I started reading the first of the Resident Evil books by S.D. Perry based on the game and copyrighted by Capcom, and despite trying to prolong the reading, was too engrossed about halfway through so ended up finishing it yesterday. It’s interesting to see how it deviates and expands upon the game itself, so I’d like to not only offer my review, but also note the differences from the game itself. I will read all 7 books and go over them here. I am also operating off the assumption that those who are reading these books have played these games and so I will not warn of spoilers for the game-related ones, but I will for ones with no relation to the game.
In short: I definitely recommend these books to those who enjoyed the original games. They tie everything together and give not only a written replay of the story, but an interesting glimpse into the minds of these characters. I found them to be well written and not overly annoying.
Resident Evil – The Umbrella Conspiracy (Sept 2012)
Resident Evil (Chris, Jill, Barry, Wesker)
271 pages
Impressions
Pros – This the first book in the series and based on the first game in the series. My most favorite part–and the reason I decided to read these books–is that books allow many times an expanded account with possible deviance and a glimpse into the characters’ heads. These are elements oftentimes hard to convey within the multiple constraints of a video game or movie. This book does not disappoint, offering testaments from each of the main characters in turn. There are small elements of humor and likely lore directly, word for word from the game (“You were almost a Jill Sandwich!”) which is neato. I loved being able to see in my mind’s eye the exact locations within the house the characters were investigating, though, admittedly, the detailed descriptions were often skipped over by me in order to get on with the story. It was also neat to mark the deviances from the game itself which started small then got progressively larger, I guess, in interest of future movement of the story outside book one. There’s action from start to finish with barely time to breathe, just like a horror thriller should be and the way game’s story was, too (apart from load screens).
Cons – Now, there were elements that I found obnoxious and kept annoying me every time they popped up. In particular the use of the word ‘copter repeatedly. I’ve seldom heard anyone call it a ‘copter. Helo, yes, bird, yes, chopper, sure, and, well, helicopter, comes to mind. Few uses of it for the sake of word variety would have been fine, except, I seem to remember almost a singular term usage. There was other annoying terminology like the many, many instances of sighing (though to be fair I’d sigh a lot too in their predicament), the improper usage clip instead of mag, or magazine, for some reason having a hard time not using the word pistol or handgun, opting instead to highlight the particular model of gun throughout the book. Maybe advertising for Beretta, Remington and Colt? It’s not like I have military background or firearms expertise but having played many video games and taken one live handgun course, the terms annoyed the heck out of me. Otherwise, it’s a solid book.
Game Deviance – OKAY. so full disclosure: I never actually played the games myself, but I did spend many years watching my brother play, so I was there for the ride, too. There are minor differences and then larger ones. Here they are in no particular order.
Barry Burton being an uber-muscular powerhouse. Maybe it was the blocky graphics, but while you knew he was built with his revolver and all, the book goes out of its way to describe him as caring only about his family, guns, and weightlifting. He is ripped in this book. Maybe that’s why Chris went all gorilla in RE5.
Rebecca Chambers. I believe in the original RE1 (we’re not counting RE0, here) that she was only there for a short time with Chris, helping him with the piano puzzle. In the book, he finds her and then they effectively continue the entire story together aside from one split-up in the beginning and towards the end. She ends up being extremely useful with her child-prodigy-chemist-self despite having been on starts for merely 3 weeks, and helps decipher the scientific mumbo-jumbo, ultimately being the one to blend the V-Jolt herbicide that liquified Plant 42. Honestly, this made a lot of sense given all the paperwork the labs would have on everything. I don’t remember much else about Rebecca in the games, so fleshing her out in the book was nice (and now I’m on the 2nd book which is an original outside the game for Rebecca).
Wesker. Well, honestly, the whole of RE’s lore is convoluted and confusing. Especially when it comes to Wesker. In this book, as far as the book covers, Wesker’s entire aim was money. Lots of money. He Captains the Raccoon S.T.A.R.S division as of 6 weeks or so before the start of the Arklay events. As the story progresses, it highlights his almost maniacal need to control his life, people, and probably eventually the world. But it asserts his main aim: money from Umbrella. He had been involved with the research at Spencer’s mansion, but mostly as a security overseer. He manipulates Barry with fake blackmail and his beautiful plan to complete his mission keeps devolving, but his main plan was to kill everyone and leave no trace. Multiple times he iterated his complete awe and respect for Tyrant. In the end, he gets bashed hard on the skull by Barry’s revolver and though he managed to press the incinerate button, he…dies? At the claws of mutant monkey monsters? It’s confusing. I didn’t understand that part.
Jill Valentine – Jill’s story was largely unchanged from the game, I think. The only thing of note was that the book explained her B&E abilities as training from her father, a notorious thief. As it turns out, she only joined S.T.A.R.S to avoid landing the same prison fate as her father. She was manipulated by Barry but was eventually saved by him too and they all end up escaping together. She and Barry went the Hunter, Spider, Rolling Rock, Lab, Tyrant way.
Chris Redfield – Also largely unchanged from the game. He’s the gung-ho, straight-arrow of the group, with top marksman abilities (given time to aim) starting the story with suspicions about Umbrella, from a friend who was a top scientist there and disappeared. His and Rebecca’s path take them through the Garden’s snake ocean and down through the Plant 42 path. He ends up being the one who shoots Tyrant with the Rocket Launcher.
Yawn – The giant snake isn’t nearly as giant as in the game, but I like this version better because how in the heck does a creature that ginormous feed and maintain itself? It’s giant alright, but more boa-constrictor-giant (dinnerplate diameter) and strong enough to break a support pillar with its tail. This is more believable. Chris takes it out.
Tyrant – An interesting note from #1-fan-Wesker is that Tyrant shouldn’t be able to survive without regular shots of adrenaline. But somehow Tyrant was awoken by Jill and Barry? Or was it the destruction sequence by Wesker? Regardless, it punched its way out of its liquid filled cylinder and busted through the ceiling onto the helipad where it met its demise after almost killing Barry.
Zombies – The zombie dogs were described as completely skinless. Interestingly, the author makes a distinction between the zombies in the mansion vs. the lab which is great, in my opinion. The mansion zombies are fresher and while still decaying, they are more “alive” than the laboratory ones which are described as desiccated since they were first to be infected. I guess without live bodies to feed on, they have no sustenance to keep up the fluids within their bodies which would therefore keep their physical bodies moving. Also, there is no mention of the Crimson Heads.
Resident Evil II – Caliban Cove (Sept 2012)
Original Storyline (Rebecca)
245 pages
Impressions
Since this volume is an original story not inspired or based off any video game installment of the RE series, there is no need to analyze deviance. A gripping adventure based within the RE1 and RE2 span. It starts off immediately where the first volume left off, with our 4 main protagonists embroiled in frustration and danger after the general public, press, and Raccoon RPD believe the official investigation report from Umbrella’s conclusion that the S.T.A.R.S Bravo and Alpha teams messed up big time under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The explosions of Spencer mansion explained by the real killers of Arklay accidentally igniting old chemicals in the basement of the building while squatting in it. S.T.A.R.S itself has been bought out by Umbrella and our heroes left out high and dry, well in the sights of Umbrella’s clean-up crew. This is Rebecca Chambers’ time to shine! She is recruited by David, Barry’s old friend, to help secure damning evidence against Umbrella up in Caliban Cove, another Umbrella research and testing facility as well as another possible accident site. Rebecca, David, and 3 other volunteers are up to the task in a book I found extremely difficult to put down…so I didn’t and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next 5 books in the mail. With that said, this was probably my least favorite book of the 7.
Pros – The mere fact that I couldn’t stop reading is a good testament to the action. Readers get a similar narration as the first volume, getting a 3rd person view of each character in turn, even the villain. It’s a believable set up of location with new, unheard of Umbrella monsters, a new breed of zombies, and killing and death. There seems to be more internal character struggles, but thankfully, the obnoxious terminology of the last book (though the whole clip vs mag thing is still around) isn’t nearly as noticeable. Rebecca’s talents are secured in this volume, though she seems to take a backseat to David. There are puzzles! In the book! Riddles and such which is nice because as the video game installations progress over time, those original elements of the game have effectively ceased to exist. Nothing terribly complex, but present, nonetheless.
Cons – For a book that features Rebecca on the cover, she doesn’t appear to take the limelight here. One would argue that David is the main lead, though it is somewhat close. I’m disappointed by that. Mostly, Rebecca got to act like the medic of the group. There weren’t really any super scientific papers for her to examine which was the original point of her addition to the mission. Parts of the action were convoluted, too, and difficult to understand, such as the climax of the story, the big escape. To me, it just kind of happened with a great KABOOM. The main villain’s delusions are strange, too, but that’s written off because he’s insane. The biggest negative for me, was the inexplicable addition of romance. WHY video game writers or writers in general feel it necessary to add that element to an otherwise exciting action story is beyond me. If there’s a female protagonist, there’s a strange need to pair her up with some dashing young male. Look at RE3, Code: Veronica. Even Sheva in RE5. We’re in a life-or-death situation, we literally just met, let’s fall in love! The funny thing is that the author recognizes this within the story a few times. Why males aren’t subject to the same issues in these stories is beyond me. Plus, for some reason, the female character tends to quit being amazing once she finds this love interest. There’s a scene at the end where *start spoiler/* her love interest’s zombie self-commits suicide and she just freaks out. I dunno, maybe I’m old and jaded, but if my brand-new love interest shoots another teammate because he’s just been turned into a mindless zombie, I’d be happy that he killed himself instead of killing more people. Sad, yes, freak out, no. She didn’t seem to be as outwardly moved when the other teammate was killed. */end spoiler* Ugh. That whole romance thing always undermines a perfectly good heroine’s game. Seriously. Stop doing that! Perhaps that’s what Capcom wanted for the writer to add since they follow that formula in every RE game anyways. So aside from the needless romance and Rebecca’s lack of oomph, the book was good and recommended.
Resident Evil III – City of the Dead (Sept 2012)
Resident Evil 2 (Leon, Claire)
317 pages
Impressions
The third installment of the book adaptation of the Resident Evil games follows the escapades of Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, two amateurs with no special training who were thrust into the horrifying world of BOWs and experimental fallout. This book starts off a series of news articles covering events right after Resident Evil one. It touches a little on the actions of Chris, Jill, and Barry, before jumping right into Claire and Leon’s story. Overall, it is a great read.
(and, sadly, I never wrote a review right after reading, so I will have to reread it and come back)
Resident Evil IV – Underworld (Oct 2012)
Original Storyline (Claire, Leon, Rebecca)
266 pages
Review
Claire, Leon, and Rebecca embark on a, rather, coerced endeavor to hit a remote Umbrella facility with ex-S.T.A.R.S. operatives John and David from Caliban Cove. There, they get split up and must survive not only Umbrella defense forces, but the biological horrors that await them there. There’s a combination of action, monsters, puzzles, and fights that make it fast paced. Of all the books, this one probably is the best at narrating the combination of challenges the teams must face in a Resident Evil world. There is little in-brain delving, with much more focus upon story and action.
Pros – Claire and Rebecca! Together! Yay! That’s something that would be neat to see in the Resident Evil games (instead, you get Claire and potty-mouthed Moira…). This book touches a little bit more on the author-inspired Claire/Leon budding relationship. However, they are separated in the action of the story. It’s nice to see some puzzle-solving which is key to the original RE games, and for Rebecca’s supposed genius to be utilized. Also, there are new monsters! Another mainstay of the RE series. Chris and John must fight through and experience some nasty new creatures. Because this is an original entry into the RE storyline, the author is able to write an extremely solid and all-encompassing adventure. I was honestly, a little disappointed that it was an original story and not the game stories, but I very much enjoyed it.
Cons – The main villain of the book, while portrayed as bumbling and loony, ends up being a very lucky individual, and it annoyed me how he was able to get away/overpower them every time. The escape sequence at the end also seemed a little bit unbelievable, given the supposed super long elevator.
Resident Evil V – Nemesis (Nov 2012)
Resident Evil 3 (Jill, Carlos)
295 pages
Impressions
After rereading this book, I think I have to say that this is probably the best of all of them. It has everything: action, partnership, villain, hope that gets dashed, a puzzle…it just has it all. It follows that story of Jill Valentine after her events in the Arklay Mountains, and reminds you later that she’s experiencing everything at the same time that Leon and Claire are experiencing their adventure. Carlos, the young Umbrella mercenary, is thrown into the mix along with treacherous villain, Umbrella’s Nicholai, who is on a mission to erase all the other Watchdogs for leverage and money. They all cross paths but get split up in the same way that the game does. The star of the show, Nemesis, gets some great “screen time” here as he relentlessly pursues Jill. They work through the Diner, Raccoon’s PD, the park, the gas station, the train where Mikhail heroically sacrifices himself, the chapel, the hospital, and then finally the Umbrella warehouse.
Pros – Fast-paced and exciting, a great glimpse into the heads of the characters, following Nicholai’s exploits during the story. I was kept wanting more and more, eager to keep reading. I could feel the characters’ hopes and fears. It holds well to the game’s storyline (unlike a particular “remake” that was just terrible in every way) while maintaining Jill’s strength (once again unlike a certain “remake”). Both she and Carlos are capable and skilled soldiers and are portrayed as such. As usual, S.D. Perry explores the thoughts of the characters, hinting at possible feelings that Carlos has towards Jill, but then realistically holds off inside a life-or-death emergency situation. There is a good overview at the end of the book that ties 2 of the stories together.
Cons – I felt that Nicholai’s psychotic, power-lording character is overused especially amongst the books in this series…but then again, that’s exactly what all these villains in the games are like. Mostly, I ended up skipped reading those parts because he was…almost too crazy. The ending fight seemed a little rushed and a bit anticlimactic.
Resident Evil VI – Code: Veronica (Dec 2012)
Resident Evil Code: Veronica (Claire, Stephen, Chris, Wesker)
257 pages
Impressions
This book narrates the adventure of Claire Redfield, captured after a botched mission and sent to Rockfort, one of Umbrella’s prison islands. A great retelling of a game that is overall a bit confusing in my memory. The best part is getting into Alfred’s mind. I already knew the big secret regarding the twins from the game, but the big reveal was still well-done and poignant. The melding of information regarding the from the bits and pieces in the game is great because it puts it all together. This book also paints the Claire/Stephen relationship more masterfully and clearly than in the game (and more importantly, satisfactorily). I actually like the book better because it gives more insight into the mind of the characters. Claire just feels more fleshed out as books are best at accomplishing, anyways. Chris’s presence, though fleeting, is also on par with the game, as he has to deal with the big battles. Even Wesker’s role is ample. Overall, it is a great read, and it kept my interest steadily and easily. This was the fastest read out of all 7 books for me.
Pros – Getting into the heads of Claire, Stephen, Alfred, Alexia, and even Wesker. It gives the game story much-needed flesh. Information and lore found in pieces through the game are all spelled out here, coherently. The relationship between Claire and Stephen is, thankfully, satisfactory. The author continues to maintain that she and Leon have a budding, possible relationship. Alfred is explored, as well, much to my interest. In general, the exploration of the characters themselves (even the guy that frees Claire in the beginning!) is excellent.
Cons – Now, I don’t remember 100% what happened in the game regarding Chris, but here, in the book, he is a little bit of an afterthought, added in per the storyline. He’s not nearly as fleshed out as all the other characters. Perhaps, there’s not too much to him to flesh out? There are many monsters in Code Veronica, and I feel like the book focused more on the people than the monsters themselves. The ending sequence with the boss fights at the end were a bit underdramatic, a rather boring end to the omnipotent Alexia. Now, that might be that way in the game, too, but it was quick and anticlimactic in the book, which is disappointing given that this is a Resident Evil story.
Resident Evil VII – Zero Hour (Jan 2013)
Resident Evil 0 (Rebecca, Billy)
247 pages
Impressions
The last of the 7-book series is based off of Resident Evil 0, covering the experiences of the ill-fated Bravo Team that set off the actions of the Alpha team in Resident Evil. Rookie Rebecca Chambers, a young genius recruited as a field medic for the S.T.A.R.S. team finds that she is one of the few if not the only survivor of the helicopter crash. On a creepy train full of dead passengers, she finds herself begrudgingly teamed up with suspected criminal Lt. William “Billy” Coen in order to stay alive. The book is fast-paced and action-packed, flowing quickly through the events. Along the way, Rebecca not only uncovers the horrible mysteries of the Umbrella training facility, but Billy’s unfortunate past. As they help each other overcome the monsters there, a palpable connection grows between the two. It’s something that the game never covered yet would make sense given the circumstances. as it turns out, their entire trek through the facility was guided by a crazed and transformed Dr. James Marcus. The storytelling itself is great, the action is gripping, and the mysteries fun to uncover. A wonderful installment and a sad end to the well-written book adaption to the original Resident Evil games.
Pros – A needed look into the minds and feelings of Rebecca and Billy–something the game didn’t, and really, couldn’t accurately do. The best part is the end realization that any relationship would be out of reach, and that wistful, hands-off end is seriously the best ending…and fodder for any fanfiction writers. LOL. They’re basically in a crisis and there’s no time for mushy stuff to drag everyone down. The book is just one whirlwind action story. It fast! It’s action! Just like in the game. The story and degradation of James Marcus who had delusions of control over his creation is also a great, natural path. I really enjoyed the ending of the book, and, really, the entire book.
Cons – Honestly, the worst part was that the book ended. Also, I’m not sure what the plans were, necessarily, for making more books, but it all seems rather unresolved when it comes to the books’ addition of the Trent, the elusive man who orchestrated most of the series. I guess the open-faced ending is just like the games, but still. It left me wanting more of something that doesn’t exist!