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Part of the distinction is that games, as a visual and interactive medium, can say things beyond the text. A "well written" game can be one with limited verbiage but clever timing, like Portal, or one with deep conversation trees, like Planescape: Torment, or one with strong between-play cut scenes, like Wing Commander. Good writing in a game is like good writing in a movie; a screenplay is more than words. Plus a game can show you an alien or a starship instantly; most books can't.

In the book, Karpyshyn often falls into the "telling, not showing" trap that plagues many novelists. Instead of letting the dialogue or setting inform us on what is motivating characters, he'll tell us the specifics. For example, the animus against Earth Alliance expansion is explained over and over when well-placed conversation could convey this same impression. Characters are described as killing machines before they take any action at all, making their brutality and effectiveness less interesting when it happens.

"Revelation" succeeds, however, in its main purpose. It introduces a new world to the reader, one that is internally consistent and distinct from other science fiction worlds around it. The game has been compared to "Babylon 5," and there's something of that in book, as well. The political and personal intrigue feels natural and there is a sense that the universe is alive, full of story potential. With the universe now established, and the game successful enough to earn a sequel, Karpyshyn should be freed from many of the descriptive constraints of new IP.

The sequel novel should be available this summer, well in advance of the next Mass Effect game. Expect commentary in this spot once it hits shelves.

Book and Movie Bits

- The newest Halo novel, "Contact Harvest," is a New York Times best-seller. This shocked NPR's Chana Jaffe-Walt, who wasn't sure if gamers read books.

- "Smallville"'s Kristin Kreuk has been cast as the lead in the upcoming "Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." The Internet is already full of debates about whether she is "Chinese enough" or "athletic enough" to pull it off.

- "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale," the latest game-to-movie translation by Uwe Boll, opened to the usual hostile press reaction. Apparently even an A-list leading man can't save him.