Rating: 
Summary: Play the game, or read the book?!?
Review: Halo: The Flood follows the actual X-Box game story and timeline wise but as a book does, fills in any gaps that may or may not have been missing from the game. An excellent read whether you have played the game or not.
Rating: 
Summary: This book RULES
Review: this book rules. the book adds a new side to master cheif. he talks way more than he does in the game. also i think being able to repeat entire pages from the game is really kewl. i also like is tells about master cheif the non-combat side. in the game he is our silent warrior. i also like that it tells the tale of the elite and the grunt trying to kill master cheif. over all this book ROCKS THE HOUSE.
Rating:
Summary: A Thrill Ride!
Review: Well, of course this book is going to repeat the game! That's what it's all about! However, it is very very good, and very well written. The author also adds subplots and other units of humans scattered on Halo, so there is fresh material there. I enjoyed how close to detail the author matched the text to the actual levels from the game, down to the exact placement of a tree or boulder. A great read!
Rating: 
Summary: Dully Written
Review: After reading the first book, Halo: Fall of Reach, I was eagerly anticipating the release of another. I hurried to the store to find that this book followed the same storyline as the game. This isn't bad perse, but I didn't think a book following a set story could be very good. With the first book, the author had freedom to create side stories and focus on whatever he wanted. With this one, the only side stories are the bland and boring histories of characters that die within the first minute of the game. We really don't need to know, A. the names of the people who die, and we especially don't need to know, B. those people's life story.
In addition to the fact that the author, which is different from the other books, turns an interesting story boring with such minute details, the book is also poorly written. Take for example these two sentences. ""That's what I'm talking about!" a Marine crowed. He fired a coup de grâce into the aliens head."
The book drags on with it's boring dialogue and expansion of ttrivial characters, with only a few interesting parts in between. If you own the game, Halo, then you have no need to purchase this book, because you learn nothing new. If you do not own Halo, I recommend buying it instead of the book.
Rating:
Summary: One Long Firefight
Review: The Flood is the second novel in the Halo series, following The Fall of Reach. In the previous volume, the Covenant forces discovered Reach and invaded in force. They also used a new weapon system, a sort of sniper ship that could cut Human warships in half at great range. The Pillar of Autumn was outbound on a mission when the aliens arrived, but her orders were changed and she immediately decelerated to return to the rally point. In the ensuing fighting, the ship was heavily damaged, but managed to kill several Covenant vessels, including the sniper ship. When a scan detected aliens dropships entering the Reach atmosphere at the poles, the Master Chief ordered most of his SPARTANs down to the surface to protect the energy sources for the orbital superMAC weapons and he himself led a small group to destroy the navigational data on an unregistered ship in spacedock. Despite all SPARTAN efforts, the Covenant forces on Reach took out the superMAC power units and the planet fell. SPARTANs in the spacedock penetrated enemy forces and pulverized the navigation memory in the unregistered ship, but only the Master Chief survived the mission. The Pillar of Autumn, despite her damage, picked up the Master Chief and fled on a randomized evasion course. The ship exited Slipspace in a stellar system containing a huge ring-like object, the Halo artifact. Ten thousand kilometers in diameter and twenty-two point three kilos thick, the Halo is made of unknown materials, but apparently has some form of artificial gravity and a breathable atmosphere. Unfortunately, the Pillar of Autumn has been followed by Covenant forces through Slipspace and others were already there when they arrived, swarming on and around the artifact. Shortly after exiting Slipspace, the ship was attacked and boarded. Sailors and marines resisted the intruders, but Captain Keyes was forced to call for an evacuation. In this novel, Human dropships, lifeboats and one-man reentry vehicles land in a widely scattered, but still limited area on the Halo. Captain Keyes and a minimal flight crew stay on the ship to guide her into a crash-landing nearby, waiting to the last moment to evacuate. The Master Chief, with the AI Cortana within his armor, rides one of the lifeboats down to a crash-landing on the surface. Most of the Humans soon find themselves in firefights with Covenant forces. The ODST marines manage to land is a relatively small area and immediately secure the DZ. Major Silva has his AI Wesley, named for the Duke of Wellington, scan the area for defensible positions and selects a very tall, slender butte-like formation for his future firebase. Of course, it is already occupied by Covenant forces, but that is a mere detail to the Helljumpers. Captain Keyes doesn't even reach the surface before he encounters a stealthed Elite within his lifeboat. Once they hit the surface, they flee through the most rugged country available with alien dropships on their tail. For some reason, however, the aliens seem to be trying to capture them. In this story, the Master Chief has some problems with the ODST Major, who is unusually prejudiced against SPARTANs. However, Major Silva soon learns that he is the only one so prejudiced and his own marines would welcome the SPARTAN along on any patrol. The body count racked up by the Master Chief is impressive, but the Covenant forces also notice his effectiveness and target him for special attention. The Humans quickly discover that the Halo is an artifact of a species called the Forerunners by the Covenant. Apparently Covenant technology largely derives from Forerunner artifacts and they would like to reverse engineer the Halo, which they are convinced is a very powerful weapon. Cortana investigates the Forerunner information systems and is beginning to think that the Covenant are correct in assessing the artifact's lethality. Then the Humans encounter the Flood. This story is a convincing portrayal of surface and space combat in the 26th century, but the hand weapons and vehicles used by the Humans seem to be rather primitive considering their FTL drives and other advanced technology. However, Human space has apparently suffered a socioeconomic collapse at some time in the past and now has a regressive government that may not allow much basic research due to the destabilizing effects of new technology. The SPARTAN II project itself was hampered by bureaucratic objections and obstructions, so maybe only a few projects with politically adept directors are being funded. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys combat on the ground and in space, with deadly foes equipped with more advanced weaponry.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of paper
Review: I cannot believe this hack (Dietz) wrote a novel that precisely mirrors the game. I guess if M$ dangles enough money in front of a writer and says "put this one dimentional story into a novel format" any writer would do it. I was 60 pages into the book and hoping that Dietz would figure out a way to put in SOMEthing that would make this book interesting. But 60 pages of mind numbing was my "puke point" and I gave up. This book was so bad it was the first time I ever considered sending a book back to Amazon and demanding a refund. Unfortunately I spilled wine all over it. Add a 1/2 a star, I guess, if you never played the game. Skip this one and go straight to the Nylund book in the series. You won't miss anything important in this one.
Rating:
Summary: Two Sides to Every War
Review: A Very well written book, following the game in every aspect, including both sides of the story. Covenant and Human thinking, with a pinch of Flood thoughts, this book shows all the aspects of what happened on the forsaken derilect called HALO. You also learn a new appreciation for Master Chief as he goes through the Lybrary. The writer allows you to relive the game, and want to play it over and over again!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: it was a good book over all.It had deep story line (but not as good as the first book)very intresting to read answred all my questions after beating the game in legendary.It was one of my favrout books ever and even if you dont like halo you should read this book it will open your mind to halo
Rating:
Summary: Halo The Flood
Review: I think that halo is one of the best games to ever be into a book.I play The game and its the best game for xbox.If people don't Agree I ThINK they are one of the Dums Person ever.
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: Being a fan of Science fiction/Fantasy, I am always on the prowl for a crackling yarn and I believe that "THE FLOOD" kept my attention for the 2 weeks I went exploring outside the country. Yes I must admit that it follows the game exactly (when it focuses on the Master Chief). But you must consider this: Does the game let you explore the minds of other characters in the story? No. Therefore, the book helps you explore the HALO universe and not only that, it is a very well written story. In conclusion, "THE FLOOD" is a solid piece of writing that deserves more attention than it is getting.
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