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I dont even play computer games but the novel intrigued me in its presentation and book cover. Now, I have heard of this game and its new system coming out and I have tried a few game/novels out and have not been impressed UNTIL NOW! Eric Nylund's writing is great and I already have two other books from him since I read this novel. Mr. Nylund's story telling and bigger than life characters in this book make it clearly above and beyond just a game book. The story starts out with a woman named Dr. Halsey who is creating a super soldier for the future war that is coming in the guise of an alien race that seems unstoppable and unknown to earthlings in any way shape or form. Dr. Halsey and her accomplice Jacob Keyes take a dozen children from orphanages and make them into super beings thru endless surgeries, drugs, and a battle school that is far superior and secret than normal military. The leader, and main character comes from a boy/man they call number 117, or John. John is not the strongest or the fastest, but he has the mind of a leader. The reader then goes on a journey thru these poor kid's boot camp and watch them fail as well as conquer their own fears and others prejudice. This insight and character development, mixed with great action sequences is what saves this novel from being just another fast written game book for the boys. The author's writing style is made for this type of novel and it shows in every space battle as well as groundside wars as well. This novel goes thru about 25 years or so, so you get to follow the kid's growth, as well as some of the other normal humans rise and falls thru the years. The aliens are introduced slowly and revealed for who and what they are in a way that keeps the reader wanting to read more to find out very smart! If you love military space opera with lots of great action with lots of great characters written in then you will find that this is not just another game novel I can't wait for the new book!

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The Fall of Reach is a prequel telling the story of humanity's war against a technologically superior race called the Covenant, a mysterious race on a religious crusade to destroy humanity. The story focuses on the hero of the Halo Xbox game and his fellow Spartans, enhanced human beings bred as soldiers for humanity's military and the best chance the humans have for victory in the losing war against the Covenant. The events in the book directly lead into the events in the game.

Even without playing the game, it's a pretty good book by itself. The sci-fi universe created by Bungie (the makers of the game) which Nylund expands on is detailed and believable. Nylund's descriptions of space battles and futuristic militaries are excellent, as well as his portrayals of the human military strategy and tactics while fighting against a superior enemy. The book flows well and is an easy read.

But the book is raised to a new level if you play the game alongside reading the novel. Nylund's otherwise average character development and background instead become outstanding insight into the life of the game's hero and opens your eyes to the bigger picture of the Halo universe. You become truly immersed, which makes both the book reading and video game experience that much more rich.

Sci-fi nitpickers will criticize some of the technological aspects of the Halo universe (for example, it is 500 years in the future where humans have mastered faster-than-light travel and true artificial intelligence, yet soldiers and ships still use solid ammo as their primary weapons), but those issues are minor. Nylund is still able to suspend disbelief. And it doesn't hinder the overall good story.

Overall, good book by itself. But I recommend you play the game as well. If you enjoy the game, then this novel is a must read! I can't wait until the sequel for both!

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As many people have said, most books of this type (based on a game) seem to be quickly written and rather unexciting. This book is the exception to the rule. I was rather apprehensive going into this book but found myself hooked very quickly. From the training of the new breed of 'supersoldiers' to the fantastic space and ground battles this book never slows down. The characters are wonderfully well developed, the action is intense and exciting (loved the battle for Sigma Octanus), and the book as a whole is perfectly paced (you'll never say 'it was good, but slowed down a bit in the middle'). If you are planning on playing the game (I'm halfway through it myself) this book is a must read. Even if you don't plan on playing Halo but are a fan of military sci-fi action this book will satisfy. I will also be seeking out Nylunds other novels.

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Written as a prequel to the upcoming Xbox game, Halo, you couldn't ask for a better source of background and timeline information with this book. The book borrows heavily from information known about the game, but everything is a completely original story. For example, the same enemy types that appear in Halo are frequently mentioned in the book, which gives a more profound sense of "constant struggle" between the human race and the deadly and ruthless alien species known as the Covenant. I feel this will really make the game an even more immersive experience; by reading this book, you're getting to know a lot of information that you otherwise wouldn't know while playing the game. Caught on a plotline twist or snag? Maybe if you read the book you would understand it a bit more.

The book itself is very well written, and it keeps you immersed in the story page-to-page. The only thing I can really criticize is the fact that some action sequences can get a little repetitive and drawn-out (such as space battles between the humans and the Covenant). It's not enough to make you want to stop reading, though.

I got this book Friday (Nov. 2nd), and finished it Sunday night (Nov. 4th), and it's well over 300 pages. That's how good it is. Of course, you may not be quite as interested in the story if you're not anticipating the game but if you are, this is a definite must-read. I'd suggest to anyone who is looking for the best Halo experience on Xbox come Nov. 15th, get this book as soon as possible, and read the entire thing through before starting the game. I doubt a whole lot from the book will leak into the game, but you never know.

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The Fall of Reach tells the origin story of Master Chief Spartan 117. This version is a re-print which takes the original version, supposedly corrects some of the mistakes and adds new content.

If, like me, you already have the original version and are wondering if it's worth buying this as well ... I am undecided.

I have read the original about 5 or 6 times, have the rest of the books in the Halo series too, I've played all the games on X-Box and X-Box 360 and am a HUGE Halo fan. When I heard this was being re-released with corrections and new content, I was hoping it would be re-written so that it would fall in line with the story told by the game, Halo Reach. Sadly, it does not. There are some glaring discrepancies between the two story lines which could so easily have been corrected (I'll put them at the end of the review just in case you would/would not like to know what they are).

Furthermore, the new version still contains errors (i.e. it seems like they have run a spell check but did not proof read the book so, while there are no spelling mistakes, you come across the odd word that is out of place ... but at least you can guess what the word is supposed to be).

I am undecided about the new content. It is basically a series of random excerpts, letters, memos, etc stuck on at the end of the book. I have only read them once, and while some of them feel like they tie in with other parts of the Halo storyline, I cannot pinpoint how or where. There are also a few pictures dotted about the book too.

If you are new to Halo, or have never read the books before, I cannot recommend the series enough. The Fall of Reach, together with Contact Harvest are my personal favourites. The Flood is also a good read as it closely follows the events from the first Halo game (Halo: Combat Evolved). If you have not read or do not own the original version of Fall of Reach, this is the version for you as, I guess, it is the most complete version. If you have already read or own the original version then hopefully what I have written above can help you decide whether or not to get this version too.

****** SPOILER ALERT ******

There are a few discrepancies I noticed between the book Fall of Reach and the game Halo Reach. They are as follows:

* The Pillar of Autumn In the book, The Pillar of Autumn is constructed in space dock and this is where Captain Keyes first enters it. In the game, the Autumn is planetside.

* Cortana In the book, Cortana is already on board the Autumn whereas in the game, Noble 6 brings Cortana to Captain Keyes, who then flies her to the Autumn.

* The Spartans In the book, all bar one of the remaining Spartans (it says in the book that one of them was unable to be recalled due to the mission they were on at the time ... I think this could either be Jorge, who is part of the Halo Reach storyline ... or Kurt as he is off on the Spartan 3 program ... read "Ghosts of Onyx") come aboard the Autumn before going off on their respective missions. In the game, there is no mention of these Spartans ... apart from...

* Spartan in stasis??? On one of the final cutscenes of the game (where Captain Keyes' pelican boards the Autumn), you can pan the screen to the right and you'll get a glimpse of a Spartan in a stasis chamber. Now, I guess this is supposed to be Master Chief. If it is, this does not appear to tie in with the book as, per the book, the Chief does not go into stasis until after his mission to detroy a NAV database, which takes place after the Autumn first launches.

I have a thoery ... a very thin theory ... so thin it's anorexic ... but ... could it be that the Autumn does originally start off in space dock with all Spartans and they go off on their respective missions. Then, somehow, after picking up the Master Chief and Linda (which could mean the Spartan in stasis is Linda), the Autumn has to go planetside so that Cortana can be uploaded with some vital information that is too risky to be transmitted in case the Covenant intercept it. Cortana gets taken to Dr Halsey who uploads the information to her, gives her to Noble 6 who then returns Cortana to Captain Keyes. The Autumn then takes off and does a slipspace jump to Halo.

The way the book was written, the above does not seem possible ... but at least it would help bring some continuity back.