--- product_id: 15370777 title: "Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1" price: "AED 14" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/15370777-bioshock-rapture-bioshock-book-1 store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1 **Price:** AED 14 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1 - **How much does it cost?** AED 14 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/15370777-bioshock-rapture-bioshock-book-1) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description It was the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal had redefined American politics. Taxes were at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had created a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business had many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom was diminishing... and many were desperate to take that freedom back. Among them was a great dreamer, an immigrant who'd pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world. That man was Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserved better. So he set out to create the impossible: a utopia free from government, from censorship, and from moral restrictions on science, where what you gave was what you got. He created Rapture - the shining city below the sea. But this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be... and how it all ended. Review: Excellent book that makes you think - This book is absolutely excellent. I did not play the BioShock games, but I was vaguely familiar with them and with Ayn Rand's ideas prior to reading the book. I enjoyed the book so much that I almost did not want it to end. I wanted to know more about all the other intricacies of the city (e.g., more details about incidents that were only explained in passing). But overall, still, a really good book that is both entertaining and captivating, while posing important questions that will keep you thinking about the book long after you finished it. I have some thoughts about the plot that contain spoilers, so don't read further if you are still planning to read the book! *******Spoilers Ahead******* The book really elegantly captures how people use ideas (especially Marxist ideas) to persuade and gain the confidence of vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, these people's true intention is not to help those vulnerable individuals, but rather to satisfy their own desire for power. The individuals (in this case, the ordinary and particularly the downtrodden citizens of Rapture) are just pawns in their game to overthrow the person who is in power (i.e., Andrew Ryan) so that they can become the leaders of Rapture (i.e., Lamb and Fontaine). So what exactly was it that caused Rapture to fail so spectacularly? I mean, Andrew Ryan founded the city upon such good intentions?!? He had it all figured out, right? ;) The irony of what Andrew Ryan says in the beginning about what Rapture will be and what he eventually ends up doing when things start to unravel is made clear in the book. He basically goes from being this cross between Ayn Rand and Rockefeller to someone not much different to Lenin or Stalin. But where specifically did he go wrong? I have a few ideas: - His need to control the city in a top-down (central planning) manner was most likely his biggest mistake. This is ironic, given that his philosophy of how Rapture would be governed (at least in the beginning) was more akin to a libertarian point of view. However, he never relinquished power, nor was he particularly open to the perspectives of others. Consequently, Rapture never really developed naturally as a society, but was heavily top-down engineered from the start. The chances of it becoming a libertarian utopia was therefore dead from the get-go. - Ryan's civic education program was also a bad idea. Of course, he also chose the worst possible person for the job, but even if he did not choose someone that was basically out to usurp him from day one, the desire to educate people into liking Rapture was a tenuous idea at best. I understand that he had (seemingly) good intentions with it: he assumed that people might not enjoy their stay in Rapture because they do not understand how bad it really is out there and how brilliant the philosophy that underpins Rapture really is. He understood that he needed people to buy into the philosophy of Rapture, in order for them to identify with and contribute to the city in a meaningful way. But then he should have done that education *before* people were allowed into Rapture, not afterwards when they have already made the commitment. Moreover, as a Research Psychologist, I can say with conviction that social education programs are controversial (I guess I am sceptical of people that feel that these kinds of programs are necessary in the first place). These types of programs are often used in insidious ways, without people's consent, in order to further top-down goals which may not always be to the benefit of the individual (which once again goes against Ryan's original ethos). The assumption that people's lack of understanding is what is driving their behaviour is also flawed, because other factors, such as their social environment, also play important roles in shaping their behaviour. - Not allowing people to leave the city was probably one of his worst decisions. I understand that he felt it necessary to isolate the city as much as possible, and keep it a secret from the outside world, but forcing people to stay just does not seem practical or humane. In any normal community, people invariably come and go. If people enjoy living there and (importantly) are able to work there, they will be more likely to stay. Ryan was clearly flirting with disaster by restricting people's freedom of movement and forcing people who are, understandably, not happy anymore to stay in Rapture. - Similarly, banning the import of religious materials and other books that might run counter to Ryan's belief system was also a poor move. Apparently, when you ban something, people just want it more! You could also argue that people innately need culture/religion and by banning books you only serve to alienate people more from you as their leader. And obviously, by banning certain things you inadvertently help to develop the illicit trade of these items, which brings about other undesirable things such as organised crime. Ultimately, I think Andrew Ryan would have been better off if he had just built a mansion for himself under the sea. Not a city, just a house for himself. He could have stayed there for the rest of his life and arranged for contractors to come and do repairs, etc. under sworn secrecy. Review: A must-read for BioShock fans!!! - !!WARNING!! This book is a prequel to the games, but DO NOT read this book before playing them (Why haven't you played them yet???). It will give away certain "details" that the player should not know about when playing the games. This holds especially true for the first BioShock. I won't mention any of these spoilers in this review, so read on... I wasn't expecting much when my copy of BioShock:Rapture arrived in the mail, but I consider myself a pretty big fan of the series and the idea of a prequel in print was enough to make me preorder it. I was not disappointed... far from it in fact. If you've played the BioShock games then you know a great deal of the storytelling is done via audio diaries. These audio diaries are exactly what they sound like... the audio recorded thoughts of those that lived in Rapture. As you progress through the games you discover these recordings scattered about here and there. Each diary contains a small piece of a puzzle; a very dark puzzle that paints a picture of what took place in Rapture. From these diaries we learn of some of the horrible experiences of its citizens, as well as the events that ultimately caused its downfall. John Shirley does an extraordinary job of tying these diaries together into a novel that really fleshes out the story of Rapture. In bringing these diaries together, Shirley takes side-characters from the games and gives our brief encounters with them more meaning. People that had small cameos from the games are given new life as you see the events that led to their fate in greater detail and from different angles. Not every character is given as much attention as others, but overall I was very satisfied. I'm a very big BioShock fan so I'll admit that I might have some bias, but I'm trying to look at the book as objectively as I can. As one other reader mentioned, there are many different POVs. I can see where one might feel that some of these don't quite fit when considering the book by itself, as they serve little purpose to move the story along at times and can seem out of place. But for those that experienced the games, these "teasers" that seem unnecessary are actually a prelude for what came afterward. They're more fan-service than anything else; Shirley even dedicated the book itself to the fans of BioShock and BioShock 2. In addition to the spoilers the book contains, this is another reason I strongly suggest reading the book only AFTER you have played the games. These different POVs will be more familiar to you and will likely be more appreciated if you've played the games. That's my opinion anyway. The only other issue I could see some readers possibly having is that the book definitely doesn't read like your everyday novel... it's choppy and jumps around, taking place over the entire decade that housed the rise and fall of Rapture (430 pages to cover 14 years, actually). I had no problem with this myself; the story was still very easy to follow and flowed well. Bottom line... this book was a great read and it has me wanting to play through both games all over again! If you are a fan of BioShock then I highly recommend this book. UPDATE: The BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition is out! $29.99 gets you both BioShock and BioShock 2, including all their DLCs! ## Images ![Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A14H8iw6DzL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent book that makes you think *by M***E on February 28, 2023* This book is absolutely excellent. I did not play the BioShock games, but I was vaguely familiar with them and with Ayn Rand's ideas prior to reading the book. I enjoyed the book so much that I almost did not want it to end. I wanted to know more about all the other intricacies of the city (e.g., more details about incidents that were only explained in passing). But overall, still, a really good book that is both entertaining and captivating, while posing important questions that will keep you thinking about the book long after you finished it. I have some thoughts about the plot that contain spoilers, so don't read further if you are still planning to read the book! *******Spoilers Ahead******* The book really elegantly captures how people use ideas (especially Marxist ideas) to persuade and gain the confidence of vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, these people's true intention is not to help those vulnerable individuals, but rather to satisfy their own desire for power. The individuals (in this case, the ordinary and particularly the downtrodden citizens of Rapture) are just pawns in their game to overthrow the person who is in power (i.e., Andrew Ryan) so that they can become the leaders of Rapture (i.e., Lamb and Fontaine). So what exactly was it that caused Rapture to fail so spectacularly? I mean, Andrew Ryan founded the city upon such good intentions?!? He had it all figured out, right? ;) The irony of what Andrew Ryan says in the beginning about what Rapture will be and what he eventually ends up doing when things start to unravel is made clear in the book. He basically goes from being this cross between Ayn Rand and Rockefeller to someone not much different to Lenin or Stalin. But where specifically did he go wrong? I have a few ideas: - His need to control the city in a top-down (central planning) manner was most likely his biggest mistake. This is ironic, given that his philosophy of how Rapture would be governed (at least in the beginning) was more akin to a libertarian point of view. However, he never relinquished power, nor was he particularly open to the perspectives of others. Consequently, Rapture never really developed naturally as a society, but was heavily top-down engineered from the start. The chances of it becoming a libertarian utopia was therefore dead from the get-go. - Ryan's civic education program was also a bad idea. Of course, he also chose the worst possible person for the job, but even if he did not choose someone that was basically out to usurp him from day one, the desire to educate people into liking Rapture was a tenuous idea at best. I understand that he had (seemingly) good intentions with it: he assumed that people might not enjoy their stay in Rapture because they do not understand how bad it really is out there and how brilliant the philosophy that underpins Rapture really is. He understood that he needed people to buy into the philosophy of Rapture, in order for them to identify with and contribute to the city in a meaningful way. But then he should have done that education *before* people were allowed into Rapture, not afterwards when they have already made the commitment. Moreover, as a Research Psychologist, I can say with conviction that social education programs are controversial (I guess I am sceptical of people that feel that these kinds of programs are necessary in the first place). These types of programs are often used in insidious ways, without people's consent, in order to further top-down goals which may not always be to the benefit of the individual (which once again goes against Ryan's original ethos). The assumption that people's lack of understanding is what is driving their behaviour is also flawed, because other factors, such as their social environment, also play important roles in shaping their behaviour. - Not allowing people to leave the city was probably one of his worst decisions. I understand that he felt it necessary to isolate the city as much as possible, and keep it a secret from the outside world, but forcing people to stay just does not seem practical or humane. In any normal community, people invariably come and go. If people enjoy living there and (importantly) are able to work there, they will be more likely to stay. Ryan was clearly flirting with disaster by restricting people's freedom of movement and forcing people who are, understandably, not happy anymore to stay in Rapture. - Similarly, banning the import of religious materials and other books that might run counter to Ryan's belief system was also a poor move. Apparently, when you ban something, people just want it more! You could also argue that people innately need culture/religion and by banning books you only serve to alienate people more from you as their leader. And obviously, by banning certain things you inadvertently help to develop the illicit trade of these items, which brings about other undesirable things such as organised crime. Ultimately, I think Andrew Ryan would have been better off if he had just built a mansion for himself under the sea. Not a city, just a house for himself. He could have stayed there for the rest of his life and arranged for contractors to come and do repairs, etc. under sworn secrecy. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must-read for BioShock fans!!! *by M***L on August 1, 2011* !!WARNING!! This book is a prequel to the games, but DO NOT read this book before playing them (Why haven't you played them yet???). It will give away certain "details" that the player should not know about when playing the games. This holds especially true for the first BioShock. I won't mention any of these spoilers in this review, so read on... I wasn't expecting much when my copy of BioShock:Rapture arrived in the mail, but I consider myself a pretty big fan of the series and the idea of a prequel in print was enough to make me preorder it. I was not disappointed... far from it in fact. If you've played the BioShock games then you know a great deal of the storytelling is done via audio diaries. These audio diaries are exactly what they sound like... the audio recorded thoughts of those that lived in Rapture. As you progress through the games you discover these recordings scattered about here and there. Each diary contains a small piece of a puzzle; a very dark puzzle that paints a picture of what took place in Rapture. From these diaries we learn of some of the horrible experiences of its citizens, as well as the events that ultimately caused its downfall. John Shirley does an extraordinary job of tying these diaries together into a novel that really fleshes out the story of Rapture. In bringing these diaries together, Shirley takes side-characters from the games and gives our brief encounters with them more meaning. People that had small cameos from the games are given new life as you see the events that led to their fate in greater detail and from different angles. Not every character is given as much attention as others, but overall I was very satisfied. I'm a very big BioShock fan so I'll admit that I might have some bias, but I'm trying to look at the book as objectively as I can. As one other reader mentioned, there are many different POVs. I can see where one might feel that some of these don't quite fit when considering the book by itself, as they serve little purpose to move the story along at times and can seem out of place. But for those that experienced the games, these "teasers" that seem unnecessary are actually a prelude for what came afterward. They're more fan-service than anything else; Shirley even dedicated the book itself to the fans of BioShock and BioShock 2. In addition to the spoilers the book contains, this is another reason I strongly suggest reading the book only AFTER you have played the games. These different POVs will be more familiar to you and will likely be more appreciated if you've played the games. That's my opinion anyway. The only other issue I could see some readers possibly having is that the book definitely doesn't read like your everyday novel... it's choppy and jumps around, taking place over the entire decade that housed the rise and fall of Rapture (430 pages to cover 14 years, actually). I had no problem with this myself; the story was still very easy to follow and flowed well. Bottom line... this book was a great read and it has me wanting to play through both games all over again! If you are a fan of BioShock then I highly recommend this book. UPDATE: The BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition is out! $29.99 gets you both BioShock and BioShock 2, including all their DLCs! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ great prequel to the best FPS game ever *by A***S on September 11, 2011* If you play first person shooters, chances are you've played or seen or heard people exclaim over Bioshock and Bioshock 2, games that attained materpiece status by virtue of excellent gameplay and weapons, a compelling storyline and fascinating characters. This novel by award winning scifi author John Shirley is a fitting prequel to the games, giving the backstory to tycoon industrialist (and Ayn Randian hero) Andrew Ryan and the underwater city he built to escape the confines of law, religion and government -- Rapture. When the player enters the first game, the city is already under the tyranny of lawless splicers as well as several big players who are struggling for control. Splicers are humans who've altered their body chemistry in order to use plasmids -- powers that allow one's body to generate fire, ice, electricity, let one teleport, etc. And plasmids are developed and created using ADAM and EVE which in turn are farmed within the bodies of little girls who are guarded by humans altered for the task -- Big Daddies. It is a complex, fascinating world, and at least half the fun of the game is figuring out who did what to whom and why. This book introduces us to the major players whose actions will eventually lead to the downfall of Ryan's city, and presents a believable story about the events leading up to your entry into the game. The narration shifts among many characters familiar to the player. We learn, for instance, that Ryan wants people to record their experiences for posterity, and when you play the game, you often run across these audiodiary entries, sometimes more than one from the same character, so that as you travel through the game you piece together the stories of multiple men and women who once populated Rapture; some of the stories are heartbreaking, others are horrifying; and with this novel you get backstory on many of these people. While the game itself is amazingly three-dimensional, this book helps flesh it out even more. If you love Bioshock and can barely contain your excitement about the third instalment (due in December 2012), this will scratch that itch. I thought the author did a great job of putting together plausible stories that interweave the storylines found in the game. And while other reviewers seem nonplussed by the short shifting POV chapters, I thought this was a good approach, and I enjoyed the narrative. My problem with the book was the pacing and lack of action. The game is like a ten-ton locomotive barreling through high adrenaline situations; the book is a slow build to a known conclusion, and so lacks the excitement, action and tension of the game. That's to be expected -- a book is not a game. But I still found the book less compelling. The narrative is focused to a large extent on Bill McDonagh, a plumber who is hired by Ryan to come help build Rapture. The action of the novel takes place over 14 years, from Bill's entry onto the project team in 1945 until the time of the first game's beginning, 1959. I found his story quite interesting and his proximity to Ryan makes him an informative narrator. I also really enjoyed running into various characters whose diary entries I'd heard in the games. I wish there's been even more! Personally, I disagree that one has to play the game(s) first in order to enjoy the book. I think it could work either way. Alternatively, one could even play Bioshock 1, then read the book, then play Bioshock 2. It's all good! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/15370777-bioshock-rapture-bioshock-book-1](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/15370777-bioshock-rapture-bioshock-book-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-10-23*