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Title: Contact Harvest (Halo) |
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Review of Contact Harvest (Halo)
- This is how it began...It is the year 2524. Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space. But we have trespassed on holy ground--strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as the Covenant. What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence.But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection. So the survival of Harvest's citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees. In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest...a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.
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Comments for Contact Harvest (Halo)
- Posted on 2008-06-19
A very interesting read on how it all started
Contact Harvest is the unofficial 5th book in the Halo Series. It tells us of the very first contact with humanity and the covenant, so fans used to seeing Spartans in every book will be a little disappointed by that fact. However, the story itself does not let down a bit.
Humanity is at war with the Innies (Insurrectionists) who want to rebel against the UNSC governing body. While that is going on, an AWOL marine named Avery Johnson, who has a dubious past defending the UNSC space against the Innies, struggles to find out who he is. Bouncing from mission to mission and then finally ends up going AWOL and transferred to Harvest.
At first it is an ordinary assignment and a seemingly harmless one until he can pass on through and get back into the UNSC's good graces again. Things change however upon the first contact with Covenant forces, who curiously explore and then annihilate a simple UNSC cruise ship with harvesters meant for Harvest on them. The aliens believe that there is something of great value on Harvest and soon send a strike force designed to "reclaim" the relics on Harvest and to speak with a possible Oracle there. It's up to Avery to get the militia (better termed "farmboys" for a complete lack of experience) ready in time to defend Harvest against it's relic-hungry foes.
Perhaps the best part of the book is learning why the Covenant are at war with humanity in the first place. Along the way, the Covenant Prophets discover a simple secret about humanity in addition to their own quest for Forerunner relics. What seems like a harmless bit of truth secluded from the religious Covenant masses ends up turning into an ongoing war that would forever change the fate of humanity and the Covenant. I was a little disappointed Contact Harvest didn't contain any Spartans. However, that quickly dissipated as the back story itself for the Covenant and Humanity was simply amazing. Well worth a read!
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-06-15
Halo, the beginning...
This well written book gives you the history of how the war with the Covenent began.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2008-06-02
First time writer? No way...
The only thing that's hard to believe about this book is that it's Joseph Staten's first published novel. Yes, that's the same Joe Staten who helped develop the story for the mega-successful Halo series on which this book is based. This book shows all of the quality of a more seasoned writer, and is a fine addition for collectors and fans as well as Sci-Fi readers in general.
A short summary is that this is a prequel following the story of Sergeant Avery Johnson, the same cigar-chomping Marine who later aids Master Chief in the Halo series. It's also the story of mankind's first contact with the aggressive Covenant, fanatical space aliens who are hellbent on humanity's destruction when we encounter them in Halo. This book lets you see how the war started, as well as giving you a lot of excellent character background for the "Sarge" that players and fans have come to know and love.
The writing is excellent, with tons of great character detail and plenty of good action, although things are on a much smaller and more personal scale here compared to the massive space battles of later books and games. Staten's writing is excellent, and is certainly praiseworthy for any author, let alone as his debut title. Fans generally either place this entry as their very favorite Halo novel to date, or like me, as perhaps somewhere in-between Nylund's "Fall of Reach" and "Ghosts of Onyx", but certainly far ahead of William C. Dietz's generally weaker "The Flood".
You don't have to be a Halo fan to appreciate this book. If you've never touched one of the games, this is currently the best novel to introduce yourself to the universe, as it is a prequel to all the other works. If you are a Halo fan, you simply cannot live another day without this book, or you're living a day less rich than it could have been. This is an excellent title, and I hope we see many more from Joseph Staten.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2008-05-30
Not the average Sci. Fi. novel
Contact Harvest steps away from the super soldier genre that Halo is so well known for and takes the point of view of a group of ordinary marines. A good read.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-04-30
Where it all started
All halo fans know the story, but do they know where it started? That is one thing curiously left out in the Halo games and in most of the books. This book, Contact Harvest, gives you the story of first contact with the covenant, and the beginning of a deadly war.
Avery Johnson, a popular character in the Halo games, makes his first appearance in the war on Harvest, a lowly planet on the edge of UNSC controlled space. Harvest is the UNSC's foremost supplier of food for all of its colonies, but is a distant trek away from any of the core planets. Although the UNSC does not know it, Harvest also falls close to the edge of Covenant controlled space, a terrifyingly powerful race, so far unknown to the UNSC. It all starts with a lone unarmed UNSC freighter that has trouble with its slipdrive and drops out of its travels in the middle of open space, right in the path of a covenant destroyer.
Why would anyone want to read this book? First, if you are a hardcore Halo fan, this is a must read for you. Anyone who has played the Halo games and enjoyed the story like me, should know where it all began. Yet another reason to read this is, even though you may not be a Halo fan like me, it is still an excelent read as a standalone Sci-Fi story. Lastly, It is a great look into a possible future over the next 200 years for our planet. It looks deep into the technologies that may inhabit our lives in the near future.
To close this up, Halo: Contact Harvest is an excelent read for anyone that is even remotly interested in Sci-Fi stories. As well, for any Halo fans out there, it is definently a good insight on the beginning of the Halo story. With my regards, i hope you have a good read.
Myles Shollenberger
Mrs. Bains 3rd block english class.
Score: 5