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This was a super fun book like all of the others. Less of an emphasis on big metaphysical questions or anything, but lots of conflict around being part of an emergent society and all that.

This was a super fun book like all of the others. Less of an emphasis on big metaphysical questions or anything, but lots of conflict around being part of an emergent society and all that.

This book really focuses on death, grief, and the way we all process it, and it's a really... "contenting" process throughout the book. I really really enjoyed it, and it's probably among my top 10 books.

While I liked this book, it didn't really match up to my expectations from the earlier books in the series. That said, the character of Johnson and his, slight, character arc throughout the book are well done. I do wish there was more time spent on honest character development, but that said this is the literary equivalent of a stereotypical action movie, and there is nothing wrong with that! despite my rating, I did enjoy it. I just wish there was a bit... more to it.

This is a great entry to the series. Honestly the first maybe third of the book felt very very odd. The jumping perspectives with brand new characters definitely took a bit to get used to. However, as the story progressed and we get to know those characters better the book truly opens up.

Ghosts of Onyx is mostly an analysis into what it means to lead others and how individuals under immense stress and exhaustion react to worse and worse conditions. I'm not going to pretend its an Ursula K. LeGuin level analysis, but it's still a great ride.

This was an amazing read. The comradery and trust between the Spartans, the subterfuge by Halsey, and the constant, but not overdone or overwhelming, threat from the massed Covenant makes for a fun story.

I want to rate this 3.5 stars to be honest. It's not a bad book by any stretch. However, it is literally just the plotline to Halo: Combat Evolved with a B-plot which is... fine.

I think my biggest complaint is that it fails to carry on a lot of little details and plotlines from the first book in the series. The third book, thankfully, picks them back up and does them justice. However, the failure to connect strongly with the stories created by Eric Nylund just leaves this book feeling disjointed when reading them together.

Overall, it was a good read on its own, but fails to contribute strongly to the series.

It's a solid action story! There's definitely a few times where I feel like details are repeated ad nauseam, and there's a good bit of campy "military"-esque jargon, but it's a fun ride. It's always a great experience to spend time in a universe like Halo's.

Where the first book dealt largely with the question of humanity, the second deals a lot with the concept of immortality and what that transition would look like. It's absolutely stunningly a joy to read. Much like the first book, there's a kind of persistent optimism that persists all the way through. Even though so so much goes wrong, there's still a constant and consistent attempt to better the galaxy and the people around the Bobs. It's just a great thing to read.

I mean, what a great ride. It's hilarious, serious, sad, existential-crisising (that's a word, right?), and so much more. For a book which spends so much time questioning the meaning of humanity and life, it's truly a wonder that I have left fealing more secure in my belief that we are alive than anything else.

Can't wait to read book two.

This was a really solid read. I enjoyed actually learning about the characters, I enjoyed getting invested with all of the different story lines, Chapman as the prologue elements, Holden with his intense journey, and Khlid with... well her... character development.

It was a fun ride. The only real complaint I had was that it felt like there needed to be a bit more focus on one or two characters to bring them out in front of the others. I never felt like there was one specific character I could attach to. At best, I think it was supposed to be Holden, but he never clicked for me. The PoV changes away from him interrupted that process of sinking into the character. If anything, Chapman was the character that held that role in my mind the strongest.

This book felt fine. The only real complaint I had was that for the majority of the story there wasn't a lot of investment. There was a plot, but against who? There are some character conflicts, but I feel like I don't understand them.

A lot of my confusion and lack of investment was solved in the next book of the series, but as a prologue/intro to the world, I really would have like some extra reasons to be invested.

Such a stellar book. The emphasis on Carl's background and demons feels really justified and deserved at this point in the series. We've had plenty of bits and pieces dropped before, but there was so much more focus on how he interprets his world, and why his past has influenced that.

Also just what an ending! So excited for the 9th floor.