Resources run short when the initial residents do not feel like being totally self-sufficent. This creates a large underclass, many of whom are desperate to make ends meet-desperate enough, even, to join the underground smuggling ring which imports forbidden items from the surface world. But several problems soon arise: an increase in population leads to a need for more housing when a less educated group of people are brought in to build new housing, they soon find themselves unable to find more work and are thus left to fend for themselves. Seeking to prove his personal values effective, Ryan invites the best and brightest from various fields to live with him in this underwater utopia-chief among them Bill McDonagh, a former low-rent plumber who was elevated to Ryan's chief building engineer when the latter was impressed with his work ethic.Īt first, things in Rapture seem to be going exactly as Ryan envisioned-a society free of taxes, with artists and scientists alike able to pursue their research without having to deal with the constraints of government.

After World War II, billionaire tycoon Andrew Ryan designs the underwater city of Rapture to escape not just from the looming threat of atomic devastation, but from the control of those he percieves as parasites who unjustly steal the profits of the working man (while, at the same time, denouncing the protests of workers' unions as 'leeches' demanding a handout). The novel goes into detail about the numerous events mentioned in the games' Apocalyptic Logs. It was written by John Shirley and released by Tor Books. BioShock: Rapture is a tie-in Prequel to the video games BioShock and BioShock 2.

Bioshock rapture john shirley