Halo: The Fall Of Reach

Books based on games are always a gamble, but with the rich plot of the Halo games and the efforts Bungie have made to create a detailed universe I decided to give the books a chance. I have to admit that I am surprised by the quality.The Fall of Reach covers the events leading up to the first Halo game. It details the creation of the SPARTAN-II soldiers, the Master Chief's background, the beginnings of the Human-Covenant war, and also backstory on some of the periphery characters in the game, such as Captain Keyes.The book moves at a rapid pace so covers a lot of ground. Nylund's style is a little too excitable and he could maybe flesh his characters out a little more, but he writes action well and considering the subject matter it is a well thought out novel.Frankly, it could all be very silly but what you end up with is a gritty and mostly credible tale set within the Halo universe. If you have enjoyed the Halo games, give The Fall of Reach and the other books in the series a go.

Covering the history prior to the first Halo game this book is easy to read and begins by chronicling the creation of the Spartan program and the participant's subsequent training and first missions up to the first appearance of the Covenant. It can be a bit slow during these sections but it then picks up and expands on both the fall of Reach and the supposed destruction of all the other Spartans and how the Pillar of Autumn came to crash on Halo.OK, so it isn't high art or ever going to be listed next to Shakespeare, etc., but for a novel based on a video game it is enjoyable and will be so even more to anyone who has played the games. The character of Keyes is expanded upon and there is a plausible explanation of why the Pillar could survive the impact it suffered on Halo and it is this and other fine detail not evident in the games that add to the enjoyment of the whole Halo storyline.Extended universe has worked for Star Wars and in this instance it has also worked here.

Fantastic book and well written.As a big fan of the Halo franchise, I really enjoyed learning about the Masterchief as a child and growing up to turn into a powerful killing machine!If you are a Halo fanatic like myself and you want to learn more about the back stories of the halo universe, this book is a must!

As the firsat of the Halo books I found it to be well-written and exciting. I look forward to reading others in the series.

This is an EXCELLENT read for those of us who want to learn a little more about the universe of HALO. I particualy liked the way the other Spartans are introduced, as well as the first chapter which explains a little more about 'The Fall of Reach'. However I won't give away anything else about the book as it truly is one of the best I have ever read. I recommend this book whole-heartedly to anyone, but the people who would enjoy it the most are: Fans of HALO and/or people who enjoy reading military based books such as the Tom Clancy series.