Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16086 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

Quite disappointing
I have read and enjoyed most books in the Halo series. I had high hopes for this instalment of the franchise but I was sorely disappointed.

The first chapter, indeed the first line, contains a spelling mistake and this sets up the tone for the rest of the story. Previous Halo novels had great narrative and good use of language but The Cole Protocol seems to lack imagination and is written in a simplistic manner. It just seems pedestrian where it could have been a great book. The phrase "x bit his / her lip" seemed to crop up every few pages or so and I really wish Buckell would have tried to spice it up a bit more.

The lack of style could be forgiven if the story was up to the mark. Here the situation is a little better and redeems the book somewhat. I loved the "Gray Team" and the story of Thel and his clan with their background and traditions. I would have loved for the book to concentrate on these characters and their interaction as those parts of the book were great. Unfortunately these elements seemed underdeveloped compared to Keyes and the inhabitants of the Rubble and a lot of the book really dragged for me.

I would have given this book 2.5 stars if I could. 3 is perhaps too generous but 2 would definitely have been too mean. Nylund is really the master of Halo literature - I wish that he would make a return to the franchise.

Great but not as dramatic and tense as the rest
I've read all previous Halo novels and thought they were fantastic. the Cole Protocol to me seems like a somewhat unnecessary prequel to the series with a young(er) Lieutenant Keys serving as ships navigator running a muck behind enemy lines in a stealth Frigate. It takes a while for the action to happen and even longer for any Spartans to appear on the scene and what action there is is often lightly detailed and over in a flash. However it sets the scene for later novels and the Halo saga in general and has the first fight between an Elite and a Spartan as far as I know. Definitely worth a read. God dammit why didn't they make the film of this, it would have been awesome!

A good read?
This is the 6th halo book that has come along and the 3rd one where Masterchief isn't the main character, infact he doesn't even make an appearance. However as a huge Halo fan, that doesn't bother me too much as I love to read back stories and find out as things came to be.