Take-Two and Tor releasing BioShock novel

by Justin McElroy { May 27th 2009 at 11:59PM }

We're still not sure why anyone would want to retrofit video games with last-gen tech and turn them into books, but sci-fi/fantasy publisher Tor has apparently had a lot of success with the practice lately, with franchises like Halo and Dragon Age. The next game to get the dead tree-ment? BioShock, which will be the subject of a 400-page hard- and softcover release this fall.

Currently, the book's author is listed as Ken Levine, but we're pretty sure that's a placeholder, because we don't live in a magical alternate dimension where we can make things happen just by wishing for them. We'll let you know when we find out more.

Tags: 2k-boston, bioshock, books, ken-levine, tor

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mars @ May 28th 2009 12:03AM

this actually sounds like it could work. rapture has enough soul to be the setting for numerous books, and the story was actually good in bioshock.

CitizenSnips @ May 28th 2009 12:13AM

a prequel to the first book would be amazing. Andrew Ryans rise to power. How and why Rapture was first conceived. How it was built. Lay the ground work for the feud between Ryan and Fontaine. Im excited.

CitizenSnips @ May 28th 2009 12:41AM

*as the first book

arrness @ May 28th 2009 1:14AM

yes

CrossTheAtlantic @ May 28th 2009 4:02PM

But don't we already know all of that? At least, as much as is really necessary.

Part of what I thought made Bioshock great was how much of a videogame it was. It was really aware of its medium.

Not that this couldn't work, but I just think there are different avenues to the world of Rapture to explore. Just one opinion anyways.

Alvin_Rod @ May 28th 2009 12:15AM

Would you kindly release more details on the novel?

BUGz @ May 28th 2009 12:20AM

OMG YES, I JIZZED IN MY PANTS.

Wince @ May 28th 2009 12:45AM

Hm, that could totally work. Bioshock's story and world was so literary anyway, it might as well have come from a novel.

Alex @ May 28th 2009 4:08AM

I hope to God that isn't Scouting for Girls in your avatar.

If it is, I will kill you.

Darthweder @ May 28th 2009 1:16AM

Hey, don't be knocking video game based books! About half of the Halo books were really good, and the Mass Effect based ones have been good.

Lekko @ May 28th 2009 2:49AM

I would have rather had the story be actually IN the games, but I guess removing all plot for mass consumption and then releasing the actual 'real' plot later as a book seems to be the only way to go.

Damn it, when did games get so dumbed down that we can't even include the full plot in the games in the first place?

Xizer @ May 28th 2009 6:48AM

Somebody didn't pick up the 120+ audio diaries scattered around or pick up on all the environmental clues...

BioShock had more background on the story than most other games these days.

Lucky @ May 28th 2009 3:24AM

Somehow I keep imagining a Randian nonsensical and boring political tract written by Andrew Ryan. Hopefully the trees will have a better reason to die than that.

Purple Haze @ May 28th 2009 3:27AM

If it's written by Ken Levine then I'm all for it. Otherwise I have little to no interest in it.

Rein @ May 28th 2009 12:57PM

It would make some sense if Ken Levine wrote the book, as if I'm not mistaken, one of the writers of Mass Effect wrote the novels, and they were really good.

Perhaps this is the reason he isn't working on Bioshock 2. He wants to break into the world of literature!