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ultimatumman's review against another edition
5.0
Some Halo books are good, some are not so good. This one was great! Even though it came out after Halo 3 and we knew all the "new" info. It was a very enjoyable read. Not just for Halo fans. But you would probably have to know something about their universe. Or at least a Sci Fi fan.
sorana3's review against another edition
5.0
This isn't just the start of the war. It's the start of the Covenant as we know it.
I absolutely loved this book, but for reasons I didn't expect. The fact that our beloved Sargent Johnson was a key character was probably supposed to be a big selling point for this novel. I was eager to know more about this character and his background. Surprisingly that turned out to be the least interesting thing about this novel.
I should probably put a big disclaimer and say that I love anything about the Covenant, and that's my main draw to the franchise, especially when it comes to the Sangheili (Elites). While there are no key Sangheili in this story, there is a much needed spotlight and development on characters of the other species.
Joseph Staten... Wow. I don't think any writer could have been more suitable for this, because he just seems to get the Covenant. This is one of the few stories where the different species aren't cardboard cutout characters that all feel the same. The alien characters feel fleshed out here. They have opinions, goals of their own, attachments. One of the most surprising things about the novel was the unlikely friendship between a Unggoy (Grunt) and a Huragok (Engineer).
Don't get me wrong, Sargent Johnson is a great guy, but I just didn't get the same feel for him in this book. His personality didn't match up with the games. He's a lot more serious, and a lot less sassy. Although I have a feeling that can be blamed on the fact that these are very early days for him. Still, his experience on Harvest gives important insight for those Halo geeks who want to know how the fight all started.
There are many surprises and insights in this book, so while I wouldn't recommend this read because of Johnson alone, if you have any interest in the events that took place or any interest in the Covenant, this book will hold a lot of treats and twists for you.
I'm not joking. My jaw literally dropped at some points. ;)
I absolutely loved this book, but for reasons I didn't expect. The fact that our beloved Sargent Johnson was a key character was probably supposed to be a big selling point for this novel. I was eager to know more about this character and his background. Surprisingly that turned out to be the least interesting thing about this novel.
I should probably put a big disclaimer and say that I love anything about the Covenant, and that's my main draw to the franchise, especially when it comes to the Sangheili (Elites). While there are no key Sangheili in this story, there is a much needed spotlight and development on characters of the other species.
Joseph Staten... Wow. I don't think any writer could have been more suitable for this, because he just seems to get the Covenant. This is one of the few stories where the different species aren't cardboard cutout characters that all feel the same. The alien characters feel fleshed out here. They have opinions, goals of their own, attachments. One of the most surprising things about the novel was the unlikely friendship between a Unggoy (Grunt) and a Huragok (Engineer).
Don't get me wrong, Sargent Johnson is a great guy, but I just didn't get the same feel for him in this book. His personality didn't match up with the games. He's a lot more serious, and a lot less sassy. Although I have a feeling that can be blamed on the fact that these are very early days for him. Still, his experience on Harvest gives important insight for those Halo geeks who want to know how the fight all started.
There are many surprises and insights in this book, so while I wouldn't recommend this read because of Johnson alone, if you have any interest in the events that took place or any interest in the Covenant, this book will hold a lot of treats and twists for you.
I'm not joking. My jaw literally dropped at some points. ;)
thurminator's review against another edition
3.0
This one dragged on for a while. I enjoyed the glimpse into first contact with the Covenant, as well as an inside look at the Covenant itself. I also enjoyed seeing into Johnson's past, but the whole story line with the AIs didn't really do much for me and this book kind of just fell flat in the end. There was just too many characters I couldn't keep track of or didn't care enough to remember, and there being 3 or 4 story lines all going at once with varying degrees of quality made this book harder to get through than any previous one.
joshmorrey's review against another edition
4.0
A good story, even though it's about Sgt. Johnson rather than the Master Chief. The writing is very well done, excellently descriptive and very entertaining. My only complaint about the book is the unwarranted and absolutely unnecessary gratuitous sex scene at the end of the story, in the epilogue of all places. The tale was over, and it was a good one. There was no need whatsoever to tack this filthy scene onto the end of. It served no purpose, didn't add any sort of closure at all as there was none needed, and didn't lead into anything else. It was completely pointless, except maybe for Joseph Staten to try his hand at romance writing. If you read the book, which I do recommend, do not read the epilogue. It will only waste your time.
vigneswara_prabhu's review against another edition
4.0
Halo: Contact Harvest, doesn't have Spartans, or the forerunners (at least not in forefront). But it manages to recapture that familiar elements which made the series beloved (sans a 7 ft. tall, half a ton weighing walking tank).
As the title suggests, contact harvest tells the tale of Humanity's first formal contact with the alien collective known as the Covenant, who were hell bent on genocide at a galactic scale. The story is largely told from the POV of the beloved Sergeant Avery Johnson, back when he was kicking ass of the Innies. For the covenant side we have yet again a bunch of one off characters, who, as the convention goes are dead by the end of the book. So goes the tradition of Halo books, giving interesting arc to the lowliest of the Unggoy, literally the grunts, and killing them off, just as fast as their meat shield brethren in the games.
On a similar note, is there some rule which says that the UNSC AI introduced in the story need to be killed off by the stories end? Seeing the unfortunate end of the two Harvest administrative Ai Sif and Mack/Loki, that seems to be the case.
Johnson is not his usual gung-ho, one line spewing smartass we've come to expect; rather a more somber soldier who is mulling over the consequences of the lives he has had to take. Though he is still a force to be reckoned with in the battlefield. In that respect, the arrival of the covenant, gave him a clear picture as to what he, they were all fighting for. Rather than wars borne out of political or ideological differences, this was a clear case of us versus them, them being the much more unlikeable aliens.
On the alien side, we get to see a much more detailed look into the history and working of the covenants, as well as the three San-Shyuum officials who would eventually rise to be the Prophets Truth, Regret & Mercy.
Even when we know how bad, the diplomatic efforts between humans and covenant will go, and the clusterfuck that will be the human-covenant(-flood) war, the opening engagements still makes you wish if only things would've gone different.
Towards the end, As the dust of the initial battle for Harvest, and the subsequent evacuation settled, we also have the sobering knowledge that this was but the first salvo in a decades long war, where the UNSC and humanity were pushed to the brink of extinction.
All in all, Contact Harvest succeeds as a military science fiction thriller, playing to the strengths of the series to make a pretty much self contained story, which nonetheless connects to the larger events in the lore.
As the title suggests, contact harvest tells the tale of Humanity's first formal contact with the alien collective known as the Covenant, who were hell bent on genocide at a galactic scale. The story is largely told from the POV of the beloved Sergeant Avery Johnson, back when he was kicking ass of the Innies. For the covenant side we have yet again a bunch of one off characters, who, as the convention goes are dead by the end of the book. So goes the tradition of Halo books, giving interesting arc to the lowliest of the Unggoy, literally the grunts, and killing them off, just as fast as their meat shield brethren in the games.
On a similar note, is there some rule which says that the UNSC AI introduced in the story need to be killed off by the stories end? Seeing the unfortunate end of the two Harvest administrative Ai Sif and Mack/Loki, that seems to be the case.
Johnson is not his usual gung-ho, one line spewing smartass we've come to expect; rather a more somber soldier who is mulling over the consequences of the lives he has had to take. Though he is still a force to be reckoned with in the battlefield. In that respect, the arrival of the covenant, gave him a clear picture as to what he, they were all fighting for. Rather than wars borne out of political or ideological differences, this was a clear case of us versus them, them being the much more unlikeable aliens.
On the alien side, we get to see a much more detailed look into the history and working of the covenants, as well as the three San-Shyuum officials who would eventually rise to be the Prophets Truth, Regret & Mercy.
Even when we know how bad, the diplomatic efforts between humans and covenant will go, and the clusterfuck that will be the human-covenant(-flood) war, the opening engagements still makes you wish if only things would've gone different.
Towards the end, As the dust of the initial battle for Harvest, and the subsequent evacuation settled, we also have the sobering knowledge that this was but the first salvo in a decades long war, where the UNSC and humanity were pushed to the brink of extinction.
All in all, Contact Harvest succeeds as a military science fiction thriller, playing to the strengths of the series to make a pretty much self contained story, which nonetheless connects to the larger events in the lore.
chogangoof's review against another edition
3.0
While this book isn't bad, it just didn't connect with me like the other ones. This is more what I expected for me Halo novel when I went into these: something that doesn't have complex characters or themes and it's just kind of pulpy. This book just doesn't really touch the audience like the other ones, and only engages the reader in a surface level way. The actions were written but everything else felt pretty funky. The climax is well delivered, and it has a pretty satisfying ending. This book just isn't on the level of the other ones, but a Halo fan like me can get some form of satisfaction out of it.
mynameisreek's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Monkey
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Alcoholism
itcamefromthepage's review
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? Yes
4.0
A beevy of unique perspectives and some pretty great prose make this one of my favourite Halo novels.
charlieglynn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5