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thecurseofchris's review
4.0
This isn't as good as The Fall of Reach, but it serves as a great sequel to the original Halo game (prior to Halo 2).
bhall237's review against another edition
4.0
“And I'II take this plan to Admiral Whitcomb---make him see that it's the only way. We're going to take this fight to the Covenant. We're going to launch a first strike.”
Oh to be able to love a Halo book again after the abhorrent endeavor into The Flood killed any momentum in future books. This book was luckily written by the immensely talented Eric Nylund, who previously helmed The Fall of Reach. His talents are on full display once again, and I could tell from the first sentence of this book how much stronger and descriptive Nylund is compared to Dietz in The Flood.
Once again, Nylund captures the camaraderie of the Spartan soldiers better than any of the Halo games are able to accomplish, let alone any of the books. Nylund’s tight knit group of a skeleton crew felt like Halo’s version of “The Empire Strikes Back.” Following Master Chief and his crew, along with Blue Team on Reach after the planet was glassed was phenomenally executed. Returning characters were a delight to be able to follow again, and I felt that a hindrance of the games that the books excel at is having a group of Spartans as opposed to Chief being the only Spartan. Giving him a full crew and more than just Cortana to interact with and care for is something I’m realizing very much limits the games in retrospect.
I think this book is damn near perfect, I think The Fall of Reach blew me away with the limitations imposed on Nylund and how well he was able to deliver despite that. In quite a similar manner here, how Nylund sets up the events of Halo 2 is perfectly illustrated here, and how seamlessly the story flows from book to game format is impressive to say the least. Highly recommended, especially if you suffered through the drag that was The Flood.
Oh to be able to love a Halo book again after the abhorrent endeavor into The Flood killed any momentum in future books. This book was luckily written by the immensely talented Eric Nylund, who previously helmed The Fall of Reach. His talents are on full display once again, and I could tell from the first sentence of this book how much stronger and descriptive Nylund is compared to Dietz in The Flood.
Once again, Nylund captures the camaraderie of the Spartan soldiers better than any of the Halo games are able to accomplish, let alone any of the books. Nylund’s tight knit group of a skeleton crew felt like Halo’s version of “The Empire Strikes Back.” Following Master Chief and his crew, along with Blue Team on Reach after the planet was glassed was phenomenally executed. Returning characters were a delight to be able to follow again, and I felt that a hindrance of the games that the books excel at is having a group of Spartans as opposed to Chief being the only Spartan. Giving him a full crew and more than just Cortana to interact with and care for is something I’m realizing very much limits the games in retrospect.
I think this book is damn near perfect, I think The Fall of Reach blew me away with the limitations imposed on Nylund and how well he was able to deliver despite that. In quite a similar manner here, how Nylund sets up the events of Halo 2 is perfectly illustrated here, and how seamlessly the story flows from book to game format is impressive to say the least. Highly recommended, especially if you suffered through the drag that was The Flood.
bruinrocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
drblockbooks's review
5.0
Another good book set in the Halo universe. This is by the same author as FALL OF REACH, which was also very good. (See my review of that book here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5544876358.) This one wasn't quite as good as FALL, but it was still awesome. Author Nylund does a great job of imbuing all his characters with personal motives and emotions--especially Master Chief and Cortana.
Highly recommended if you like the Halo games.
Highly recommended if you like the Halo games.
sverremikael's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
coopercodes's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I just love how these books a quick and snappy, there’s no boring bits, it’s just one impossible mission to the next with no time to blink inbetween.
The pulpy nature of these books aside, the story of religious aliens using more powerful technology to try wipe out the human race from the planet because they see us as a scurge, is handled pretty well.
It’s good reading
The pulpy nature of these books aside, the story of religious aliens using more powerful technology to try wipe out the human race from the planet because they see us as a scurge, is handled pretty well.
It’s good reading
jrod_62's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solid edition to the Halo universe, picking up immediately after Halo: CE and taking us right to the beginning of Halo 2. The story was slightly less compelling than The Fall of Reach but still interesting enough. Character focus was done well, and I felt that I understood who the characters were and what they felt better than in the first novel. We got more humanization of the Spartans, limitations of Cortana, a solid supporting cast, and critical decision-making (outside of battle strategy) from Chief. I look forward to diving into the wider universe after this book.
graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this story, though...towards the end...I felt it was a little long in the tooth.
I'm glad that most of this story is with Master Chief...where I think it should be. Glad that we got Dr. Halsey back...and that NOT all the Spartans are dead. That was a MASSIVE bummer for me in book two.
I do not trust the Admiral in this book. I felt he was incompetent and did so many stupid moves.
Really worried about Captain Keyes. I will not believe he is actually dead...till we have his body (sorry), not going to fall for that move (again).
Most of the story is in 2552...with a small period of time when the Spartan were training (very small section).
I am now invested into this story, and am looking forward to picking up the next story. I really love the worldbuilding and want to see how they save Earth, for that is the biggest worry IMO.
I'm glad that most of this story is with Master Chief...where I think it should be. Glad that we got Dr. Halsey back...and that NOT all the Spartans are dead. That was a MASSIVE bummer for me in book two.
I do not trust the Admiral in this book. I felt he was incompetent and did so many stupid moves.
Really worried about Captain Keyes. I will not believe he is actually dead...till we have his body (sorry), not going to fall for that move (again).
Most of the story is in 2552...with a small period of time when the Spartan were training (very small section).
I am now invested into this story, and am looking forward to picking up the next story. I really love the worldbuilding and want to see how they save Earth, for that is the biggest worry IMO.