Scan barcode
tollefson_james's review against another edition
4.0
Slow burn, built through-out. Felt it closed up a bit too quickly, but the circumstances allowed it!
mrwcc's review against another edition
3.0
Was OK. Felt briefer than Martyr and also had a lack of depth in the characters. Good pace of narrative though.
ktjawrites's review against another edition
5.0
While it’s the tiniest bit slower to start, Catalyst is still a great addition to the extended Dead Space universe.
the_banshee's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the first book in this series, although I had higher expectations from the game lore. The writing is sometimes "immature" but looking past that, I enjoyed the story.
This book started off somewhat strong and I couldn't stop reading, but as I prepared for an exciting ending, it felt rushed and almost incomplete.
It seems as if there was a time limit for the author and he didn't get to fully expand on his ideas or story in time to meet a deadline. When I got to about 85% completion of the book, I checked to see how many pages were left, as I was confused on how a good ending could happen with so little pages left.
It was readable definitely and I still enjoyed the story, I just really wish the ending was more detailed and that more was put into it.
This book started off somewhat strong and I couldn't stop reading, but as I prepared for an exciting ending, it felt rushed and almost incomplete.
It seems as if there was a time limit for the author and he didn't get to fully expand on his ideas or story in time to meet a deadline. When I got to about 85% completion of the book, I checked to see how many pages were left, as I was confused on how a good ending could happen with so little pages left.
It was readable definitely and I still enjoyed the story, I just really wish the ending was more detailed and that more was put into it.
silenthillda's review against another edition
3.0
I’m a huge Survival horror gamer fan. I’ve played many of the staples from Silent Hill to Resident Evil to Fatal Frame, you name it. Dead Space universe is in my top 5 favorite series in the genre. The remake for this 10+ year old series’ first adventure is set to release at the end of this month (January 27, 2023) and I am going down memory lane re-reading/finishing many of the franchise’s forms of media. The movies, comics, spin-off games, and books I will be devouring. So this time around it’s Dead Space Catalyst.
It’s another prequel to the first game but this time around it’s a new cast of characters not based on any figures mentioned in the games at least that I know of. We follow 2 brothers and their lives growing up in poor conditions and having all sorts of bad luck. I won’t say much but one brother ends up going to prison and the other laments their upbringing and wants to save him. Is the elusive marker or unitology behind all this?
This book was messy but kept my intrigue. The opening chapters are slow paced but it felt cozy and centered, at first I thought. I appreciated getting to know the brothers and the people in their lives. The middle is when the pacing gets wobbly. B.K. Evenson’s first outing, Martyr, was fast paced with lots of characters but still felt exciting. This one meanders. Also one of the brother’s may be schizophrenic which I guess may seem interesting against the marker which boggles the mind but you walk a fine line adding that. It can come off distasteful. Not enough questions answered why the brother is like this other than an abusive parent and maybe the poor slumps they grew up in.
The last few chapters picks up real well bringing the dead space action we come to know. I got so excited. All storylines colliding but unfortunately brings it to a whimpering crescendo end.
This one is harder to recommend, while its bookends strong it ultimately fails. While not a real hot mess, I can only suggest to hardcore fans who want to know every inch of the universe and story. I still had fun with this one but there were points I wanted to take a break. Hope this helps.
It’s another prequel to the first game but this time around it’s a new cast of characters not based on any figures mentioned in the games at least that I know of. We follow 2 brothers and their lives growing up in poor conditions and having all sorts of bad luck. I won’t say much but one brother ends up going to prison and the other laments their upbringing and wants to save him. Is the elusive marker or unitology behind all this?
This book was messy but kept my intrigue. The opening chapters are slow paced but it felt cozy and centered, at first I thought. I appreciated getting to know the brothers and the people in their lives. The middle is when the pacing gets wobbly. B.K. Evenson’s first outing, Martyr, was fast paced with lots of characters but still felt exciting. This one meanders. Also one of the brother’s may be schizophrenic which I guess may seem interesting against the marker which boggles the mind but you walk a fine line adding that. It can come off distasteful. Not enough questions answered why the brother is like this other than an abusive parent and maybe the poor slumps they grew up in.
The last few chapters picks up real well bringing the dead space action we come to know. I got so excited. All storylines colliding but unfortunately brings it to a whimpering crescendo end.
This one is harder to recommend, while its bookends strong it ultimately fails. While not a real hot mess, I can only suggest to hardcore fans who want to know every inch of the universe and story. I still had fun with this one but there were points I wanted to take a break. Hope this helps.
thedeightonator's review against another edition
3.0
There’s quite a lot of tell don’t show writing and the plot takes a while to become a Dead Space story, but overall I had a good time with this and I’d recommend to a fan of the games.
hanniegracie95's review
3.0
2.5 stars. The first half was really good, but it became a little slow towards the middle and the end. I enjoyed it but it was a little lackluster compared to Dead Space: Martyr.
kurthl33t's review
3.0
The protagonist is likable, if a little... disturbingly unaffected at times by the awful things happening around him, or the awful things he had to do. I suspect this was a result of a tight deadline, though; some passages showed him being really broken up by events, so the author likely just didn't have the time to focus on the character's emotional trauma at every turn.
The story is engaging, albeit rather slow-paced. The Necromorphs don't even show up until the last third of the book or so. Still, the author does things to keep the reader interested, and it worked for me. This is a worthy addition to the Dead Space franchise. It fills in some of the gaps in the mythology, while still leaving some important questions unanswered.
I was bothered by the ending, though. I thought it was appropriate and that the events leading up to the climax and denouement made sense, it just bugged me that the book ended when it did. I felt like some important plot lines had been left dangling, unfulfilled.
Even so, I enjoyed the book.
The story is engaging, albeit rather slow-paced. The Necromorphs don't even show up until the last third of the book or so. Still, the author does things to keep the reader interested, and it worked for me. This is a worthy addition to the Dead Space franchise. It fills in some of the gaps in the mythology, while still leaving some important questions unanswered.
I was bothered by the ending, though. I thought it was appropriate and that the events leading up to the climax and denouement made sense, it just bugged me that the book ended when it did. I felt like some important plot lines had been left dangling, unfulfilled.
Even so, I enjoyed the book.
drmarko's review
4.0
B.K. Evenson did it again, unmistakenly, he captured the nightmarish gloominess and hopelessness of the dead space universe, where the hope for a better future is virtually nonexistent. Here, the most important battles are not of the physical but of the mind. He delivers and builds tension throughout the first 2/3 of the book and delivers the final blow in the last third which culminates with a mind-blowing, franchise-well-suited end.
I wished that this book is not standalone in the series and that it continues and influences the dead space universe on a larger scale. However, this is not the case, catalyst basically stands as a separate story in the multimedia series.
I wished that this book is not standalone in the series and that it continues and influences the dead space universe on a larger scale. However, this is not the case, catalyst basically stands as a separate story in the multimedia series.
More...