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thebadishradish's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sergeant Johnson is overshadowed by a love story between an Unggoy and a Huragok.
thebookslayer's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
Showing how the Human - Covenant war comes in to being, and also Sgt. Johnsons story line; Contact Harvest is a great book. It is the very beginning of the story of halo in terms of the games, and is a great place to start the books.
_library_of_lucy_'s review against another edition
3.0
Joseph Staten’s Contact Harvest is a science fiction novel based on the Halo Universe video games. I, personally, am a massive fan of the Halo Universe. Being able to read deeper into the world that I have grown up with has been amazing. That being said, this novel was not one that flowed easily for me. I started it January 4th and it took a solid three weeks to finish this 393-page book.
Contact Harvest is the beginning of it all. The story follows the battle-weary Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson as he struggles through a human-controlled space locked in the Insurrection, a virulent civil war. Despite the peaceful, agricultural populous that resides on the planet, Harvest, humanity is about to make the first contact with the aggressive, zealous aliens making up the Covenant.
I love having, even more, history into Halo and it’s characters, however, the build up in the book was like slogging through cold molasses. The character building for both the human and the alien individuals was surprisingly thorough. Nevertheless, there was a lot of information to absorb. The book was heavy with detail; even for someone who has read other Halo novels and played most of the Halo video games multiple times, I caught myself rereading several paragraphs just to retain and understand a great deal of the particulars.
Overall, it was a good read and after about 250 pages in, the story really picked up and became a real page turner. I like the fact that I was given more history into a universe that I have loved for a very long time, but I do wish I had been better hooked in the beginning. I give it a 3 out of 5 for great character development and attention to detail, and while I thought the overload of information and details was hard to labor through, it did help provide insight into Halo Universe.
Contact Harvest is a great read and I do recommend it. I also recommend being able to devote quite a bit of time and mental space to the story.
Contact Harvest is the beginning of it all. The story follows the battle-weary Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson as he struggles through a human-controlled space locked in the Insurrection, a virulent civil war. Despite the peaceful, agricultural populous that resides on the planet, Harvest, humanity is about to make the first contact with the aggressive, zealous aliens making up the Covenant.
I love having, even more, history into Halo and it’s characters, however, the build up in the book was like slogging through cold molasses. The character building for both the human and the alien individuals was surprisingly thorough. Nevertheless, there was a lot of information to absorb. The book was heavy with detail; even for someone who has read other Halo novels and played most of the Halo video games multiple times, I caught myself rereading several paragraphs just to retain and understand a great deal of the particulars.
Overall, it was a good read and after about 250 pages in, the story really picked up and became a real page turner. I like the fact that I was given more history into a universe that I have loved for a very long time, but I do wish I had been better hooked in the beginning. I give it a 3 out of 5 for great character development and attention to detail, and while I thought the overload of information and details was hard to labor through, it did help provide insight into Halo Universe.
Contact Harvest is a great read and I do recommend it. I also recommend being able to devote quite a bit of time and mental space to the story.
revbeckett's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the origin story of the famous Sergeant Avery Johnson who makes his first debut in the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved. In fact, it is rich in origin stories, as you also read about the Prophet Hierarchs and the Brute named Tartarus from Halo 2. The reader gains insight into Sergeant Johnson’s military career and it also tells the story of humanity’s first, unprecedented contact with the menagerie of religious alien zealots calling themselves the Covenant on the human Outer Colony world, Harvest. Thus, you learn more about the Covenant’s fanaticism as well. You get part of Harvest’s story in the game, Halo Wars, but this book is from Sergeant Johnson’s perspective, in addition to other lore. Here, you learn why Harvest was such a significant loss for humanity as it tells Sergeant Johnson’s role in preventing the Covenant from finding an important Forerunner artefact. In the parts where you read about the Prophet Hierarchs, Truth, Mercy, and Regret, you also learn the reasoning behind their conspiracy that is first unearthed by the “heretic” leader in Halo 2 that will eventually lead to the Covenant Schism and winning the Arbiter over to humanity’s side in that same game.
galaxy87's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
itisnotrick's review against another edition
4.0
Exciting story about humanity's first contact with the Covenant, and the deadly first battles of the war. There's also a great b-plot about a Grunt and an Engineer that humanizes the aliens of the Covenant, reminding us that there's actual characters on the other side outside of the Prophets and everyone's favorite Arbiter. And it's by Joe Staten, one of the lead writers on the Bungie-era Halo games, so you know there's some great lore in here. Check it out, even if you're not a mega-fan of the games.
szeglin's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, I liked this a lot more than I expected to. I enjoyed the first 2 Halo games (really hope to play 3 someday), and as I've heard the series called "the Star Wars of this generation I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the non-game material out there. This book was written by one of the series' developers (who also happens to have a theater degree). It was more well-written than I thought it would be, even if things started to fall apart a little near the end. It was also great to see more of Johnson, who is little more than a caricature in the games.
thoresu's review against another edition
5.0
A neet pre Halobstory of Sergeant Avery Johnson. As a fan of the games I enjoyed this story a lot. Sone Halo books fail to deliver. This one doesnt