Teaser

Veta Lopis and her Ferrets have successfully infiltrated an alien cult. Returning to the fabled Ark, they have one chance to prevent the Halo array from destroying all life in the universe. But their enemies are many . . .

Review

This is going to be one of those reviews where I don’t actually have that much to say about the book itself. Everything I’ve said about prior books in the series is still true, and maybe the flaws are even more evident in this one. Thankfully, there’s plenty for me to talk about in relation to this book, and where it stands in the greater Halo universe, as well as my personal journey with the franchise.

Divine Wind picks up literal hours after the end of Shadows of Reach, and follows on from the events of that novel. The astute reader will notice that these books, while both by the same author and taking place in the same universe, are from separate series. This interconnectivity has been one of my major gripes with the franchise. I played Halo: Reach for the first time last December, and this year alone have read fourteen Halo books. yet no matter what I read and play, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something. Sometimes that’s just references, but at other times it is key information. When I have been around to get these connections, it’s been great, as when Kelly Gay built on Greg Bear’s earlier novels. But a lot of the time I’ve just been left scratching my head.

A related issue is that the Halo universe continually feels as if there is only one story in it. This is partly because the original medium (the games) are ongoing, so certain risks and expansions cannot exist in the tie-in prose contributions. But it also feels creatively stunted at an editorial level. I’m not asking for time jumps of a hundred years, but some variation would be appreciated. Greg Bear’s Forerunner Saga is a great example of expanding the universe in interesting ways. Likewise, Kelly Gay’s Rion Forge novels show us a rare glimpse of life beyond the UNSC and Covenant.

The upside of all this interconnectivity is that, despite a variety of authors at work in it, the universe has a clearly defined feel. Compacting the timeline has allowed the authors to fully realise the many alien species that comprise the Covenant, especially in their splintering into factions as seen after the Covenant War of Annihilation. This is on full display in Divine Wind. Here, the presence of humans is almost secondary, with the feuding alien factions being the real centrepiece.

Divine Wind marks the first time since last August that I have not had a Halo novel in my TBR, and means I have read about half of the ones currently released. Every book has had something to offer, be it fascinating science fictional ideas, or just solid action scenes. However, few of the books have stood out as being great beyond their place in the franchise. While I do not regret investing my time in this series, I’m definitely going to spread out my reading of future books in the franchise.

Book Stats

• The Ferrets #3
• Published by Titan
• First published in 2021
• Space Opera
• 355 pages