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A review by cpjeanz
Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear
4.0
Wow, that's really all I have to say. Even as a fan of the games since Halo 2 back in 2004, I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. I've never been a big lore guy, and to be honest I mainly only remember big moments from some of the games (Halo 3, Reach, and a bit of 5). But if I knew it would have been as cool or as deep as this, I would've jumped in much earlier! What starts as a somewhat non-sci-fi story quickly becomes much grander in scale, and slowly reveals the deeper Halo lore without overwhelming you with too many details too early. The characters are unique, and experience great growth over the whole story. Some of those characters are actually the most interesting part of the book, if you've played the games you'll have some preconceived notions going in, but you see a different side of some of the characters you're familiar with that make them more dynamic. The story went in a way I wasn't expecting and it was cool to see the lore I am familia with poke it's head throughout. I would say my only two real complaints are that the pacing meanders a bit in the 50-60% mark, and the start can take some getting used to. I know many recommend to start in release order and not chronological but since I already owned this, I started here. As a newbie, a took a bit in the beginning to get used to the terminology and descriptions. But if you push through, there's real quality here. I'm looking forward to reading the larger universe! 4/5 stars.
Quick hits:
+ Characters are interesting.
+ The story starts small and slowly becomes larger and more complex over time.
+ The world is built slowly but surely and really pays off towards the end. I'm officially hooked!
- The pacing meanders a bit in the middle.
- The beginning can be a bit overwhelming at first (story of much fantasy and sci-fi, but that's the fun!).
I'm really looking forward to continuing this series, and I'm definitely hooked. If you're a fan of the games, I'd highly recommend. Even if you're not, there's a lot to love here, and Halo is amazing so get into the games too nerd! 4/5 stars.
Quick hits:
+ Characters are interesting.
+ The story starts small and slowly becomes larger and more complex over time.
+ The world is built slowly but surely and really pays off towards the end. I'm officially hooked!
- The pacing meanders a bit in the middle.
- The beginning can be a bit overwhelming at first (story of much fantasy and sci-fi, but that's the fun!).
I'm really looking forward to continuing this series, and I'm definitely hooked. If you're a fan of the games, I'd highly recommend. Even if you're not, there's a lot to love here, and Halo is amazing so get into the games too nerd! 4/5 stars.