Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so excited about this book, I love the Halo lore and wanted to find more about the Forerunners. However this book was boring. I look forward to reading my college textbooks more than this. It seemed like nothing happened, main character was bland, as a book off a FPS game there was no action. The "history" provided was kind of meh. If you are really into the Halo lore and want to know what happens I would just look up the summary.
How does a video game studio get a top-flight science fiction author like Greg Bear to cross-market books featuring characters in a video game release? Because for all its brand-association, this is not a half-bad novel.
The characters of this novel are well-defined, and the fact that they provide a context into Forerunner psychology, culture, strata, and involvement with the Halos is the kind of thing that rationalizes the Halo universe as a legitimate space opera in its own right. While it lacks the cosmopolitanism of the Mass Effect opera, the Halo story seems equally large in scope, and is a story that I am interested in learning more about. This novel was very helpful in making sense of the events of Halo 4 (which was a new story to me, not having played Halos 1-3), and I really appreciated how both contributed to greater picture that the gamemakers/storyrunners are creating.
I look forward to the next volume of the Forerunner Saga with excitement, as I do to some of the other Halo novels that will help bring me up to speed with the backstory of the Master Chief. And kudos to 343 Studios to scoring Greg Bear to help hook in a newcomer like myself!
The characters of this novel are well-defined, and the fact that they provide a context into Forerunner psychology, culture, strata, and involvement with the Halos is the kind of thing that rationalizes the Halo universe as a legitimate space opera in its own right. While it lacks the cosmopolitanism of the Mass Effect opera, the Halo story seems equally large in scope, and is a story that I am interested in learning more about. This novel was very helpful in making sense of the events of Halo 4 (which was a new story to me, not having played Halos 1-3), and I really appreciated how both contributed to greater picture that the gamemakers/storyrunners are creating.
I look forward to the next volume of the Forerunner Saga with excitement, as I do to some of the other Halo novels that will help bring me up to speed with the backstory of the Master Chief. And kudos to 343 Studios to scoring Greg Bear to help hook in a newcomer like myself!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my first foray into the sci-fi genre of literature and, I must say, I was overwhelmingly surprised. This book was relatable, yet just mysterious and space-jargon-y enough to keep you interested. I honestly expected not to be able to understand much of the language or technical stuff but everything was well explained without being over the top technical, something I despise in any form of writing.
Being that I play the game Halo more for the storyline than anything, this book answered a lot of questions for me and honestly piques my interest in the game even more.
I have yet to read the rest of the Halo series but so far, its a yes from me!
Being that I play the game Halo more for the storyline than anything, this book answered a lot of questions for me and honestly piques my interest in the game even more.
I have yet to read the rest of the Halo series but so far, its a yes from me!
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
I read this book YEARS ago and I remember loving it. I've been a big Halo fan since the early 2000s and to be honest, I still think this is the best sci-fi world I've experienced.
For those who aren't aware (or aren't video game fans) Halo: Combat Evolved was a video game that was released in 2001 and is credited for modernizing the first person shooter genre. Robust lore was created for the game and the storytelling was awesome. Halo is definitely one of the entertainment pieces that most defined my childhood and teen years, and it is what got me into sci fi. It's everything I want in a sci fi story, and I know a lot of people may roll their eyes... "A video game?? Really??" Yes. It's that good.
The lore of Halo is fantastic and it has such a rich backstory that has spawned books and tons of fodder for new adventures and stories to be told. I remember reading Cryptum because I was very much interested in the Forerunners, which you really don't know much about when playing the games. At the time I wasn't a big reader but I couldn't put this down.
Anyway, I don't know if you would enjoy this if you haven't heard of Halo. However I do recommend any sci fi fans to check out the world of Halo because the lore is incredible. I've been obsessed with Halo since I was 7 and I'm now 25 and still love it.
For those who aren't aware (or aren't video game fans) Halo: Combat Evolved was a video game that was released in 2001 and is credited for modernizing the first person shooter genre. Robust lore was created for the game and the storytelling was awesome. Halo is definitely one of the entertainment pieces that most defined my childhood and teen years, and it is what got me into sci fi. It's everything I want in a sci fi story, and I know a lot of people may roll their eyes... "A video game?? Really??" Yes. It's that good.
The lore of Halo is fantastic and it has such a rich backstory that has spawned books and tons of fodder for new adventures and stories to be told. I remember reading Cryptum because I was very much interested in the Forerunners, which you really don't know much about when playing the games. At the time I wasn't a big reader but I couldn't put this down.
Anyway, I don't know if you would enjoy this if you haven't heard of Halo. However I do recommend any sci fi fans to check out the world of Halo because the lore is incredible. I've been obsessed with Halo since I was 7 and I'm now 25 and still love it.
An outstanding page turner. This book can be read by anyone prior knowledge of Halo not needed. I'd say it has 1% to do with Halo and 99% pure sci-fi alien awesomeness. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this series from the author.