Fans Burn (Literally) New Mass Effect Book for Continuity Errors

By Brian P Rubin | 31 January 2012 | 24 Comments

I’m going to keep this as brief as I can. Apparently there was a new novel based on the Mass Effect franchise released today, and fans of the series have suffered from a MASSIVE OUTBREAK OF BUTTHURT.

Apparently, they’re so incensed by the fact that there are continuity errors in the book, Kotaku reports that they’ve taken to a Google Doc to create an exhaustive list of errors and other problems they’ve found. Upon going to the document link, I was greeted with the delightful explanation that “this doc is read-only because there are too many people editing right now.”

And, as you can see in the video below, one guy actually filmed himself burning the book:

This is why we can’t have nice things, you guys.

Listen:

I’m sorry the author got your shit wrong. I’m sorry that the editor didn’t do a good enough job fact checking your video game for the eight-dollar novel you bought. Go cry in the corner and go read a real book.

Like Moby Dick. Or Catch 22. Those things’ll finally put some hair right on your baby-smooth balls.

I understand the need for continuity, and I even understand getting really pissed off about it when it’s ignored. I read comics—caring too much about continuity is pretty much a prerequisite.

But creating a mass-edited Google Doc and burning the book like you’re some kind of religious fanatic is going too far. You’re making us look bad, guys. Simply put, YOU CARE TOO TOO MUCH. Stop it. Stop it right now. Don’t forget, any and all Mass Effect novels are cash-grabs, pure and simple. I’m not saying you shouldn’t hold people accountable for suckering you into buying trash when you thought you were just buying junk. No, you have a right to be mad.

But when you go to these extremes, you just look silly. And you go from a concerned and irritated consumer to obsessive compulsive nerd-creeps. Just wait and see how the publisher reacts to your exhaustively sourced and detailed explanation of why the book based on a video game doesn’t measure up to your standards. Try demanding a refund for the book you set on fire.

I doubt they’ll take it back now—even with the receipt. Or did you burn that too?

Via Kotaku

24 Comments

Posted by johnxfire on 31 January 12 at 12:35pm

Well, it’s to be expected, there are some glaringly obvious mistakes, based on that doc.

ME is very, very, very story driven. If there were any main points that were completely contradicting to any main event, then it’s quite damning.

However, tiny details shouldn’t really matter…

Fans should just pull off a Red Shirt Guy, hmm?
Posted by Zantaros on 31 January 12 at 1:36pm

Brian, you should edit your article so that Catch-22 is bold, italic, and triple underlined.

I laughed my way through that book. It’s hilarious, paradoxical, and all-around great.

Joseph Heller FTW!!!
- Posted by Brian P Rubin on 31 January 12 at 1:51pm
  
  I don’t know how to do triple-underline–would you settle for yellow text instead?
  - Posted by Lawrence Sonntag on 31 January 12 at 2:11pm
    
    Major Major Major Majors!
Posted by bad pixel on 31 January 12 at 2:21pm

good artikel. if they had ever read a realy good book they never care so much
Posted by Sirramar on 31 January 12 at 6:45pm

The real question is, why would they buy the book in the first place? I’m a Mass Effect fan, sure. But I looked up the book thinking “Hey a fourth book I might want to buy.” And there were already articles and reviews saying “hey, don’t buy this book because the author is shit” which saved me money.

If you love the franchise enough to buy the books, at least do a little research about the books to make sure its worth it, imho.
Posted by Steven on 31 January 12 at 6:50pm

I was an unfortunate victim of this book. Kotaku, I hope you realize that this book was actually beyond awful. However, you are right to say that some people are going to the extremes. I do have to disagree with you on this though. “I’m sorry the author got your shit wrong. I’m sorry that the editor didn’t do a good enough job fact checking your video game for the eight-dollar novel you bought. Go cry in the corner and go read a real book.” Look, it’s understandable that someone could make a bad book, but when mass effect has had 3 whole amazing books and one just to ruin it all… well… people will get mad. I hate it that you would ever say that the mass effect community is a bunch of idiots who have never read a real book before, so how about you drink a nice cup of shut the fuck up.
- Posted by Mikkel on 01 February 12 at 6:18am
  
  Agreed. It’s ignorant to proclaim that just because a novel is based on a video game it’s “trash”, and that people who read such novels should “read a real book”. Have you ever actually read any of Drew Karpyshyn’s (the lead writer on ME) 3 novels for the mass effect universe? It surely doesn’t sound like it.
Posted by Bill on 01 February 12 at 2:17am

Yeah, screw those Mass Effect fans for wanting a little quality and effort put into works authorized by Bioware, what a bunch of idiots. Some of these aren’t just minimal errors, they’re glaring issues that anybody who even glanced at the source material could’ve noticed.

Thing is, the lead up to ME3 hasn’t been great. Quality seems to be slipping from Bioware’s grasp. This is an effort to tell Bioware to cut the crap and start pulling their shit together. The fans aren’t going to just accept Bioware’s shoddy work.
Posted by AROUNDTOWNARNOLD on 01 February 12 at 2:45am

The book is actually very bad.

I agree with you that some fans are overreacting (i.e the ones that are all like ‘I DEMAND A REFUND FOR THIS AWFUL BOOK HOW DARE THEY DO THIS RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE’) but you have to understand how horrible this book is…even considering the average ME books standards its just so awful that its hilarious. Bioware had better make this book non-canon.
Posted by Tom on 01 February 12 at 6:04am

It’s more like expecting a grilled cheese and getting shit and piss instead.

Sure, a grilled cheese might not be the best quality food but it’s good enough and at least it doesn’t taste like ass, which this book does.
Posted by Yuoaman on 01 February 12 at 8:49am

Yes, how dare we care about the quality of a series we enjoy – that’s just fucking insane. Insulting us because one of the series’ we happen to enjoy is based on a video game series? CLASSY AS ALL FUCK.
Posted by cereal on 01 February 12 at 11:56pm

I hate how people are presuming that just because we read video game novels that we don’t know “quality.” They aren’t the only things I read. I’ve read Catch-22. I’ve read lots of sci-fi novels. I’ve also read horrendously bad novels just so I could form a solid opinion on them. Sometimes reading shit makes you appreciate all the good books out there even more.

Mass Effect’s tie in novels won’t ever win any awards and no one expects them to. But they were a nice expansion to the universe. And then Dietz comes in and takes a shit on Karpyshyn’s characters and the ME lore. Kai Leng was a parody of himself. The other characters were poorly written. The prose was awful. It was a pathetic end for a series.

Though I’d agree the book burning is pretty extreme and not doing the fandom any favors.
- Posted by BambooRadiator on 02 March 12 at 7:01am
  
  You seriously spent time reading bad novels on purpose just to form a solid opinion on them? That’s like sticking a syringe in the side of your eyeball just to make sure that it would hurt, but not totally blind you….. That’s time that could have been spent, using your apparent knowledge of what makes a good novel, writing a better ME book!
Posted by Raf on 02 February 12 at 4:27am

One of the biggest issues that the book has that is hard to forgive is the fact it states that a character with Autism (which still isn’t curable during Mass Effect) says that she just “gets over” Autism like it’s a childhood phase. Which is, y’know, impossible for a spectral disorder like that.
- Posted by Landon Robinson on 04 February 12 at 9:56am
  
  Seems fairly logical for a book with so many falsehoods in it. Or, maybe in the future the human body can just “get over” diseases.
  
  Ain’t life a mystery.
Posted by DeadReck0ning on 04 February 12 at 11:08am

I am an extreme Mass Effect Fan and a victim of this book. Though the biggest flaw in this book. The flaw is the author. You see the author, William C. Dietz (who is a ditz), has produced 4 other game based books that have made fans of the 4 respected game book series appalled by what they read. (Books consisting of Halo: The Flood, Resistance: The Gathering Storm, & Hitman: Enemy Within.) It is my personal opinion (and maybe others) that this author should just step away from doing lore sensitive book series and go to singular novels. Bioware should have convinced Drew Karpyshyn to have done the Fourth book of this series.Especially since he wrote the first three books and is a great author who knows how to do research on a series and a fan of mass effect as well.
Posted by DeadReck0ning on 04 February 12 at 11:19am

On just another note I am a fan of good writing and detail while this book was like someone trying to preach to a retarded person. Though I am just as angry as most of the fans of the series I myself decided to do the smart thing and take it to a book store and receive credit towards a better book. Fans would also like to know that a Revised copy will be released dealing with the issues in the link in the article. This was with bioware’s apologies. Though I wonder how they will revise it with such immense errors and issues. Probably a better author would be called in or something. but here is hoping the next one will be better…
Posted by JCordes on 04 February 12 at 5:27pm

I disagree with what you are saying. I have been with this since the start of all of this. You say to “read a real book.” How game fiction books not real books? It has words, pages, chapters, characters and good writing. It is therefore considered a book. Some people have overreacted but we are not petitioning to have the book destroyed. We are asking for it to simply be taken out of canon. This changes characters that are already in the game. I for one have participated in this but it feels like the author did no research. He had a autistic girl “grow out of it” and the only gay character in Mass effect became straight. You have not read into this deep enough and have only looked at the crazy fans. Please, research more next time!
Posted by JohnStephem on 04 February 12 at 8:03pm

I read a book once. It was swell.
Posted by Arathane on 04 February 12 at 10:33pm

Want a good book? Try the Silmarillion if you havnt already. If you can get past the thee’s and thou’s then youll really love it. I read it when i was 12 and have read it several times through now. (BTW in case nobody here has heard of it, it is the book that comes before Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”)
- Posted by BambooRadiator on 02 March 12 at 7:12am
  
  You unbelievable hipster.
  First of all you choose to talk about the least known of Tolkiens LOTR related works, then you recommend it, blatantly diregarding the fact that most of it is written horribly. The entire book is a summarization of who was the father of whom and what was the former country of where.
  Maybe you read Silmarillon at 12 (which I find highly doubtful) and maybe you actually do think other people would love it, but if not…
  
  Then you’re a wannabe smartypants, hipster, liar, butthole. And I say this without even knowing you. Imagine how the people close to you feel…
Posted by Jay on 18 February 12 at 10:56am

Wow the writer of this article is an asshole. I read these kind of books, and I probably have read more books than he has. Respect peoples opinions asshole. Or just Burn yourself to hell.
Posted by adam on 12 March 12 at 10:47am

screw the book im just pissed about the me3 ending