The Flood (Halo #2)

by William C. Dietz

Book Overview

Fleeing the destruction of the planet Reach, the Master Chief and a few human survivors crash-land on Halo, where they race to unravel its secrets in order to gain control of a great source of power before the alien occupiers do.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345459210
• ISBN13: 9780345459213
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Del Rey
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.0" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Halo the game, and much much more.

Many people scorn video-game books. Video games don't usually have the most in-depth plots, and the books often wind up being simplistic, shallow, and boring. I can happily report that Halo, the Flood, breaks the mold. Perhaps it is becasue Halo has an unusually-deep plot. Perhaps it is Dietz's amazing supplementary elements. Whatever it is, the Flood is an amazing read. Those who have played Halo the game will recognize the story. A human ship fleeing an alien assault crash-lands on an strange construct, an artificial ringworld called Halo. There, they discover that the aliens believe it to be a weapon, capable of decimating humanity. The Master Chief, a cyborg supersoldier, the last of his kind, must stop that from happening. But not all is what it seems on Halo... One of the best aspects of this book is the added perspectives. The game is seen solely through the Chief's eyes. This books gives the reader glimpses into the world of the Covenant, as it follows the exploits of a vicious Elite determined to defeat the Master Chief, and the timid Grunt forced to follow him. Even better, their attempts are written into easily, recognizable sequences from the game, in which a gamer will delight. It's refreshing to see it from this side. The book also has a host of human characters, whose individual stories are also great. The Master Chief is not the only hero on Halo. Their stories, unique and innovative, are very interesting. I also liked how Dietz ends the novel. I won't say how, but somehow, it is just fitting. By the way, the Master Chief's sequences are awesome too. Despite being constrained by the book's plot, Dietz adds a whole new side to the Chief. In the game, he hardly speaks, and his thoughts are hard to discern. In this book, however, he speaks a lot, and we get so see his thoughts. He is not simply an automoton (as Nylund would have us believe), but a thinking individual, a much more interesting protagonist. The action of the book is simply amazing. Dietz has taken sequences from the game and breathed a new life into them. Though many are recognizable, many others are unique, and are highly entertaining. The combat is brutal and intelligent, and requires a lot of intelligence on the part of the humans. The situations into which the Master Chief falls, and the ways he gets out of them, are just perfect. This is truly the Master Chief from the game. Dietz also makes great use of objects from the Halo world, from the guns to the vehicles. There's never a dull moment. If you've played the game, read this book. If you like science fiction/action, read this book. If you like serious novels, then you won't like it. But if you like entertainment, you will find plenty here. I hope Dietz gets to write another Halo novel.

One Long Firefight

The Flood is the second novel in the Halo series, following The Fall of Reach. In the previous volume, the Covenant forces discovered Reach and invaded in force. They also used a new weapon system, a sort of sniper ship that could cut Human warships in half at great range. The Pillar of Autumn was outbound on a mission when the aliens arrived, but her orders were changed and she immediately decelerated to return to the rally point. In the ensuing fighting, the ship was heavily damaged, but managed to kill several Covenant vessels, including the sniper ship. When a scan detected aliens dropships entering the Reach atmosphere at the poles, the Master Chief ordered most of his SPARTANs down to the surface to protect the energy sources for the orbital superMAC weapons and he himself led a small group to destroy the navigational data on an unregistered ship in spacedock. Despite all SPARTAN efforts, the Covenant forces on Reach took out the superMAC power units and the planet fell. SPARTANs in the spacedock penetrated enemy forces and pulverized the navigation memory in the unregistered ship, but only the Master Chief survived the mission. The Pillar of Autumn, despite her damage, picked up the Master Chief and fled on a randomized evasion course. The ship exited Slipspace in a stellar system containing a huge ring-like object, the Halo artifact. Ten thousand kilometers in diameter and twenty-two point three kilos thick, the Halo is made of unknown materials, but apparently has some form of artificial gravity and a breathable atmosphere. Unfortunately, the Pillar of Autumn has been followed by Covenant forces through Slipspace and others were already there when they arrived, swarming on and around the artifact. Shortly after exiting Slipspace, the ship was attacked and boarded. Sailors and marines resisted the intruders, but Captain Keyes was forced to call for an evacuation. In this novel, Human dropships, lifeboats and one-man reentry vehicles land in a widely scattered, but still limited area on the Halo. Captain Keyes and a minimal flight crew stay on the ship to guide her into a crash-landing nearby, waiting to the last moment to evacuate. The Master Chief, with the AI Cortana within his armor, rides one of the lifeboats down to a crash-landing on the surface.Most of the Humans soon find themselves in firefights with Covenant forces. The ODST marines manage to land is a relatively small area and immediately secure the DZ. Major Silva has his AI Wesley, named for the Duke of Wellington, scan the area for defensible positions and selects a very tall, slender butte-like formation for his future firebase. Of course, it is already occupied by Covenant forces, but that is a mere detail to the Helljumpers.Captain Keyes doesn't even reach the surface before he encounters a stealthed Elite within his lifeboat. Once they hit the surface, they flee through the most rugged country available with alien dropships on their tail. For some rea

Solid

Being a fan of Science fiction/Fantasy, I am always on the prowl for a crackling yarn and I believe that "THE FLOOD" kept my attention for the 2 weeks I went exploring outside the country. Yes I must admit that it follows the game exactly (when it focuses on the Master Chief). But you must consider this: Does the game let you explore the minds of other characters in the story? No. Therefore, the book helps you explore the HALO universe and not only that, it is a very well written story. In conclusion, "THE FLOOD" is a solid piece of writing that deserves more attention than it is getting.

Great Book

I read the Fall of Reach, a great book and beaten the game of Halo in Legendary. Both the game, the book and Halo the Flood are absolutely must-haves if you love halo. Even if you don't know what is Halo it's a good story.Well The Flood explains alot. You get new info on how the Covenant social structure is and on their tactics. Helljumpers are explained alot. Many things are worse than the game. The little blobs are even more powerful in the book. In the game they don't qualify as something to care about in normal and easy. Also they explain why you are the only one to survive, and many questions I had about Halo, the ring itself.One of the better aspects is the talk of machinery. It was written by a ex-marine.Conclusion:The Flood gives you a insight on covenant motives, the forerunners and a more detailed explanation of how everything happened. It really makes you wait for Halo 2. This book opens the path for many new things that will surely be in Halo2.A MUST-BUY if you like Halo. Otherwise it's still a great book.Recomendations:Read Halo The Fall of Reach before this one.

Halo - The Story Continues!

Wow! I have finished reading Nylund's "The Fall of Reach" just a month ago. The way the story was told was incredible - it breathed true life into this Bungie masterpiece, and Halo: The Flood continues the tradition! This book is complete with a fresh new perspective told from the Covenant's point of view, in addition to the action we have come to expect from the Master Chief.Similar to Halo: The Fall of Reach, The Flood contains the finest ideas from other science fiction works - in particular the Helljumper's pods remind me of the vehicles used in Starship Troopers (the book). I'm pleased to see that such ideas have carried over to this work.The Halo book series tells the incredible story of Halo and the human-covenant battle that rages across the galaxy. Sure, the book is based on a video game, but don't let that stop you from reading it! You don't even need to play the game if you read both books in sequence - they are packed with pleanty of detail. Overall I give this book an A+. Now I just wish Bungie would comission a novel or two to tell the story of the UESC Marathon.