Halo: Legacy of Onyx

Buy this book only if you are so hard up for Halo lore that anything will do (like I was).Here's the bottom line: this book is mostly the story of a group of kids--yes, kids--who unbelievably manage to save the shield world Trevelyan (known as Onyx to most) from both an attack by rogue Sangheili and--wait for it--a Guardian that's been hiding on Onyx.What, you say? Why would a Guardian be inside a Forerunner shield world when Halo 5 established they were used to keep order in the "lower systems" (non-Forerunner) that were under Forerunner control? Why would it be put inside their most massive, secure facility inside the galaxy? Forbeck gives an excuse of it being there to monitor initial construction, but that is a thin reed. A Guardian inside Onyx just makes no sense given what we know about them, but that's not the worst part of the book.The biggest failing is that one spends more than half the time reading about the internal emotional conflicts of a teen, Molly Patel, and her journey from xenophobia and downright hatred of aliens (she survived when her world was glassed and parents killed during the war) to the touching scene of hugging them as friends at the end. That's all fine and well, but this is Halo. I've read just about every Halo novel there is, and this has less action than any of them. It's not that I mind a little human interest in a Halo novel, but I do draw the line at page after weary page of internal monologue from a teenager and her teary arguments with her adoptive parents. I care about the Master Chief's emotional development. Not so much Molly Patel's.Another problem with Forbeck's book is that the adult humans he portrays are idiots. If you know anything about how Jul 'Mdama became leader of his Covenant faction, you know that he was once prisoner on Onyx (read Karen Traviss's excellent trilogy for more) and escaped by forcing a Huragok to let him go through a portal to a random location that happened to be a Sangheilli world. One might reasonably suppose that, paranoid and thorough as ONI is, the first thing it would have done would be to spare no expense on ensuring that the Huragok on Onyx locked down the portals--and if not all of them (Onyx is a big place), at least the SAME one Jul had used to escape. But no, Forbeck's grownups didn't have that brainwave, so he writes a totally implausible means for hostile forces to sneak into Onyx. That plot point can only work if ONI had a brain fart that lasted for years. Hard to believe, and even more annoying given the ending.And another thing: this book moves the ball essentially nowhere. We know basically nothing more about what happens next, after Halo 5, and we learn nothing of importance about the past. No major villains are defeated or revealed, no major heroes triumph or die. We don't even get to enjoy learning more about characters who matter, like Halsey or Mendez or Blue Team or Parangosky or Osman or Hood, or new ominous technology, and frankly we barely see the Spartans at all.What this book reads like is a teenage fiction piece that just happens to be set in the Halo universe. It is not remotely on the same level of writing quality as Eric Nylund's works, or Greg Bear's, or Traviss's. If you want to read good Halo fiction, read them.

I have bought all of the Halo books, graphic novels, etc. This is the only one that I had to force myself to finish. I also considered throwing it away after I finished reading it. This is what should be on the cover: A billboard. And on the billboard is a picture of UNSC soldiers and Spartans smiling. In front of them is a family smiling. Under them is written: Welcome to Onyx...Building a better tomorrow. If this is what Halo is going to become, I am joining up with the Insurrectionists. Good points: when the Spartans and UNSC soldiers (and Mike Spencer) were fighting. Doing what they were trained to do.

i bought this when i started back into reading Halo novels. i did read some of the reviews of other who had ordered it but i wasn't dissuaded by them. i actually found this story to be rather refreshing. taking place before and during Halo 5, it focuses on a young girl who survived something that few in the universe have. i found myself relating to molly in many ways and love the dynamics of her character and growth. she grows throughout the book and learns how to let go of hatred.i cant wait for the sequel. i really wanna know what happens to all of the characters on onyx

“Halo: Legacy of Onyx” is what every tie-in novel to a popular franchise should strive to be: quickly paced, respectful to the broader narrative arc of the series, and above all, FUN. Author Matt Forbeck works the same exact magic he did previously in “Halo: New Blood” and his short “Fractures” story “Lessons Learned,” picking up stray bits of lore and other canon stories – including Karen Traviss’ “Kilo-Five” trilogy, “Ghosts of Onyx,”, and even “Halo 5” - and threading them all into his own impressive yarn. The fact that he manages to do that as well as he does, while also imbuing his story with characters we care about and stakes that we actually feel invested in, only make “Legacy of Onyx” all the more impressive an addition to the “Halo” universe.

The plot is decent, but the story's heroine is far-fetched and not really a believable character.Having been in that 5-8 year-old age group, growing up in a "restricted" environment, the idea of having such a world view & the skill sets as this heroine possesses at age 7 does not make any sense.The story arcs apparently were developed first and the heroine merely inserted and "given" attributes along the way.Several HALO stories have a preoccupation with blond haired, green eyed (or blue eyed) adolescents who go from age zero to world-class killers by age 10.This story could've been better balanced and presented with some revisions to the original theme and story arcs.

OMG, this is not the book I was hoping for. if I knew this was going to be a teen girls drama story I would have passed it up. what a waste of Tom, Lucy and Mendez. The only thing that kept me going was the mention of Chief and Cortana. not a book for Halo fans, unless you are a twelve year old girl.

A lot of people are complaining about the teen characters, but honestly, they're not bad. The most annoying one is the Pale Blade. The book length could have been cut in half if he'd shut-up about how much he hates humans. I guess he was written to be hated, though, so mission accomplished?The humans' security response to the incursion was pretty hard to believe as well, but I guess it had to be bad for plot reasons.

Ah good read but in no way ah bunch of kids are going to have courage enough to chase done a band of elite warriors. And placing Spartans under the care of children, nope, not buying it... these writers have got to do better by way of the Spartans, even if they are spartan III's. ..

Awesome story from the Halo Universe . If you love the Halo universe this expands on characters outside of Master Chief.Onyx is a excellent plot device and hopefully there will be many more stories to come. I am a big fan of the characters (Spartans Tom and Lucy).The author does a great job, good story that turns into a page turner and ties into events in the game Halo 5.

Slightly disappointed. Would say one of the weakest halo novels. Some chapters were however very well written, especially the opening chapter. Felt I couldn’t get attached to the new characters in this one, in comparison to the previous novels. Storyline fits well into the halo universe, unfortunately wasn’t the novel for me. Might be just from the high bar that Karen Traviss has previously set.

A touching yet thrilling story from the eyes of a young teenager who lost so much to the covenant wars. She must struggle to adapt to living in the new age where aliens are now allies. Ties in nicely to the current Halo 4-6 trilogy!

Son loves this - arrived in good time

Thought it was great how the book managed to tell the story from all the various points of view, only complaint would be Lucy who seemed to be talking as well as anyone else rather than still rediscovering her speech after being silent for years

Absolute cracking read, great that the Onyx storyline continues with an ending that leaves me waiting for the continuation of this open adventure!

Really good novel in a great universe.

Big fan of Halo universe and another cracking story to add to the Halo canon.

Worth the buy

Halo universe continues to expand with this novel

Good read

We read these novels for love of Halo franchise. But aside from the kilo 5 trilogy and "fall of the reach'', the books have mostly been pointless and tiring. The standards r falling day by day. Story arc is getting reduced in its scope. Endings r left open ended or terminated at worst kind of cliff hanger. Rather than bring clarity and cohesion, the books only add to confusion. @343industries and @Microsoft please don't let our beloved franchise die such a gruesome death.

It is always nice to see Lucy again. The story has its ups and downs. Overall not a bad story, I found myself passing over parts of the servants, just couldn't find them interesting enough.

Definitely an interesting post-Covenant war story. Felt that the story read more like a pre-teen novel; not my cup of tea. Overall, not bad but not the best story. Got the e-book for less than $2 so can't complain.

Explica muy bien el legado de los Mdama y es un vistazo cercano a los que podemos esperar de Halo 6 de la alianza entre la UNSC y the Swords of Sangheilios. contra los creados