“Jesse McCree, I may not be able to see into the future,” Ashe said quietly, “but I know one thing: whether I’m heading to heaven or hell, I want it to be my chosen route. Not a chosen one. for me. So are you with me or not? “ It’s official: Overwatch players can enjoy quality reading while sitting in matchmaking queues with Lyndsay Ely’s novel, Rebels of the Blockade .
Overwatch has been a popular success for Activision Blizzard, spawning comics, acclaimed animated shorts, and now a series of books in collaboration with Scholastic. Aimed at fans young and young at heart, Deadlock Rebels is the second book in the anthology series, focusing on the origins of one of the most recent new heroines, Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe. Though players already know Ashe’s fate as the leader of a high-tech cowboy gang, Deadlock Rebels manages to add considerable nuances to the character.
Ashe’s journey from troubled rich girl to leader of a fiercely loyal gang of criminals is remarkable in several ways. Despite the large scale of the setting, Deadlock Rebels never leaves the only sizable city in the radius of Bellerae, and only enters the outskirts, on a particular map famous since the launch of Overwatch.
10 classic sci-fi movies that don’t have a happy ending
Overwatch: How an omnic uprising led to Overwatch’s overhaul
Deadlock Rebels presents a surprisingly powerful exploration of all that “unrefined” society leaves behind when it rebuilds itself into a postwar society. With the aftermath of the omnic crisis still looming, Ashe’s friends and foes bear the marks, both literal and internal, of the robotic revolution. Most surprising is the reveal that Ashe is basically a weaponized Lorelai Gilmore, from emotionally distant rich parents to a boy crush who is nothing but trouble. Comparison with Gilmore Girls it’s surprisingly deep, with a remarkably upbeat story reinforced by lively dialogue that constantly evolves on every page.
Speaking of troublesome guys, beloved DPS cowboy Jesse McCree also ranks high, though it takes quite a few years before he grows that famous beard, let alone lose an arm. Although we never see how the couple finally break up, the novel’s conclusion leaves a privileged space for Ely to return to the story later, something that Blizzard should organize.
The cast is just as lively, bursting with charisma, including an ambitious wrecking gamer, a survival hacker, and an elderly hoverbike racer. There’s a good dose of tension that brings out the best in the entire cast, with some great sets that evoke everything from Mad Max even classic spaghetti westerns, but Deadlock Rebels wants you to have fun amidst all the emotional ups and downs.
All of this is linked by a perfect rhythm. You witness the rise to fame of the titular band and the formative moments of Ashe as she becomes an imposing and charismatic leader in her own right. The action is intense, with multiple robberies that follow one another at a dizzying pace, in one case literally, and with each one of them new variables are introduced. The novel leverages the sci-fi elements of the franchise wisely, seemingly taking some notes from Watch Dogs from Ubisoft and also from previous game events.
Ashe’s internal monologue is great too, bitter enough to express her repressed childhood, but her empathy for her found family is instantly endearing. You identify with her so much that it is a bit more difficult for you to understand that she is supposed to be an antagonist in the current story. It is clear that there is a tragedy on the horizon for your band, but Deadlock Rebels never delves into what happened. Ultimately, however, Ely offers an inspired evolution of Ashe, who originally debuted somewhat blandly in the game.
Deadlock Rebels It incorporates all the details of the voice lines of the game for Ashe. There is even a phrase about a bad cup of coffee in a coffee shop. It’s impressive, and it shows that a lot of research has been done on the adventure. There are only a couple of things that are out of tune. One of them is how carefree McCree is with Ashe’s motorcycle in the game and in the animated short. Reunion, since its construction is a key subplot of Deadlock Rebels. Another is that fans were previously told that Ashe and McCree weren’t attracted to each other, and yet he’s listed as something very important in Deadlock Rebels. This suggests that Blizzard could be backtracking on that stance.
My only real complaint is that neither antagonist is well developed. Ashe’s parents son more threatening that substantial, although that is partly what is intended with them. Meanwhile, the last antagonistic threat is simply there, even if its fate is a suitable punishment. He could have elevated the story if his individual conflicts with Ashe had as much meat as everything else. But leaving this criticism aside, Deadlock Rebels it remains a vibrant and shocking adventure.
The big question now is what is left of the line of Overwatch by Scholastic. Its opening focused on the sentient African centaur omnic robot Orisa (say it three times fast), and now Ashe has been scanned. It seems that the characters more on the fringes of the story are being granted a greater role in fiction. Where appropriate, there is a wide selection of options for the authors to explore below. However, while I will continue to look forward to a Symmetra book, I hope we have a direct sequel to Deadlock Rebels. Ashe’s band of misfits, as well as her and McCree’s evolution from teammates to rivals, is worth exploring further.
Despite being relatively new to the linked fiction scene, Lyndsay Ely demonstrates a deep understanding of how to tell an exciting story. It is not usual for a book to take me to read it from cover to cover in a single day, but Deadlock Rebels he has succeeded. Another pleasant surprise is the wide range of vocabulary that is displayed. At all times, Deadlock Rebels perfectly balances high aspirations with an adventure that is instantly engaging. Whether you like Overwatch, as if you like westerns or sci-fi heists, here is something that you are going to love, and if you are a fan de Overwatch and you haven’t picked up this book yet, you have to rectify it as soon as possible.
–
