Halo First Strike (Halo)

Rating:
Summary: I simply couldn't put this book down!
Review: Personally, I didn't know what to expect from Nylund and 'First Strike.' I'm a Halo fan (but not fanatic) and wanted more information about the story of Halo.
I actually read his first book, 'The Fall of Reach,' and I was hooked. I recommend reading 'First Strike' after 'The Fall of Reach.' The two could practically be one book. I haven't read 'The Flood' yet though.
Hey, I really can't explain how much I enjoyed this book. 'First Strike' is easy to read, but it is also detailed. There are lots of combat scenes and many personalities and stories are carried over from 'The Fall of Reach.' More importantly, it tells the great story of Halo and fills in the details between Halo 1 and Halo 2.
Anyone who wants a great, imaginative, sci-fi novel, whether you're a fan or not of Xbox's Halo, read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome for new comers and fans to the series alike
Review: Eric Nylund's Halo: First Strike is the perfect addition to the Halo series. The story is very exciting and never before have I felt so involved with the characters and the world they live in.

The book takes place more then 500 years into the future, when mankind is on the brink of exinction after facing off against the ruthless fanatic collective of eight different alien races called the Covenant. In order to face the Covenant's threat, the United Nations Space Command has initiated the SPARTAN project, with the intention to create the most powerful soldiers the galaxy has ever seen. John (Spartan #117) is the main character of the book, who through many battles with the Covenant, has become one of the small handful of surviving Spartans.
Nylund discusses the morals of genetic engineering and war with his depictions of John and the rest of the Spartans. They act like machines, with personalities not shining through, and are treaed with disgust by the rest of the Earth military.
After a battle on the artificial Covenant world known as Halo, John and a handful of survivors from that legendary conflict embark on an Odessey back to Earth in this third installment of the series. Along the way they encounter vicious Covenenat soldiers, desperate fighters from Earth, secrets of the Covenant's past, and discover that the Covenant are now planning a full frontal assault on Earth.
In order to combat this threat, John and his squad make a last ditch effort to hinder the Covenant forces before returning to Earth. This mission is called Operation: First Strike by John, and fits with the idea of the entire plot, The humans first effective realiation against the Covenant.

Although if one hasn't read the first two book installments of the series, this book not only adds a new layer of depth and excitment to the Halo universe, but to the Sci- Fi genre in general. I strongly recommend this book if you are a fan of the series and wish to get a bridge between the stories of the two videogames, or a fan of action books itching for some of the best described fighting and war. This book has its insightful moments, too, and asks the reader to make his opinion on genetic engineering and war itself.

Rating:
Summary: don't think you can pick up this book and just read 1 ch.
Review: After playing the game and absolutely lovin' it, I heard there was a book explaining events leading up to Halo. I must say I was amazed with how much I enjoyed it(The Fall of Reach), and "First Strike", in my humble opinion, tops it. Like the others, I was not as pleased with "The Flood", although it did do a nice job showing different character views, but this isn't a review for that, it is a review for what is undoubtedly the best book in the series so far. I picked it up and began reading around 11 p.m.; the next thing I knew, it was 2a.m. and I just could not put it down. Needless to say, I stayed up until 4:15 that morning to finish it (that's right, pulled a one night read). I just could not put it down. It seemed as though every time a situation ended, another, more captivating one took its place. I felt as though I was there along side the Master Chief in ways I could have only dreamed of in the game. I applaud Eric Nylund for his excellent work with the series, and I just hope he continues writing with it. So, to finish, I'll simply recommend this to anyone with a love of Halo, Eric Nylund's work, or just a great sci-fi novel.

Rating:
Summary: Good book!
Review: Finished if in like 1 day. Then again the next day and again the next day, and ............................stoped on sunday to worship but on monday i read some more and more.

Rating:
Summary: Halo
Review: First Strike is the best out of the first three novels of the Halo Universe. It keeps you interested and glued to the book until you are forced to grab a few hours of sleep before work or your eyes are glazed over and can no longer continue. There is plenty of ground-side and space battles, and it continues to tell the story of the unstoppable Master Chief.

Cortana again plays a very important role and probably saves humanity as much times as the Chief does, if not more, this time around. Cortana also sets the stage for huge technological jumps for humanity in just the span of the few weeks she is on Alpha Halo and a captured Covenant flagship. She discovers many new technologies from the Covenant and also refines many old ones, and she's taking them all back to Earth.

The only thing I did not enjoy about the book is the concept of time-warping or timebending/timelooping/going back in time/etc. -However one wants to describe it. The book introduces the concept of time-altering devices, and that is just a corny and messy plot device. I know I am not the only one that groans at this thought from reading the official and non-offical Halo forums. On top of that, people who have not read the books (and even many people who HAVE read the books) do not understand what exactly is going on with the time-altering that is described in the book. And, the population of non-book readers is much, much greater than the few that only play the games.

This is a must have for all Halo fans.

Rating:
Summary: I love Halo And RainbowMen
Review: Halo is as good as Rainbow men, I give this book 5 stars! I can't believe how invigorating this book is, it really stimulates my rainbow stick. I recomend this book for anyone, even people who don't like rainbow men.

btw, i love men!Everyone should know! NO one should be ashamed

Rating:
Summary: More of the Good Stuff
Review: Halo: First Strike is seemingly one of the best books I've read. Eric Nylund had a tough job in front of him; not only did he have to meet the high standards he set with his first book, Halo: Fall of Reach, but had to find an exciting and plausable story to fall between the games Halo and up coming sequel Halo 2. What he came up with is not only amazing, but the perfect way to continue the Halo universe. Right from the start this book grabs the attention of the reader and draws them in. There are so many surprises and plot twists that you couldn't predict the ending if you tried. The only major complaint I have is that some areas were slightly confusing and didn't go into enough detail. This was rare however, and is easily forgiven due to the exceptional story as a whole. If you like Halo in any way, do yourself a favor and check out this book. Halo 2 can't come fast enough...

Rating:
Summary: Timeline - What goes where
Review: Here is a quick timeline on where First Strike fits in:
The Fall of Reach >>> HALO [+] >>> The Flood >>>First Strike >>> HALO 2
__________
The Fall of Reach: Planet Reach has fallen and the Human Covenant WAR rages on. This books introduces most of the terms and charachters, so is a must read. sort of "read this first"
__________
HALO (Xbox game): you have to play the game to find out what happens. Believe it or not the game has a very strong storyline to it.
__________
The Flood: Ok, you cannot play the game because you don't have $200 to invest, read all about it in "The Flood". This one tells you what really happens on HALO.
___________
First Strike: After you have played the game or read "The Flood" you would want to know what happens before HALO 2. So "First Strike" fills the gap.
___________
HALO 2 (Xbox game): we will all have to wait and see what HALO 2 has in store for us.
Hope this helps

Rating:
Summary: Exciting, but disappointing.
Review: I love the Halo game, and I can't wait for Halo 2. Thus, I naturally bought the books.

I loved The Flood. It did justice to the game, expanded on it, fleshed it out, built on it, etc. It was exciting, suspensful, and highly entertaining.

First Strike continues the series from that point on. The Master Chief escapes the ruins of Halo with a few survivors (despite Cortana saying there were none at the end of the game and The Flood), and discovers several SPARTAN survivors on Reach, who recover an ancient artifact that the Covenent desperately want.

The good points of this book are the plot and the characters. Though it lacks Dietz's in-depth glance into the world of the Covenant, except for the very end, the mystery of the artifact and revelations about the strange code from The Fall of Reach are thrilling. Not every question gets answered. I assume another book in the series will do so.

The problem is the combat sequences. Sorry, but I am supposed to swallow the idea that the Master Chief survives every thing thrown at him, be it Covenant armies, an enemy armada, Brutes, and even the Flood, but the other SPARTANS, equal to him in skill, die left and right in the simplest engagements! But that is precisely what happens. Once the SPARTAN survivors enter the scene, they begin dying one by one, in situations the Master Chief would have escaped unscathed. I can understand the desire to include emotional drama and suspense in a "who will make it out alive" story, but it has to be plausible. This story, unfortuantely, is not.

Also, the infantry combat is boring. Mostly, Nylund avoids the grand battles of Dietz's novel, and that is a shame. Most of the combat is only alluded to, in "she heard gunfire over the radio" type sequences. Most engagements last thirty seconds, and frequently the Master Chief does not fire more than a few shots. Even the climactic engagement relies more on secondary characters, than on the Master Chief's bravery.

The saving grace here is the spaceship combat. That Nylund does exceedingly well. The battles are intense, and full of surprises. I guess that is simply Nylund's forte. However, since the series' main character is a foot soldier, the poor ground-action sequences stick out horribly.

Anyone interested in Halo must read this book, if only because it bridges the plots of Halo 1 and Halo 2. However, don't expect to be blown away by the action. I personally think Deitz did far better in his novel.

Rating:
Summary: Halo: First Strike
Review: I think that this is possibly best book that I have ever read. I don't usually read books, but in this case, I read them twice. In the story, there is an excellent plot and great action scenes. The science fiction behind the plot is also excellent.