Review: Halo: Primordium

Title: Halo: Primordium
Author: Greg Bear
Pages: 379
ISBN: 9780230758292
Series: The Forerunner Saga #2
Publisher: Tor
Published: 2012
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Review copy from publisher

Buy it from:
The Book Depository
Kalahari.com

In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the Forerunner empire, two humans - Chakas and Riser - are like flotsam washed up on very strange shores indeed.

Captured by the Master Builder and then misplaced during a furious battle in space, they now find themselves on an inverted world where horizons rise into the sky and where humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of horror and neglect. They have become both research animals and strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end - a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life, and the Forerunners who expect to inherit their sacred Mantle of duty to all living things.

Since this is the second book in the Forerunner saga I’m going to try to be as vague as possible to avoid any major spoilers. I highly suggest that you read Halo: Cryptum first or skip to the verdict if you want to avoid any chance of spoilers.

Halo: Primordium continues on directly after the events in Halo: Cryptum and focuses on one of the human characters, Chakas. Chakas finds himself stranded on a severely damaged Halo ring where he meets up with another group of humans who have lived their entire lives on the Halo. Together with two of these humans, Vinnevra and Gamelpar, he traverses the Halo in search of his lost companion, Riser, and a way off the ring. Chakas has to face many obstacles and during his journey he makes surprising discoveries about himself, the Halo and the machinations of the Forerunners and The Primordial.

The story is told in a first-person narrative from the viewpoint of Chakas and throughout the story we get a much more intimate glimpse of him and the warrior personality, the Lord of Admirals, imprinted in his genetic material. Chakas is a tragic figure, never quite in control of his own life and he is always being forced along the paths chosen for him. You can’t help but sympathise with him and wish for something good to happen to him.

Initially the pacing is quite slow and I found it frustrating at times. Most of the first half of the novel is taken up with their journey through the Halo. The characters stumble from one place to the next in a constant need to find food and shelter. While doing so there are striking descriptions of their surroundings, chance encounters and various conversations through which the history of the Halo and other essential background is revealed. There’s a lot of ground to cover and I think Greg Bear does an admirable job of balancing story progression and back-story which is a very difficult task given the huge scope of the Halo universe.

The second half of the novel is a well-deserved reward for persevering and that’s where Primordium truly shines. There are some more startling revelations; stunning twists; a very poignant moment; and a cliffhanger ending that thrusts the ancient past firmly into the present-day Halo universe.

The Verdict:
Halo: Primordium continues to delve into the history of the Halo universe offering quite a few surprises along the way. Die-hard Halo fans will definitely love discovering more about The Flood, the Precursor and what Chakas ultimately becomes. The cliffhanger ending also gives an enticing glimpse of how the story might tie in with the forthcoming Halo 4 game. More casual readers might find the slow pace a bit daunting, but it’s well worth persevering till the end. If you are looking for an action-packed adventure then you'd be better off looking at some of the other novels in the Halo franchise.

Despite the slow pacing I managed to enjoy Primordium and I can’t wait to see how things turn out. Hopefully the third and final installment will answer a few unresolved questions and deliver a far more action-orientated storyline. Recommended.

The Rating: 6/10 (Good)

Thanks to Kelly from Pan Macmillan S.A. for providing the review copy.

More New Arrivals

In order to make up for not buying any books in January I went slightly overboard this month. It seems all the local online shops decided to have sales at the same time, and since I don't get to actual bookshops very often I just had to jump at the opportunity.

I'm pretty happy that I managed to control the darker urges of my book addiction and kept the number of new books bought down to just seven.

Books bought:

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Blood of the Mantis and Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Scar and The City & The City by China Miéville
Spellwright by Blake Charlton

For Review:

Feast your eyes on the gorgeousness that is Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds. Isn't that cover just stunning?

This is one of my most anticipated titles of 2012 and I can't wait to get started. A huge thank you to Andrea from Jonathan Ball Publishers for sending me a review copy.

Review: Prador Moon

Title: Prador Moon
Author: Neal Asher
Pages: 222
ISBN: 9780330471268
Series: Polity #1
Publisher: Tor
Published: 2008
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera

Buy it from:
The Book Depository
Kalahari.com

The Polity Collective stretches from Earth Central into the unfathomable reaches of the galactic void. But when the Polity finally encounters alien life in the form of massive, hostile crablike carnivores known as the Prador, there can be only one outcome - total warfare.

Chaos reigns as, caught unawares, the Polity struggles to regain its foothold and transition itself into a military society. Starships clash, planets fall, and space stations are overrun. But for Jebel Krong and Moria Salem, trapped at the center of the action, this war is far more than a mere clash of cultures, far more than technology versus brute force. This war is personal.

One sunny day in 2008 I was perusing the donated book section of my small local library in search of some science fiction to read. I had already exhausted all the offerings in their normal collection so almost anything would do. Squeezed in amongst the stacks was this little book called Prador Moon by someone called Neal Asher. The cover looked science-fictiony enough so I grabbed it and headed for the checkout counter without even reading the blurb.

That ‘little’ book simply blew me away. I was astounded at the scope and complexity of the futuristic world crammed into just 222 pages and I loved every minute of the action-packed bloody encounters between the Polity and the Prador. Four years later I found myself in dire need of some ‘bloody mayhem’ to take my mind off things and Prador Moon was the first book that came to mind.

Revisiting old favorites can sometimes be a huge disappointment since they never quite seem to live up to that experience of first discovery. I’m glad to say that after all those years Prador Moon still managed to enthrall and thoroughly entertain me. All the elements that hooked me the first time round are still there and just as effective as when I first read it.

What drew me to the story was the technology and ideas at play. The AI controlled society of the Polity, the monstrous crab-like Prador with a penchant for human flesh, the war drones and golems, human-bonded spaceships, fantastically destructive weaponry and the flawed human characters all come together to tell one heck of a story about inter-species conflict on a truly vast scale.

The verdict:
Prador Moon was my first introduction to Neal Asher’s work and made me a lifelong fan. The premise might seem somewhat over the top and simplistic at first glance. Yes, nasty aliens attacking humanity has been done countless times before, but what sets Prador Moon apart is how that simple premise is morphed into something much more complex by bringing some very interesting concepts together.

Prador Moon packs a vicious punch. If you are looking for a fast-paced, action-packed read and you aren’t afraid of blood and gore then this should satisfy nicely. Highly recommended. Now let’s go make some crab cakes!

The Rating: 7/10 (Very Good)