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Contact Harvest (Halo)

Contact Harvest (Halo)
By Joseph Staten

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Product Description

This is how it began... It is the year 2524.  Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space.  But we have trespassed on holy ground--strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as the Covenant.  What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection.  So the survival of Harvest's citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees.  In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest...a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #271018 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-10-30
  • Released on: 2007-10-30
  • Format: Bargain Price
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 400 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The battle for humanity continues in this latest addition to the bestselling franchise based on the mega-popular video games. Narration is split between Holter Graham and Jen Taylor, who each try their very best to make the material as urgent and important as possible. However, as good as Graham is, pushing the line between corny and downright brilliant in his delivery, Taylor jumps far over the believability line, overemphasizing every word as if the audience is incapable of understanding what she's trying to say. Her cheesy dialects and over-the-top accents detract from the tension and suspense that Graham offers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

JOSEPH STATEN started with BUNGIE STUDIOS in 1998, and has since served as a writer and designer for ONI (2001) as well as writer and cinematics director for HALO (2001) and HALO 2 (2004). Currently writing HALO 3, Joseph is also working with Peter Jackson's newly formed game development studio, WINGNUT INTERACTIVE, writing and designing an as-of-yet unannounced game set in the Halo universe.

From AudioFile
For fans of the HALO video game franchise, here's just what the doctor ordered. This novel, by game designer and first-time novelist Joseph Staten, takes place before the events in the first Halo game, laying the foundation for the conflict that drives the series. Holter Graham carries most of the narrating duties, firing off military phrases and model numbers like a seasoned veteran. Graham also reads the sections told from the alien point of view, and Jen Taylor performs those told from the point of view of an artificially intelligent being. The story adds background depth to the game, and, judging by the print version's time on the bestseller list, gamers appreciate it. S.D.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

If you are a Halo fan, how can you miss how it all started?4
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.

Different4
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.

Good Premise, Poor Execution2
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.