How exactly does one go about rating a book that follows a videogame? Should you
base it on how closely the text follows the game’s action? What about how
much new information about the game’s story is revealed? Should the book
give you a new perspective on the conflict as well?
All these questions and more were grinding through my brain as I first picked
up, “Halo, The Flood” by William C. Dietz. Unfortunately I didn’t
have to concern myself with these questions once I finished the last page of
this novel. Because Halo, The Flood manages to answer all these questions and
more.
Before I get any deeper into this book, let me just clear a few things up first.
This book is based directly on the events that took place in Halo the game.
So if you’ve never played Halo, you scum, then you’ll be pretty
clueless as to everything that’s going on!
Also, in order to get you’re full moneys worth, you really should read
this book’s predecessor, “Halo, The Fall of Reach”. Reading
the prequel isn’t a requirement, but it does help!
With that out of the way, let me tell you that in these long painful months
awaiting Halo 2’s official unveiling at E3 this May; this book is absolutely
exploding with new information about the Halo world! What’s the proper
name for a Covenant Plasma Turret? Why is Halo so sacred to the Covenant? What
was the Flood after when they captured Captain Keyes? All these things and many
more tantalizing tidbits of information will be revealed in this novel’s
pages. Just be advised that that’s all this book provides, tidbits! The
major questions of the Halo universe like:
• Why does the Covenant hate humans so much?
• Why did Guilty Spark call MS “the Reclaimer”?
• What is the history between the Covenant and The Flood?
Are never revealed. No doubt these big questions will remain unanswered till
Halo 2, and that’s actually the way I’d prefer it.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this book was actually
Bungie’s original script for Halo! The novel follows the actions of the
Master Chief in the game almost too well! Not only will you recognize dialogue
and events directly out of the game’s cut scenes, but some of your own
in-game combats as well! I can remember the novel describing the Master Chief
snipe out the Covenant gunner’s in the turrets surrounding the grav lift
in “Truth & Reconciliation” and thinking, “Dear God! I
did the EXACT thing in the Game!”
