BioShock: Rapture by John Shirley (Mass Market Paperback)

Before the splicers and the plasmids, Rapture was a dream. This prequel novel to the BioShock video game series follows the founding of an underwater city built by a powerful industrialist who wanted to escape the constraints of postwar governments, taxes and moral oversight.

Set at the close of World War II, the story follows the people who flock to the deep-sea utopia and the rivalries that turn it sour. Ambition, greed, genetic experimentation and political ideology collide as the city's promise slowly gives way to decay and violence.

Fans of the games will enjoy the backstory behind familiar names and places, while readers who like dystopian science fiction will find a self-contained tale of idealism gone wrong.