A review by sjlee
Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe by Tobias S. Buckell
3.0
Despite the criticisms that get heaped upon video game narratives I think parts of the Halo universe is some of the most interesting science fiction writing in the recent years. The games came out just as I was rediscovering reading and diving into the science fiction genre. The Halo universe is a distillation of a lot of different greater science fiction works. That said there are interesting elements present in the series for major voices in sci-fi to tease out in this anthology.
It is difficult to measure the success of an anthology. For every story and poem that works for you there is one that doesn't. Stories that stood out to me were "Pariah" by K. Evenson, "Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian" by Frank O'Connor, "Human Weakness" by Karen Traviss and the "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" by Eric Nylund stand out as interesting stories from the collection. My favourite aspect of the Halo literature is the depiction of the artificial intelligence characters. Stories that feature AI characters prominently work best for me. I also like the peeks inside the Covenant and its culture.
Most of these stories probably only work for those who are fans of the series, or have read some of the previous novels in the universe. Of my favourites listed above perhaps half would work for a reader coming in cold. I debated on 2 or 3 stars for this. Ultimately the parts I enjoyed I felt was worth celebrating. I think these Halo novels could be very useful in introducing young readers to more sophisticated science fiction, which is always a great thing.
It is difficult to measure the success of an anthology. For every story and poem that works for you there is one that doesn't. Stories that stood out to me were "Pariah" by K. Evenson, "Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian" by Frank O'Connor, "Human Weakness" by Karen Traviss and the "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" by Eric Nylund stand out as interesting stories from the collection. My favourite aspect of the Halo literature is the depiction of the artificial intelligence characters. Stories that feature AI characters prominently work best for me. I also like the peeks inside the Covenant and its culture.
Most of these stories probably only work for those who are fans of the series, or have read some of the previous novels in the universe. Of my favourites listed above perhaps half would work for a reader coming in cold. I debated on 2 or 3 stars for this. Ultimately the parts I enjoyed I felt was worth celebrating. I think these Halo novels could be very useful in introducing young readers to more sophisticated science fiction, which is always a great thing.