HALO: Glasslands

HALO, Book 11

By: Karen Traviss

Narrated by: Euan Morton

Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The first novel of the Kilo-Five Trilogy by number-one New York Times best-selling author Karen Traviss - part of the expanded universe based on the award-winning video game series Halo!

It's 2553. The theocratic military alliance known as the Covenant has collapsed after a long, brutal war with humanity that saw billions slaughtered on Earth and its colonies. For the first time in 30 years, however, peace finally seems possible. But though the fighting has stopped, the war is far from over: It’s just gone underground. The United Nations Space Command’s feared and secretive Office of Naval Intelligence recruits Kilo-Five - a clandestine team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, a Spartan supersoldier, and a diabolical AI - to accelerate the insurrection within the Covenant’s warrior species, the Sangheili, even as their notable defector turned leader, Thel ‘Vadam - the Arbiter - struggles to stave off civil war among his divided people.

Across the galaxy, a woman thought to have died in the Covenant attack on the planet Reach is actually very much alive. Chief scientist Dr. Catherine Halsey broke every law in the book to create the Spartan program, and now, she’s broken some more rules to save them. Marooned with Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez and a Spartan team in a Forerunner slipspace bubble hidden in the destroyed planet Onyx, Halsey finds that this place has been guarding an ancient secret - a treasure trove of Forerunner technology that will change everything for the UNSC and mankind. As Kilo-Five joins the hunt for Halsey, humanity’s violent past begins to catch up with all of them as the disgruntled colony Venezia has been biding its time to strike at Earth...and its most dangerous terrorist has an old, painful link with both Halsey and Kilo-Five that will test everyone’s loyalty to the limit.

©2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Great book, but read it if you can

Great story and characters, but the narration is really hard to get into. Character voices don’t sound distinct, and it’s hard to tell the difference between character thoughts and dialogue. I ended up purchasing the ebook and read along when I could because it helped follow a lot better. I’ll probably read the other ones by this narrator as a result and save my creds for the Halo books after this trilogy.

Narrator and story excellent

The narrator is not monotone to my ears at all. I could discern a different accent and speech pattern for every character. Also: the narrator modulated his delivery to convey emotional states too.

The characters were drawn with depth and definition. I could identify with all of them. A feat no other novel has ever accomplished.

Surprisingly Great

It's been ages since I played any Halo game, but I was told this trilogy in particular was really well written, and the first book did not disappoint! Karen Traviss managed to inject a ton of nuance into the world and the well-written characters are just the cherry on top.

It isn't perfect, though. If don't know anything about the Halo universe, this will probably be a pretty confusing read, as several items, vehicles, and objects from the game are simply described as a given. Moreover, I wasn't a fan of Euan Morton's narration to begin with, but I actually grew to like it quite a bit over the course of the novel.

More halo books featuring this narrator

Morton did a fantastic job voice acting every character and the best that I’ve heard for doing the elites. I read the forerunner trilogy just to hear him on the last book, and I’m rereading this trilogy to for both the story and his voice. I highly recommend the kilo five trilogy.

Euan Morton is an S Tier Narrator

It’s not enough that this book and series are phenomenal in their own right. But even more impressive is the narrator. The voices, the accents fit so well, and I enjoy reading through this series again and again because of him

Beautiful set up for a wonderful trilogy

I have never been one for books or being able to feel emotion via a book but this trilogy as a whole is amazing in my eyes. Brought me to tears!!

Accent Wizard

the reader goes from scottish to middle east to aussie like a boss. The writing is interesting as it shows things from new perspectives we hadnt explored as much before.

fantastic

fantastic book and the reader did a magnificent job. this book digs into the nitty gritty of what the unsc did regarding the Spartan II program.
great read.

Why the Halsey hate?

I get it’s supposed to be a sort of redemption story, but is the irony not lost to anyone else that Kilo-Five is morally grey as well but they’re so quick to judge her? Voice acting was amazing.

One of the best novels of the Halo series

Karen Travis as always pull through to deliver one of the greatest covert military stories all while keeping it in the Halo universe.