Season 1, Autumn 2013, Game Review #1: Halo 4

   As may be evident by the recent review I wrote on Karen Traviss' Halo: Glasslands, I'm a Halo fan. I started playing Halo games about five years ago or maybe a bit earlier, beginning and ending with Halo 2, until I was given an Xbox 360 and Halo 4 for Christmas last year. I've been playing it since then.


PART ONE: PLOT

   "Wake up, John."
After four years adrift in cryo on the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, the Master Chief, Spartan John-117, is awoken by Cortana, his Artificial Intelligence companion. Orbiting a giant Forerunner Shield World and being beamed by a high intensity sensor scan of unknown origin, Master Chief seeks answers, only to find a Covenant fleet standing between him and freedom.
   Interrupting the fight, a gravity well from deep within the giant metal Shield World pulls the Dawn and the Covenant fleet crashing down onto its surface, the shipwrecked Chief and Cortana must find a way to return to Earth in hopes of stopping Cortana's Rampancy, the state of hyper-thinking that AI's go into before they ultimately die of it.
   But when Master Chief unwittingly unleashes an ancient evil on the galaxy, he must choose between his loyalty to Humanity or his love for Cortana. And there isn't much time left....

PART TWO: THE REVIEW

   I've always been a Halo fan. Even more so than with Star Wars, much to the chagrin of some of my friends. I started playing the games with Halo 2, a game my sisters, friends and I have spent countless hours playing from about 2008 to 2012.
   The story has always been a fresh, new sci-fi tale, filled with brave Spartan super-soldiers, duty-bound Marines, the fanatically religious and genocidal Covenant, and the all-devouring parasite, the Flood. But Halo 4's story plot has completely knocked all the other games' plots out of the park.
   Cortana is dying. She has been the Chief's only constant friend and companion through four games and longer, but now she is succumbing to Rampancy, the state in which AIs literally think themselves to death at the end of a seven year life span. Cortana is still trying to suppress Rampancy at eight years. But it's a losing battle, and she knows it.
   In previous Halo games, Master Chief has always been a man of very few words and very little emotion, shown killing countless hordes of aliens and space zombies with scant remark. Granted, he is a genetically, physically and mentally augmented Human, kidnapped at the age of six and made into the ultimate killing machine, but we hardly know the guy. Until now.
   When he learns of Cortana's Rampancy, a flood of emotional development unfolds. And when he has to choose between her and Humanity, even more so. Despite Cortana's advice: "Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep," Chief stops at nothing to return her to Earth, to Dr. Catherine Halsey, the woman who created her, and who alone can save her.
   Chief and Cortana show deep feelings of friendship and loyalty towards each other throughout the game, but despite how most people talk about them being romantic, I don't feel like they are. First of all, Cortana is an AI (Not that that affects her personality). Second, they never profess love toward each other. The closest thing to an expression of love is a small moment when Cortana 'touches' Master Chief's chest armor.
   So no, I don't think they LOVE each other, but I do think they (Lowercase) love each other, having been through so much together. And I like that better than a romance: two aging friends facing the threat of goodbye forever and fighting to stop it happening.
   Anyway, I've never sympathized and been able to get into Master Chief or Cortana's heads better than now, and I am amazed by the incredible, emotional storytelling involved in a video game of all things.
   The game controls will be familiar enough for any previous Halo players, with a few tiny tweaks.
   Also, a great new element in the game are the new alien/robot enemies, called the Prometheans, who are both a unique and a tough new force to be reckoned with.                                
   The Campaign/story mode is pretty short level-wise, featuring only eight levels in comparison to older Halo games that had up to fourteen levels, so it can get boring if you've played it as many times as me, but the cutscenes are amazing, and keep you immersed. I've beaten the story mode on the highest difficulty three times already, and I still like it.
   The Multiplayer mode is another story. 343 Industries, the company newly made in charge of Halo's future, has changed the Multiplayer a good bit, and I'm not totally sold yet that it's for the better. Instead of all players starting with the same weapons and charging for the most powerful weapons on the map, 343 has set up a new Class based way to play, meaning everyone can start out with any weapon but a power weapon, which changes the former Arena Style Shooter feel dramatically--meaning they've made it more like Call of Duty, a Class Style Shooter.
   Additions to gameplay such as Weapon Markers (marking weapon placements), Grenade Indicators (indicating a grenade coming at you), Armor Abilities (Jet pack, shield, etc.), Tactical and Support packages  have very much changed the way Multiplayer plays. But playing against other players online or offline is still a lot of fun.
   The game mode 'Spartan Ops', a smaller scale story mode taking place after Halo 4's events, is a great addition, adding more replay value to the game, allowing players to earn XP and level up their Spartan, along with getting to shoot a lot more aliens on the way. Unfortunately, to play online multiplayer or Spartan Ops, you need an Xbox Live Gold membership, which I sadly don't have as it costs some cash.
   Players can still Forge (A Halo-exclusive map-editing game mode), and better and more efficiently than ever, with a larger Forge budget and larger selection of materials.
   I would change some things about the game, mainly making the campaign longer and Spartan Ops available offline, but other than that, I really enjoy playing this game and hope to be able to play online soon.

PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT

   There is a little language in the game, but the only words I've heard are the d, b and h word, the b word only used once and the others very occasionally, but the Marine troops can talk, too, and although I haven't heard them curse, there may be a few instances of them doing so.
   When playing online Multiplayer, if you have an Xbox headset, you can hear and chat with other players, who often will curse a lot using every word in the vocabulary, or talk about inappropriate/offensive yucky stuff. Which is why I don't have a headset.
   The game is a violent shooter game, rated M for Mature, and you spend its entirety shooting aliens and robots. There is blood: red from humans, blue, purple, orange or black from aliens, but it isn't exaggerated or splattered everywhere. It stays pretty tame.
   Last and probably most concerning is the fact that the AI Cortana appears nude. Though there is no vivid physical detail, and she is a blue, glowing Artificial Intelligence, she stays looking rather short of clothing through the game. No characters react, remark or make note of her lack of clothing, not even Master Chief. You can avoid looking at her by skipping cutscenes with her in them, looking up, down or away when you insert her matrix chip into consoles, or walk around and find something else to shoot while she hacks the enemy ships' mainframes and all that lovely stuff that AIs do.
   As it is an M rated game, suggesting players 17 and up, it would be a good idea for parents to preview the game before allowing their younger gamers to play it.
   As is the case with all media.


PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION

I give the game four stars. I highly applaud the storytelling and the path 343 is taking the tale of Master Chief, and the gameplay is very fun. However, because of my iffiness about the new Class based Multiplayer and my frustration at not being able to play Spartan Ops offline, along with a short campaign and a bit less replay value, I'm giving it just four stars, for  'very good' not 'perfect'.
   But despite that, I'm still playing the game almost a year after its release and having a great time with it. I strongly recommend it to sci-fi fans, familiar Halo fans, or gamers in general. It's fun, it's Master Chief and Cortana, and the graphics and story have had a HUGE facelift.
   So go ahead and buy it--and tell me when you beat the Campaign on Legendary. 'Till then, my gamer tag is 'Headshothank117'. I'll see you on the virtual battlefield.  
   

 

Season 1, Autumn 2013, Book Review #3: The Boys of '76

I've already written two blog posts about highly popular and well known franchises such as the Hobbit and Halo, but I don't want to restrict myself to popular media like those. Instead, today I'm going to review a much less known, small little book called The Boys of '76. I hope you enjoy!


PART ONE: THE DESCRIPTION

   
   Alarm! Alarr---umm!
It's the warning of the Minute Man riding at top speed down the dirt road next to the home of Elijah, a young man with no former intention of joining the War of Independence. But when his father, an aging member of the Minute-Men moves to join the fight, Elijah takes on the responsibility for him and hurries to Concord with the other militia men, three among them being his young friends, Dodifer, Esek and Nicholas, who are there under similar circumstances.
   Swept from one deadly fight to another, Elijah and his friends find themselves scattered across the Thirteen Colonies and fighting on nearly every front of the war for American Independence.
   From Bunker Hill to Saratoga to Yorktown, this accurate account of the American Revolution captures in vivid detail the men, women, strategies and courage that echo over two hundred years later in a world changed by them forever.


PART TWO: THE REVIEW

   Did I want to read another book on the American Revolution? No. I was thirteen and tired of reading about Paul Revere and George Washington. But did I and do I enjoy reading this book? Heck yes!
The story begins on the day of the Battle of Concord, just after the massacre at Lexington, with a teenaged boy named Elijah who volunteers to take his aging father's place alongside the Minute-Men, and is quickly swept into a full out war with Great Britain that will challenge he and his friends, Esek, Dodifer and Nicholas to their limits. 

The book focuses mainly on the battles and the war itself, spending minimal time with the characters and at some times departing from the characters altogether to explain an important battle that is affecting the course of the war elsewhere. However, I was still hooked enough by the colorful, exciting storytelling that even at thirteen I blazed through it and now read it every year on July 4th to get my 'Patriot' on.   The book is very historically accurate and explains some battles and events that I still have never read explained elsewhere, such as the Battle of White Plains or the horrible massacre at Fort Griswold, which is the biggest example of violence in the book. 
   Despite that, though, if you're like me and love the history of America and the Revolutionary War, you will love this book and learn a lot from it. And maybe you'll even be inspired to read more about the war, like I was. 
   Charles Carleton Coffin explains the battles vividly and goes into detail about the strategic moves, positions and decisions that shaped the course of the war, but doesn't write it in a bland textbook form. 
   The characters, Elijah, Esek, Nicholas and Dodifer are not extremely well developed--no more than they have to be, as they are just simple country boys who give heartfelt farewells to their families and enter the war, in it to win it. 
   So again, if you're like me, and don't mind picking up your musket and charging bayonets for liberty, read it. You will not be disappointed.

PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT

   There is at least one instance of cursing (Disperse, ye ---- Rebels), and the book is almost exclusively about the battles, highlighting brutal war violence (Not described gruesomely) throughout the duration. It retells the entire process of Benedict Arnold's betrayal, too, though I found that very interesting. Other than that, the book is flawless.

PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION

   Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle. Five stars, all a-twinkling. Despite the occasional departing from the characters, I love this book and highly recommend it for its educational value and fun retelling. I would suggest it for early-late teens and up. 
   So there you have it, The Boys of '76, written by Charles Carleton Coffin. 
If you've enjoyed this review and ONLY if you have, comment, share and follow No Spoilers Allowed for more media reviews!
Peace.
Matt~

Season 1, Autumn 2013, Book Review #2: How To Fix Your Novel

   As my profile shows, I am an aspiring author, with one main story in the works right now and a whole treasure trove of other story ideas sketched out and storyboarded on paper, waiting for the day they'll be written. Which is why I thought it would be appropriate to review a book that has totally changed my writing process and helped me improve my writing in every way.
   And it's time to share this magic elixir with you.
Enjoy!


PART ONE: THE DESCRIPTION

   Guess #1: You are an aspiring author, stuck in a miry pit of writer's block and confusion. Your story characters are not acting the way you want them to, your plot is a befuddled mess, and what's the point of this story anyway? You have exciting ideas and passions you want to see accepted and enjoyed by other people. But how to get there?
   That's what How To Fix Your Novel is all about.
Acting as an effective First-Aid-Kit, How To Fix Your Novel does just that--it fixes your novel, and introduces you to the best writing buddies you will ever have:

-The Three Act, Nine Checkpoint Story Structure.
-Scene and Sequel.
-Viewpoint and Tense.
-The difference between Plot and Story.
-The Story Elements, Passion, Theme, Flaw and Premise.
-How to Publish and Market your novel.

...And a whole LOT more (Literally. Trust me on this)!
From start to finish, How To Fix Your Novel guides you, step-by-step, through the writing process, and hands you the keys to successful writing, batteries included.
    You'll start at your Passion, discovering what personal ideas and feelings you want to convey through your story, which manifests as the Theme of the story, the sweet after-taste that your reader will carry with them long after they've set the book down. But what will convey that Theme? Why, your protagonist, of course! And what better way to show the Theme than by giving your protagonist a Flaw that directly opposes it? The Premise gives you a single question to play with: What if..? And from that stems the Story.
   Insert Nine Checkpoint, Three Act Outline.

-Hook.
-Backstory.
-Trigger.
-Crisis.
-Struggle.
-Epiphany.
-Plan.
-Climax.
-Catharsis (Ending).

With these tools alone, How To Fix Your Novel solves the great writing puzzle for you and sets you on a clear course for success. What story will you tell?


PART TWO: THE REVIEW

   I had the privilege of attending two online writing classes by the author of How To Fix Your Novel, Steve Alcorn (By the way, I highly recommend his class Write Like a Pro, along with Advanced Fiction Writing, both of which can be found on ed2go.com). There is nothing like having real correspondence with Mr. Alcorn, but truth be told, he answers every question in his book.
   It's all there. Everything you need to know about writing, every question you have, every tough equation is solved. Honestly, I would call it the Writer's Bible. Yeah. Go ahead and laugh. You're the one who'll regret it later. Trust me.
   Mr. Alcorn writes in a vivid, detailed and fun way, explaining perfectly every topic he introduces. To me, it feels like you're having a conversation with him while reading it, and learning all you need to know from him. Like Frodo and Gandalf. Or something like that.
   I have applied everything I've learned from How To Fix Your Novel to one of my stories and am well into writing the first draft now. I haven't gotten bored with my story, asked myself where it's going, or struggled to find inspiration for it since I read this book. I really do feel like I've been handed the keys to writing 'Big and Writing Well' as he describes it, and I look forward to applying everything I've learned to every new story I write in the future! So just as a shout out to my fellow writers: Start right here, and stop looking for help!


PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT

   Steve Alcorn uses sections of his favorite books to show his teachings applied to them. One in particular contains a short sentence of inappropriate description in it, and maybe one or more contain a mild curse or slang word. Other than that, the rest is sheer learning. I recommend the book for mid or late teens and adults.

PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION

   By the way I've described How To Fix Your Novel, I bet you've guessed I give it five stars. And...You'd be exactly right. Good guess. And speaking of guesses:

Guess #2 (And last): I guess (And am willing to bet) that you will learn all you need to know about writing and then some, and that from here on out, you won't ever worry about where your story is going or what it's about.

   So, with that being said....What are you waiting for? Go get a copy, and watch your writing talent explode!
Peace.
Matt~

          

Season 1, Autumn 2013, Movie Review #1: The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey

After watching and drooling over the newest Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer today, I decided it was a good time to review one of my favorite movies, the first movie of the trilogy--The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Hope you enjoy the read!

PART ONE: THE DESCRIPTION

   Erebor. It wasn't always the Lonely Mountain. Once it stood as the diadem of Dwarven might, the crowning jewel of all Middle Earth, filled with the wealth of countless generations, not least of these being the divine Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, the gift of the heavens. There dwelt Thror, King under the Mountain, who all people of Middle Earth paid homage to: Elves of Mirkwood,  and Men of Dale, the City of Bells. The name of Erebor meant safety, honor, and the promise of a wealthy future.

   But a promise can be broken, broken by a single choice. And such was the choice of Thror, who left his realm to watch its own back while he worshipped his own god: Gold. 

   The watchful nights came soon, and darker days closed in on the Lonely Mountain as Thror's love of gold replaced his love of Erebor. 

   And then he came. 

He was a fire Drake of the North, a king among Dragons, and his love of gold was no weaker than Thror's. The wind of his wingbeats shook the mountainside. Bells tolled in Dale. The young prince Thorin prepared the dwarves for a desperate defense while his grandsire fled to the treasury. Dale fell first, bathed in rivers of flame, ashes rising from the ruins of its bell towers, and Human screams filling the air. But Dale was not the Dragon's prize, for where the gold lies, there, too, will a Dragon. 

   The gates of Erebor exploded, wreathed in fire, and the mighty Dwarf warriors, famed for their military prowess, were flicked aside and trampled underfoot like so much chaff. Smaug had come to Erebor. 

   Thorin, cast aside by the Dragon, raced to the treasury, but Smaug was already there, and despite Thor's screams of grief, the Arkenstone was lost. And so, too, was Erebor. The cries of fleeing refugees, wounded, young and old, man and woman, echoed off the barren mountain. Thorin attempted to rally his people, but their fear overcame them, and many were lost. 

   The Elves of Mirkwood saw the smoke rising from their greenwood, but when they had finally arrived in force, their King, Thranduil, turned away from the people of Thror, abandoning them to their own fate despite Thorin's plea for help.

   

   The refugees of Erebor and Dale wandered, homeless and alone in the wilderness, searching for a place of safety, led by Thorin, who alone of all his kin had kept his wits in the chaos. 

   Years passed, and the people of Erebor assimilated into the colonies of Men, fallen from their noble heritage and left to their own devices. 

   When Thror tried to lead his people to the ancient Dwarf realm of Moria, they were met with the army of Azog, the giant Pale Orc and ruler of the abandoned halls. Thror and his army met in battle with the Orcs, but Thror was beheaded by Azog, and Thrain fled in crazed terror, leaving the young prince Thorin to lead a losing fight. 

   Thorin, enraged by his grandsire's death, charged the Pale Orc in a suicidal attempt to turn the tide of the battle. Azog disarmed the prince and cast him down in moments, but Thorin would not be defeated so easily. 

   Wielding nothing but an oak branch as a shield, he kept the Pale Orc at bay. Azog struck and battered the stiff oak branch time and again, and brought the prince low, but when his final blow was thrown, Thorin rose up and struck his own blow, stopping the Pale Orc for good. 

   Outnumbered and dispirited, the Dwarf army took heart again at the sight of the young prince's bravery, and drove their enemy back. 

   But there was no celebration. No cry of victory. For the loss was beyond measure, and the few who survived could not retake Moria alone. Thus were the Dwarves of Erebor ousted, and thus did Thorin Oakenshield become their king. 

   But far to the west, in a land of simple comforts and even simpler folk, there lived in a hole in the ground, a Hobbit. Smaller than Dwarves, unknown and ignored by the rest of Middle Earth, the Hobbits are an honest, cheerful people, unadventurous and content to be left to their own warm hearths and delicious (Very large amounts of) food. 

   Such a Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins. Despite being one of the 'strange, adventurous' Tooks on one side of his family, Bilbo has no interest in adventure, change, or discomfort. And who would? He is a Baggins, after all--not some blockheaded Bracegirdle from Hardbottle! 

   But a sudden and unexpected visit from the wizard Gandalf changes all that. Gandalf is planning a quest, you see, and is looking for someone to share in an adventure. Despite Bilbo making it very clear he is not interested in such an enterprise, Gandalf arranges a party at his home without his knowledge, and appears with a company of thirteen Dwarves on his doorstep, all of them ravenously hungry and rather mannerly-illiterate. 

   There are Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Ori, Dori, Nori, Oin and Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, and, to Bilbo's chagrin, the ousted King Thorin Oakenshield, who is no more interested in Bilbo's participation than the Hobbit himself is. 

   But Gandalf insists that he has chosen Bilbo Baggins as the fourteenth member of the company and the lead 'burglar' for the job. The quest: Return to the Lonely Mountain Erebor and reclaim it before anyone else makes such a gamble. It is believed the Dragon Smaug has died or left the Mountain, and that the incredible wealth of Erebor lies unguarded. And Gandalf so happens to have a map and key to a secret backdoor.

   Despite Gandalf inciting the resurgence of Tookish spirit in him, Bilbo refuses to go on such a wasteful quest, being uninterested in lacerations, evisceration and incineration by Dragon. But in a moment of sudden and insatiable Tookish thirst for adventure, Bilbo decides to undertake the journey with the traveling company, and soon finds himself swept away in a dangerous trek across Middle Earth, past squabbling Trolls and Goblin Towns, over and under deadly mountains, and away from ruthless pursuing Orcs. And in the midst of it all, Bilbo uncovers a certain Ring of Power that is tied to Middle Earth's destiny in more ways than he can imagine. 

   But what fate awaits the Company at the end of their Unexpected Journey?

PART TWO: THE REVIEW

   It's fun. It's exciting. The characters are pretty well developed, and the ones that aren't quite as well developed have unique peculiarities that set them aside from each other (Oin uses a horn as a hearing aid, Bombur is highly overweight, Bofur has a wicked Scotch/Irish accent, etc.). 

   I've read the book as well, so I know where the movie errs from the traditional story. I think the changes Peter Jackson made to the book were needed for movie adaption, considering there was a lot going on in the background of the book that it didn't describe that we get to see now. 

   The story keeps the whimsical, fun feeling of the book, which I like, but also has some touching character scenes and epic battles. So duh, I'm happy. I've heard a lot of people have complaints about the 48 Frames Per Second it was filmed at, but here's a little secret: most theaters across the globe didn't really show it at 48 fps! Besides, most of the complaints I've heard about it have been about how 'it looks hyper real' or 'really fake' or 'too colorful'. But none of those have anything to do with frame rate.

The color can be a bit vibrant, and some things (to me) can look a little fake, like some shots of Azog (I think mainly because he's so white). But again, those things aren't frame rate. Those are effects.

   The script was great in some places, but there were a few cheesy cliche lines in it, such as when Azog says 'drink their blood!' Never heard that line before! Actually, that one line is pretty much the only big thing I don't like about the movie. Cliches clutter up scripts and writing, so why use them?

   The plot was engaging and you could really sympathize with the characters (Gandalf's awkwardness and slight lack of self confidence, Bilbo's reluctancy, fear, humor and homesickness, and Thorin's anger at the Elves and desire to reclaim his homeland). My personal favorite scenes are the unexpected party at Bilbo's house, and the battle of Azanulzibar in Moria.

   There's humor, there's action, there's plenty of story plot, and the acting and filming was incredible!

   All in all, I really enjoyed this movie, and despite there being a few things I didn't care for, I look forward to seeing the next two installments, and getting to finally judge the movies according to the whole of the story, and not its three separate parts!    

 

PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT

   The movie has epic battle scenes full of violence and swashbuckling moves. Thror is beheaded, things are burned and destroyed, Smaug pretty much is the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in measure of destruction and death, and the Company kill their share of Goblins, Orcs and Warg Wolves. Also, it is insinuated that a certain character living underground named Gollum eats goblins and pretty much anything and anyone he can get, shown by the fact that he attempts to kill Bilbo with the intent of eating him. Gollum and all the other villains could be scary for younger kids. 

   I don't personally think this counts as content, but Ori uses the slang word 'jacksie' once.

           

PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION

    I give it four and a half stars, simply because of a few small, cliche lines. Other than that, I love it and am SO super excited for the next two movies (Insert drooling rainbows pic)! If you're a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and/or Peter Jackson, or if you just like fantasy, you'll definitely want to watch this movie!

   So that's two reviews now! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and hopefully it was helpful! Now go watch the movie ASAP!

Peace.

Matt~ 

Season 1, Autumn 2013. Review #1: Halo: Glasslands

   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.

   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~