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Dishonored #1
The Corroded Man
Empress Emily Kaldwin leads a dual life, fulfilling her duties as empress while training with her father, Corvo Attano, mastering the arts of stealth, combat, and assassination.
A strange, shrouded figure appears in Dunwall, seeming to possess powers once wielded by the assassin known as Daud. Faced with the possibility that their deadliest foe has returned, Emily and Corvo plunge headlong into a life-and-death race against time. If they fail to learn the truth about this mysterious enemy, the result would be destruction on an unimaginable scale.
A strange, shrouded figure appears in Dunwall, seeming to possess powers once wielded by the assassin known as Daud. Faced with the possibility that their deadliest foe has returned, Emily and Corvo plunge headlong into a life-and-death race against time. If they fail to learn the truth about this mysterious enemy, the result would be destruction on an unimaginable scale.
373 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 27, 2016
147 people are currently reading
1761 people want to read
About the author
Adam Christopher
48 books717 followersAdam Christopher is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith and Master of Evil, Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town. He has also written official tie-in novels for the hit CBS television show Elementary and the award-winning Dishonored video game franchise.
Co-creator of the twenty-first-century incarnation of Archie Comics superhero The Shield, Adam has also written for the universes of Doctor Who and World of Warcraft, and is a contributor to the internationally bestselling Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View anniversary anthology series and the all-ages Star Wars Adventures comic.
Adam’s original novels include Made to Kill and The Burning Dark, among many others, and his debut novel Empire State was both a SciFi Now and Financial Times book of the year.
Co-creator of the twenty-first-century incarnation of Archie Comics superhero The Shield, Adam has also written for the universes of Doctor Who and World of Warcraft, and is a contributor to the internationally bestselling Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View anniversary anthology series and the all-ages Star Wars Adventures comic.
Adam’s original novels include Made to Kill and The Burning Dark, among many others, and his debut novel Empire State was both a SciFi Now and Financial Times book of the year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
September 30, 2017
For years we were waiting for a novel based on a video game that would be worthwhile. And the big news is: We will have to wait some more. Corroded Man is bad. I hate to say it, but even embarrassingly so. Cringy fascination with the original unfortunately does not end with the fact that author ventures outside of locations seen already in the game for only about two pages and that he reuses almost every character he can. It follows even the original's video gamey form - so protagonist spends most of the time drinking mana potions by dozens, and each one is accompanied with an explanation that the potion restores his power - for fuck's sake at least in the game I could turn the tutorial messages off - and at the end feels like a video game trapped on the paper instead of an actual book. This is not helped by the characters, only interesting thing about them being how dim-witted and pathetically over-acting they could be - I am talking about pages long explanatory monologue of triumphing villain level here - and story, which is just bland. There is almost no new interesting info about the world apart form the fact that canonically, our protagonists are kinda dumb and kinda hypocrites, raising hell about heinousness of grave robbing, but being only mildly uncomfortable with murdering captives. Really, who thought it's a good idea to have a personality of our videogame alter-egos codified this way? Meh I digress. tl;dr: Don't bother, it's bad. If you played the game, then there's nothing new in it, and if you didn't then just go play it, because while original's story is not exactly peak of storytelling either, at least you get to see the fantastic landscapes.
December 28, 2016
I'm rather wary of video game fiction as a general rule. Not because I don't want to give it a try but because so much of it is a shameless cash-in. There's exceptions, mind you, but they tend to be diamonds in the rough. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this work a try and see if it was better than the forgettable Wyrmwood Deceit comic book. I'm a huge Dishonored fan so I was hoping Adam Christopher would do a great job. Did he? Well, he did an entertaining job, which was better than I expected. It's not going to convince anyone video game adaptation work is a new medium but it's still a pretty decent adventure novel even without the tie-in elements.
The premise of the book is Zhukov, a prisoner from the Russian-esque Tyvia, escapes from a frozen prison with the aid of his newly-acquired supernatural powers. Wanting nothing more than revenge against the people who unjustly imprisoned him, he sets out to Dunwall in order to acquire the means of doing so. Meanwhile, a year before the events of Dishonored 2, Empress Emily Kaldwin is enjoying her newfound freedom gained by studying as a assassin under her father, Corvo Attano. Emily chances on Zhukov's newly-acquired minions in a revived Whalers assassins guild while they're robbing graves, putting her on a collision course with the organization.
I really liked the Corroded Man for giving me what I wanted from Dishonored 2, which was Corvo and Emily working together on a case. Seeing the two play off one another is quite entertaining and Adam Christopher captures an easy going relationship which is quite heartwarming. Corvo Attano wants to protect his daughter from all the evils of the world and has become a very competent spymaster as a result. However, he also is too protective and has indulged his daughter too much as she's become focused more on adventure than ruling her country.
Zhukov is a great character and represents a nice alternative to the somewhat whitewashed Corvo and Princess Emily. He's definitely a "High Chaos" run of the standard Dishonored protagonist and not without his own understandable grievances as well as discernible code of honor. Much of the book is about finding out what he's got planned and how it all fits together with the setting's mythology. Despite looking like a combination of Hush and Freddy Krueger, he's a character you can believe people will follow.
The supporting cast is also quite good with Gaylia as a former member of the Whalers assassins guild and the introduction of Empress Emily's lover Wyman, who is kept gender neutral for reasons which I think were well-intentioned but limit Wyman's development. I even liked the inclusion of Esme Boyle, minor character from the original Dishonored game who has gone on to be a high society matriarch.
If I have any complaints about the plot, it's that the book is a little too morally straight-laced. Dishonored was a game where the "good" play through had you send two men to be worked to death in a mine, a woman kidnapped to be given to her stalker, and another branded as a heretic in a society which ostracizes said beings. I would have preferred a little more darkness from our heroes but this is a complaint which extends to Dishonored 2 and might not have been the author's choice.
The writer also feels the need to make things feel a little more 'gamey' than they necessarily should. Much is made of Princess Emily sneaking around and basically playing out levels as if she were a video game character. I would have preferred a greater focus on the emotions of the characters and their sense of danger. I also felt a number of interesting characters were unceremoniously killed off when their stories had been laid out for something more. Some readers will dislike this sort of writing style but I was okay with it. I will forgive a lot for a chance to get back to Dunwall and visit with old friends.
The Corroded Man is full of action, adventure, and quite a bit of character development for the series' protagonists. I recommend fans of the series pick it up and even those who aren't familiar with the games will probably enjoy it as a fun steampunk fantasy adventure. I hope future books will recapture the original game's darkness, though.
9/10
The premise of the book is Zhukov, a prisoner from the Russian-esque Tyvia, escapes from a frozen prison with the aid of his newly-acquired supernatural powers. Wanting nothing more than revenge against the people who unjustly imprisoned him, he sets out to Dunwall in order to acquire the means of doing so. Meanwhile, a year before the events of Dishonored 2, Empress Emily Kaldwin is enjoying her newfound freedom gained by studying as a assassin under her father, Corvo Attano. Emily chances on Zhukov's newly-acquired minions in a revived Whalers assassins guild while they're robbing graves, putting her on a collision course with the organization.
I really liked the Corroded Man for giving me what I wanted from Dishonored 2, which was Corvo and Emily working together on a case. Seeing the two play off one another is quite entertaining and Adam Christopher captures an easy going relationship which is quite heartwarming. Corvo Attano wants to protect his daughter from all the evils of the world and has become a very competent spymaster as a result. However, he also is too protective and has indulged his daughter too much as she's become focused more on adventure than ruling her country.
Zhukov is a great character and represents a nice alternative to the somewhat whitewashed Corvo and Princess Emily. He's definitely a "High Chaos" run of the standard Dishonored protagonist and not without his own understandable grievances as well as discernible code of honor. Much of the book is about finding out what he's got planned and how it all fits together with the setting's mythology. Despite looking like a combination of Hush and Freddy Krueger, he's a character you can believe people will follow.
The supporting cast is also quite good with Gaylia as a former member of the Whalers assassins guild and the introduction of Empress Emily's lover Wyman, who is kept gender neutral for reasons which I think were well-intentioned but limit Wyman's development. I even liked the inclusion of Esme Boyle, minor character from the original Dishonored game who has gone on to be a high society matriarch.
If I have any complaints about the plot, it's that the book is a little too morally straight-laced. Dishonored was a game where the "good" play through had you send two men to be worked to death in a mine, a woman kidnapped to be given to her stalker, and another branded as a heretic in a society which ostracizes said beings. I would have preferred a little more darkness from our heroes but this is a complaint which extends to Dishonored 2 and might not have been the author's choice.
The writer also feels the need to make things feel a little more 'gamey' than they necessarily should. Much is made of Princess Emily sneaking around and basically playing out levels as if she were a video game character. I would have preferred a greater focus on the emotions of the characters and their sense of danger. I also felt a number of interesting characters were unceremoniously killed off when their stories had been laid out for something more. Some readers will dislike this sort of writing style but I was okay with it. I will forgive a lot for a chance to get back to Dunwall and visit with old friends.
The Corroded Man is full of action, adventure, and quite a bit of character development for the series' protagonists. I recommend fans of the series pick it up and even those who aren't familiar with the games will probably enjoy it as a fun steampunk fantasy adventure. I hope future books will recapture the original game's darkness, though.
9/10
September 27, 2016
I can't believe I finished this book in a day it was just so GOOD. So many good things... just.... so much good. Thank the Outsider for this book.
November 25, 2017
I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but this was a tedious and annoying read, I'm sorry to say. The Dishonored universe is one I love and I would have been happy if it was just that the writing was clumsy and the plot predictable, but then the author couldn't get the most basic facts right (your chest expands when you breathe in, not out, how do you get this confused?) and wrote Emily in the most paternalistic, pat-on-the-head way possible, and I didn't have a good, or even interesting time. Shame.
March 21, 2025
I don't know why it took forever to finish it, because it's a really damn good tie-in for a video game. I read worse books for games, so .. really don't know.
The whole book is very well written and the author def. knows what the Dishonored Games are about and the history in the world, so the charakteres were very IC, and he had several of them from the first game, which made me really happy :3 I can*t spoiler which one, but it was an NPC from the first game and that was GREAT.
Also I liked the whole story. It fits well in the gaming world, and we get glimpses at Tyvia, that we will probably never see because there won*t be a third game. Also we get in put about the Outsider, not much, but enough that even ties in with the stand alone Addon with Meagon, so it is really very well researched.
Also Zhukov is great. He's a wonderfull "villain" and i put that in quotation marks, because I don't think he really is one. All his reasoning and why hes doing what hes doing is understandable, so fucking much. Also his void magic is awesome, it's so different from Corvo that it was really impressive. And how Tyvias bonecharms work was also in this book. So overall, a great great tie-in.
The only thing at the end was, that it reminded me quite a lot of (Really don't read the spoiler, if you wanna finish the game. It was quite a plottwist, but the spoiler is... well exactly that). Tho the book used that idea VERY well, the mentioned game not.
The whole book is very well written and the author def. knows what the Dishonored Games are about and the history in the world, so the charakteres were very IC, and he had several of them from the first game, which made me really happy :3 I can*t spoiler which one, but it was an NPC from the first game and that was GREAT.
Also I liked the whole story. It fits well in the gaming world, and we get glimpses at Tyvia, that we will probably never see because there won*t be a third game. Also we get in put about the Outsider, not much, but enough that even ties in with the stand alone Addon with Meagon, so it is really very well researched.
Also Zhukov is great. He's a wonderfull "villain" and i put that in quotation marks, because I don't think he really is one. All his reasoning and why hes doing what hes doing is understandable, so fucking much. Also his void magic is awesome, it's so different from Corvo that it was really impressive. And how Tyvias bonecharms work was also in this book. So overall, a great great tie-in.
The only thing at the end was, that it reminded me quite a lot of (Really don't read the spoiler, if you wanna finish the game. It was quite a plottwist, but the spoiler is... well exactly that). Tho the book used that idea VERY well, the mentioned game not.
October 11, 2016
I don't read a lot of video game books, usually because I find the writing varies from bland to downright awful (as in the case of the Assassin's Creed books), though I will say Halo: The Fall of Reach was incredible. Because of this track record, I didn't know what to expect from this book. Overall, it was mostly enjoyable and only disappointed me in a couple of ways.
Things I enjoyed:
- Emily sneaking out to roam the city. They already mention that in the Dishonored 2 trailer, so it was fun to see her in action, despite having no powers yet.
- Corvo being Awesome Dad Corvo. I thought the author captured his character well, balancing between overprotective parent and understanding father who wants to give his daughter room to explore. As he reminded himself repeatedly (one complaint I had), he had trained her so he could trust her skills.
- I thought they did a nice job translating the powers and abilities to a book, although I had to roll my eyes a little at the explanation of the health and mana potions. It's a common mechanic in the game, but I guess the author felt the need to explain it for anyone coming to this book who didn't play video games.
- New villain. Writing a book that's set in between two games can be tough and I don't know how much guidance Christopher was given, but he came up with an interesting villain with powers felt unique enough to not copycat previous villains, but still felt believable in the world. (Although I thought towards the end he got a little overpowered.) I also enjoyed learning more about another part of the world.
- The epilogue, even if it was a little sappy.
Things I didn't enjoy:
- The Masquerade. Hoo, boy. For the purposes of the plot, the event is fine. My beef is
- Emily's occasional stupid moments. She was a really great character and then she'd have these dumb moments just to suit the plot.
- The ending.
- Wyman. Christopher gets points for including a gender-neutral character, but there is no point for them to exist,
-Galia. She shifted from adoring servant to demanding hotshot often enough to give me whiplash and because of that, I never really felt invested in her.
This isn't a bad book but I'm not sure how much someone will get out of it if they aren't familiar with the characters and interested already. The parts I enjoyed the most were because I already love Corvo and Emily as characters. The few new faces that popped up where interesting enough (aside from Wyman) to keep my attention. The writing is decent, aside from some sections of over-explaining and a few repetitious moments (like Corvo thinking the same things about Emily whenever he was watching from afar). I will say that I missed the presence of the Outsider, but I suspect they're saving any new details about him for Dishonored 2, which I'm really looking forward to!
Things I enjoyed:
- Emily sneaking out to roam the city. They already mention that in the Dishonored 2 trailer, so it was fun to see her in action, despite having no powers yet.
- Corvo being Awesome Dad Corvo. I thought the author captured his character well, balancing between overprotective parent and understanding father who wants to give his daughter room to explore. As he reminded himself repeatedly (one complaint I had), he had trained her so he could trust her skills.
- I thought they did a nice job translating the powers and abilities to a book, although I had to roll my eyes a little at the explanation of the health and mana potions. It's a common mechanic in the game, but I guess the author felt the need to explain it for anyone coming to this book who didn't play video games.
- New villain. Writing a book that's set in between two games can be tough and I don't know how much guidance Christopher was given, but he came up with an interesting villain with powers felt unique enough to not copycat previous villains, but still felt believable in the world. (Although I thought towards the end he got a little overpowered.) I also enjoyed learning more about another part of the world.
- The epilogue, even if it was a little sappy.
Things I didn't enjoy:
- The Masquerade. Hoo, boy. For the purposes of the plot, the event is fine. My beef is
- Emily's occasional stupid moments. She was a really great character and then she'd have these dumb moments just to suit the plot.
- The ending.
- Wyman. Christopher gets points for including a gender-neutral character, but there is no point for them to exist,
-Galia. She shifted from adoring servant to demanding hotshot often enough to give me whiplash and because of that, I never really felt invested in her.
This isn't a bad book but I'm not sure how much someone will get out of it if they aren't familiar with the characters and interested already. The parts I enjoyed the most were because I already love Corvo and Emily as characters. The few new faces that popped up where interesting enough (aside from Wyman) to keep my attention. The writing is decent, aside from some sections of over-explaining and a few repetitious moments (like Corvo thinking the same things about Emily whenever he was watching from afar). I will say that I missed the presence of the Outsider, but I suspect they're saving any new details about him for Dishonored 2, which I'm really looking forward to!
February 25, 2020
DNF. Is this book terrible? Don't think so. But, having just started playing the game Dishonored 2, the story didn't really catch hold of me. With the huge list of books I still have to read, I just could not justify wasting time with this one-at best it might have scored 2 stars.
August 11, 2020
Este libro ha sido toda una decepción personal. Me encanta el mundo de Dishonored y es uno de los mejores universos fantásticos de corte steampunk que tenemos disponible. Desgraciadamente la novelización del mismo deja mucho que desear.
La trama se sitúa un año antes de los acontecimientos de Dishonored 2, con una Emily adulta y un Corvo relegado a guardaspaldas glorificado. La paz de la joven Emperatriz se ve truncada cuando un misterioso hombre llamado Zhukov aparece reestableciendo la banda de los Balleneros con poderes del Vacío.
Realmente no ocurre nada en todo el libro, personajes que no llevan a ninguna parte, un villano que aunque bastante decente y muy superior a los antagonistas de los propios juegos, se queda en una caricatura andante con algunas pinceladas interesantes. Lo peor de todo es ver como Emily y Corvo actúan de maneras que las que nunca harían en una autentica descaracterización de estos personajes y con acciones que realmente van en contra de lo que nos han mostrado en ambas entregas de videojuego.
No lo recomiendo,
La trama se sitúa un año antes de los acontecimientos de Dishonored 2, con una Emily adulta y un Corvo relegado a guardaspaldas glorificado. La paz de la joven Emperatriz se ve truncada cuando un misterioso hombre llamado Zhukov aparece reestableciendo la banda de los Balleneros con poderes del Vacío.
Realmente no ocurre nada en todo el libro, personajes que no llevan a ninguna parte, un villano que aunque bastante decente y muy superior a los antagonistas de los propios juegos, se queda en una caricatura andante con algunas pinceladas interesantes. Lo peor de todo es ver como Emily y Corvo actúan de maneras que las que nunca harían en una autentica descaracterización de estos personajes y con acciones que realmente van en contra de lo que nos han mostrado en ambas entregas de videojuego.
No lo recomiendo,
June 13, 2023
This was a super fun book that I had a great time with - and the best part is, I found it second hand at an op shop for $2! Absolute bargain.
The author did a great job with all the characters, the plot was interesting and kept me engaged, the political tension and dialogue was as exciting as the action sequences, and he captured the overall mood and feel of the Dishonored world really well. It explored classic themes of the series like chaos, power, choice, decay, and how one's character is impacted by exposure to all of these elements.
One small gripe was that there were a few inconsistencies with the use of Corvo's powers - on a few occasions, for no reason beyond moving the plot forward, Corvo didn't use abilities he had access to. He could have been aware of the magical element of the villain's plot, and thus devoted more resources to stopping it, far sooner had he used dark vision in his first encounter with the gang.
Ultimately a great read for fans of the series. The rest of the novels I've heard go down in quality and I don't have access to at the moment, so I likely won't be reading those anytime soon, but this stands alone perfectly fine.
The author did a great job with all the characters, the plot was interesting and kept me engaged, the political tension and dialogue was as exciting as the action sequences, and he captured the overall mood and feel of the Dishonored world really well. It explored classic themes of the series like chaos, power, choice, decay, and how one's character is impacted by exposure to all of these elements.
One small gripe was that there were a few inconsistencies with the use of Corvo's powers - on a few occasions, for no reason beyond moving the plot forward, Corvo didn't use abilities he had access to. He could have been aware of the magical element of the villain's plot, and thus devoted more resources to stopping it, far sooner had he used dark vision in his first encounter with the gang.
Ultimately a great read for fans of the series. The rest of the novels I've heard go down in quality and I don't have access to at the moment, so I likely won't be reading those anytime soon, but this stands alone perfectly fine.
February 16, 2025
Gud det tog typ bara 2 år men traglat mig igenom denna nu.
Den är inte ens lång heller bara
Andra gången jag läst en bok baserat på spel och ärligt talat inte värt det riktigt.
Prosan var torr och inte engagerande och stundvis klumpig.
Samt att läsa saker som är rimligt i ett spel men som magi i en bok är urfjantigt. Som att dricka en blå mana potion för att få mer energi liksom 🤯
Det positiva är mer lore (ignorerar att den kanske bröt lore ish för 3:e spelet) och vad som sker mellan spel 1 och 2 och önskar att slutet i denna bok även var slutet på spelet. Skurken var väl delvis cool
Den är inte ens lång heller bara
Andra gången jag läst en bok baserat på spel och ärligt talat inte värt det riktigt.
Prosan var torr och inte engagerande och stundvis klumpig.
Samt att läsa saker som är rimligt i ett spel men som magi i en bok är urfjantigt. Som att dricka en blå mana potion för att få mer energi liksom 🤯
Det positiva är mer lore (ignorerar att den kanske bröt lore ish för 3:e spelet) och vad som sker mellan spel 1 och 2 och önskar att slutet i denna bok även var slutet på spelet. Skurken var väl delvis cool
August 18, 2017
2.5 STARS
A decent read, but did not live up to my expectations. When I first heard they were expanding the Dishonored-verse to novels I was very excited and eagerly waiting for the release of this book.
And then I actually read it...
I really wanted to like this book. I wish I had reason to give it 5 stars. Dishonored is my favorite game (and arguably my favorite fantasy world) of all time. Yet I initially settled on 3 stars. And when I began realizing how this book I had been waiting for for several years had disappointed me in more than one way, it felt justified to lower the rating to 2 stars (or 2.5).
There are a couple of enjoyable moments in the book, but nothing necessarily exhilarating. There is potential in it, story-wise, yet I feel like when the last page of the last chapter was turned, the experience felt rather forgettable, for me, as well as for Corvo and Emily. This book feels like it exists in a vacuum, with nothing carrying over to Dishonored 2, not even the slightest. I don't much feel like my experience is richer after reading this book.
The antagonist, and his quest, had potential, and actually peaked my interest several times, yet failed to deliver in the big picture. And the secondary antagonist was interesting in her first scenes, but then rapidly grew very annoying and tiresome.
There were some nice callbacks to the old days, to the Dishonored game. The author did a good job setting up the story in a post-Dishonored 1 world.
Now on to the writing itself - It honestly felt like the second draft of the manuscript, rather than a polished work. The narrative style was at times clunky, relying heavily on arbitrary metaphors that eventually began feeling more tedious than clarifying. The dialogue didn't feel very natural in some places and honestly even came off a bit cringy (for example between Emily and Wyman). Also, the way he described character reactions was monotone and rather repetitive. It felt like everyone only kept either smiling, smirking or laughing out loud in response to things, genuinely or otherwise (example: The antagonist doesn't say anything for a long time, then suddenly something that is said makes him briefly laugh nefariously, before descending back into silence. Until it's exposition time, that is).
And then there were the repetitive actions that certain characters took. I must say I got sick of reading how on every other page Galia "ran her hand through her greasy blonde hair". There must be more ways to describe the actions of a character.
And the biggest problem I had was that the author didn't seem to trust the readers to be able to follow or remember things and facts. It really became frustrating quickly. Constantly, it felt as if we needed a reminder of what had happened, both prior to the book, as well as earlier in the book.
I mean, if even toward the end of the book, the character you've known the entire book still needs to be introduced in a tense scene as:
"He was Corvo Attano. He was Royal Protector. He was father to the Empress of the Isles"
...then eventually you just start rolling your eyes.
It felt like it still constantly needed to be stressed that Corvo indeed IS Emily's father, much like he was at the beginning of the book, who is ALSO the Royal Protector, to Emily, who is THE EMPRESS, whose mother was JESSAMINE, who was MURDERED, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO.
And don't forget, Galia ran her hand through her greasy blonde hair! Important character trait!
However, I must say I did very much enjoy the Epilogue. Sadly, it was only at the final part of this book that the author truly made me invested in the moment and actually made me feel something, taking me, along with the characters, back to the day that spawned the events of Dishonored in the first place.
In conclusion, I would have enjoyed this book more if I weren't a die hard fan of Dishonored. I wished to experience something more, as it was my first new visit back into this rich, captivating world in over three years. And this book did not live up to the expectation. In truth, I wish they had simply chosen to write a novelization of the first Dishonored game (along with Daud's DLCs) instead, to give us that experience in a literary medium expanding and adding on what the game had given us, while preparing us for Dishonored 2.
However, as Adam Christopher will be writing two more books in the Dishonored-verse, both released some time in 2017, I will definitely give him another chance, since I hear that those books should be moving away from Corvo and Emily, and perhaps he can deliver a better story (and hopefully, this time, with a smoother, more enjoyable writing style) when he is free of the boundaries that The Corroded Man set by being narratively sandwiched between Dishonored 1 and Dishonored 2.
Hopefully he'll be leaving behind Dunwall and perhaps heading to Morley or Tyvia or northern Gristol (or, heck, maybe even to Pandyssia) to give us an experience that sets it apart from the types of stories we received in Dishonored, Dishonored 2, and The Corroded Man.
A decent read, but did not live up to my expectations. When I first heard they were expanding the Dishonored-verse to novels I was very excited and eagerly waiting for the release of this book.
And then I actually read it...
I really wanted to like this book. I wish I had reason to give it 5 stars. Dishonored is my favorite game (and arguably my favorite fantasy world) of all time. Yet I initially settled on 3 stars. And when I began realizing how this book I had been waiting for for several years had disappointed me in more than one way, it felt justified to lower the rating to 2 stars (or 2.5).
There are a couple of enjoyable moments in the book, but nothing necessarily exhilarating. There is potential in it, story-wise, yet I feel like when the last page of the last chapter was turned, the experience felt rather forgettable, for me, as well as for Corvo and Emily. This book feels like it exists in a vacuum, with nothing carrying over to Dishonored 2, not even the slightest. I don't much feel like my experience is richer after reading this book.
The antagonist, and his quest, had potential, and actually peaked my interest several times, yet failed to deliver in the big picture. And the secondary antagonist was interesting in her first scenes, but then rapidly grew very annoying and tiresome.
There were some nice callbacks to the old days, to the Dishonored game. The author did a good job setting up the story in a post-Dishonored 1 world.
Now on to the writing itself - It honestly felt like the second draft of the manuscript, rather than a polished work. The narrative style was at times clunky, relying heavily on arbitrary metaphors that eventually began feeling more tedious than clarifying. The dialogue didn't feel very natural in some places and honestly even came off a bit cringy (for example between Emily and Wyman). Also, the way he described character reactions was monotone and rather repetitive. It felt like everyone only kept either smiling, smirking or laughing out loud in response to things, genuinely or otherwise (example: The antagonist doesn't say anything for a long time, then suddenly something that is said makes him briefly laugh nefariously, before descending back into silence. Until it's exposition time, that is).
And then there were the repetitive actions that certain characters took. I must say I got sick of reading how on every other page Galia "ran her hand through her greasy blonde hair". There must be more ways to describe the actions of a character.
And the biggest problem I had was that the author didn't seem to trust the readers to be able to follow or remember things and facts. It really became frustrating quickly. Constantly, it felt as if we needed a reminder of what had happened, both prior to the book, as well as earlier in the book.
I mean, if even toward the end of the book, the character you've known the entire book still needs to be introduced in a tense scene as:
"He was Corvo Attano. He was Royal Protector. He was father to the Empress of the Isles"
...then eventually you just start rolling your eyes.
It felt like it still constantly needed to be stressed that Corvo indeed IS Emily's father, much like he was at the beginning of the book, who is ALSO the Royal Protector, to Emily, who is THE EMPRESS, whose mother was JESSAMINE, who was MURDERED, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO.
And don't forget, Galia ran her hand through her greasy blonde hair! Important character trait!
However, I must say I did very much enjoy the Epilogue. Sadly, it was only at the final part of this book that the author truly made me invested in the moment and actually made me feel something, taking me, along with the characters, back to the day that spawned the events of Dishonored in the first place.
In conclusion, I would have enjoyed this book more if I weren't a die hard fan of Dishonored. I wished to experience something more, as it was my first new visit back into this rich, captivating world in over three years. And this book did not live up to the expectation. In truth, I wish they had simply chosen to write a novelization of the first Dishonored game (along with Daud's DLCs) instead, to give us that experience in a literary medium expanding and adding on what the game had given us, while preparing us for Dishonored 2.
However, as Adam Christopher will be writing two more books in the Dishonored-verse, both released some time in 2017, I will definitely give him another chance, since I hear that those books should be moving away from Corvo and Emily, and perhaps he can deliver a better story (and hopefully, this time, with a smoother, more enjoyable writing style) when he is free of the boundaries that The Corroded Man set by being narratively sandwiched between Dishonored 1 and Dishonored 2.
Hopefully he'll be leaving behind Dunwall and perhaps heading to Morley or Tyvia or northern Gristol (or, heck, maybe even to Pandyssia) to give us an experience that sets it apart from the types of stories we received in Dishonored, Dishonored 2, and The Corroded Man.
Read
February 1, 2023Nothing groundbreaking but I really like hanging out in this world. Desperately needed a copy edit.
September 30, 2020
A decent follow-up to the limited issue graphic novel plugging in the gap between Dishonored 1 and 2 games. We get to see more fleshed out side-characters, some lore and a glimpse into the characterization of the lead characters like Emily Kaldwin. Sadly though the writing does feel rushed and more like the script of a game than a book per see. Needless of these minor gripes of mine, the book is eminently readable who has played the games!
My Rating - 3.5/5
My Rating - 3.5/5
February 16, 2017
The Corroded Man is everything that I wanted a Dishonored tie-in book to be and more. I think that it bridges the gap between Dishonored and Dishonored 2 brilliantly, explaining how and when Emily transitioned from a defenceless child to the capable Empress that she is in the sequel. I haven't yet played the second game, but with the finishing of this book I find that I can't wait to play it and experience the Emily that is shown here.
The actual plot for the book twists and turns throughout, and I think that the author makes very intelligent decisions about when to reveal another sliver of information about the overall plot of the novel. I was hooked on the "villain" character's motives from the very beginning, and thoroughly enjoyed picking apart the truth from the madness of his desires.
For a book that is meant to bridge the gap between two games I think that it does its job very well, but I wouldn't recommend reading the novel if you haven't played the original Dishonored yet because it assumes that you know the characters. Though, it does give a lot of background for the world itself as you read through especially in the short excerpts at the beginning of each chapter.
Overall, it was a very good story, and a quick read in actual "sitting with the book open" time.
The actual plot for the book twists and turns throughout, and I think that the author makes very intelligent decisions about when to reveal another sliver of information about the overall plot of the novel. I was hooked on the "villain" character's motives from the very beginning, and thoroughly enjoyed picking apart the truth from the madness of his desires.
For a book that is meant to bridge the gap between two games I think that it does its job very well, but I wouldn't recommend reading the novel if you haven't played the original Dishonored yet because it assumes that you know the characters. Though, it does give a lot of background for the world itself as you read through especially in the short excerpts at the beginning of each chapter.
Overall, it was a very good story, and a quick read in actual "sitting with the book open" time.
January 2, 2017
Well I did my due Dishonored diligence and read the book that bridges games 1 and 2. And...yeah...it was ok. Good, but not great. I will give Mr. Christopher this...he definitely managed to capture the feel of the games quite well. Those who play the games will find quite a bit to like here. But therein lies a problem as well...because I truly cannot see this book appealing to the general masses. It basically assumes that you played the first game at least, and really does very little hand-holding in regards to the backstory. So people who have not played the games will likely find themselves rather lost. Don't get me wrong, playing the games isn't completely necessary, but I can imagine the book is much less enjoyable without that built-in familiarity. Non-gamers will be like...huh?
This extends to the main characters as well. While Corvo is a main POV character, he is given really no chance for character growth. And though having his character as a blank slate worked pretty well in the video game, it doesn't come across quite so effectively in a novel. Emily fares slightly better, but not much. We do get inside her head more, but only as bits and pieces, and I was left wanting more. We do get moments of her training with Corvo, but she's effectively already a badass at the start of this tale, so what follows is more of the same. Ironically enough, it is one of the villains who gets the best arc. I won't spoil that here, but I wanted more of this lesser-used POV character.
Also, for fans of the first game, several of the supporting cast make cameos here, to mixed results. While I generally enjoyed the callbacks, some of it was simply for fan-service, and superfluous to the narrative.
Mr. Christopher is definitely better at writing action than character drama and interaction. There are numerous action set pieces throughout the story, and they are typically short, brutal, and effective. Disappointingly, only a few of Corvo's powers make an appearance in this novel. Which is a real shame, because they have so many wonderful applications. But it left me frustrated...
And while I did a low chaos play-through in Dishonored 1, the book definitely assumes that some of Corvo's targets died, so for me the narrative was a little disjointed.
All in all, this was a somewhat enjoyable, if mostly forgettable, action-adventure spinoff from a well received game series. I can really only recommend it to hardcore fans of the games.
This extends to the main characters as well. While Corvo is a main POV character, he is given really no chance for character growth. And though having his character as a blank slate worked pretty well in the video game, it doesn't come across quite so effectively in a novel. Emily fares slightly better, but not much. We do get inside her head more, but only as bits and pieces, and I was left wanting more. We do get moments of her training with Corvo, but she's effectively already a badass at the start of this tale, so what follows is more of the same. Ironically enough, it is one of the villains who gets the best arc. I won't spoil that here, but I wanted more of this lesser-used POV character.
Also, for fans of the first game, several of the supporting cast make cameos here, to mixed results. While I generally enjoyed the callbacks, some of it was simply for fan-service, and superfluous to the narrative.
Mr. Christopher is definitely better at writing action than character drama and interaction. There are numerous action set pieces throughout the story, and they are typically short, brutal, and effective. Disappointingly, only a few of Corvo's powers make an appearance in this novel. Which is a real shame, because they have so many wonderful applications. But it left me frustrated...
And while I did a low chaos play-through in Dishonored 1, the book definitely assumes that some of Corvo's targets died, so for me the narrative was a little disjointed.
All in all, this was a somewhat enjoyable, if mostly forgettable, action-adventure spinoff from a well received game series. I can really only recommend it to hardcore fans of the games.
December 28, 2017
This book sucked. as a previous reviewer pointed out, the settings are all rehashed from the game, and the writing very much reads like the mediocre sequel to Dishonored we thankfully didn't get, right down to the in-text usage of game mechanics like Addermire Solution. The plot was eye-rolling, especially when it came to the antagonist, who I found unbearably cliche, and was Tyvian government set up as anti-communist propaganda?? Because bizarrely, I think it was. Something small but insistent that also bothered me was the insistence that every character that reappeared from the first game (and that was most of the characters, because nostalgia goggles are strong with this one) was now elderly. Most egregious were the Boyles, who were maybe 30-35 in the first game and, less than 15 years later, are now being presented as being in their late 60s or even 70s.
More than that, the writing was just awful. Read this sentence: "Because Rinaldo was many things, and he’d done a lot he’d regretted, things of which he wasn’t proud, but, that was the life he had chosen." Now tell me what it means, because I don't know. A friend described it as a sentence that got edited three different ways and all the edits got left in, and I think that's about right. Not only were the sentences convoluted, but the mistakes! There were both typos- "she whopped a deep breath" (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN)- and canonical mistakes, such as referring to the Abbey of the Everyman as the "Abbey of the Everyone." Hey, I'm for gender inclusivity too, but only when it's not a typo, like everything else in this story. Speaking of, I didn't appreciate this book's tired reliance on thee damsel in distress trope. Once again: I already played the first game.
I didn't love the Dragon Age novels, but now I see that they're an exception in video game novels: merely mediocre to good instead of terribly, terribly bad. I think it suffers from Naruto filler arc syndrome: because it comes between games, no character growth can happen, and nothing important is in store. I was going to give it two stars because Slackjaw was in it, but then I remembered the haircut they gave him.
More than that, the writing was just awful. Read this sentence: "Because Rinaldo was many things, and he’d done a lot he’d regretted, things of which he wasn’t proud, but, that was the life he had chosen." Now tell me what it means, because I don't know. A friend described it as a sentence that got edited three different ways and all the edits got left in, and I think that's about right. Not only were the sentences convoluted, but the mistakes! There were both typos- "she whopped a deep breath" (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN)- and canonical mistakes, such as referring to the Abbey of the Everyman as the "Abbey of the Everyone." Hey, I'm for gender inclusivity too, but only when it's not a typo, like everything else in this story. Speaking of, I didn't appreciate this book's tired reliance on thee damsel in distress trope. Once again: I already played the first game.
I didn't love the Dragon Age novels, but now I see that they're an exception in video game novels: merely mediocre to good instead of terribly, terribly bad. I think it suffers from Naruto filler arc syndrome: because it comes between games, no character growth can happen, and nothing important is in store. I was going to give it two stars because Slackjaw was in it, but then I remembered the haircut they gave him.
December 30, 2021
I should have stuck to the games.
November 3, 2022
Dishonored: The Corroded Man By Adam Christopher, is a video game tie-in novel based on the “Dishonored video game franchise.”
Set fifteen years after the events of Dishonored 1, an older Empress Emily Kaldwin sits on the throne of the Dunwall Empire with her father and spymaster, Corvo Attano, acting as her mentor and right hand man. But all is not well in Dunwall capital. Another power, touched by the Outsider, comes from the frozen lands of Tyvia, and he bears a familiar power with a new edge that threatens to plunge Dunwall back into darkness.
When I played Dishonored the first time around, I have to admit, I was disappointed. The game had a look that it had advertised that just didn’t seem to match up to what was provided. The backstory and world though was interesting and this novel provides more lore to follow down the rabbit hole. Dishonored expands its alternate Europe, imbuing it with its own flavor of supernatural lore. The supernatural power Corvo bore gets stranger with Adam Christopher penning it convincingly and grittily. New characters arrive with powers, only they seem more powerful and operate through alternate manifestations.
Some of the old faces are back again as well on the side of the opposition. The remnants of the Whalers gang rally around their a new and terrifying boss calling himself a ‘corroded man’: a strange and occulted hulk wrapped in a greatcoat, swaddled in bandages that cover a nightmare quilt of scarred flesh. His power mimics that of their former leader, Daud, but in powerful and terrifying capacity.
Action, intrigue, and dark magics are all written with equal ease. This is not Adam Christopher’s first rodeo – he uses his experiences with his successful books like his Strangers Things and Star Wars media Tie-ins. To great effect, plying his craft further to make something a little above the average cut for a novel based on a video game property. Many novels based on such premises can feel like a checklist of game tropes to be hit, but this manages to avoid that.
Overall, Between the combination of Christopher’s talent, an engaging game mythos, and convincing characters, The Corroded Man manages to cut through the dross typically found in the genre and get through to something that not only highlights the feeling of the Dishonored games, but also tells an interesting story. I’d recommend it to those both familiar and unfamiliar with the games themselves.
Set fifteen years after the events of Dishonored 1, an older Empress Emily Kaldwin sits on the throne of the Dunwall Empire with her father and spymaster, Corvo Attano, acting as her mentor and right hand man. But all is not well in Dunwall capital. Another power, touched by the Outsider, comes from the frozen lands of Tyvia, and he bears a familiar power with a new edge that threatens to plunge Dunwall back into darkness.
When I played Dishonored the first time around, I have to admit, I was disappointed. The game had a look that it had advertised that just didn’t seem to match up to what was provided. The backstory and world though was interesting and this novel provides more lore to follow down the rabbit hole. Dishonored expands its alternate Europe, imbuing it with its own flavor of supernatural lore. The supernatural power Corvo bore gets stranger with Adam Christopher penning it convincingly and grittily. New characters arrive with powers, only they seem more powerful and operate through alternate manifestations.
Some of the old faces are back again as well on the side of the opposition. The remnants of the Whalers gang rally around their a new and terrifying boss calling himself a ‘corroded man’: a strange and occulted hulk wrapped in a greatcoat, swaddled in bandages that cover a nightmare quilt of scarred flesh. His power mimics that of their former leader, Daud, but in powerful and terrifying capacity.
Action, intrigue, and dark magics are all written with equal ease. This is not Adam Christopher’s first rodeo – he uses his experiences with his successful books like his Strangers Things and Star Wars media Tie-ins. To great effect, plying his craft further to make something a little above the average cut for a novel based on a video game property. Many novels based on such premises can feel like a checklist of game tropes to be hit, but this manages to avoid that.
Overall, Between the combination of Christopher’s talent, an engaging game mythos, and convincing characters, The Corroded Man manages to cut through the dross typically found in the genre and get through to something that not only highlights the feeling of the Dishonored games, but also tells an interesting story. I’d recommend it to those both familiar and unfamiliar with the games themselves.
January 26, 2024
The Corroded Man attempts to bridge the gap between the first and second game Dishonored, offering fans a deeper dive into its rich lore.
The storyline of "The Corroded Man" is its strongest part. I can even imagine it as another DLC for the game, or as a movie, and to be honest I think it would suit story more than a book. Christopher presents a narrative that is both engaging and true to the spirit of the Dishonored universe, featuring familiar characters and introducing new ones
However, the book's potential is somewhat undermined by the writing style as the author was still finding his footing within the universe
The Czech translation I decided to finish the book in (as I have it physically in my library) suffers from numerous errors, which can significantly detract from the reading experience. Translation issues can lead to misunderstandings of the plot or character actions and can disrupt the flow and that is crucial for enjoying the book.
One point I noticed in several reviews was the portrayal of in-game mechanics, such as the consumption of potions. Some readers argue that those things do not translate well from game to novel. However, in this book this aspect is handled with creativity and thoughtfulness. The book describes how protagonist Corvo Attano's reliance on his powers weakens him, and the potions serve not as a magical cure but as a means to regain focus and strength, similar to the effects of caffeine.
The storyline of "The Corroded Man" is its strongest part. I can even imagine it as another DLC for the game, or as a movie, and to be honest I think it would suit story more than a book. Christopher presents a narrative that is both engaging and true to the spirit of the Dishonored universe, featuring familiar characters and introducing new ones
However, the book's potential is somewhat undermined by the writing style as the author was still finding his footing within the universe
The Czech translation I decided to finish the book in (as I have it physically in my library) suffers from numerous errors, which can significantly detract from the reading experience. Translation issues can lead to misunderstandings of the plot or character actions and can disrupt the flow and that is crucial for enjoying the book.
One point I noticed in several reviews was the portrayal of in-game mechanics, such as the consumption of potions. Some readers argue that those things do not translate well from game to novel. However, in this book this aspect is handled with creativity and thoughtfulness. The book describes how protagonist Corvo Attano's reliance on his powers weakens him, and the potions serve not as a magical cure but as a means to regain focus and strength, similar to the effects of caffeine.
December 21, 2023
Words can't express how much I love Dishonored, easily one of my top 10 games ever. I've been playing it since its release and I never get bored of it. The story, the characters, the level of detail is just astounding. It's so amazing that I never believed it needed a direct sequel. A sequel in the same universe? Sure, why not. The world of Dishonored is so immersive that I could see that happening. But a story involving Corvo and Emily? I mean, what could you even do? The ending to the original game was excellent, its conclusion was very satisfactory, just let them be. And then Dishonored 2 launched and the story was exactly the same. Don't get me wrong, I like D2, in some aspects it's better than its predecessor, but the story is a "been there done that" situation. More like a best hits album and not something original. Still a really good game.
The Corroded Man takes place between D1 and D2 and it's not that interesting to be honest. I liked the structure of the novel, I liked the excerpts at the start of every chapter, in general, it felt liked it took place in the Dishonored universe, but, again, the story felt like filler. It wasn't anything special and even though I loved the references, it's the only thing that I remember from the book.
The Corroded Man takes place between D1 and D2 and it's not that interesting to be honest. I liked the structure of the novel, I liked the excerpts at the start of every chapter, in general, it felt liked it took place in the Dishonored universe, but, again, the story felt like filler. It wasn't anything special and even though I loved the references, it's the only thing that I remember from the book.
April 28, 2017
Libro de ciencia ficción bien escrito, con detalladas escenas de acción, entretenido; aunque no me ha convencido, ya que al estar basado en un videojuego, parece que el autor no ha sentido la necesidad de desarrollar el entorno en el que tiene lugar el libro; dando muchas cosas (demasiadas) por sabidas. Por ejemplo, los antecedentes de los protagonistas; el país o ciudad o zona o continente o.....; el origen y las particularidades de los poderes que tienen algunos protagonistas...
December 3, 2025
Solo he leído hasta la página 96. Es horrible en todos los sentidos. Redundante y puro relleno. Mal editado y da la sensación de que le encargaron un trabajo al autor de X cantidad de palabras y se la pasó repitiendo una y otra vez lo escrito.
Vuelvo a leer que el maldito antagonista se quiere vengar, y me corto las venas.
Vuelvo a leer que el maldito antagonista se quiere vengar, y me corto las venas.
August 5, 2017
A mi entender solo para fanáticos del juego del mismo nombre. Aún así muy entretenida
March 22, 2021
Good addition to the series
August 10, 2023
Super mediocre and Emily Kaldwin was written terribly. I hope Return of Daud is better
January 25, 2024
Bastante bien. Transmite la sensación total del juego, con una historia unos 10 años después.
Al principio empieza un poco lento y cuesta unos cuantos capítulos engancharse, pero luego acelera y la sensación final es bastante buena.
Al principio empieza un poco lento y cuesta unos cuantos capítulos engancharse, pero luego acelera y la sensación final es bastante buena.
Read
December 26, 2024Corvo is kind of a bad Royal Protector in this one, imho
January 14, 2025
Ça casse pas trois pattes à un canard mais c'est un moment de lecture distrayant si on est fan des jeux vidéos.
July 9, 2019
One of my favourite video game franchises, when I found that there were novels that take place between the games I had to read them. Entertaining, provides a view of the Empire of the Isles that the games did not have the time to provide; the cultural and geographical differences between the major nations and the tensions that exist within the nation. More magic and twisted people and minds of course. I will definitely finish the rest of the series.
October 17, 2016
Where do I even start with this book... Dishonored is one of my favourite games, I've completed it a couple of times and I am counting down the days until Dishonored 2 comes out. I have reached maximum level of excitement for the game. And only because of that excitement I have managed to finish this book. I was expecting to love it, being unable to criticize anything Dishonored related, but boy am I disappointed.
Pros:
- it's a fast read (it took me around 6,5 hours to complete),
- from the 50% mark the plot actually accelerates (less talking, more action),
- I enjoyed the reveal of the villain's plan.
Cons:
- unnecessary complication of sentences (so many adjectives, like, SO many),
- repetitions, as if it was a presidential speech (e.g. "This was the tundra. This was Tyvia."),
- I feel the book is telling, not showing. Some things are painfully explained (it ain't a tutorial, we're not stupid),
- characters' sometimes contradict themselves and take unjustified actions,
- cringy, fake dialogue. The less dialogue on the page, the better it was,
- little novelty to the canon.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a second draft of a book, instead of the final product. With some editing, it could easily get 3 stars from me. Disappointment aside, I'm still eagerly waiting for the second installment of the game.
Pros:
- it's a fast read (it took me around 6,5 hours to complete),
- from the 50% mark the plot actually accelerates (less talking, more action),
- I enjoyed the reveal of the villain's plan.
Cons:
- unnecessary complication of sentences (so many adjectives, like, SO many),
- repetitions, as if it was a presidential speech (e.g. "This was the tundra. This was Tyvia."),
- I feel the book is telling, not showing. Some things are painfully explained (it ain't a tutorial, we're not stupid),
- characters' sometimes contradict themselves and take unjustified actions,
- cringy, fake dialogue. The less dialogue on the page, the better it was,
- little novelty to the canon.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a second draft of a book, instead of the final product. With some editing, it could easily get 3 stars from me. Disappointment aside, I'm still eagerly waiting for the second installment of the game.
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