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bhall237's review against another edition
1.0
“The Master Chief killed his external com system, and spoke directly to Cortana. "So, any idea what this thing is?"
"No," Cortana admitted. "I managed to slice some data out of the Covenant battle network. They call it 'Halo, and it has some kind of religious significance to them…”
Oh, God! This book was atrocious. I am so regretful for having read this and stunned as to how such an amazing story turned into this. The only other book that I have given 1/5 stars to was Wyrd and Other Derelictions by Adam Nevill, and I never imagined that another book could even come close to rivaling how bad that book is, but this is a close contender, if not worse. In the defense of Wyrd (a sentence I would have never thought I would ever state), that book was at least 100% description, so you couldn’t fault it for having horrible characters and laughable dialogue.
The Flood has no excuse, everything in it is bad. There is not a single redeemable sentence in this book, and the entire time I was reading this book I kept asking myself, “who was this written for?” Fans of the game will be horrified and angry at how bastardized the story of Combat Evolved is, and people who haven’t played the game before will be confused and bored throughout the book, wondering how anyone could find the game fun at all. I just think the biggest sin the book commits is that it’s not just a retelling of the story, it’s a retelling of the gameplay as well, which doesn’t translate.
Besides that point, the entire story of Combat Evolved was that of Master Chief’s. Sure, other characters were featured and were explored, but there wasn’t a fucking side plot that followed an Elite, a Grunt, an ODST troop, and 100 other useless fucking characters that added nothing to the fucking story. Even when the book is just following the game, it doesn’t flow well because while the core script of Combat Evolved is told here, what makes Halo such an incredible series (at least the Bungie games) revolved around how the player explored the sandbox, and approached each and every firefight in their own unique way. Having each bullet shot and grenade thrown explained in excruciating details, made me want to punch my head against a wall.
Whether you’re a Halo fan, a book fan, or a fan of anything that isn’t shit, stay as far away from this book as humanly possible. Dear Jesus, do not read this book. I followed this up directly finishing The Fall of Reach, and from experience, skip The Flood and jump straight into First Strike. Nothing will be lost, only anger and regret added.
"No," Cortana admitted. "I managed to slice some data out of the Covenant battle network. They call it 'Halo, and it has some kind of religious significance to them…”
Oh, God! This book was atrocious. I am so regretful for having read this and stunned as to how such an amazing story turned into this. The only other book that I have given 1/5 stars to was Wyrd and Other Derelictions by Adam Nevill, and I never imagined that another book could even come close to rivaling how bad that book is, but this is a close contender, if not worse. In the defense of Wyrd (a sentence I would have never thought I would ever state), that book was at least 100% description, so you couldn’t fault it for having horrible characters and laughable dialogue.
The Flood has no excuse, everything in it is bad. There is not a single redeemable sentence in this book, and the entire time I was reading this book I kept asking myself, “who was this written for?” Fans of the game will be horrified and angry at how bastardized the story of Combat Evolved is, and people who haven’t played the game before will be confused and bored throughout the book, wondering how anyone could find the game fun at all. I just think the biggest sin the book commits is that it’s not just a retelling of the story, it’s a retelling of the gameplay as well, which doesn’t translate.
Besides that point, the entire story of Combat Evolved was that of Master Chief’s. Sure, other characters were featured and were explored, but there wasn’t a fucking side plot that followed an Elite, a Grunt, an ODST troop, and 100 other useless fucking characters that added nothing to the fucking story. Even when the book is just following the game, it doesn’t flow well because while the core script of Combat Evolved is told here, what makes Halo such an incredible series (at least the Bungie games) revolved around how the player explored the sandbox, and approached each and every firefight in their own unique way. Having each bullet shot and grenade thrown explained in excruciating details, made me want to punch my head against a wall.
Whether you’re a Halo fan, a book fan, or a fan of anything that isn’t shit, stay as far away from this book as humanly possible. Dear Jesus, do not read this book. I followed this up directly finishing The Fall of Reach, and from experience, skip The Flood and jump straight into First Strike. Nothing will be lost, only anger and regret added.
drblockbooks's review against another edition
This book felt like reading a 400-page battle with maybe 10% dialogue. Impressive in its own way.
danteinvidia's review against another edition
2.0
After Fall of Reach was such a surprisingly good read, this book was horrifyingly inferior. Whereas the Fall of Reach and First Strike felt like actual books in the Halo universe, this one sadly felt like someone merely narrating gameplay.
ellimist's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
bruinrocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bham123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sharknato's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was non-stop action, which can be great, but I enjoy characterization and personal moments in my action stories.
mrklw853's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
thebookslayer's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
Halo: The Flood is by far the best book in the Halo book series. Halo: The Flood follows the events of the video game Halo: Combat Evolved. In which the events of the game are novelized and are viewed form the eyes of the main characters, Master Chief, Crotona, Captain Keyes, along with some new characters written for the book that add life to the story. It even adds for the first time, a look into the Covenant side; of the Human- Covenant War. In which William C. Dietz ends up setting the stage for Halo 2 and the Arbiter story line.