For the Video Game Book Club we read Bioshock Rapture. A prequel to the beloved video game Bioshock. However it is not canon according to Bioshock Creative director Ken Levine, because he didn’t read it. You follow many characters throughout the novel including but not limited to; Andrew Ryan, Frank Fonaine, Brigid Tenenbaum, Sofia Lamb but the most important character is Bill McDonagh. I would argue that Bill McDonagh is the protagonist of this novel. He is certainly the most likable. Bill McDonagh is a general contractor Andrew Ryan wanted personally to come to Rapture. Through not only a general contractor but also Ryan’s favorite guy in all of Rapture, you get to see the city’s highs and lows. Seeing into the mind of these characters outside of their audio diaries really gives you perspective. It personally made me hate Andrew Ryan more. The audio diaries do play a part in the novel though, the characters will speak into the diaries word word as it is in the game. Since the reason Rapture fell is pretty pivotal to the plot of the game, I would recommend you play through the first two Bioshock before diving into this novel. It’s a large and long novel but I personally think it’s worth it for any Bioshock fan.
If you have played the video game Bioshock and enjoyed it, I would recommend this book for you. John Shirley takes us back to the beginning, before the game, to the inception of Rapture. It was fun to see more of the people you briefly meet or hear from while playing. It definitely gives more to those who decided to leave the world to begin their own society under the sea. Some characters remain two dimensional, but there is SO MUCH that happens in this story it would be hard to dive into each person. I think Shirley did a great job in recreating the mood, atmosphere, and characters so many people have learned to love to hate. Best quote from the book to describe Rapture, “Ryan had built his brave new world to match his dream And it had become a nightmare
Elise
For full discussion (and reason why Bill is the most special of boys) check out the VGBCs Youtube or Spotify.
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