Halo: the Flood

The book of the award-winning game. And unfortunately in this case it's a bit too literally.

I had finished the game (the Anniversary Edition) just recently and it's awkward to read what you did in the game retold step by step. Even the scenery is described exactly as in the game in many cases to an absurd degree.

Yes, Dietz did give the Covenant soldiers names and voices. He let them play some minor parts as he did with the remaining ODST Helljumpers and the crew of the Pillar of Autumn. But it's nothing but scratching the surface to tell the story from three different points of view: Master Chief; the Covenant and the crew of the Pillar of Autumn.

After having read the Fall of Reach, this episode was a bit disappointing. Surely it allows non-gamers to experience the story, but gamers could as well replay the game on a higher difficulty and get a lot more satisfaction.

The book plays on safe and it feels as if Dietz was kept on a leash when he was commissioned to write the book. In fact he wasn't, he did exactly what he was supposed to do.

Halo: the Flood
written by William C. Dietz
ISBN 978-1-84149-421-0
Find it on Amazon.com - Find it on Amazon.co.uk

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