nicoabove's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
fandom4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Halo: The Fall of Reach is a prequel to the video game Halo: Combat Evolved. It begins with Dr. Halsey collecting the children for her Spartan program. In this story you get all of Master Chief’s backstory, it is amazing character development for him. You see that he’s not just a human robot, he has thoughts and feelings and he cares about all the Spartans under his command. And, of course, he gets the job done. You are going to find yourself thinking ‘Master Chief is here, we’re saved!!’
This book also shows first contact with the Covenant and how the military react to being attacked by these alien races without preamble. You also get the backstory on Cortana and how she was created and how different an AI she is from the others. Along with that, you see how she and Master Chief joined together, becoming the team you see in the games.
In this book you really get to see behind the scenes with the UNSC military and the lengths the Office of Naval Intelligence will go to ‘protect Earth and all her colonies’. You see both sides to the Spartan super-soldier program that did the unspeakable. On the one hand it’s a terrible thing they did to these children, but on the other would these kids who had so much potential have been content with a normal life? The Spartan program clearly gave them all purpose and they never failed to get the job done.
I had played the first and second Halo games prior to reading this, so I had some knowledge of the universe going in like the human military (UNSC), Master Chief himself, and the Covenant with their species and ships. It definitely means more to you if you’re familiar in some way with the story.
This book was as action packed as any of the games, I was glued to this story the entire time wondering what was going to happen next. If you’re an original Halo fan (before the story was thrown in the trash by new company 343’s writers) you’ll want to read this book, you won’t regret it!
This book also shows first contact with the Covenant and how the military react to being attacked by these alien races without preamble. You also get the backstory on Cortana and how she was created and how different an AI she is from the others. Along with that, you see how she and Master Chief joined together, becoming the team you see in the games.
In this book you really get to see behind the scenes with the UNSC military and the lengths the Office of Naval Intelligence will go to ‘protect Earth and all her colonies’. You see both sides to the Spartan super-soldier program that did the unspeakable. On the one hand it’s a terrible thing they did to these children, but on the other would these kids who had so much potential have been content with a normal life? The Spartan program clearly gave them all purpose and they never failed to get the job done.
I had played the first and second Halo games prior to reading this, so I had some knowledge of the universe going in like the human military (UNSC), Master Chief himself, and the Covenant with their species and ships. It definitely means more to you if you’re familiar in some way with the story.
This book was as action packed as any of the games, I was glued to this story the entire time wondering what was going to happen next. If you’re an original Halo fan (before the story was thrown in the trash by new company 343’s writers) you’ll want to read this book, you won’t regret it!
rightfulruler's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
tlo_94's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
swong_13's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
zfrey117's review against another edition
5.0
This is how origin stories should be told. Plenty of action, good plot, and it answers all the questions you had about the MC's and Spartan II's origin, and why we haven't seen any of them
fitzyfitz88's review against another edition
4.0
Found the characters pretty bland, but the action was great and I am always for deppening my HALO knowledge.
saroee's review against another edition
3.0
I like the story of the SPARTANS, but the characters were really flat. Wish there was more depth to them. Also there was a LOT of technical and military jargon, a little too much.
~2,5 stars
~2,5 stars