Chain Reading

Eric Nylund does a pretty good job of explaining what happens in between the Covenants trip from Halo to Earth. I'd say it is on par with The Fall of Reach.

This is as good as any book by William Gibson. There is a mystery being solved, but the it is a science fiction and military novel first and a mystery maybe fifth or sixth. The plot is intricate and the prose is elaborate. I'm seriously considering re-reading it, I'm sure I will pick up a lot of details I missed on the first fly by.

If you are a fan of the game, this is an excellent companion. Lots of unexplained details are cleared up, and it's not only a good action novel, but is pretty good science fiction. The ending isn't the most satisfying or cheerful, but the novel needed to end where Halo-Combat Evolved (the game) began.

The author was a bit constrained by the need to resemble the game. On the other hand, if that is what you are looking for, a fairly true to the game retelling of the Halo story, than that might suit you just fine. The side stories for the characters other than Master Chief turned out to me more interesting than Master Chief himself. This novel also is something of a spoiler if you are trying to slog your way through the Halo campaign.

This book is a classic. It is a deep metaphor for life and good adventure too.

I loved this book. Henry has a genetic disease--that makes him disappear in and move back and forth in time. Clare, somehow before either could make a choice about it, is in line to become Henry's wife. It has one foot in science fiction and everything else is a romantic story. The pop culture references are easiest to catch if you were listening to the radio between 1970 and 2000, but the writing is so well crafted, it should be an enjoyable read for many audiences.