"Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth (2011)" - Belated Reviews

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Videogame spin-off novels often get off to a running start, in that they leap from a springboard of low expectations; a depressingly large proportion of games writing struggles to deserve praise higher than ‘competent’. Having previously taken the bold decision to publish a Bioshock prequel novel, Titan Books have since put onto shelves The Fourth Labyrinth, the first official Uncharted novel.

All three Uncharted games have strong, well-defined characters; witty dialogue; breathtaking action set pieces; and, in short, some of the best writing in the industry. Though almost perfectly suited to a literary adaptation, the Uncharted series (excepting a few irritating loose ends in the third instalment) sets the writing bar surprisingly high.

The book is written by Christopher Golden, who has previously worked on not only novels but also an online animated series, videogame scripts, comics, and screenplays. His acknowledgements end with thanks to somebody for “the music and for loving Nate Drake as much as I do”. The big question is: can his talent for writing novels match his apparent love for the Uncharted games, despite – or due to – writing for such a variety of fiction media?

Rather than being a direct sequel or prequel to any of the existing games, the events of The Fourth Labyrinth take place at an unspecified point in Drake and Sully’s globetrotting, treasure hunting career. The main adventure is soon set in motion thanks to the obligatory Uncharted Feisty Female, the part of which is played here by Jada Hzujak, Sully’s god-daughter. Her father (Luka), one of Sully’s oldest and closest friends, was a famous archaeologist – whose butchered corpse turns up in a steamer trunk on a train platform in Manhattan.

Before his death, Luka had almost finished unlocking the secrets of three labyrinths dotted across the world which were somehow connected; but Drake, Sully and Jada have access to only a small proportion of what he knew, in the form of hurriedly scribbled notes and drawings. A second murder and one very public attempt on their lives later, they race to find out what Luka knew, why he wanted to hide it from the man who hired him to research it, who’s trying to kill them and why. Of course, it soon transpires that there is a fourth labyrinth somewhere in the world, which holds something much more valuable and dangerous than treasure…

From the first page to the last, The Fourth Labyrinth moves at a breakneck pace. This urgent pacing is masterfully married to an acknowledgement of the fact that a good book, unlike a good game, cannot rely on shootouts, puzzles and chases alone. Characters sleep, travel in planes and cars, stay in hotel rooms, have serious conversations… yet page to page, word to word, the whole story is utterly gripping. No moment is wasted. If things stay static geographically, the time is used to explore the nuances of unfamiliar characters or further the overarching plot.

One of the most important questions for Uncharted fans is: does it feel like Uncharted? The answer is, without a doubt, yes. Treasure and exotic locations aside, there are the characters. Sully and Drake are the only two from the games, yet these two have been so well painted there that any slip-up will ruin the tone of the whole book. Some of their banter is so sharp and witty it could have been pulled from any of the games, and they both always stay in character; all the more impressive when you consider that they are sometimes, by necessity, placed in prosaic situations that the games never have cause to explore. Jada would fit well into any new game, and in fact has more depth to her than either Chloe or Elena.

Rather than taking the easy option of dropping pantomime villains into the story, Golden introduces (and sustains) who are initially suspected to be the two villains – Jada’s stepmother Olivia, and Olivia’s boss (also the man who hired Luka) Tyr Henriksen – with carefully moulded ambiguity. Jada is convinced that Olivia is evil personified, and all three presume Henriksen is almost certainly the man behind at least some of the violence and death surrounding them. As the story progresses however the reader is soon unsure if things are quite that straightforward, especially when mysterious ninja-like warriors are thrown into the mix. When the final few pieces are put together near the end of the book, it’s unlikely you will have seen it all coming.

All of this is supported by Golden’s gift for immediately throwing the reader into the world he’s created and bringing it all to vivid life. Without needlessly lengthy location and character descriptions, telling the reader only what they need to know and allowing their imagination to summon the rest, it’s no exaggeration to say he rivals Stephen King and Terry Pratchett for immersive writing. This was an unexpected and more than welcome surprise.

That’s not to say that the writing is without a few hiccups now and again.

Repeatedly describing those chasing Drake in the opening chapter as “killers” soon grates, and there are a few other rare instances of loose cogs in an otherwise powerful narrative machine. Toward the end of the book, Drake briefly reflects on his reluctance to kill, which is a little hard to swallow considering the literally hundreds of people he shoots his way through in the three games thus far released; and there’s a decision he makes in the closing stages, ordinarily at odds with his character, which isn’t amply justified (and which can not be explained here without spoiling the ending). Given the quality of all that goes before this is forgiveable; though the reader is forced to fill in a few gaps in the process.

Ultimately, if you’re at all interested in this book you will not be disappointed. It’s gripping, written with incredible skill, and very much Uncharted. Well worth a purchase, even for those unfamiliar with the games.

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Book Review: ‘Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth’ by Christopher Golden



The tie-in novel can be a tough proposition to pull off well, but even more challenging are those books based on video games. It’s a lose-lose situation in most respects; for the majority of games, the narrative doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny and is merely tolerated for the fun gameplay, but even those titles with rich mythology and great characters might not prove as memorable and enthralling when you’re a passive observer instead of an active participant helping shape the story. Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth attempts to adapt the exhilarating action and adventure of the Uncharted games to the printed page, and while it’s a fun little pulpy adventure to help tide fans over until the new game arrives, sadly it never comes close to rivalling the video game adventures of Nathan Drake.

When college professor and noted archaeologist Luka Hzujak turns up brutally murdered in New York while investigating the myth of Daedalus’ labyrinths, his grieving daughter Jada turns to her godfather, Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan, for help. Wise-cracking adventurer Nathan Drake leaps to the aid of his best pal/partner in crime and he and Sully head off to Egypt with Jada in tow, intent on unravelling the mysteries of the lost labyrinths, discovering the treasure at the heart of it all and uncovering the truth behind Hzujak’s murder. But with an army of mysterious hooded assassins and a sinister German industrialist on their tail, the treasure-hunters’ latest adventure might prove to be their most dangerous yet.

Though he crafts an entertaining adventure for Nathan Drake, Christopher Golden never quite manages to manoeuvre around the overlooked fact that, at least on paper, Uncharted isn’t an exceptional series. They’re solid, old-fashioned Indiana Jones-inspired adventures that’re masterpieces of presentation rather than plot. The masterstroke of the Uncharted games is in the storytelling rather than the story, combining fantastic gameplay, incredibly cinematic, dynamic and interactive action narratives with voice acting and motion capture performance that’s far above and beyond that of most other games. Take away the exceptional voice talent of Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle, the cinematic, visual action and the interactivity and we’re left back at square one, with an enjoyable, but derivative and familiar pulp adventure story.

Not that that’s a terrible compromise, but without the defining, elevating elements that make the games such phenomenal experiences, the wear in the foundation is much more apparent and harder to forgive. The Uncharted series has always owed a colossal debt to the Indiana Jones movies; without the globe-trotting, treasure-hunting adventures of Henry Jones, Jr., the roguish, quip-happy Nathan Drake we know and love wouldn’t exist. But Christopher Golden goes a few steps further, borrowing almost the entire plot of Temple of Doom for The Fourth Labyrinth. (Spoiler alert!) A mysterious, sinister, catacomb-dwelling cult kidnapping the locals and feeding them potion to turn them into mindless worker drones? Check. One of our heroes momentarily turned slave-zombie and forced to attack his friends? Check-oslavakia.

(The spoilers are over, you can look now!) In fairness, Golden does weave an otherwise entertaining and fairly gripping tale which, true to the Indy/Uncharted formula, weaves mythic history lesson with cryptic, supernatural-tinged mystery and tomb-raiding adventure to engaging effect, with a fun re-imagining of the Daedalus/Minotaur myth. Sadly it’s more than a little damning that The Fourth Labyrinth’s most original and interesting story moments are shamelessly yoinked from an Indiana Jones movie. The action is naturally never as dynamic or as heart-stopping as its gaming counterpart, propped up by too much exposition, and the dialogue’s never quite as snappy, but Golden manages to strike a decent approximation of the game’s tone. A high-octane jungle jeep chase/impromptu rescue sets the scene and reintroduces Nathan Drake perfectly, and a couple of underground labyrinth exploration set-pieces offer fast-paced, well constructed action to have you speeding through pages at a steady clip.

There’s the obligatory woman-of-the-week love interest in Jada Hzujak, a fiesty and amiable girl who gives Nate a run for his money in terms of both wit and adventure. There’s more literary real estate devoted to constantly reminding us of her hair colour than there is to her actual character (keep a hip flash handy and take a swig whenever ‘magenta streaks’ are mentioned – hangovers will ensue), but Golden throws in plenty of fun, flirty banter that works well in effectively nudging along their ‘will-they/won’t they?’ relationship. The usual friendly back-and-forth ribbing between snarky Drake and playful curmudgeon Sully is intact, too, and the pair are great fun to spend time with yet again. There’s brief mention of Nate’s parents, but otherwise there’s not much new light shed on familiar faces and precious little character development for our two heroes, while newcomers might be a tad lost as Golden makes only a sparse effort to introduce Nate and Sully to non-fans.

Those who loved the games will likely find that this paperback Nathan Drake outing never reaches the heights of its interactive equivalent. But while it’s derivative and light on character, The Fourth Labyrinth still makes for a fun, pulpy adventure that proves to be an enjoyable afternoon read. Consider it a fatty, but quite tasty Uncharted hamburger to tide you over until the delicious prime cut steak of Drake’s Deception arrives on PlayStation 3. [3/5]

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IGN.COM: Uncharted The Fourth Labyrinth Review
A Perfect Addition to the Uncharted Lore, Delving Deep Into the Minutiae's of the Series.



Author Christopher Golden gives readers a novelization of the popular Playstation 3 video game franchise, Uncharted. I can confidently say that Golden did an incredible job giving beloved characters a completely new dimension not explored in the games. Golden captures the interplay and behind the scenes antics of the two characters, Nathan Drake and Victor "Sully" Sullivan, better than any of the interactive experiences. The games are limited to how much time they can dedicate to character development before being thrown into a firefight, while The Fourth Labyrinth is given much more liberty in being able to go into the small details of the methods used by Drake and Sully to globe-trot around the world.

The story follows Sully calling Drake to New York to investigate the murder of his very good friend Luka Hzujak. Luka's daughter, and concurrently Sully's goddaughter, Jada is the only link Drake and Sully have to understanding why Luka was murdered. What is known is that Luka was on an archeological dig and found something causing his murder. It is now up to Drake, Sully, and Jada to follow the clues left behind by Luka to unravel the mysteries of Daedalus' labyrinths.

Being a fan of the series, I just had to give this book a try, and I'm glad that I did. At first I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got was a very well written story, vividly painted in my head, capturing all I love about the series and giving me a new level of insight not seen before in the games. The story, just like the games, has great pacing. The book never inundates you with too much action or too much downtime, just the perfect amount to keep the pages turning. Hours will pass by without you even noticing. My only complaint is that some of the heavy action sequences can be hard to follow but it doesn't detract from the overall experience.

I highly recommend this book to fans of the series as well as those looking for a fun book to jump into. Uncharted The Fourth Labyrinth is simply pure action/adventure fun. [8.5 Great]

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Uncharted – The Fourth Labyrinth Book Review

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth introduces Drake just as fans of the games would hope; with him careening through a jungle, girl in tow, being chased down by a group of gun-toting thugs for hire. Throughout all this he still maintains that wicked sarcastic humour, despite the mortal danger he is in. This is definitely the Drake we know and love.

After that little escapade, which is merely a set-up for the main story, Drake touches down in Chicago only to find a voicemail on his phone from partner in crime, and Uncharted favourite, Sully. He sounds tense and when called back asks Drake to get to New York as quickly as possible. What’s in New York? “Murder”.

Unfortunately it turns out that the person murdered is good friend Luka Hzujak, who was not only killed but dismembered and left in a box at Grand Central Station for all to see. It seems that Luka was working on unravelling the myth about alchemy, gold and three long-lost labyrinths, and whatever he had found was important enough for someone to kill over.

With Luka’s feisty daughter, Jada, on board, Drake and Sully decide to head out to a) find the killer and b) solve the mystery that Luka was working on. Whilst it may have sounded like a good idea at the time, it throws all three of them into peril as they face onslaughts from mercenaries, hooded assassins and enemies of the hairy, horned, mythological variety!

With few options left, the trio find themselves teaming up with some less than savoury characters just to survive. “When you lie down with snakes you’ve gotta learn to hiss, but that doesn’t mean you have to slither”.

The biggest plus point of The Fourth Labyrinth is just how well author Christopher Golden captures the mannerisms of Drake and Sully. The banter between them is spot on, as is Sully’s gruff exterior and Drake’s inability to shut his mouth when faced with a loaded gun, or someone about to beat him senseless.
Drake also struggles with his conscience towards the end. Although he despises the people that he has been forced to join up with, is he really that different from them? He steals, he is motivated by money and treasure; just what sort of person is he?

The other main characters are also developed well, and The Fourth Labyrinth continues Uncharted’s tradition of having strong female roles, with Jada and Olivia proving they are more than strong enough to mix it up.

The story is paced well, keeping momentum without ever rushing through details. The tale is exactly what Uncharted fans have come to expect, and at several points throughout the book I did make the comment that The Fourth Labyrinth would make a great game, as all the ingredients are there.

The only real downside to the book is the fact that you know that whilst they might get beat up, shot, and stabbed, Drake and Sully will always come out smiling by the end. There is no way Naughty Dog would allow their main guys to bite the bullet, especially in a book.

Pros

• A solid story
• Drake and Sully are captured perfectly

Cons

• There is never a real sense of danger to the main characters

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth makes up for the lack of danger by having an entertaining story full of well-developed characters. Even if you’ve never really been a fan of the Uncharted series this book is still well worth a read, just don’t expect anything drastic to happen. [Score: 8/10]

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Book Review: Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth
Buccaneers and buried gold

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth opens exactly as you’d expect it to. The franchise’s affable protagonist, Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake, is pictured driving through a tropical backdrop with a beautiful girl to his side – and a host of gun-toting thugs flashing submachine guns in his rear-view mirror. Within a single turn of the printed page, author Christopher Golden effortlessly captures the reckless nature of the iconic character, and sets the tone for the rest of this exhilarating adventure.

Video game novels are a tough proposition, typically because the material authors are given to work with is often so poor. As gamers, we tend to grit our teeth through shoddy fiction, dodgy writing and poor voice acting because the gameplay mechanics at the heart of the experience are the primary reason for investment. But in written form, authors don’t have the crux of gameplay to fall back on, leaving behind a shallow novel despite the best intentions of the author.

Uncharted is arguably one of the few franchises with fiction strong enough to carry a novel. While the property’s pulpy adventuring is largely derivative of Indiana Jones’ escapades in film, Naughty Dog’s games eschew cliché by virtue of their strong character development and great writing. That quality persists in Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth, prompting an enjoyable page-turner that captures the spirit of the series with ease.

Like Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, The Fourth Labyrinth hones in on the relationship between Drake and his mentor, Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan. While the novel’s exposition chapters are wrapped in the poignancy of murder, Golden still finds room to explore the paternal banter between the duo; a theme that underlines the heart of the plot.

Having escaped from the jungle with an extra line of zeros added to his bank balance, Drake arrives in Chicago to find an urgent answer phone message from his stand-in father outlining the gruesome, and curiously public, murder of his archaeologist friend, Luka Hzujak. Racked with grief, and challenged by a sense of responsibility over the deceased’s daughter, Jada Hzujak, Sully enlists on the help of Drake to unravel the mysteries that led to Luka’s untimely demise.

The Uncharted series has always hinged on the inclusion of strong female characters to etch out the personality of Drake, and, despite being a newcomer, Jada Hzujak more than fills the role. While Golden plays with the prospect of a blossoming romance between the pair, he eventually steers the relationship in a different direction, prompting a warm sibling-like affection between the two that’s anchored by their dependence on the fatherly Sully. It’s a dynamic that’s believable, and prompts some feel-good exchanges between the trio that cuts through the narrative’s darker overtones.

Freed from the shackles of gameplay, Golden is able to develop the narrative at a slower pace than the Uncharted games. Shootouts are a rarity, with Drake’s exploration and archaeological skills brought to the forefront of the plot. There’s an anaemic pace to the story throughout, which makes the action feel all the more breathless when it arrives. At times, The Fourth Labyrinth comes closer to capturing Naughty Dog’s intent than any of the actual games, with Drake’s actions much more conducive to his tender personality.

Sadly, Golden’s restraint is undone by a hasty conclusion, which sees the pseudo-historical spiel that’s at the core of the plot unsatisfactorily terminated within a few short chapters. Considering the bulk of the novel relies on slow build-up and careful attention to detail, it’s clear that time restrictions thwarted the author’s ambition, and it’s unfortunate that the novel’s unable to conclude on the same high note as its opening.

Still, while the plot’s short on new character development – there’s a passing reference to Drake’s family that’s hurriedly brushed aside – it’s a novel that’s entirely befitting of the franchise. If you’re a fan of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted games, then you'll almost certainly enjoy The Fourth Labyrinth. Golden’s mastery of the fiction, and, perhaps most importantly, the characters, is impressive, and it gives the novel a relevancy that makes it a must for followers of the franchise.

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