Contact Harvest (Halo) Reviews

• If you are a Halo fan, how can you miss how it all started?

  
  By AS6SH2JM2YY3H on 2007-11-08
  Exactly why are the Covenant so pissed off at humans, anyway? They were very successful at pulling other species into the fold. Why not attempt this with humans?
  
  Contact Harvest, by Joseph Staten, tells you why.
  
  A UNSC Marine Staff Sergeant named Avery Johnson, physically and mentally weary after battling insurrectionists, gets the cake walk position of training new recruits for a militia on the planet Harvest, a major food production world.
  
  Guess where First Contact occurs?
  
  This story goes deep into the founding Covenant politics, and describes in great detail the accident of First Contact and the subsequent beginnings of a war of extermination. The Forerunners and their technology are still a mystery, but the Covenant leaders don't like what they learn. In the meantime, Staff Sergeant Johnson takes his raw recruits, and with the help of the planetary AI, battles Covenant technology and attempts to save the colonists on Harvest.
  
  Can David slay Goliath?
  
  The Cole Protocol occurs sometime after this book, but you can "see" it coming. You get a much better insight into the psychology and culture of some of the Covenant species. Now I'm curious what it would be like to reread the other Halo books with this story as background.
  
  And if you are not a Halo fan? I think this is still an interesting, stand-alone sci-fi tale.
  
  

• Different

  
  By A3N424SPY6DYMA on 2007-11-21
  This book is good and it clearly shows the potential of Mr. Staten's writing. The first thing you will notice is the excellent amount of description that really helps you imagine planet Harvest and its inhabitants. And as a prequel of the already-released prequel "The Fall of Reach," it works and helps explain details of the Forerunners, and the Prophet's knowledge and convictions.
  
  While "The Chief" does not make an appearance in the book as he is probably still wearing diapers, Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson steps in as the protagonist of the story. He is the hero in the making and here we learn how he earns his place in this wonderful universe.
  
  This book really emphasizes the theme of friendship and not only in the human perspective. And a major difference between this and the previous books is a slight sense of humor. There are a few parts where it had me laughing out loud - something I never experienced with the previous novels.
  
  Compared to the previous books I believe Eric Nylund still has the edge in terms of story telling. For example, the epic quality of the previous books is sadly missing here. There are no major battles ala 300 Spartan III's charging a battlefield seen on "Ghost of Onyx" or as Master Chief single handedly taking over a Covenant Cruiser on "1st Strike." It does have plenty of action but not on a huge scale.
  
  As Joseph Staten's first effort this is a great start, and I'm sure given some more novels he will only get better. To all those of you wanting a good read I definitely recommend "Halo: Contact Harvest," but do take in mind that it does have its own unique flavor.
  
  

• Please bring back Eric Nylund!

  
  By A35CRO2HYQQCXY on 2007-11-17
  Joseph Staten's Contact Harvest marks what will hopefully be the low ebb in the HALO book series. When compared to The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and even Ghosts of Onyx it comes up seriously lacking both in action and scope. Also, I felt there was too much of an effort made to "tie in" weapons and characters from the current universe at the expense of credibility. I know - I'm talking about credibility in a book written based on a video game set far in the future... Still, the book is entertaining and if you haven't read the other books before you read this one you will probably enjoy it...until you get to the sex scene.
  
  

• Good Premise, Poor Execution

  
  By A2REHMOAZ7CTQ0 on 2007-12-02
  Having enjoyed the previous books in the series, I picked this up first chance I could. The premise is good. The first battle between the Covenant and humanity and the introduction of Halo fan favorite Sergeant Johnson, what's not to like?
  
  Unfortunately the execution of this premise falls considerably short. There was way too much exposition in my opinion. At times it felt more like a primer than a novel. A whole lot of set-up without enough pay-off that left me rather cold and struggling to keep interest.
  
  The actual invasion of Harvest felt rather underwhelming partly because it takes a good two thirds of the book to get there (again too much exposition) in part due to the emphasis on Covenant internal politics. Furthermore the book Johnson lacks quite a bit of the humor of his video game counterpart. No outrageous inspirational speeches here, instead we get a whole lot of angst. The difference is a bit off-putting and the book fails to develop Johnson where such a change of character is possible.
  
  If I had to pick one part of the book I could have done without, it would have been the sex-scene. I'm not a prude, but it was so out of the blue, out of place, involving two characters I had not a whiff of romantic or sensual development that it was jarring. I guess the author thought he "needed" that scene somewhere in the book. Which ironically sums up this book in a nutshell.
  
  Hopefully they'll bring back Eric Nuyland for the next installments.
  
  
  
  

• Another excellent addition to the series!

  
  By A2C9UCCAXDHOD5 on 2007-11-04
  Joseph Staten did an amazing job with this book! Wile it's not as good as 'Fall of Reach' or 'First Strike', I did enjoy it a lot more then 'Ghost of Onyx'. It added a lot of background story to the halo universe including the story of the Covenant and how they came to be. On a side note, I was a little disappointed with the ending, I expected it to tie in more closely with the initial accounts of first contact outlined in 'Fall of Reach', instead they kind of stopped shortly before those events occurred.
  
  Also, one other thing I would like to point out is the odd inclusion of a sex scene in this book which doesn't really fit in well, epically considering where it was placed in the book. I guess he was trying to show love in a universe of death, but it just didn't jive well.
  
  
• The benefit of having a game creator pen the novel...
  By AO80H4N71KSTP on 2007-11-23
  ...is that you can get all the technical details you want. There is a satisfactory plot, but in several places, the book reads like the rumored "Halo Bible", which represents every scrap of information ever conceived by Bungie Studios (now, LLC.) regarding the Halo universe.
  
  Wondered why the Covenant want to exterminate humanity? How exactly a Slipspace drive works? How the Covenant Engineers think? What an AI does while it's wasting it's time with slow human speech? It's all explained here.
  
  A clever incorporation of humor helps an otherwise dire plot blossom into a balanced tale. There are no Spartans in this story, and this enables Mr. Staten to flesh out the lesser mortals inhabiting the planet Harvest. They are strong-willed people, aided by some fantastically depicted AIs.
  
  In fact, none of the other books have depicted AIs in such great detail. In Eric Nylund's books, for instance, the general perception is that AIs think far faster than humans. Very little else is communicated to the reader, other than a bunch of nonsensical tasks. In Contact Harvest, however, Mr. Staten presents two AIs communicating with each other, and suddenly, time is dilated as each AIs processes are described in vivid detail.
  
  Again, the benefit of having a game designer pen a novel is that they are aware of the emotions that course through the gamer's veins as their game unveils itself. Now, they can take all these characters, situations and emotions, and extrapolate back through time to produce a prequel novel like Contact Harvest.
  
  I'd give this book a 4.5/5, with the 0.5 knocked off for the overly descriptive passages that could turn non-fanatics off. In fact, the depth of this book puts all the others in the series to shame.
  
  Overall, it's a great start for Mr. Staten. Between himself and Eric Nylund, we have some of the best canon stretching across two worlds - the interactive, as well as the literary - seen anywhere.
  
  
• If at first you don't succeed...wait, what?
  By A19AXEW77VV540 on 2007-12-11
  There are certain facts in life that must be faced. One of them is the nature that when you try to accomplish something, you may not always succeed. Sure, the chance of success is there. But you can also fail to succeed, or end up having the end result being different from what you originally hoped for. Put simply, Contact Harvest falls somewhere between possibilities 2 and 3.
  
  The thing about Contact Harvest that warrants the low rating, mediocre writing aside, is that there's no real indication about what the book IS. In any report, an angle is needed and while not a piece of journalism, Contact Harvest still suffers from an absence. To make the point, I'm going to divide this reviewinto the human and Covenant side of the story.
  
  Ironically, the first bits of the book were the best in my opinion, which made the overall result even more disapointing. Thee's a bit of military action, but hey, we get a look into normal life in the Halo universe, or at least what's normal in Chicago on Earth and life on Harvest. This is a sign of good science fiction, when a work fleshes out what life is like, rather than simply appealing to the lowest common denominator.
  
  Soon however, the illusion is squashed. We begin to realise...no, this isn't going to be a book about 26th century society. No, we're not going to get any deep insight into anything other than the military. We're simply going to get a first contact scenario with aliens that's treated as buisness as usual (the first contact with the Jackels and the fallout, or lack of it of realising that humanity is not alone, is truely...pathetic.
  
  Now granted, the Halo novels have always fit the genre of military science fiction and there's nothing essentially wrong with that. The problem with Contact Harvest however, is that it doesn't really make this clear. Military and society meshes together in a story that feels...'jumbled'. It's as if Staten never had a clear idea from the outset as to what he was writing. By the end of it, neither does the reader. There's no angle and therefore there's no real sense of connection.
  
  Now for the Covenant...admittedly, the Covenant scenes didn't have as great a problem. The aim here was to flesh out Covenant society and this was done well overall. However, it felt...uninspired. High Charity felt like a cliched dystopia more than a unique form of alien theocracy. Dirty dealings, back stabbings...it's nothing NEW. Good, but uninspired.
  
  As for the Covenant battle scenes...if you're a Halo canon fanatic, you'd best avoid this book given the...well, insane actions that occur. True, Brutes are barbarous, but seriously, why wage a war on a planet due to a Grunt being stupid? Note that the exact specifics of the conflict on Harvest's origins are left vague; it's as if a fight was thrown in for the sake of it. Numerous plotholes aside, it felt vague and 'stretched'; just like the book as a whole.
  
  There are certainly gems among the mess, don't get me wrong. But the fact remains that Contact Harvest is a book that either does not try to be something, or tries to be something and fails. There's no identifying what the book's true nature is and therefore, nothing to identify to give it a higher rating.
  
  
• Great Installment
  By A3073IFIJ6CUF8 on 2007-11-07
  Joseph Staten steps up to pen this latest great installment in the Halo series. While this serves as a prequel of sorts, the book gives much insight into the Halo universe and its species. The book is entertainingly written in multiple points of view, and the character development is fantastic. I only give it a 4-star review because of the way the book ends - I hated it. Without spoiling anything, let's just say it is antithecal to the rest of the Haloverse.
  
  
• Glad I finished it.
  By A3M4LN94YKN1B7 on 2007-12-27
  After reading the Halo novels by Eric Nylund, I was a bit disappointed that a sequel to Ghosts of Onyx was not published next, but none the less I was excited when this book came out and picked it up right after its release. Well as of this point I am half way through it and am struggling to keep interest and finish it, though I will finish it eventually. (I have read several other books in the mean time.)
  Staten's writing style is far different from Nylund's and at time it is hard to follow. As other's have said in their reviews I too expected more space battle scenes. Also I found there was way too much exposition.
  After finally finishing it, I must say that I am glad I did, as the last half of the book was good. It seemed to add to and develop some of the HALO storyline. After getting through it, I would recommend reading it and would give it 3 & 1/2 stars.
  
  
• Slow, little fighting, too long
  By A282VUUCHQLYX0 on 2008-01-03
  Have read all the other books, this was the worst. HALO is about action, this had very little. I did not like it.
  
  
• Excellent
  By A2XUYVCHD7AF2N on 2007-11-25
  Well written, and well thought out. It appeals to those interested in Halo lore and those who just want something to read. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Nice addition to the Halo Universe.
  By A2E3TA7EVHJ5NM on 2007-12-01
  I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and presented some interesting situations beyond the simple black and white. I also liked the further insight into the structure of the Covenant and the history and politics behind the Human Covenant conflict.
  What I did not like was the fact that the book contradicts a lot of what had been previously established as canon. I also did not like the love plot that felt like it was hastily glued together and didn't quite fit with the rest of the book.
  Overall though, if you are interested in Halo Universe, this is a very good read with lots of new and interesting material in it.
  
  
• Truly Incredible
  By ANQGD02L60OJU on 2007-12-14
  This is the novel that I have been waiting for; a detailed description of what started the entire war and a little more back story on Sgt. Johnson. The book tell a great deal of information from both human and covenant points of view and allows us to gain an in depth account of what has happened prior to the creation of the Spartan II's. All in all an excellent read.
  
  
• Contact Harvest
  By A12WL94FCJSME8 on 2007-12-18
  Contact Harvest is a novel based on events that occur 25 years before Halo: Combat Evolved. First impresion for this novel I thought that there was going to be massive space battles (for example Admiral Cole leading the largest fleet UNSC ships) but most of the combat was on the ground on Harvest which I found to be disappointing.
  I thoroughly enjoyed reading in the previous Halo novels about the battles between the Covenant. Possibly in the future there may be another release in future with Admiral Cole.
  Overall this is a good read, with stories on both sides (UNSC and Covenant) but still lacks that pnuch from the previous novels.
  
  
• Difficult reading compared to the first four
  By A3HDLJ27CBJ3FT on 2007-12-30
  I loved the first four books but this one did not live up to my expectations. It was hard to get into and did not hold my interest. I hope any future Halo books will be written by the original authors.
  
  
• How One Man Found his Calling!
  By A64JIE58WWKAC on 2008-01-30
  "Be the man I know you can be," were Sgt. Johnson's Aunt's last thing she said to him as she shipped off to Basic when he was 19 years old. Contact Harvest is Joseph Staten's first novel, however, he is not new to writing, and the halo universe, as he is one of the original writers of Halo, and continued to pen Halo 2, and Halo 3.
  
  Contact Harvest takes us to the original "first contact" with the Covenant. However, we open up with a mission gone wrong for Johnson, and we begin to see a man torn between his oath to the Corps, and his humanity. He is a man who is broken, spent, and on his last heels before being transfered to Harvests, the UNSC's furthest reaching colony, and one of the UNSC's largest supplier of food.
  
  Originally planned to be a post for training militiamen to help against the insurrectionists, "first contact" is unexpectedly made. From here the story quickly picks up, as we're thrust into a small planets hope of survival, while a technologically superior force tries to exterminate all the people, and retrieve an Oracle.
  
  Contact Harvest is a great book in the Halo series, as it explains why the story developed the way it did. How the 3 prophets of the Hierarch came to power, Truth, Regret, and Mercy. We learn exactly why the covenant is so "hell bent" on the extermination of humankind. Why the human worlds are so easily found, and why the "Cole Protocol" exists.
  
  While the novel is a good read, and I did give it 4 stars, it just makes the 4 star cut, as I felt the characters could've been a little more developed, and had a little more depth. I would've liked to have read more about Johnson's history, and his fellow Sgt. Byrne, who is supposed to be a rough and tough Marine, but I never felt it from him. The book also took a little bit getting into, however, once the paced picked up, it was solid through and through.
  
  An excellent edition to the Halo Universe. Not to be missed by fans of the series, and readers of all the kind.
  
  
• In the beginning...
  By A17QWJEEELWETQ on 2008-03-20
  So as the lovely Cortana dreadfully says at the conclusion and beginning of the Halo 2 & 3 saga, "It began not with a bang, but with a whimper". Who could have known she may have been referring to Contact Harvest. In fact I believe that's exactly what she may have been referring to.
  
  Halo Contact Harvest describes to us in detail on to how this entire war with the Covenant all started. A blatant attack on a human vessel in space leads up to an eventual confrontation between man...and alien. Contact Harvest differs from the other four novels in that there is hardly any action except for a few encounters with the Covenant towards the end of the story. It does a decent job in painting the picture of what humans are to expect and what kind of technology they are up against. However, my only problem with this book is the timeline. It leaves a huge gap I think in between itself and The Fall of Reach. By Reach's timeline, it seems already that civilization is already doomed. So, as a fan of the series, I am only hopeful that another book may come out to bridge the gap. Perhaps more character development on Dr. Halsey and on the Covenant side, the Prophets and Tartarus. Since this story pretty much entirely takes place on Harvest, I'd love to see another prequel that will go into detail on the first Spartan project and how that came about.
  
  Besides the book painting a clear picture on the entire back story of Halo, my biggest gripe with the Halo series is the overall language and vocabulary that is being used. I'm in my late 20's and a college graduate, but I can't help but realize that many kids younger than me are Halo fans as well. I can't possibly imagine how they can understand these stories with all the technical jargon that gets thrown around. I just hope these guys put there Thesarus's down the next time around and try to make an otherwise great story, easier to read! Thanks!
  
  
  
  
• First time writer? No way...
  By AC6LV5D2RKTIR on 2008-06-02
  The only thing that's hard to believe about this book is that it's Joseph Staten's first published novel. Yes, that's the same Joe Staten who helped develop the story for the mega-successful Halo series on which this book is based. This book shows all of the quality of a more seasoned writer, and is a fine addition for collectors and fans as well as Sci-Fi readers in general.
  
  A short summary is that this is a prequel following the story of Sergeant Avery Johnson, the same cigar-chomping Marine who later aids Master Chief in the Halo series. It's also the story of mankind's first contact with the aggressive Covenant, fanatical space aliens who are hellbent on humanity's destruction when we encounter them in Halo. This book lets you see how the war started, as well as giving you a lot of excellent character background for the "Sarge" that players and fans have come to know and love.
  
  The writing is excellent, with tons of great character detail and plenty of good action, although things are on a much smaller and more personal scale here compared to the massive space battles of later books and games. Staten's writing is excellent, and is certainly praiseworthy for any author, let alone as his debut title. Fans generally either place this entry as their very favorite Halo novel to date, or like me, as perhaps somewhere in-between Nylund's "Fall of Reach" and "Ghosts of Onyx", but certainly far ahead of William C. Dietz's generally weaker "The Flood".
  
  You don't have to be a Halo fan to appreciate this book. If you've never touched one of the games, this is currently the best novel to introduce yourself to the universe, as it is a prequel to all the other works. If you are a Halo fan, you simply cannot live another day without this book, or you're living a day less rich than it could have been. This is an excellent title, and I hope we see many more from Joseph Staten.
  
  
• excellent book
  By A3VF20CBQWLZZH on 2007-11-26
  Awesome book! loved it from cover to cover, a great addition to the Halo serious and adds a different perspective to the story which is awesome.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A1LD0COG6A76O8 on 2007-12-02
  Well written, and definitely fills the need if you have an itch for more of the Halo universe. I've read all of the Halo series and this was by far the most enjoyable. A great look into the back story of Halo.
  
  
• Good Read
  By A3JZC4P32BO0A2 on 2007-12-03
  I have read the other Halo books and this is right below Fall of Reach/Ghosts of Onyx in my opinion. It was really nice to get a glimpse of how the war started and some background on Sgt. Avery.
  
  
• Another great novel in the Halo universe...
  By A2QAVCFATNL705 on 2007-12-15
  Great games, great music, great strategy guides and... great novels, although i must admit that i'm a bit of a collector as far as Halo is concerned, so i would have bought it anyway. But that put aside, this is a very well written novel, i have read all the Halo novels, and this one takes you back to the beginning, even before the master chief. This means that if you are only interested in reading about the "chief" this may dissapoint you a bit, great story never the less!!! Very heartedly Recommended!
  
  
• 5 Stars
  By AXE3BVF2XXO2I on 2007-12-18
  Contact Harvest gives you a great education on the background of Halo and the struggle of the Human race. Well written, and a fun read.
  
  
• Contact Harvest: How it all began
  By A32ARDO5A7548X on 2007-12-22
  I thought the book was written very well, except for the few typos I noticed. It explains how the war between the Covenant and the Human race began. If you liked the other books in the series, then definately purchase this one.
  
  
• pleased with the book
  By A1GNENQHUHR2HY on 2007-12-27
  My son is pleased with the Halo book. Shipping seemed to take awhile, but other than that we are pleased overall
  
  
• Contact Harvest (Halo)
  By A3TRQV9EEBNI47 on 2007-12-28
  14 year old is not a reader but wanted this book. He read 60 pages before taking a break. I would say it is a good book. Usually if I can get him to spend 10 minutes reading his homework then it is a blessing.. This book keeps him reading and reading..
  
  
• Contact Harvest
  By A3A1VQKOTGNPPU on 2007-12-31
  The book was written very well. It's a great compliment to the Halo series. I hope there will be more to read in the future.
  
  
• Halo: How it all began
  By A2C7XY7RZ8ESFB on 2008-01-01
  Story:
  Staff Sergant Avery Johnson, fresh from fighting the insurectionists on one of earth's colony worlds, is given what he thinks is a burn out assingment: training the planet of Harvest's colonial militia. Not everthing is as it seems though, when cargo ships mysteriously begin exploding for no apparent reason; Johnson is drafted by a represenative of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)to put a stop to what is thought to be the actions of the insurrection. Turns out it actually a scout ship for the alien alliance known as the Conevant. Now Johnson must take his untested troops into battle and hope that they can hold out long enough to evacuate the planet and warn Earth of the approaching hostile aliens.
  ----
  This book continues the series decent story line, with fast paced action and plenty of fighting. If your a fan of Halo or military scifi you'll proably find this book interesting. Since this is the prequel to the whole series its not required to know what happens in the other books or what the story line of the game is. If you have been following the other books and the story line of the game then you'll proably have some ah-ha moments where something is finally explained. All in all this is a good scifi adventure that anyone, familar with halo or not, should enjoy.
  m.a.c
  
  
• Good... but
  By AI15P3MKD87HQ on 2008-01-02
  I rated this book 5 stars because it is very good. However the previous Halo books were better. All in all I would recommend you buy it but for all you halo book fans don't expect as much of a kick.
  
  
• This guy wrote the story for the game!
  By A3VZ3DOG99MM0X on 2008-01-10
  Many of the people writing these reviews do not seem to be aware that Joseph Staten wrote the story for the game. He is of course the most qualified to write a book on the subject. Granted, I'm sure others had input in the story for the actual game, but he was the primary writer.
  
  

• Ghosts of Onyx (Halo)
• Halo, Books 1-3 (The Flood; First Strike; The Fall of Reach)
• Halo 3 Original Soundtrack (2-CD Set)
• Mass Effect: Revelation
• The Halo Graphic Novel