaan ihan liikaa pelimekaniikoista tuttuja vekottimia ja lopulta panokset on sitten aika pienet. Deus Ex on aina pelannut salaliittokliseillä ja eettisillä kysymyksillä mutta jäänyt aina vähän vajaaksi siitä, että näitä käytettäisiin oikeasti maustamista enemmän. Jensen päätyy monta kertaa melkein pohtimaan kiinnostavia kysymyksiä vallasta, hyväksikäytöstä ja etiikasta mutta sitten taas palataan toimintaan.

Kolme neljäsosaa tästä toimii kolmen tähden arvoisesti mutta loppu tuntuu antikliimaksilta. Lähinnä suuhun jää maku siitä, että hahmot, erityisesti tietty Jensen, on vain pitänyt saada asemoitua pelisarjan seuraavan osan alkuasetelmaan.

Proosa on ihan ok, tuskin kukaan tältä mitään ihmeitä sillä saralla odottaa. Jos odottaa, pettyy.

[Oganalp Canatan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice tie-in novel, giving you the necessary introductions of some of the characters and events of Mankind Divided. After reading the book; how the heck Jensen ended up in TF 29, who is Vega, what happened after the Panchea, where is Sarif and Pritchard (to some extent), why the game starts at where it begins, and we end up in Prague, tangled in an unrelated (at first) event gets some answers. It could have been a DLC, or the game could have been longer. In any case, a solid addition to the lore.

As expected from a game novel, it presumes that you know who the characters are, what the main setting is, and the agenda, so it would be wise to read this book after finishing Deus Ex 1, and Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution with the Missing Link DLC. You can either start Mankind Divided after reading this, or first finish the game, and then read it to fill in the gaps. Your call.

All in all, one of the better game novels I have read.

[Eduard Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Что я понял сразу в процессе чтения: Черный Свет как и Эффект Икара, было бы не лишним прочитать до прохождения видеоигр. Если я не знал, что мне так понравится DEHR, то DEMD я уже ждал и мог бы озаботиться вопросом о наличии книги, тогда сюжетный провал между играми не был бы таким огромным. В книге не упоминаются имена тиранов, кроме Саксона, работавшего на них какое-то время. Будто бы из судьба осталась неизвестной. В аугментированном гиганте точно узнается Гюнтер Герман.
В общих чертах я и получил удовольствие и остался неудовлетворенным одновременно. Со времен выхода обеих игр прошло много времени, и расстраивает то, что вселенная Deus Ex имеет невероятный потенциал на оригинальные истории, которыми не пользуются. Игры ушли на обслуживание зацикленного мультиплеера, а писатели не могут подавать информацию бесконечно в текстовом виде. Deus Ex - это стиль, художество, культура, узнаваемый по одному лишь отблеску черного и золотого.
Книга понравилась. Но этого мало. Слишком мало!

[Adam Gulledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better game novelizations I've read in many years.

It does a good job of offering up parts of the two year gap between Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, and the dialogue between Pritchard and Jensen never fails to be amusing. Makes me glad he came back in System Rift.

Wasn't a big fan of the action scenes though, and with Human Revolution being a game with many player-driven choices in the story, I was a bit disappointed to see no real commitment to any actions Adam took in this interpretation. The original Deus Ex took the 'all of the above' option with its ending, so I suspect that is also the intention here, though you can catch implications here and there, such as Malik surviving the incident in Hengsha.

If nothing else, this book will leave you with an urge to play the Deus Ex games, and that's always a good thing.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story that fills in the gaps between both games. I found it even most enjoyable if you've also played the original Deus Ex besides HR and/or MD, as was my case.
James Swallow does a good work capturing an Adam Jensen most of us can be comfortable with, and the atmosphere and feel of the whole Deus Ex saga is there with conspiracies bubbling under the surface, people being manipulated left and right and a city that's falled beyond saving. Some scenes are deeply emotional and will make your heart tight in your chest, while the action is fast paced and makes a good use of the resources this world provides.
Overall a good read that helps give context to Mankind Divided and it's a very enjoyable read on its own.

[travis williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jensen can see in the blackest of night

Dues ex black light I really like adam story I played both the video games and loved them and to see adam tackle the Illuminati and try to destroy them that’s a hero to me I dislike that he couldn’t even get one member to bring to justice but overall it was a good story I recommend to anyone who played the games over curiosity of the story and I gave it four stars because I love the world of augs and humans because it is a eyes wide open of wonder to me and I only took of one star cause I didn’t get to much depth on the Illuminati and I was curious as to how they rose to power

[恵美の女猫 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pas mal. Je me suis rendu compte que le livre est sorti juste avant la sortie du jeu DE:MD. On y retrouve des personnages du jeu et c'est sympathique d'avoir une histoire qui tourne autour de cet univers.
Pour ceux qui ont connus le premier jeu DE:HR on y retrouve des personnages (ou cités) comme David Sarif, Megan Reed, Faridah Malik ou Francis Pritchard. L'histoire se déroule après la fin de celui-ci.
On comprend comment Adam a été recruté par le collectif Juggernaut et pourquoi il les as rejoins de plus que pourquoi on se retrouve agent de la TF-29. Je suis en cours de partie et je dirais qu'on y trouve des indices sur certains choix à faire pendant le jeu.

[Aisling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Played both HR and MD recently and stumbled upon this, so I gave it a shot.
It does what it's supposed to do, and that is, make a believable bridge between the games, even though it feels like I have even more questions now than I had before (and I really hope they'll get answered in a future game.. or book).
It's not like this book is the epitome of literary art, actions scenes don't translate well on page, but the dialogues were short and good, the atmosphere was "always on the move" (can't describe it any other way), and most importantly, I got my fix of Jensen without having to play the games again. :)

[Iury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A suprisingly good novel.

Since Deus Ex Human Revolution, the lore of the game has reached a new pleateau of good storytelling, adding depth to most of the characters and a complicated plot that is necessary for any good 'police' thriller.

This book, filling the space between the Human Revolution and Mankind Divided games, is a very good addition to the series lore. It translated to literature the overall feeling of playing a Deus Ex game.

Nevertheless I find it hard to believe that this book would be good for a first contact with the series.

[Carlos M · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a tie-in, I'd say this book really set the stage for Mankind Divided and this story should at least being more acknowledged in the videogame. Only drawback I have are the Hollywoodesque stunts that Adam pulls off in some of the action sequences. Adam and Pritchard exchanges are really good, one of the advantages of having the writer of the game also working in this book. A certain cameo also brought a smile in my face and didn't find it that intrusive. I'd say this is essential if you are playing the Adam Jensen games and you are into reading.

[MuhPatriarchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the same writer, it's pretty much what a fan of the game (Deus Ex Human Revolution) could want. This isn't some cash-in novel that doesn't affect the lore: it features familiar main characters and locations, answers some questions and also raises a few that tie in directly to the sequel (Mankind Divided).
Theoretically one could read it without having played the game that precedes it, as it does briefly explain the terminology and events it references, but it's best for readers who are already fans of the games.

[E W · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. It's in a video game universe that I happen to like so it was a fun brisk read. Only thing I disliked was the occasional reminder of game play dynamics. It's one thing to mention air vents because its Deus Ex and why use a door when you can crawl through duct work but it's just stupid to write out the hacking minigame. Anyway I thought the book did a reasonable job of bridging the timegap from Human Revolution to Mankind Divided.

[Nick Brooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this hard going to start with but I think I had come from some light fantasy comedy so this was higher level.

Once I got into it I found it hard to stop and looked forward to the train trips to see where it went.

Definitely helps to know the characters and their backstories. Pritchard, the grumpy hacker, is one of my favorites and this story reinforces the grumpy but deep down caring guy.

[Filipe Passos-Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid tie-in novel (they tend not to be), written smartly. good action, characters i enjoyed a lot playing Human Revolution come back with flair, and a plot that is interesting (commendable, when you are forced to stick to the cannon and explore a narrow time window) although I feel the tension and atmosphere of the intrigue was a bit lacking (put thz soundtrack on abd you're good to go).
6.999/10

[G J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deus Ex: Black Light is a solid novel that integrates itself into the chronology between the end of Human Revolution and beginning of Mankind Divided. It gives more insight into the machinations and corruption of the world while providing us with greater characterization of the usually stoic Adam Jensen. Hoping they continue with the series and character with more sequels both game and book.