Review: Read About Master Chief Killing More Aliens In HALO: SHADOWS OF REACH
The Halo franchise has had quite a year. Between the growing and well received Master Chief Collection and the messy/ill received reveal of Halo Infinite, Microsoft in 343 Industries have had it tough for the flagship franchise. Halo keeps such an important part in so many gamers' lives. It is a franchise of fantastic gaming and thoroughly deep and engaging lore, so aside from its games, the Halo books have been either good, great or amazing over the years. Halo: Shadows of Reach continues the story after Halo 5: Guardians as we follow Master Chief and his team as they return to the planet Reach to find secrets buried deep under the glass valleys.
The Halo books have always been pretty heavy in their language and accessibility. Shadows of Reach tells an interesting story and has lots of great details, but it surely doesn’t help readers that may be newcomers to the franchise. The number of names, situations and plots being juggled while being barely explained can get pretty rough, even if you are a fan of the series. However, the beautiful descriptions and slightly slower pace allows readers to get vivid images and ideas of what is happening every step of the way through the book. While these details may sometimes affect pacing and certain sections feel oddly placed, the story is overall well told and smartly written.
This will remain a spoiler free review, so we won’t go into any parts of the ending or major plot points. The actual story of Shadows of Reach is in one word, good! The set pieces, action and relationships between characters are entertaining enough, but it’s hard to see if this story deserves justification for its existence. Halo 3 had an amazing and strong ending. Halo 4 and 5 opened up a new saga and can of worms for Master Chief, and this book continues through the story, but doesn’t progress enough of the actual main plot. The sub heading is “A Master Chief Story,” which I think is very accurate. This isn’t a true Halo story to progress the main game entries’ storyline, it is instead another of the many stories that follow Master Chief in his long battle with the dangers against humanity.
While the story is fun and it’s always a treat to have Master Chief blowing up aliens and teaming up with his fellow Spartans, fans might be slightly disappointed in the lack of major plot progression. This can also be even more impactful as Halo Infinite was supposed to release this year, but was pushed to next year leaving an even larger void in the Halo story.
If you are itching to hop back into the Halo universe and see John take on enemies in a nostalgic world, this book will be great for you! But some of the character motivations (and thought processes) and story elements (or lack thereof) may leave readers only wanting more and a stronger conclusion. All in all, it’s a fine book for fans that can fill in the time while waiting for Halo Infinite.
