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Halo: First Strike (3) Paperback – Illustrated, March 19, 2019
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2552. The theocratic military alliance known as the Covenant is showing no mercy as it continues to assault every human world it encounters, but in the way lies humanity’s greatest champion, the super-soldier Spartan John-117—the Master Chief. Together with his AI companion Cortana and the last remaining Spartans, the galaxy-spanning fight rages on two fronts following the destruction of the human military stronghold Reach by Covenant forces and the mysterious artificial ringworld known as “Halo” at the hands of the Master Chief.
One faction—a squad of Spartans lead by Blue Team’s Fred-104 and Kelly-087—is trapped on the glassed surface of Reach, the only planet they’ve ever known as home. And beneath this ruined world, Dr. Catherine Halsey has discovered an ancient secret...one that could alter the course of the war. Meanwhile, the Master Chief and Cortana lead a second group toward a gathering of Covenant warships, as the United Nations Space Command’s worst nightmare has finally come true: the Covenant has discovered the location of Earth and is forming a massive fleet to utterly destroy it, as well as all who oppose the indomitable will of the Prophets…
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMarch 19, 2019
- Dimensions5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101982111658
- ISBN-13978-1982111656
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Product details
- Publisher : Gallery Books; Illustrated edition (March 19, 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1982111658
- ISBN-13 : 978-1982111656
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #53,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #440 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #531 in War & Military Action Fiction (Books)
- #1,855 in Science Fiction Adventures
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Eric Nylund is a New York Times bestselling and World Fantasy Award nominated author of sixteen novels including HALO: THE FALL OF REACH and the LitRPG novel, HERO OF THERA.
For 15 years, Nylund's day job was making video games. He attended the 1994 Clarion West Writer's Workshop and has a Bachelor's degree in chemistry and a Master's degree in theoretical chemical physics. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his family on a rain-drenched mountain.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the storyline excellent with non-stop action and a smooth connection to the game events. They also praise the writing quality as well-written and providing detail. Readers also mention that the character development is a real strong point. They describe the book and series as amazing, fun, and fast-paced.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline excellent, with non-stop action and good lore. They also say the book is a great read for Halo fans and a really good sci-fi novel.
"...This story is absolutely full of action, aliens, military combat and of course the superhuman feats of the Spartan II warriors...." Read more
"...The story is full of action and suspense, with tense situations and brilliant writing that sets the mood perfectly...." Read more
"...The action seriously never lets up, yet at the same time the pacing is perfect. Also, you get even deeper into Master Chief's head...." Read more
"...I love these books. Sad at times but it is about war. Very exciting and fun read." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book well written, detailed, and understandable. They also say it's a quick read with new information and secrets revealed.
"...story is full of action and suspense, with tense situations and brilliant writing that sets the mood perfectly...." Read more
"...This novel and all of the others in the Halo universe are fantasically written and are very easy reads...." Read more
"...Nylund is a GREAT author and he starts this series off on a GREAT note...." Read more
"I greatly enjoyed this book, it was written well and as a Halo fan this book (and the others in the series) was a very good expansion to the..." Read more
Customers find the character development a real strong point of the book. They also say the author does an excellent job in storytelling.
"...Nylund continues to do stellar work, writing good characters and better action sequences...." Read more
"...Infact I think character development is a real strong point of this book compared to Nylund’s first book...." Read more
"...In fact, there is some real character growth here. And it's handled very genuinely...." Read more
"...The author is a very good general fiction writer and it shows in good plot and characters." Read more
Customers find the book and series amazing.
"...level of quality you'll find in Fall of Reach, but it is a good addition to the series...." Read more
"So in a nutshell, this is an amazing book and an amazing intro to an AMAZING series...." Read more
"...does not write all of the halo books, in my opinion its the best of the entire series." Read more
"This book and series is amazing!" Read more
Customers find the book fun, quick, and a great way to get their child to read. They also mention that the book links to the game itself, and that the action, drama, and even comedy are well done.
"...This team of characters are all very interesting, unique, and a joy to experience...." Read more
"...tells a truly awesome story and blends the action, drama, and even comedy very well...." Read more
"...is not as creative as The Fall of Reach, it's still a good story, and a fun, quick read.I read it when I was younger, and really enjoyed it...." Read more
"...He stated that this book kept him entertained and now wants to read more Halo books" Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book fast and awesome.
"...The action seriously never lets up, yet at the same time the pacing is perfect. Also, you get even deeper into Master Chief's head...." Read more
"I think this Is my favorite of the three in the series. Fast passed and you can't put it down." Read more
"Pretty good story. Fast-paced and easy reading. If you're a Halo fan, a must read. Provides some added detail to the characters." Read more
"QUICK DELIVERY AND GREAT CONDITION. MY SON LOVED IT! WOULD ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN. GREAT WAY TO GET YOUR CHILD TO READ, LINKS TO THE GAME ITSELF." Read more
Customers find the visuals in the book dangerous and looks good while doing it.
"...the Master Chief does impossible, dangerous things, and looks good while doing it." Read more
"I loved this book. Great look into the master-chief and his comrades. Wish the seller would have described the condition of the book better." Read more
"This is a competent good that does a great job of painting the picture of the battles. It did not keep me as engaged as Fall of Reach however...." Read more
"...The story line is cohesive, the imagery is expressive and the suspense is great. Another great read!" Read more
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This story is absolutely full of action, aliens, military combat and of course the superhuman feats of the Spartan II warriors. This is a team of warriors that know no fear and each one can fight like a thousand other soldiers combined. Trained since the age of 6, genetically mutated and enhanced they have become the strongest military force in the galaxy. Coupled with a super smart Artificial Intelligence, AI named Cortana, they are unbeatable. Put them into their Mjolnir Assault Armor and they are almost virtually invincible.
This book cames after the story about The Flood. Eric Nylund is the best author to write any of the Halo books. His books are by far the best stories and they are just superb Sci-Fi. I won't ruin the plot of the book as to many other reviews have already done that but if you love Halo stories this is one of the books you must read. I liked the book so much I purchased the Kindle version, then the large paperback version for my library and then the audio CD version to listen to in my car. I have read or listened to the book 5 times already.
If you love super heroes you will love the Master Chief and what he does in this book. Get it, you will love it.
I really liked this story and I have read it twice and listened to it twice on Audio and I enjoyed it every time!
I feel that this story is one of the best military Sci-Fi books ever written. Eric Nylund is in my opinion the best author in the Halo saga series of books.
First Strike Happens between the games Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, from how Master Chief survived his encounter with Halo to how he gets to the beginning of Halo 2. There's a lot of adventure to be had along the way, from cramped hallway firefights to interstellar battles between multiple spaceships. You'll get lots of new information about the universe, such details on the operations of ONI and a glimpse into the secret lives of Covenant Engineers. Nylund continues to do stellar work, writing good characters and better action sequences.
First Strike came dangerously close to falling off the rails with a few overly complicated plot points. Keeping spoilers to a minimum, part of the plot revolves around Master Chief and friends gaining posession of a crystal that alters time and space. During one space battle in particular, ships aren't where they appear to be and technology stops working in normal ways. This makes things very messy for the crew, and for the reader. Nylund is a really gifted writer when it comes to action sequences, but I don't think any author could fully accomplish juggling everything that's at play here. Things are just too jumbled, and the story suffers as a result.
Aside from the bits where there's just too much going on at once, this is an overall very good book. I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of the game rather than fans of the novels. It's clear that Bungie wasn't settled about what they were doing for the second game by the time First Strike was going to press. Because of this, Nylund ties up all his loose ends. The ending of the book wraps everything up in such a neat package, that even if there are more books to come in the timeline, they can safely ignore the events of this book and pick up elsewhere. Things are just a little too neat when it's all said and done, which would make this a very forgettable read if you're not playing the game.
This is also not the best entry point for the series. If you're new to the Halo universe, you should either play the original Xbox game, or read The Fall of Reach. Fall of Reach serves as a prequel to the first videogame, and is notable for being one of the better books in the line. Fall of Reach is good enough that I recommend it to readers regardless of whether they play videogames or not.
If you want to continue on in the series, you would read First Strike before playing Halo 2 (or reading Ghosts of Onyx, which overlaps with Halo 2). It is not necessary to read First Strike to appreciate anything else in the Halo universe, and it doesn't even add much when read between playing Halo 1 and Halo 2. In this respect, First Strike ties The Flood for being one of the most expendable works in the series. Speaking of which, do not skip playing Halo: Combat Evolved in favor of reading The Flood, which is generally agreed to be one of the least well-written of the novels.
Highly recommended to Halo series completionists, First Strike comes weakly recommended to general sci-fi readers who may or may not play the games.
The story is full of action and suspense, with tense situations and brilliant writing that sets the mood perfectly. I can't recommend this more for anyone who loves the Halo series or sci-fi in general (make sure to read the first two in the series beforehand though)
Top reviews from other countries
Like the previous volumes, this novel is firmly focused on rapid, violent action with little in the way of character development or background information. However, we do get some background. For example, we have a chapter set on Earth with some of the army and navy top brass debriefing an intelligence officer. We see the cracks in the high command and we’re introduced to the sinister Colonel Ackerson, who clearly has a hidden agenda going on. Presumably we will hear more of him in future volumes because we don’t hear any more about him here. He is dead against sending anyone back to Reach to see if there are any survivors. He insists that the planet has been “glassed”, the Covenant’s normal method for dealing with captured planets within Earth’s empire. Why is that? It’s very suspicious. And we learn that he is wrong. There are indeed survivors on Reach, including the brilliant Dr Catherine Halsey, a team of Spartans, some assorted marines and navy personnel and the courageous Admiral Whitcomb.
We also get another reference to the original mission of the Spartans, before the war with the Covenant, which was to root out rebellion within Earth’s empire. In fact, we meet an enclave of rebels and pirates living on an asteroid in some remote system. However, as with the admirals and generals, the encounter serves as a plot device and there isn’t much character development going on.
Like Halo: The Flood, this novel was written in 2005 and you can’t help thinking that the author was influenced by was happening at the time in Iraq and Afghanistan. I still have an uneasy feeling that the Covenant are an amalgam of the Taliban, Al Qaida, China and other indeterminate enemies of the “West”. The religious bedrock of the Covenant civilisation is made clearer in this volume, though we still don’t know much about them except for their caste system with Grunts at the bottom and Prophets at the top.
I am also still slightly mystified by the technology of the series. We have starships that can jump through space faster than the speed of light. We have AI beings that can process information millions of times faster than a human being. But we also have twentieth-century style guns that fire bullets and vehicles that sound like tanks and armoured cars. In theory, the technology is there to run this war as a proxy war with AI directing drones and robots against the Covenant while the human beings hide out in a bunker somewhere. But that would mean the humans wouldn’t be able to display their guts and determination and the action scenes would all be fairly sterile with no human lives at stake. Hence we have Spartans and marines and navy pilots and admirals who all sound like they’ve come straight out of World War II.
I will continue reading the Halo series for escapist reasons, but so far it is not in the same league as other scifi series, such as The Expanse, and I do hope it gets better.