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A review by revbeckett
Halo: Primordium by Greg Bear
4.0
Whereas in the first book we read from the perspective of the Forerunner, Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, here we journey along with his human companion, Chakas, separated from his friend Riser and Bornstellar as he’s stranded on one of the Halo rings at the start of the Forerunner civil war. He meets other humans on the Halo ring whom the Librarian had placed there, doing all they can to avoid being taken to the enigmatic Palace of Pain where some humans have been taken by an antiquated foe and never returned.
From Chakas’ perspective, an ancient human, there’s a lot of talk about gods: Forerunners, long thought to be gods due to their highly advanced technology, are still just fallible mortals. “We have no gods we can trust,” Gamelpar says. The Halo ring is described as having godlike qualities. And the humans speak of their mythologies regarding the origin of the universe and the afterlife. This all speaks to the inherent human desire to worship, be it creation, our pride, false gods we design after ourselves, etc. The task of Christianity, like Paul taught the Athenians, is to teach that the one true God for our worship is Jesus Christ.
The Forerunner civil war is also telling of a deeper conflict we might call human: why is it so difficult to set aside our differences and band together to fight a common enemy that doesn’t take sides? In our current climate of tribalism, that old enemy for both sides is sin, which is also impartial about whom it infects just like the so-called “Shaping Sickness.” Only, we cannot save ourselves from it; we require a Saviour—one who is not bound to it.
Whereas I had difficulty visualising the world descriptions in the first book, here I noticed some improvements where the visualising was not nearly as difficult. A few parts could use some improvements, however. The history we learn about the Flood and the shocking end of the book are still fun to read. For these reasons, I give Primordium a slightly higher rating of 4.5 stars.
From Chakas’ perspective, an ancient human, there’s a lot of talk about gods: Forerunners, long thought to be gods due to their highly advanced technology, are still just fallible mortals. “We have no gods we can trust,” Gamelpar says. The Halo ring is described as having godlike qualities. And the humans speak of their mythologies regarding the origin of the universe and the afterlife. This all speaks to the inherent human desire to worship, be it creation, our pride, false gods we design after ourselves, etc. The task of Christianity, like Paul taught the Athenians, is to teach that the one true God for our worship is Jesus Christ.
The Forerunner civil war is also telling of a deeper conflict we might call human: why is it so difficult to set aside our differences and band together to fight a common enemy that doesn’t take sides? In our current climate of tribalism, that old enemy for both sides is sin, which is also impartial about whom it infects just like the so-called “Shaping Sickness.” Only, we cannot save ourselves from it; we require a Saviour—one who is not bound to it.
Whereas I had difficulty visualising the world descriptions in the first book, here I noticed some improvements where the visualising was not nearly as difficult. A few parts could use some improvements, however. The history we learn about the Flood and the shocking end of the book are still fun to read. For these reasons, I give Primordium a slightly higher rating of 4.5 stars.