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fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In this novel, Eric Nylund attempts to tell two stories: the creation and development of the Spartan III program at the hands of Kurt and Mendez, and the discovery of the forerunner Shield World and all the weirdness that comes with it. Separately, these two plots are fantastic premises for a Halo novel, but they don’t work as well when being forced together. It felt like Nylund abandoned the already rushed Spartan III plot the moment Halsey came into the picture, and from that point on the narrative focused on a rushed plot focused on the forerunners. All in all, it would have been better if this book was split into two.
There are a few things I really liked, though, Kurt’s character was so well done. He’s a much more approachable Spartan than John, and he’s far more amiable. He’s wily, but still maintains the Spartan sense of honor. And it was a brilliant move to make him in charge of the Spartan III program; as a Spartan himself, he easily becomes invested in their wellbeing. This all makes him a very interesting foil to Halsey and the Spartan IIs.
I love that we get to see the Great Schism from every angle. We see it from the Arbiter’s perspective in Halo 2, but now we’re seeing it not only from the UNSC’s perspective but also random Sangheili commanders.
One thing I loved about The Fall of Reach is the connection of the story to the realm of myth. Likewise, I thought having nods to human history within the UNSC (like ship names and such) was cool, but Nylund takes things a little too far with this novel. Everything is very Eurocentric. This, to me, is proved completely when Whitcomb messages to the Sangheili that they “have a few seconds to pray to your damned heathen gods.” The Covenant is supposed to represent fundamentalism, not the evils of heathenism and polytheism. That does the exact opposite of what Halo’s themes set up — it makes it look like the UNSC is a monocultural monolith who can’t get over specific prejudices. It’s extremely short-sighted for a future society where humanity has hundreds of inhabited planets, and thus likely thousands of different religions, most of which are probably not monotheistic. I have a personal stake in this as a polytheist, but I do think it undermines the themes that Nylund had already previously set up.
Overall it was a very meh Halo novel. Nothing extraordinary, but it still had some great characters and good moments. Like with the last one, I skipped almost all the action, and there’s quite a bit of it in this one. So if you love action, you’ll probably like this one.
There are a few things I really liked, though, Kurt’s character was so well done. He’s a much more approachable Spartan than John, and he’s far more amiable. He’s wily, but still maintains the Spartan sense of honor. And it was a brilliant move to make him in charge of the Spartan III program; as a Spartan himself, he easily becomes invested in their wellbeing. This all makes him a very interesting foil to Halsey and the Spartan IIs.
I love that we get to see the Great Schism from every angle. We see it from the Arbiter’s perspective in Halo 2, but now we’re seeing it not only from the UNSC’s perspective but also random Sangheili commanders.
One thing I loved about The Fall of Reach is the connection of the story to the realm of myth. Likewise, I thought having nods to human history within the UNSC (like ship names and such) was cool, but Nylund takes things a little too far with this novel. Everything is very Eurocentric. This, to me, is proved completely when Whitcomb messages to the Sangheili that they “have a few seconds to pray to your damned heathen gods.” The Covenant is supposed to represent fundamentalism, not the evils of heathenism and polytheism. That does the exact opposite of what Halo’s themes set up — it makes it look like the UNSC is a monocultural monolith who can’t get over specific prejudices. It’s extremely short-sighted for a future society where humanity has hundreds of inhabited planets, and thus likely thousands of different religions, most of which are probably not monotheistic. I have a personal stake in this as a polytheist, but I do think it undermines the themes that Nylund had already previously set up.
Overall it was a very meh Halo novel. Nothing extraordinary, but it still had some great characters and good moments. Like with the last one, I skipped almost all the action, and there’s quite a bit of it in this one. So if you love action, you’ll probably like this one.
cjcardosa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Why would you do that to me?!? 😭
jembich's review against another edition
4.0
I like to listen to these while I’m at work and it is fun to see where they match up with the games
plantainicus's review against another edition
5.0
Best book in the series so far in my opinion. Really starts to feel less constrained by the books this time around. Serves to expand upon the universe rather than adding context to the games. Explores themes you’ve come to expect while reading this book better than previous entries in the series.
jrod_62's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow. This was easily my favorite of the original Halo saga (I skipped The Flood). Being away from the story of Master Chief more brought more intensity because there was more room for character growth and more ability to actually fear for characters' outcomes. The last third of the book was absolutely gripping. And the intrigue of Onyx and the Spartan III's added to what the other two books lacked: the unknown (for me, digging deeper into Halo lore for the first time).
marcelozanca's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bhall237's review against another edition
4.0
“In the years to come, Tom would reflect on Lucy's last question every day. "How are you sure we're alive?" Something had died for every Spartan that day.”
Another stellar book from Nylud, and unfortunately the last full length Halo novel written by the author, but the trilogy he contributed was damn near perfect from beginning to end. I would say I enjoyed this book just a bit less than First Strike, but still loved every moment of this book.
It was interesting reading something set in this universe that only featured Master Chief for only a brief moment, with the rest of the story following other Spartans, either new or pre-established in previous books. I very much enjoyed the camaraderie of the Spartans throughout the book, and continue to wish that the fellowship of Spartans seen in these books were seeing in the video games. The only short coming of this book that really stuck with me was the overall threat of the forerunner technology. I just felt wasn’t explored in as interesting a manner as the villains of the other books, but the whole explanation of the technology and lore was fascinating.
I do look forward to reading more Halo books after this one, there are countless more after this, but curious so see how the writing style and the word building established by Nylund is continued.
Another stellar book from Nylud, and unfortunately the last full length Halo novel written by the author, but the trilogy he contributed was damn near perfect from beginning to end. I would say I enjoyed this book just a bit less than First Strike, but still loved every moment of this book.
It was interesting reading something set in this universe that only featured Master Chief for only a brief moment, with the rest of the story following other Spartans, either new or pre-established in previous books. I very much enjoyed the camaraderie of the Spartans throughout the book, and continue to wish that the fellowship of Spartans seen in these books were seeing in the video games. The only short coming of this book that really stuck with me was the overall threat of the forerunner technology. I just felt wasn’t explored in as interesting a manner as the villains of the other books, but the whole explanation of the technology and lore was fascinating.
I do look forward to reading more Halo books after this one, there are countless more after this, but curious so see how the writing style and the word building established by Nylund is continued.
sverremikael's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
minimatt233's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
5.0
Kurt is amazing. Nylund knows how to write amazing action scenes, especially in space.
drblockbooks's review against another edition
Fun and exciting, but Master Chief isn't in this book, so I didn't like it as much as Fall of Reach and First Strike. The writing was great and the action was exciting, even without Master Chief.