Halo Universe Discussion

[iamthesgt]

I realized with all the topics on the Halo game, there had been very little discussion on the Universe. So that's what this thread is for.

I just finished HALO: Silentium (Book 3 of the Forerunner saga). It's really good. Anyone else read it yet? Wanted to hear some thoughts on some points.

[jxspyder]

I stalled out when Karen Traviss tried to retcon everything that had come before from Eric Nylund.

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[iamthesgt]

I stalled out when Karen Traviss tried to retcon everything that had come before from Eric Nylund.

Well, all the Forerunner stuff is, well, in the Forerunner time. I thought Greg Bear did an awesome job with it.

Wait, isn't "everything before Eric Nylund", like, everything​???

[jxspyder]

Well, all the Forerunner stuff is, well, in the Forerunner time. I thought Greg Bear did an awesome job with it.

Wait, isn't "everything before Eric Nylund", like, everything​???

Everything before from Eric Nylund.......yeah, that'd be pretty much everything. She did it in Star Wars too. Maybe I'll try to get through her crap to check out Bear's.

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[iamthesgt]

Everything before from Eric Nylund.......yeah, that'd be pretty much everything. She did it in Star Wars too. Maybe I'll try to get through her crap to check out Bear's.

You shouldn't need to read hers, if you're not concerned with completeness. Since hers takes place 100,000 years after the Forerunner saga, it's not mandatory.

Although, other than Halsey looking like a completely terrible person (which I'll admit is pretty major), what did she change?

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[jxspyder]

You shouldn't need to read hers, if you're not concerned with completeness. Since hers takes place 100,000 years after the Forerunner saga, it's not mandatory.

Although, other than Halsey looking like a completely terrible person (which I'll admit is pretty major), what did she change?

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More for completeness.

Completely rewriting Halsey, the reason the Spartan-II's were created, the involvement and approval of ONI and its leadership, rewriting Mendez....the man spends years training the II's with Halsey, does it a second time with Kurt, only worse, and now he has deep seated issues that are Halsey's fault.....changes to the Elite's views on humans. And this doesn't even mention the sudden loss of any tech-speech or basic military jargon.

And after all that, you end up with 2/3rds of the book cramming Traviss' opinion down your throat. Sadly without doing anything remotely close to research on the subject.

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[iamthesgt]

More for completeness.

Completely rewriting Halsey, the reason the Spartan-II's were created, the involvement and approval of ONI and its leadership, rewriting Mendez....the man spends years training the II's with Halsey, does it a second time with Kurt, only worse, and now he has deep seated issues that are Halsey's fault.....changes to the Elite's views on humans. And this doesn't even mention the sudden loss of any tech-speech or basic military jargon.

And after all that, you end up with 2/3rds of the book cramming Traviss' opinion down your throat. Sadly without doing anything remotely close to research on the subject.

Halsey, yeah, dumb. But ONI? I don't know that was so much of a retcon as fleshing out. I didn't have a problem with that. Mendez I don't remember much about in Glasslands.

[jxspyder]

Halsey, yeah, dumb. But ONI? I don't know that was so much of a retcon as fleshing out. I didn't have a problem with that. Mendez I don't remember much about in Glasslands.

So going from being tacitly involved in the creation of the Spartan program, to suddenly condemning it's head scientist for cruel, inhuman practices, and having the head of ONI do a 180º change in petsonality is "fleshing out."

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[Rickety Rob]

So is only playing the game's considered cool? I don't read books so I'll never read the entire series

[iamthesgt]

So going from being tacitly involved in the creation of the Spartan program, to suddenly condemning it's head scientist for cruel, inhuman practices, and having the head of ONI do a 180º change in petsonality is "fleshing out."

There was definitely infighting about the Spartan program. And I don't think that having Parangosky do what she did was a change in personality.


So is only playing the game's considered cool? I don't read books so I'll never read the entire series

No, there's some that are definitely worth reading. Fall of Reach is my favorite, and Ghosts of Onyx is real good. Cole Protocol isn't bad. The forerunner saga is good if you want to know back story, otherwise it doesn't mesh with the Halo storyline.

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[Rickety Rob]

There was definitely infighting about the Spartan program. And I don't think that having Parangosky do what she did was a change in personality.



No, there's some that are definitely worth reading. Fall of Reach is my favorite, and Ghosts of Onyx is real good. Cole Protocol isn't bad. The forerunner saga is good if you want to know back story, otherwise it doesn't mesh with the Halo storyline.

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Fair enough.

In all honesty. I really don't have time to read a book. I find myself getting off work and then right to the gym I go. Once I'm done with the gym. I have all but an hour or so to do something before I go to bed, and that time is mostly spent playing video games

[jxspyder]

There was definitely infighting about the Spartan program. And I don't think that having Parangosky do what she did was a change in personality.

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There was resistance from people who were pissed it pulled focus from their programs, Colonel Anderson or whatever and that Officer in the second book on Halo chief among them, but nothing like what Traviss fills Grasslands with. The Spartan program was set up and funded by ONI......you'd never get that from this book.

And Parangosky didn't change at all, unless you remember that she would have been heavily involved in the original program as well.


Ultimately, I think my biggest problem is that Nylund did so well and Traviss is a hack who doesn't deserve to write. Nylund is able to present a choice that was obviously bad and let the reader decide if it was necessary. Traviss decided and shoved her opinion down the readers throat. Without ever studying the characters and backstory she's writing about.

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[iamthesgt]

Ultimately, I think my biggest problem is that Nylund did so well and Traviss is a hack who doesn't deserve to write. Nylund is able to present a choice that was obviously bad and let the reader decide if it was necessary. Traviss decided and shoved her opinion down the readers throat. Without ever studying the characters and backstory she's writing about.

True, which is why my biggest problem was the Halsey portrayal.

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