The author, S.D. Perry, has once again taken on the task of translating the highly popular Resident Evil series into written form. Perry gives the third game in the series, Nemesis, the same excellent treatment that she has already given to the first two games. The result is a work that both relates the story-line of the game, and fills in many of the blanks about the main characters themselves.
As I stated in my review of the third book in this series, City of the Dead, novelizing these games is no easy task. Millions of gamers world-wide know these stories by heart. Any book would have to both be true to the story, and give readers something extra, to be successful. Deviating from the plot would be unacceptable to most fans. So there's really not much room for artistic license.
Ah, but the author has given readers the best of both worlds. Perry's work excellently describes the events of the game itself, while also giving us both more background on, and a look into the minds of, the main players in the story. As a result, readers will come away with a much fuller understanding of the story.
Following the same format as the earlier works in the series, the book is broken down into short chapters. Most are under ten pages long. This helps readers to follow a story that is told from four main points of view. You can easily remember what is going on within each of the sub-plots as you move from character to character. I've always felt that the short chapters also make for much easier reading. Never once did I feel like I was struggling to reach the end of a chapter.
While the story takes place during the same time frame as the afore mentioned City of the Dead, it is a completely different tale. Followers of the series will once again meet Jill Valentine, a returning character from the first book in the series, The Umbrella Conspiracy. Her attempt to escape from a zombie-infested Raccoon City is complicated by the arrival of a team of mercenaries sent in by Umbrella themselves. Three of these men, Carlos, Nikolai, and Mikhail play key roles in the story. These four intertwining stories make for a tale of horror and betrayal as they struggle to escape the nightmare.
The book describes the events of the game well. But where it really shines is in fleshing out the characters. While one could play a three hour video game and know the basic story on completion, they would never feel the emotions of the characters like this. Each one has their own story, a past, and a hope for the future. Carlos and Nikolai are very well thought out, and Mikhail plays a much larger role than in the game.
This look into the minds of the main players in the story is what makes the book well worth reading. Even if you know the story by heart, much that the game just doesn't tell you will be explained here. And it all blends well within the main story. Plus, there's an interesting little sub plot that makes it's way into the story that, while not part of the game's story, gets one thinking.
One place where I was kind of disappointed was the failure to tie in the two stories of this book and COTD. As mentioned, the two stories take place during the same time and in the same place. Yet there is only one part that even remotely refers to the other story. It's brief, and would most likely not even be noticed by anyone unfamiliar with the games(or who hasn't read COTD). I would have loved to have seen a few cross-over scenes.
The book is clearly written for the same audience as the game. While extremely easy to read, some parts and language may be unappropriate for younger readers. There are quite a few graphic descriptions to be found. And RE is a violent series of games. Still, a great read for fans of the games, or anyone looking for a good horror story. I highly recommend this book, along with the others in the series. I hope the author continues the story with a novelization of Code: Veronica as well.
Note: Each book in this series stands alone as a complete story. Yes, they all combine to tell the overall story, but any one can be read by itself.
Recommended:
