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sageofthe6pack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
despite this just being a bar for bar recount of halo CE, i was still enthralled the whole time. hints of body horror and mind control were sick
chasep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
4.25
rosebrooklynn21'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? It's complicated
4.25
rivensbane's review against another edition
3.0
CAWPILE rating: 5.1/10
STAR rating: ★★★
basically a halo ce novelisation, just a little more fleshed out with some additional scenes from the covenant pov
STAR rating: ★★★
basically a halo ce novelisation, just a little more fleshed out with some additional scenes from the covenant pov
unyieldinghierophant's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
thebadishradish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Who would win: A 100 millennia old parasite or some guy named Jenkins?
gmonnie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rxg6009's review against another edition
3.0
Compared to the other Halo book I read (I think fall of reach? It's been a while so I can't exactly remember) the characterization of Master Chief and Cortana is flat. They're only motivated by one thing, while in the previous book they behaved like actual people. The action sequences are reminiscent of the games themselves which was good. I want to eventually read all of them but I don't think anyone would miss much if they skipped this one.
revbeckett's review against another edition
4.0
Common critiques of this book are that the narrative is too close to the game, “Halo: Combat Evolved”—as if the author just played through the game and wrote down the game dialogue in his book. This critique is understandable and has some truth to it, but the dialogue from the game that’s incorporated into the book is not ENTIRELY the same; there are some variances. On the other end of the spectrum, if Dietz left out the game dialogues entirely, then a new set of critics would’ve risen and complained about the lack of game dialogue instead. Yes, it exists, as if the reader is re-experiencing the game content, but it’s not entirely the same. If Dietz had neglected the game dialogue that’s an integral part of the Halo story, then the reader would be left to question the legitimacy of the game as part of the Halo saga. The dialogue from the game are necessary inclusions in the book so that the extra story material Dietz did add doesn’t completely overshadow what the reader experienced in the game (assuming he or she has played the game). Dietz, I think, does a great job of adding other story material to fill in the blanks where the gamer doesn’t know what happened.
The Pillar of Autumn coming across Halo Installation 04 was not a planned endeavor; it happened by sheer dumb luck thanks to Cortana’s calculations because of a pattern she recognised. Upon discovering the ring world, everything else was chaos after that, from escaping the Pillar of Autumn with as many survivors as possible, Captain Keyes maneuvering the UNSC frigate himself to land on the ring world, and the surviving UNSC forces fighting for survival through chaotic attempts to regroup. In the game, by the time the gamer starts the mission, “The Silent Cartographer,” suddenly you’re part of an organised force. How did this happen? The gamer doesn’t know. In the book, Dietz does a remarkable job in filling in those blanks with how they became organised—through the command of Major Silva, Lieutenant McKay, and the united efforts of the Marines and Helljumpers with the Master Chief’s military expertise and supremacy. Thanks to Dietz, the gamer now knows how the surviving Pillar of Autumn members became organised. Another example that filled in the blanks was how Captain Keyes got captured. In the game, the gamer moves from one mission to the next where suddenly the mission is to rescue Captain Keyes. But how did he get captured in the first place? Dietz answers this question for the gamer. The reader also gains additional insight into the Covenant and Captain Keyes’ last remaining moments as his mind is being overtaken by the Flood, gaining also a deeper understanding of how the Flood functions as a formidable parasite, which is not found in the game. The reader also gains some insight into the Master Chief’s mind during the events of the game–what he must’ve been thinking at this or that point in the game.
Yes, the reader may experience redundancy in reading the book if they played the game first, but without the game dialogue it becomes an entirely different story from the game when in actuality it’s the same story (and was intended to be). Being the same story, there’s necessary similar dialogue with supplemented details that couldn’t be included in the game. Dietz also provides other information to gain a better understanding of the events that developed throughout the game in order to have a better understanding of the Halo saga as a whole. That being said, with very few parts of the game being skipped and spelling errors that were unaccounted for (at the fault of the editor), I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
The Pillar of Autumn coming across Halo Installation 04 was not a planned endeavor; it happened by sheer dumb luck thanks to Cortana’s calculations because of a pattern she recognised. Upon discovering the ring world, everything else was chaos after that, from escaping the Pillar of Autumn with as many survivors as possible, Captain Keyes maneuvering the UNSC frigate himself to land on the ring world, and the surviving UNSC forces fighting for survival through chaotic attempts to regroup. In the game, by the time the gamer starts the mission, “The Silent Cartographer,” suddenly you’re part of an organised force. How did this happen? The gamer doesn’t know. In the book, Dietz does a remarkable job in filling in those blanks with how they became organised—through the command of Major Silva, Lieutenant McKay, and the united efforts of the Marines and Helljumpers with the Master Chief’s military expertise and supremacy. Thanks to Dietz, the gamer now knows how the surviving Pillar of Autumn members became organised. Another example that filled in the blanks was how Captain Keyes got captured. In the game, the gamer moves from one mission to the next where suddenly the mission is to rescue Captain Keyes. But how did he get captured in the first place? Dietz answers this question for the gamer. The reader also gains additional insight into the Covenant and Captain Keyes’ last remaining moments as his mind is being overtaken by the Flood, gaining also a deeper understanding of how the Flood functions as a formidable parasite, which is not found in the game. The reader also gains some insight into the Master Chief’s mind during the events of the game–what he must’ve been thinking at this or that point in the game.
Yes, the reader may experience redundancy in reading the book if they played the game first, but without the game dialogue it becomes an entirely different story from the game when in actuality it’s the same story (and was intended to be). Being the same story, there’s necessary similar dialogue with supplemented details that couldn’t be included in the game. Dietz also provides other information to gain a better understanding of the events that developed throughout the game in order to have a better understanding of the Halo saga as a whole. That being said, with very few parts of the game being skipped and spelling errors that were unaccounted for (at the fault of the editor), I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.