Halo: Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund (2001)
A few weeks ago, my son, Benjamin insinuated that I needed
to broaden my scope of science fiction.
I’m not sure what prompted this, but being of open mind, I thought why
not? First, he said that we need to get
together and watch the Matrix trilogy.
He and I watched the first of the three movies several years ago, but I
never got around to watching the other two.
Next, he suggested that we also watch a Halo movie, so he brought over
Forward Unto Dawn. Unfortunately I didn’t
really get what was going on in the film and don’t have a lot of memory about
what took place in the film. He had also
suggested that I read Fall of Reach. I
don’t mind saying that I was a little apprehensive about having anything to do
with Halo because I am not a gamer. Oh I
enjoy the Wii we have once in a while, but I don’t have the tenacity or the
patience to play games. I was aware that
there was a lot of people who think that Halo is the greatest video game ever
created, but have never played it, or watched it played.
The events of Fall of Reach take place 500 years in the
future. The galaxy has been colonized
thanks to humanity learning to travel vast distances through “slipspace,” which
is another dimension in which the laws of physics do not apply. The galaxy is defended by the United Nations
Space Command (UNSC) which is a Navy-like organization that operates various
ships. The focus of the story is on a
unit of elite warriors called Spartans.
Apparently, Fall of Reach is an origin story that explains
how the Spartans come to be thanks to the efforts of Dr. Catherine Halsey. Her job is to create super-soldiers that can
go into any situation, under any circumstances and carry out missions that
regularly trained personnel might not be able to. In particular, the story follows the
development of John-117, a boy of six at the beginning of the book. He and his companions begin undergoing
intense military training as well as indoctrination to help them develop their
genetically enhanced physical and mental skills to survive and achieve
seemingly impossible goals. Another
character that is prominent starts as Lt. Jacob Keyes, a pilot in the UNSC.
Along with the development of John-117 comes the development
of their weapons and the Mjolnir armor that not only protects the Spartans, but
also serves to further enhance their already uncanny abilities. Eventually, as the Spartans carry out several
simulated and real missions, John-117 becomes a Master Chief Petty Officer, or
the Master Chief that I have often heard referred to by those that enjoy playing the
game. Further, Lt. Keyes demonstrates his
skills of leadership and his ability to command vessels and is promoted to
Captain.
The antagonist in the story is a faction called the
Covenant, a society made up of several alien races that are organized in a
caste system, and would also appear to be religious fanatics who are following
the dictates of their gods that have declared that humanity is to be wiped out
of existence.
While the war with the Covenant is not going in favor of the
human defenders, the Spartans are given a mission to capture a Covenant leader
alive in an effort to attempt to barter a truce that will lead to the end of
the war. While the Spartans are
attempting to complete this mission, a massive Covenant fleet attacks the
planet Reach which contains an important USNC base. The Spartans are forced to abandon their
mission and apparently, all the Spartans are killed in action, with the
exception of the Master Chief. He and
the ship he is assigned to discover the planet Halo.
I normally resist clichés to describe the books I read, but
in this case, I have to say that I had a difficult time putting this book
down. Author Nylund’s writing style
keeps one wanting to read on and on. Not
only is this a great Sci-Fi story, but I think that of any military genre would
really enjoy this book. It reminds me of
the Tom Clancy novels that I have read, as well as many of the Clive Cussler
stories I have read over the years.
Nylund writes in a clear and concise way and makes a complex story fun
to read and understand. You DO NOT have
to play the game to enjoy this book.
So, I am glad for Benjamin’s efforts to broaden my horizons,
and am happy to say that he has been successful. I am also hoping to watch the Halo movie
again, because I think I might get a little more out of it now that I
understand the Halo universe a little better.
Well, there it is…
Q’aplaH!
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