Mass Effect: Deception

Mass Effect: Deception is a novel set in the Mass Effect Universe. It chronicles Gillian Grayson's attempt to avenge her father's death at the hands of Cerberus in Mass Effect: Retribution. The novel contains many continuity errors, which Bioware has promised to correct in subsequent editions.

Tropes used in Mass Effect: Deception include:

Badass: Kai Leng takes this to absurd levels. He kills the most powerful human biotic in the galaxy with a goddamned toothbrush. Keep in mind, Leng is a completely normal human (at least relatively so) who just had both of his legs shot, and has to move around with a cane. Speaking of which, he also kills a guy with a jump kick, even though it's previously established that he's crippled.
Bury Your Gays: But make them un-gay first.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Kai Leng gets two mercenaries to help him steal Grayson's body. He traps one of them in a containment device to act as a decoy, prompting the other Genre Savvy merc to demand payment up front. He complies and kills that merc a few hours later.
Canon Discontinuity: At least the original editions, which a rewrite will replace in the continuity.
Continuity Snarl
- See here. Long story short, the novel makes many errors regarding the lore of the Mass Effect universe.
- See the Internet Backdraft section on the YMMV page, but Bioware announced that a revision is coming to correct the many, many errors.
Cutting Off the Branches: The Citadel Council in Deception are made up of an asari, a turian, a salarian and a human, so either Shepard saved the Destiny Ascension or the all-human council decided to abdicate. Notably the human councilor is not identified as Udina despite Retribution implying otherwise, so this may also be a partial case of Third Option Adaptation.
Defeat Means Friendship: Despite their sole interaction being a one-sided conversation that ended with him being thrown across a room, Nick greets Gillian with open arms and a kiss on the cheek when he sees her again.
Downer Ending: Gillian, Nick and Hendel all die pointless deaths, Kai Leng gets away again, the Illusive Man is building an army of Grayson clones (or something possibly worse) and once again the Council sticks their heads in the sand and ignores Kahlee and Anderson's evidence about the Reapers.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Gillian, Nick and Hendel, as noted above.
Evil Is Petty: Kai Leng plants a bug in David Anderson's house. However, before he leaves, he eats Anderson's cereal
Karma Houdini: Kai Leng, natch. Gotta keep him alive for Mass Effect 3, after all!
Idiot Ball: After already losing Nick on the Citadel, Kahlee decides it would be a good idea to let the emotionally unstable Gillian go outside for a spot of fresh air after she's announced her intentions to kill the Illusive Man. Three seconds later she's missing too. The novel does point out this was incredibly stupid thinking on Kahlee's part.
I Gave My Word: After one of Aria T'Loak's banks is hit by the Grim Skulls, she lets one of their captured mercenaries go after the merc tells Aria who really killed her daughter. When Aria later confronts the same merc in the Grim Skulls' medical bay, she has her transferred to a hospital, her reason being this trope.
Indy Ploy: This is Gillian's modus operandi for the entire novel. And it very nearly works out.
Not So Stoic: Aria breaks down in tears over her daughter's grave at Thessia, despite her best attempts not to do so.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Gillian and Nick, and Hendel as well to a lesser extent. And they all die for it.
That Makes Me Feel Angry: A great deal of criticism has been focused upon the author's inability to write characters in a natural manner.
The Mole: Cory Kim, ex-partner to Kai Leng, is a deep undercover Ceberus operator in the Biotic Underground. Her cover story is that she quit Cerberus before joining up with the Underground, which even Leng believed at first.
Throwing Off the Disability: Gillian has completely lost her autistic behavior by the beginning of the novel.
Took a Level in Badass: Gillian and Nick have both taken great strides during their teenage years. Too bad the strides were down a slippery slope.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Biotic Underground claim to be this, but it's clear they're just vying for power.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Gillian, oh so very much.
You Killed My Father: Gillian toward the Illusive Man, but there's a few more variations on the trope as well; Aria T'Loak to Kai Leng over her daughter, Kai Leng to Gillian over his ex-lover and Nick to Hendel over his girlfriend.
Your Head Asplode: Cory Kim's fate, courtesy of a Hand Cannon wielded by Gillian.