Mafia III: Plain of Jars

4.5 for me. I never really say this much but I really felt like this was needed for Mafia 3 story. First off this was needed for a little backstory on Lincoln history in the war, was great to see, even though I knew from what the game (Mafia 3) implied to us. We do see some Lincoln and Donovan friendship begin, and that is always a treat. I also enjoyed the Ellis chapters which I loved that more than some of the Lincoln chapters(that why it 4.5). Overall with all those topics, if you are a fan of Mafia 3 you need to read this.

Was well written and it gave an insight look into Lincoln's life before coming back to New Bordeaux as well as showing Ellis' life as well and his struggles for a girlfriend.

For those who haven’t played the 2K’s game, Mafia III features a bi-racial protagonist, Lincoln Clay, who returns home to New Bordeaux (the game’s New Orleans) from Vietnam War. Lincoln, the adopted son of the leader of the black mob, goes on a vengeance spree with his war buddy, a CIA operative named John Donovan, after the ruling mafia kills his family and leaves him for dead after a successful heist. Mafia III: Plain of Jars is Prequel tiein that covers how exactly Lincoln made his way through the Vietnam War on a Special Forces team before the game’s events, trying to find a semblance of belonging in a place of death and darkness.Mafia III: Plain of Jars kicks off with Lincoln as a private, right in the heat of the action in the jungle and doing what Lincoln does best–thinking fast and acting fierce in the heat of battle. His attitude draws the attention of his superior officer, starting a series of events and actions that gets him special training to run covert ops in a joint DOD/CIA collaboration that starts his friendship with CIA agent John Donovan. As we know from Mafia III, Donovan is the perfect handler and intel man for Lincoln, precisely because he is willing to break rules without a shred of guilt and has no issue helping Lincoln with civil warfare. Mafia III: Plain of Jars expands upon how this relationship developed.ImpressionsThe story starts a little slow, building upon Lincoln’s POV as he works to gain his footing in Vietnam. For those who aren’t used to war stories, it takes a little adjustment. I was able to pluck some extra Vietnam War knowledge from Allen, whose dad served and flew Hueys. Stick with it! It’s a slow burn as the book works into what propels him to meet and work with Donovan, but once things get rolling the wait is ABSOLUTELY worth it.As a fan, there is a kick-off moment that expands upon some game POV that really delighted me. Honestly, after the initial world-building of Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the game tie-in moments are really fun. More like “Oooooh, the authors totally caught that Lincoln tends to do XYZ in game and found a way to expand upon it and make it part of his character development!”High Expectations MetHonestly, I had high expectations after how solid the writing and characters in Mafia III were, and Mafia III: Plain of Jars was a pleasant surprise. Game novels can be hit and miss, but the writing flows well and feels well-researched. There are some bits that may seem redundant to veteran Mafia III players, such as some tidbits from Lincoln’s boyhood in New Bordeaux and being raised by Sammy and Father James, but I think it helps the readers who never finished the game or simply want to revisit those integral pieces to Lincoln’s evolution. It was also great seeing those in a new light, and tying them into Lincoln’s experience in Vietnam.The only item that appeared random to me was that Ellis (Ellis!) had some POV in the novel. I wasn’t expecting that, but Rockwell explained to me that Ellis was a way of fleshing out the novel with some of the Civil Rights Movement, which played a prominent role of the era and game. The moments are short and sweet, the primary focus of the novel is definitely Lincoln/Donovan.Verdict: Highly RecommendedRemember that excited pit in your stomach when Lincoln survived his coma, went to the burned-out husk of his childhood home, and you thought “oh, man, shit is going to go DOWN” when he pulled out his survival knife and cleaned up for urban warfare? Mafia III: Plain of Jars builds directly off of this. Lincoln has a history the game only showed us glimpses of, through Donovan’s hearing and Lincolns tactics/body language, and we finally get to see more through his own eyes.Overall, The novel holds up wonderfully for fans of the Mafia Franchise and those new to the series who like the 1960 era/Vietnam war stories, especially for those who want enjoy how Lincoln and Donovan’s friendship developed before the events of the game!