A quick review of Halo: The Flood
This review may come a bit late since the William Dietz book came out way back in 2003, but it’s something I’m used to since everything with release dates don’t come around as early where I’m from. If you’re a huge fan of the Halo series, then there’s a chance that you’ve already picked up Halo: The Flood. However, being a Halo fan is not a guarantee that reading The Flood would be satisfying. The reader would be treated to copious amounts of battles on paper, as if one were playing through the original game. Unlike the game, encountering a battle at almost every page can be rather tiresome.
Characterization is rather weak for the most part. Dietz attempts a humanization of Master Chief, but like the game, the main protagonist is limited to one-liners that aren’t even very good. Some personal details are revealed, but they are too far in-between to become really interesting.
Other characters were fleshed out a little more than the Spartan hero, but were still lacking in detail. Dietz seems to have expected (or even required) the reader to know Combat Evolved and omitted major descriptions, leaving the uninitiated clueless as to how the Halo universe looked and felt.
Interestingly, Dietz tries to depict the United Nations Space Command as feminist. As one reads, it’s noticeable that the women outnumber the men—at least in the Pillar of Autumn. However, to exhibit strength (especially in times of armed conflict), the female characters were given a generous dose of machismo. The result is rather jarring.
Halo: The Flood is an obvious attempt to cash in on the popular video game franchise. However, the book ends up disappointing Halo fans with its tedious fights. It also alienates potential readers for its lack of key details. There’s no reason to miss out on Dragons of the Highlord Skies and pick this dog up from the bargain bin.
Tags: game_franchise, halo_the_flood, master_chief, pillar_of_autumn, william_dietz
2 opinions for A quick review of Halo: The Flood
ParanoiaToaster
Jan 14, 2008 at 4:27 am
I read the first Halo book and the one that came after this, but I could never find the will to read this one. For me, the game was cinematic — kind of a stupid word to use when we’re talking about books, but you know — enough and if I wanted to re-experience it, there wasn’t much a book could do to improve on it.
The others were good because they filled in blanks that the games never would have. Not that they were especially important plot points or anything, but just enough to keep me interested.
Mike
Jan 14, 2008 at 4:58 am
Good point. Perhaps I’ll grab the next Halo book when I get the chance. I won’t be so forgiving if I don’t like it, though. Somehow, there’s this part of me that screams “cash in” when I see these books in retail.
I hope to be proven wrong in the succeeding books.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: