So, I started reading books

[Zukeenee]

Just to go on with the commentary of the Halo books...

It's been a while since I've read them all, so some of my memories of what occured in which novel might run together. But here's what I have to say on them.

Fall of Reach-
Proabably one of my favorites of the series. An excellent way to set up the story of the Spartans and show their various accomplishments before the events of Halo. It also does a lot to show just how far humanity has come in the 26th century. Well, for the military side of things, at least. Favorite parts of the book, though? The massive space battles. The author does a great job of detailing these engagements.

The Flood-
For most of it, you can just play the original game itself and get twice the story illustrated in here. "Master cheif shot this alien, then ran down this corridor and threw a grenade. Then he shot another alien..." etc. The good parts of the book are the ones involving what we didn't see in the game. Remember that The Flood came out before Contact Harvest or Halo 2, so seeing things from the perspective of a Covenant soldier was new and interesting to me. It also tells the story of the other human survivors and what they did when the Chief wasn't around.

First Strike-
Also a very good book. I don't remember too many details, but it does a good job of tying together the story from Halo 1 to Halo 2. And... that's all I can remember, really. Like I said, I read it a while ago.

Ghosts of Onyx-
Almost completely unrelated to the main Halo story, but still a great read. The whole idea of the Spartan III program (and the lengths to which the military goes) shows just how desperate things are for humanity here.

Contact Harvest-
Well... I really like that it gives an in-depth look at humanity and the UNSC before the Covenant appear. And it does a good job of showing the whole "first contact" scenario. And it helps us to understand how Jiralhanae society works. I just... that scene at the end, with Johnson and the ONI officer... was that really necessary? It really threw things off for me.

Cole Protocol-
I know you didn't mention this one, but it's another one of the Halo books you might be interested in. More from the early days of the war, more perspective from the Covenant side of things, and a lot of story involving the Insurrectionists. And some Spartans are involved.


A lot of people do immediately say things like "Halo sucks massive eggs of a hen", and if that's what they think, so be it. Whether they're referring to the games, the story, or both, I won't disagree with them. But I still find the games entertaining enough to play them every now and then, and the Halo lore contains some very interesting and involved stories. As you've said, though, some of that lore gets twisted and contradicted as the story goes on, but it's something I'm willing to overlook.

The stories I follow most intently usually stem from some deep, fictional universe. Halo is up there with my favorites, along with The Dark Tower, Myst/D'ni, Bionicle, and Dicovery Freelancer.

So I'm glad you're enjoying the books so far. And no, I'm not going to "scald" you for reading them.

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[Dirae]

You might want to try M. John Harrison, one of the better modern fiction writers (he also writes Sci-Fi). Viriconium is an amazing book. For further ideas check
- Top 15 Greatest Science Fiction Writers of All-Time and
- TIME critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo pick the 100 best English-Language novels from 1923 to the present.

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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." - Blade Runner

[Fletcher]

Making good progress in The Ghosts of Onyx, a great read so far. Giving me great insight into the new Spartan III program, and the lengths the UNSC is going through to survive. I never knew the Spartan III project focused on this type of spartan soldiers.

Insightful.

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"Oh chuffing blimey, another day, another person being whiney!"
Fletcher's Feedback and Stories Thread

[Fletcher]

So I've finished Ghosts of Onyx just in time for Halo Reach tomorrow, by God that was a good book. If they wanted to make a movie/s out of Halo (again) I hope they pick this book and Contact Harvest, great reads. :)

Dr Halsey and Kurt, by God...

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"Oh chuffing blimey, another day, another person being whiney!"
Fletcher's Feedback and Stories Thread

[Tomtomrawr]

The Night's Dawn Trilogy is a brilliant read. As are books by Lee Child, which all feature the same character but do not require you to read any of the previous books to understand. Jeffery Deaver books with Lincoln Rhyme I always enjoy, as there is always a surprise and you're kept thrilled for the entire read. Michael Connelly with Harry Bosch are also interesting, I've read plenty of those and recommend them.

But I'd probably recommend Lee Child as the best out of them to read. They're all just brilliant.

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[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.

Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.