Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Halo: The full story, 16 Dec 2004
I loved the first Halo game, it had brilliant gameplay and also had a good story, but it didn't delve into it deep enough for my liking. It left me with more questions than answers. Especially what had happened leading up to landing on Halo. These books take you much deeper into the story, and then some.The first book, The Fall of Reach, tells the story of what happened before Halo. You get to know more about the Master Cheif, more about the Spartan project, what happened to the other Spartans, and how they ended up at the Halo. Things that the game never really explains. It gives you more of an idea of the scale of the plight that the human race is facing, and not just on Halo. It's really engrossing from start to finish. The second book, The Flood, tells the story of the first Halo game. It goes a lot deaper into what happened on Halo and you get to find out what else was happening on Halo while the Cheif went about his business. What the rest of the survivors of the Pillar of Autumn were doing and also things from the point of view of the Covenant and how they attempted to deal with the Master Cheif. Again it's thoroughly engrossing and is a lot more than just quick re-run of Halo. The third book, First Strike, is probably the most important of the three. If like me you played Halo and then Halo 2, and then wondered what had happened between them, then you really need to read this book. It takes up where Halo and the second book, The Flood, left off with a brilliantly engrossing story that leads up nicely to Halo 2. As a whole, if you've got the games and would like to get deaper into the story, then these are essential reading. If you have never played the games and are just looking for a good read, then I would still recommend these books, and I would then recommend that you go out and play both games. Here's hoping that that yet more Halo books are on the way.
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104 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Expanding the Halo universe, 27 Oct 2004
Many people, like me, would be attracted to this purely because its has the word halo on its front cover. This does these books a massive disservice. They are such a fantastic read it is unbelieveable very few outside curious xbox owners would read them.
The Fall of Reach is the first book, and leads up to the very start of the game. It is amazingly emgrossing, charting the growth of master chief into a natural leader, and it also provides a massive amount of information on the spartan project and the people behind it. The relationship between cortana and the chief is also given a great degree of explaination, as does the life of captain keyes, which is fascinating.
The Flood is essentially the book of the game. As a result, it doesnt match the quality of the other two books, due the constraints ut on it. But it does present the story from the view point of the covenant, and gives details on battles that are mentioned in the game briefly. It does however get a bit repetative, and as you already know what happens (or at least most people do) then the enjoyment is lessened. Despite this, it is still a great book.
First Strike is, simply, a work of genius. It is well worth the price of the whole set alone. It is very hard to give details on this story without blowing the plot wide open, so im not going to try. I can safely say though, that the story twists and turns all over the place, and often creats an atmosphere that far more illustrious books can only hope to obtain. Also, this story covers the time between both of the halo games. At the time i am writing this, halo 2 is due out in a few weeks time. But when this book was writen, it contained information on new weapons and enemies long before any magazines and the like.
I cant recomend these books enough. Eric Nylund and William Dietz have moved halo on from a soulless game (which, after you read these books, you'll realise it is) to a believeable universe. Hopefully these books will recieve massive coverage soon, as they deserve much more then some other books out there.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything The Game Didnt Tell You, 8 Dec 2004
By A Customer
My best friend reccomended these books to me since were both avid Halo fans and cant get enough of it. From the moment i started reading i was hooked it just goes into every detail and usually when im finished reading i go and have a few rounds on Halo on legendary. Fall of reach is amazing because it explains how the spartan program started and also how the game begins. Like somebody else wrote in their review which i agree with The Flood is not as good but understandably since its repeating the game itself which by now almost everybody knows. So William C. Dietz couldnt simply copy down whats in the game since that would be boring. Be has still done an excellent job given the situation. And finally First Strike is whats happens directly after Halo and many other things leading up obviously Halo 2. Id rate the fall of reach the best personally because you learn alot more about the spartans and their personalities which in some parts is quite humorous. They are all superbly written with great care to ensure everything checks out with the Halo universe. Youre reading a part of the Halo story and it helps understand lots more facts about the game which you wouldnt of known before. Hats off to Eric Nylund for producing the best book ive ever read. If you love the game then there's no doubt youll love the books too.
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