There’s been a book in the works for a while now from author John Shirley (with an intro chapter by Ken Levine). The book is called BioShock: Rapture, and it was originally planned to be released around the time that BioShock 2, the follow-up to the instant video game classic from 2K Games, hit stores.

Unfortunately the book disappeared for a while, but according to Amazon, it now has a release date and can be pre-ordered right now! And with a visit to Tor Books, the publisher behind the novel, confirmation was discovered: BioShock: Rapture will hit book stores on March 1, 2011. If you want to pre-order the book, you can do so at Amazon (Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle) and get ready to discover the origins of Rapture.

For the most part, novels that present stories set in existing popular video game worlds don’t always do so well. But there have been occasions where a title does really well, such as in the case of Halo, which has seen some popular books follow the various game releases. That said, this particular book sounds like a can’t-miss for fans of BioShock.

You can read a full synopsis of BioShock: Rapture below.

If you don’t want to read the full synopsis below, basically the book is about the rise and fall of the underwater city of Rapture. It’s about Andrew Ryan’s story, and how he achieved greatness before it all came crashing down. This is a story that people who love these games will NEED to read; it was the foundation for one of the greatest games ever made, and Ryan and Rapture are far too fascinating not to keep exploring and expanding upon.

SYNOPSIS

It’s the end of World War II. FDR’s New Deal has redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has brought a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business has many watching their backs. America’s sense of freedom is diminishing . . . and many are desperate to take there freedom back.

Among them is a great dreamer, an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and admired men in the world. That man is Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserve better. And so he set out to create the impossible, a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science–where what you give is what you get. He created Rapture—the shining city below the sea.

But as we all know, this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be . . .and how it all ended.

[Source: Big Download via G4]