By far the best of Forerunner saga
922691
Really brings the other two together and makes them worth reading (I liked them but I think they were slower and harder to understand because it's not the story we're already used to from the games).
4604696
I've been a fan of 40k for longer than I care to remember and a fan of the Ultramarines for the same time. Read the whole Ultramarines series about Uriel Ventris and really didn't like the monotonous paces nor the shallow characters. I decided to give The Fall of Damnos a try and it was worth every single second reading.

The author didn't waste time pondering around with background story and get straight into the action. The battle scenes are vivid and heart-chilling. The characters are interesting and offered an authentic, canon yet complex perspective on the Ultramarines. The plot is simple but the author managed to put enough intrigue into it to keep you reading. Overall a must buy!
1342085
Eric Nylund's 2001 release of Halo: The Fall of Reach is easily one of my favorite novels of all time.  While I admit I enjoy the lore of the Halo universe I did read the original release in it's entirety before the release of the any Halo game.  That being said I feel I will be able to give a very truthful/accurate review on the 2010 re-issue of Halo: The Fall of Reach after reading the novel.

First I would like to say that the negatives of this review are canon inconsistencies either not corrected from the original book or not addressed in the re-issue.  The novel is excellently written by Nylund with the material he was given in 2001 and the 2010 re-issue is for the most part the same material.  The story explains in great detail the origin of the Spartan-II super soldiers in the Halo universe.  The story is focused on one young boy named "John" who will be turned into a Spartan-II super soldier than many fans of the series will know as the Master Chief.

While much of the book remains unchanged from the original 2001 release, the re-issue ties in some loose ends in the canon.  It answers the fate on the Spartan-III from Noble Team named Jun who was tasked with escorting Dr. Cathrine Halsey to ONI Castle Base.  It also explains why Cathrine Halsey was abducted by the Covenant leading to the events in the anime "The Package" featured in Halo: Legends.

While the only true negatives in the re-issue are incorrect dates or corrected dates of events that are not fully explained.  Overall the story is still a five star novel that any sci-fi fan will enjoy.
1703603
Absolutely the best book I've read that's tied to a Bioware game. It reads like an actual novel and not like bad fanfiction or an obvious tie-in book. Jemisin adds depth to the world and expands upon concepts from the game without making the book integral to understanding the plot of Mass Effect Andromeda. There are so many wonderful details that she adds that make the Mass Effect universe feel more alive, and the way she writes Cora is just amazing! I didn't like Cora in the game but I love her here!
Seriously, I loved this book so much that it makes me wish they'd hire N.K. Jemisin as a writer for the games.
4551665
I've played every HALO since October 2001.  With the exception of "REACH" (which was very poorly written),  this new version is really taken me into the actual game!  I never know that i've been playing it for a couple hours!  I highly recommend it to all GAMERS!
1454984
This one ranks right up there with The Illearth War, the second book of the first trilogy.  Thomas Covenant and his companions sail deep into the Sunbirth Sea on a quest for the One Tree, from which Covenant hopes to fashion a new Staff of Law.  Much of the novel (perhaps half) takes place aboard the huge Giantship Starfare's Gem.  During this time the major characters have nothing to do but walk around on the boat or help with chores, so the pace of the book is clearly slower than that of the others in the series.  Aside from a couple moments of excitement, Donaldson spends the bulk of the ocean sequences in developing the characters.  We learn a lot more about Linden and she begins to understand her capabilities.  Some of the Giants acquire distinct personalities as we spend days with them at sea.  Vain is more perplexing than ever before, especially as we see how he interacts with Findail (a new character in the series).  It becomes evident that these two will play some major role in the sequel "White Gold Wielder".
The story heats up in the second half, when Starfare's Gem is forced to make landfall at a fascinating but sinister port town called Bhrathairain.  Here a plot unfolds to get Covenant to give up his white gold ring.  We also encounter a deadly Sandgorgon, which I'm hoping will make a re-appearance in the sequel.  This part of the story was my favorite.  Also, the climactic events that occur at the objective of the party's quest are exciting and revealing.  We learn why Lord Foul tainted Covenant with venom and get hints of the awesome might of the creature that formed the Earth.
The One Tree also has the most deaths of major characters so far in the series.  So there are several tragic moments in the novel, which in my opinion gives it an element of realism and poignancy that the other novels lacked.  This combined with the very good character development during the ocean sequences and the moving backstory related by the Elohim make The One Tree the deepest of the novels in the series up to this point.
3623931
The Left Hand of Destiny Book I and II have been some of my favorites of the continuing stories of DS9. I think this was the most exciting set of books so far. There were many references to the DS9 episodes, and quite a few characters were pulled in for this set of books. It's sometimes shocking yet strangely satisfying when some of the characters are killed off and "put to rest" in the relaunch. It kind of brings a finality to that part of the series and story.

The action in this LHoD was superb. I stayed up very late at night reading these books - I could not put them down.
120101
Wonderful story. I couldn't put it down after the halfway mark. Paul Tassi writes a story as epic as the HALO universe with characters as endearing as those from Farscape. I cannot wait for book 3.
3244480
I am very impressed at how good this series is even after all these books. I never get tired or bored - or feel that we have retreads of the same story. Campbell manages to up the game every so slightly and effectively with each book - going places I would never have imagined. It's made for wonderful reads that I can't put down (or, in this case, stop listening to the Audible version).

Story: The Dark Ships - a fully automated fleet of highly maneuverable ships - has attacked human worlds. It's clear the AI has gone rogue and is using its own justifications to eradicate humanity. Geary's fleet is at a disadvantage - but if he doesn't confront the Dark Ships, too many people will die. Forced into a head to head confrontation at a secret star base, all his cleverness will not be able to get him out of this battle without losses. For once, he will have to rely on the intelligence and the sacrifices of those under him.

At first, I did not think the story would be as engrossing as it ended up being by the end. Most of Geary's traps in previous books were avoided through quick thinking and some luck. But the situation facing Geary now is either to battle head on or run and allow the Dark Ships to destroy worlds. It makes for taut reading as the losses start to mount in the Lost Fleet. There is also interesting information given about the Dancers and the Kiks as Geary learns more about them.

Leviathan does conclude the story arc resoundingly, if tragically. I listened to the audible version and it was smooth as the previous versions, using the same narrator. I hate to have to wait another year for the next book.
2111000
You will LOVE this book. It's really exciting and is a great preview to the Halo 2. It introduces the Brutes, which are these huge bear like Covenant. The Master Chief kicks ass as always. It is a great edition to a great series. I hope they make a sequel to this book.
1373884
Part 2 of Part 2 (sorry couldn't resist), is a very character driven book, and picks up immediately after the events from Escalation. It sees those involved in the Nathan Conspiracy trying to convince him of his true identity, as well as trying to rescue him. At the same time as this plot unfolds, we are thrown back into the past to re-live the actual events of what happened with Nathan and the Jung.
This is a really fascinating story, and although it is not as action packed as previous stories  there are not as many starship battles as previous books  this story gives us some real insight into events over the last 7 years as well as our main characters.
This has always been the main strength of Ryk Browns work, his character writing, and thats what makes this book a standout. He writes a brilliant story, and his starship battles are epic, but the detail and background he gives his characters is exceptional and provides a truly compelling and gripping story. Nathans end is something that every fan of this series has wondered about, and this book answers the question of what happened to him. It also gives us some really interesting details of the devastation caused in the Jung home sector.
As well as the story of Nathan in the past, we also begin to follow what has happened to Nathan in the future, and how this may affect the entire Galaxy.
The Frontiers Saga is just getting started again. It is incredible that Ryk Brown managed to give us such an amazing first series of 15 books, and he wrapped it up so well at the end. But now, he has started it again, building momentum, and this series is going to be just as good if not better than the first.
This cannot be missed by fans new or old  it is easily one of the best Mil Sci-Fi series out there!
3201096
If you know the game of Halo, then you really should read the books and get the back story of Spartan 117. The book is great, and gets helps build my anticipation for Halo 3! Only beef I have his this Novel is an over sized paper-back (a lot bigger and doesn't fit well on my self), and when I bought it off Amazon, the price was decent, but when I've seen it in stores, it's usually 7 dollars more than it should be. Other than that, great Sci-Fi read!
4699239
I've gone on record in the past of having disliked the first book in this series. I take it back. After having played the original Halo through to the end more than 10 times now, I now find these books irresistable.

Halo Book One - The Fall of Reach

The first book of this trilogy details the formation of the Spartan II/Mjolinar program, including the origination of the characters Master Chief, Captain Keyes and Cortana. "Fall of Reach" fleshes out the backstory. How did the Covenent happen upon humanity in the first place? What were our first encounters with the Covenent like? What does "glassing a planet" entail? And what is it that the Covenent is after?

The last question isn't answered completely, but this first volume does provide some tantalizing details that might give you a clue. You do, however, find out exactly what the Pillar of Autumn was up to prior to ending up in orbit around Halo.

Eric Nylund does a great job of injecting some humanity into the Spartans (yes, there's more than one) and some drama and strategy into fight scenes with the Covenent. If you find yourself liking this book, you may want to pick up Nylund's "Signal to Noise" or "A Signal Shattered". No matter how good Nylund's military sci-fi is, his hard sci-fi is better.

Halo Book Two - The Flood

Normally, I'd say "skip this" if you've already played the game. And if you have played through the game, then the plot points in this novel won't lend you any surprises. It is, however, a testament to William Dietz's prowess as an author that even Halo veterans such as myself can pick up this book and still be interested in the subject matter. As with "Fall of Reach", "The Flood" fleshes out the Halo universe even further. Not only do you follow Master Chief as he combats the Covenent, the Flood and Guilty Spark 243 on the Jovian-orbiting ringworld of Halo, but you get up close and personal with some of the ODSTs (Helljumpers, who will play a large part in Halo 2), marines and non-coms who are aiding Master Chief in the fight. You even get to see the fight from the Covenant point of view.

William Dietz was a fine choice for creating this novelization. Already an excellent military sci-fi author, he does great work here in turning a potentially lackluster novelization into something interesting and special.

Halo Book Three - First Strike

I don't really want to ruin this one for Halo fans. The most important thing about this book is this - it acts as a bridge between the events of first Halo game and Halo 2. "First Strike", again by Eric Nylund, picks up right where first game ended - with Master Chief and Cortana stuck in a non-FTL bomber in the dead space surrounding the remains of Halo. I won't give away anymore except to say that Halo 2 is set-up perfectly here.

The most impressive thing about the Halo books is this - the amount of backstory created for the Halo universe is stunning. If you've read anything about the new Halo 2 release and have read these novels, you'll understand what I mean. Plot points and military types from the first novel are being incorporated into or mentioned in Halo 2, ie - the aforementioned ODSTs. I have no idea WHERE this backstory came from - either from the imaginations of Dietz and Nylund or the impressive minds working at Bungie. It doesn't matter. Reading these books and playing these games, you become intimate with a well thought-out alternate universe. And its a great one to spend time in.

November 9th can't come soon enough!

Hopefully William Dietz is on the business end of that Halo 2 novelization, and this set will include four books in the future.
1481105
Not only does this first-issue comic explore part of the HALO universe rarely seen, but it shows an awesome flashback scene which features someone very familiar to us in the HALO universe. The illustration is simply too awesome for words and I don't want to spoil it for you. I'll give you a one-word hint as to what this flashback scene is: "gymnasium".

Whatever you do, do not let this comic get away from you. Buy it. Read it. The series should tie in nice to HALO: ODST.
254106
This book is amazing!!!It goes all the way from when Dr. Halsey meets John for the first time to the dicovery of Halo. lots of awesome action. Nylund describes things so well that i will never look at The Master Cheif the same way.

P.S.
GET THIS BOOK NOW!!!
3024472
Halo is the best game ever made. It's as simple as that.  If you have the money and an Xbox, buy it. NOW. It is worth every penny. In HALO, there is an alien race called the Covenant attempting to take over the world.  So far, they have succeeded. Only one Marine ship remains, and you - a genetically enhanced super soldier - happen to be on it. So your cryo-genetically frozen body is thawed out and you have to save the entire human race. You use a variety of weapons and vehicles of both a human and Covenant origin. The variety is one thing that makes this game so great, another being the gamplay. The controls are a little hard to get used to at first (only the right thumbstick moves the camera and the left thumbstick moves your character is difficult at first) but after maybe fifteen minutes, you get used to it. The graphics in this game are simply amazing. If you take out the pistol and zoom in on a tree trunk, you will see each individual groove in the bark. And everything else looks so real, you might feel like you are actually there (especially with surround sound). HALO's plot is so incredibly deep to begin with, yet it gets deeper and deeper as you advance from level to level (I could tell you just how deep it gets, but that would spoil the surprise, no wouldn't it?). Along with the deep, serious plot, Bungie added lots of comedy as well (just listen and watch after sticking a plasma grenade on a Grunt). And one thing that just adds to how spectacular this game is, surprisingly, the glitches. I find myself playing just to figure out more glitches (from falling underwater when you're on solid ground, to the "Jesus Christ Jumpsuit Man" in level two - throw a plasma grenade on the marine in a blue jumpsuit at the first lifeboat from about fifteen feet away to get this). And this is not a game that is easy to beat (unlike all the games out for GameCube). Easy, is self-explanetory, Normal is considerably tougher, Heroic will leave you baffled after dying 5 times in the first level, and Legendary is just about impossible. But this game is amazing and is definitly worth [the money]. This will seem like a small investment after you rack up 5 hours playing time right out of the box. Now the only thing Xbox is missing to be ABSOLUTLY PERFECT is a South Park game...
2809453
this halo book is the BOMB it tells almost all of what happened to leutenant\commander, and last captain Jacob Keys from when he recruted spartan 117 John (u can find his real name john in halo the flood) to when the inssurection is put down as well as Thel' Vandamee shipmaster in the fleet of particular justice (the same as the arbiters i cheacked in the halo 3 guide book in the charicters section so he is part of the first elite rise against the prophets :-/  ) who witnesses the prophets fight and starts to wonder about the "holy journey" that the prophets have preached about  .. in other words a crack in the covanets structure