“Splinter Cell” is hard to explain because it’s one of the few stealth franchises that really hold true to the tactical stealth espionage genre. The franchise is soon to see its fifth game and now “Splinter Cell Conviction” has been turned into a book to preview the kind of pace and action you can expect in the game.
For those who have seen gameplay footage from demos and coverage at different gaming conventions across the world, you’ve seen a lush, living world for the new game. The way it’s being built up, Sam Fisher is now the true Tom Clancy equivalent to Robert Ludlum’s “Jason Bourne” and “Splinter Cell Conviction,” in either of its versions, shows that off to an incredible degree.
The basic idea for the book ties into the game “Splinter Cell Double Agent.” One of the plot points in there, where you have to decide whether or not to kill your/Fisher’s boss and long-time friend for the sake of maintaining your/Fisher’s cover, comes back to play with Fisher. Rather than being a Third Echelon super spy, Fisher is now disgraced but still doing what he knows how to do best. He’s a mercenary for hire, usually working on killing certain people or beating them into a still-living bloody pulp. However, as things go in any spy novel, even the best-hidden people end up hunted and possibly drawn out eventually.
It’s hard to say whether or not the book is good. By some standards, even within it’s own genre, it could be argued that it is on the better side of average. By other standards it’s a well-written, tight thriller that will keep your attention from the first page to the last. It’s blessing is the fact that it’s a continuation of a strong storyline about spies at the top of their game doing what they do best. It’s just twisted in a new way to prepare us for the upcoming game. Its curse is also that it’s the continuation of a strong storyline. Much like Robert Ludlum’s “Bourne” series, it’s starting to get a bit formulaic in terms of the novel outlet and could probably use another outlet beyond the game and novel.
So there is some good and some bad. It is well written with further developed characters, since some of them have been constants for the franchise in both book and game format. Then again, it is also starting to fray at the edges of originality now since there’s only so far you can take it to be original when you’re reaching your fifth book and fifth game. In terms of the game, at least they’re doing something a little more effective in terms of a tactical stealth game. However, in the book format there’s only so much you can do to really make a franchise remain fresh. In the upcoming release of the book “Splinter Cell Endgame,” they’re at least trying something new. Sure, it will be a rehashing of “Splinter Cell Conviction,” but it will be the other side of the story. Rather than following the hunted, Sam Fisher, you’ll be following the people hunting him. It would be interesting to see someone else’s perspective of the events of the story.
So, is the book worth it? It can be. It depends on how big of a fan of the “Splinter Cell” franchise you are though. Does that mean that only some gamers would be able to get into it? No, because there were other books that you might have picked up simply because you are a Tom Clancy fan and would pick up almost anything with his name put to it. If you feel it is worth a read but feel it would be a waste of money to just get the book, look for it in a library.