Teaser

The rogue artificial intelligence Cortana has enforced a murderous peace across the galaxy. But as her digital fist tightens, a Spartan team led by the legendary John-117 seeks a way to overthrow her rule. A search that leads to the infamous world of Reach . . .

Review

This is going to be one of those reviews where I don’t actually end up saying all that much about the book in question. It’s the thirteenth Halo novel I’ve read in the past few months, and I’ve reviewed them all. So if you’ve been following these reviews, most of what I’ve said in previous commentary stands true here. This is the third book in the Master Chief series, though it takes place so long after the others its essentially independent of them. Though that doesn’t mean it’s independent of the larger Halo universe, and for me that proved to be a major weakness.

In my last two Halo reviews I commented on how not having played Halo Guardians (Halo 5) left me without information the books assumed I had. Well in those two, Cortana’s return as a malevolent overlord came as a surprise to the characters as well. They were just living their own lives when her new order was established. It made sense that they would be in the dark a little. Shadows of Reach, however, continues John’s story directly from that game. Every emotional beat and pretty much all of the plot ones rest on decisions made in that game. Great if you’ve played it, frustrating if you haven’t. Some of this is simply the cost of doing business in an expanded universe, but I can’t help but think a timeline or summary at the back of the book would have helped readers in a position like my own.

This is also the longest Halo book I’ve read so far, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the longest overall either. The market for tie-in fiction is such that few books will reach 500 pages. Somewhere between 300 and 400 seems to be the sweet spot for Warhammer, Star Trek, Star Wars, and countless others. The rapid scheduling no doubt plays a role here too. But at 471 pages, Shadows of Reach felt long. Not painfully so, but noticeably so. Part of the problem is that nothing in the narrative really justifies that extra length. It’s packed full of solid action scenes, sparky characters, and hints of a larger universe, but these are all things we’ve seen packed into leaner novels before. Everything in the book is good, but there’s too much padding around it.

One element of the Halo books I don’t think I’ve praised enough is the cover design. Titan Books have done a great job of keeping everything in continuity, with a clear aesthetic developed for the series. The cover art reminds me of a particularly good graphic novel, and has done a wonderful job of translating some occasionally dodgy, decades-old graphics into sleek alien creatures and gleaming Spartan armour. It makes me wish all publishers took a similarly uniform approach to cover design for shared universes.

Shadows of Reach isn’t as good as the earlier Master Chief novels, but it’s a good slice of military action nonetheless, and is a fair continuation of the game that started it all.

Book Stats

• Master Chief #3
• Published by Titan
• First published in 2020
• Military SF
• 471 pages