And the Author said let there be POST! And there was post. Post I. My first book review post. Glad you somehow navigated the internet and made it here to witness the birth of my new masterpiece! So, here's how this is going to work: I read a book, I watch a movie, I play a game, I do anything that has anything to do with media, I write my own review of it here. And you read it. Because I said so. And you can possibly comment, and share, if that fluffs your feathers.
So without further ado, here's the first book review of many. Hope you enjoy!
PART ONE: THE STORY DESCRIPTION
Blarg.
...Said the rebel Elite captured by Human black ops squad Kilo-Five, a handpicked assortment of three ODST's (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers), a Spartan II, a young civilian professor, a sarcastic Artificial Intelligence and their leader, a failed Spartan called Serin Osman.
The year is 2553, the aftermath of the end of the Human-Covenant war. The Halo Array has been stopped from firing and destroying the known universe, the all-eating parasite called the Flood stopped indefinitely (Or is it?), and the man who achieved this, the mighty Spartan John-117 missing in action. Billions on both sides of the war lie dead. Nearly every Human colony has been decimated by the Covenant, who left only Glasslands in their trail. But never again.
While the religious Covenant has fallen apart after the deception of the false Prophets, leaving a severed link between the alien races and the threat of civil war between them, Humanity takes advantage of the temporary cease-fire to insure that the genocidal attack on their race never happens again. The Arbiter, possibly the only Elite ever to befriend a human (In particular, the Master Chief, Spartan-117), desperately tries to rally the remnants of his race and form a peace treaty with the Humans. But he is only one Elite. One Sangheili. On the home world of Humanity's greatest enemy.
Now is not time to vainly hope for that peace. Now is the time to strike the finishing blow.
The best time to kick a man is when he's down, in the words of ODST Mal. And deception is the necessary tool for that kick: shake hands over a peace treaty with the Arbiter one moment, then arm a rebellion against him the next. sorry about that, Arbiter, but we can't trust even you with the survival of Humanity. And speaking of humanity...
On a distant world, in a different dimension, Dr. Catherine Halsey, the kidnapper of children who she engineered into super soldier Spartans (Including John-117), sits stranded with the man who trained them for her. She committed a terrible sin, kidnapping those kids and turning them into soldiers, and now, she feels, it's time to atone. By hiding those kids away in another dimension and waiting for the war outside to end. But after a few years of hiding, she, her Spartans, and Chief Mendez, the man she can't stand, now must find a way to escape. But not empty handed. Halsey is a war criminal. Sure, her Spartans saved Humanity almost singlehandedly, but after the truth of what she did came out, she didn't exactly part with Humanity on the best of terms. and if she has to pay the piper, she won't do it without something to bargain with. Cue ancient Forerunner technology. Cue biological AIs called Engineers who can fix everything, and even make that handy Forerunner tech work. But first to learn if the universe outside is still alive. Then to escape.
Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) and chief sin-eater of the galaxy, turns to her prodigy, the 'broken' Spartan Serin Osman, who was crippled by the Spartan augmentation process and found her way back to her feet, for a favor. Make the Sangheili fight each other. Gather intelligence from the terrorist/rebel human colony of Venezia, and prepare for the worst.
Osman will need help, though. A squad of humans who can be ruthless and loyal at the same time, follow orders, and work together. Mal, Vaz, Devereaux, the three ODST's. Evan Phillips, the smart aleck civilian professor who studies Sangheili culture and language. Naomi, a stiff, lethal Spartan. And of course, BB (Black-Box), the sarcastic AI who knows and sees all. They are Kilo-Five. And they mean business.
PART TWO: THE REVIEW
Firstly, let me say that Karen Traviss has easily and masterfully earned the title 'My Favorite Author'. She writes compelling, interesting dialogue, thrilling, well-choreographed action scenes, and builds up fascinating characters around an attention-grabbing fictional universe. I've read all of her Republic Commando series and am well into the second book of this trilogy. I found myself quickly in love with the characters (In particular, Phillips, the impish young professor who puts himself in dangerous circumstances for fun, and BB, the sarcastic, hilarious and very three-dimensional Artificial Intelligence). The story takes place after Halo 3 and before Halo 4, filling in the four years between the two games. It follows three storylines, the Kilo-Five story, the Catherine Halsey story, and the Jul 'Mdama story. Jul 'Mdama (Who I didn't describe before), is an Elite worried about the fate of his race after the fall of the Covenant, and refusing to believe like the Arbiter that Humans can be trusted and made peace with. Because there are multiple stories and multiple character viewpoints, you will not spend all of your time in one character's head, so don't look for a 'main' character. There really isn't one. You have to love or hate them all.
I learned a lot of Halo lore I'd never known before, and even saw things from a new angle (For example, seeing the Elites outside of armor in their home setting was
interesting--I never could envision them wearing real clothes until now). Also, I got to meet the Engineers, (Huragok) cute Forerunner creatures who behave like obsessive autistic children, frantically fixing and improving everything they see. The story keeps you interested, and the drama builds as you read.
I learned a lot of Halo lore I'd never known before, and even saw things from a new angle (For example, seeing the Elites outside of armor in their home setting was
interesting--I never could envision them wearing real clothes until now). Also, I got to meet the Engineers, (Huragok) cute Forerunner creatures who behave like obsessive autistic children, frantically fixing and improving everything they see. The story keeps you interested, and the drama builds as you read.
At first, I thought the ending was a bit long, but then...The twist. Anyway, if you're a Halo, Star Wars or general sci-fi fan, you will definitely enjoy this book, and I highly suggest reading Karen Traviss's other novels!
PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT
Keep in mind, there is a fair amount of language in the book (They ARE space Marines). The character's don't go off on long streams of cursing, but they basically say every word except the f word (Thankfully). There is no other inappropriate material I can think of, except, of course, the moral weighing of deception, human engineering etc. that are pivotal story points, and you learn later that Halsey pretty much ignored her own daughter and gave her to her boyfriend because she was too intent on the 'perfection' of the Spartans. However, that particular subject is only touched on once or twice.
PART FOUR: CONCLUSION AND RATING
I dub it five stars. Despite the language etc., it was a very fun and exciting read, and a much needed read (I haven't read a good fiction book in YEARS). I am thoroughly enjoying the second book of the trilogy right now and look forward to the third. I would suggest the book for mid/late teens and up (I personally would have enjoyed it at twelve or younger, just like I did her Star Wars series, but for other's sake I suggest a bit older).
So there you have it. My first book review and first post on No Spoilers Allowed. I really hope you enjoyed it and feel free to return for future posts coming soon!
Peace.
Matt~
