Review of Halo: Hunters in the Dark by Peter David
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Omarflor
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Review of Halo: Hunters in the Dark by Peter David
The Halo franchise has taken a sharp turn now that its in the hands of 343i. The franchises' focus has switched from being just a money machine. Now its a money machine with an expanded universe. With that said these side stories are a great addition to the overall story-line. Sure Hunters in the Dark is pretty heavy on the sci-fi and Halo mythos but its surprisingly easy to pick up. Just keep an open mind because this world has greatly expanded since the first game.
Now the book is easy to pick up even if your not an all knowing Halo fan. Peter David does a great job in casually catching up the reader to the relevant expanded universe. He begins with the basics of the mythos (the halo rings). Moves onto the wars ( Halo games 1-3) and puts the icing on top with the forerunners.
The book is filled with a wide variety of character and David does a good job on expanding each character. I say good because although some characters do grow and change and have full arcs at the end of the book most characters feel forced and do end up being two dimensional. This is done in order to create more tension in the story. Personally I don't mind as the overall story and character interaction is great.
What bothers me the most about this book is the pacing and how David handled the serious situations. Overall the the book is great but there were too many times in which David simply glossed over important events. The pacing was all over the place. One moment we spend too much time with irrelevant scenes and the next we just glazed over a very important scene. A fight would start and all too soon it ended. There was no tension or consequences. Rather there was but David's writing made it feel like there was no tension or consequences. As the story progressed it felt as if David just wanted to finish and move on. The best way to put it is to say that the writing became to simple.
This book isnt all bad. I just wanted to get through the not-so-great stuff first. What Peter David lacks in pacing he makes up in everything else. The main characters are compelling, their relationships interesting. His writing is riveting and attractive. The best part of the book and Peter David's writing is the fact that it is an easy read but it pushes the over all story forward.
Overall a fun read and solid piece of science fiction. Sure the character work is a little flat and pacing falls short but these can be minor nit-picks. If you like science fiction then I recommend it. If you like Halo then i highly recommend it. As I've said so many times, its accessible to most audiences but having previous knowledge of this world does help.
8.0/10.0
Now the book is easy to pick up even if your not an all knowing Halo fan. Peter David does a great job in casually catching up the reader to the relevant expanded universe. He begins with the basics of the mythos (the halo rings). Moves onto the wars ( Halo games 1-3) and puts the icing on top with the forerunners.
The book is filled with a wide variety of character and David does a good job on expanding each character. I say good because although some characters do grow and change and have full arcs at the end of the book most characters feel forced and do end up being two dimensional. This is done in order to create more tension in the story. Personally I don't mind as the overall story and character interaction is great.
What bothers me the most about this book is the pacing and how David handled the serious situations. Overall the the book is great but there were too many times in which David simply glossed over important events. The pacing was all over the place. One moment we spend too much time with irrelevant scenes and the next we just glazed over a very important scene. A fight would start and all too soon it ended. There was no tension or consequences. Rather there was but David's writing made it feel like there was no tension or consequences. As the story progressed it felt as if David just wanted to finish and move on. The best way to put it is to say that the writing became to simple.
This book isnt all bad. I just wanted to get through the not-so-great stuff first. What Peter David lacks in pacing he makes up in everything else. The main characters are compelling, their relationships interesting. His writing is riveting and attractive. The best part of the book and Peter David's writing is the fact that it is an easy read but it pushes the over all story forward.
Overall a fun read and solid piece of science fiction. Sure the character work is a little flat and pacing falls short but these can be minor nit-picks. If you like science fiction then I recommend it. If you like Halo then i highly recommend it. As I've said so many times, its accessible to most audiences but having previous knowledge of this world does help.
8.0/10.0
