Review: Gears of War

- The Books Aspho Fields and Jacinto's Remnant by Karen Traviss

It is always hard to consider the quality of books written to serve as tie-ins to video games. Do you look at the books as a stand alone products or do you look at them together with the games? Normally I would look at them seperately, but since Karen Traviss actually is the main writer on the Gears of Wars franchaise, I believe it is better to look at the story of the Gears of War books and games together.

Before Karen Traviss was assigned to the Gears of War games, and later the books, she wrote severeal acclaimed books in the Star Wars saga so hopes were high, when she was assigned to write the story of the games and books for Epic Games.

In the games as well as the books we follow a small group of soldiers, called Delta Squad of the COG, Coalition of Ordered Governments. The main character is Sergeant Fenix who, in the beginning of Gears of War 1 game, is released from prison by his former squad mate Dominic Santiago, or just Dom. The COG is the last coaliton between the last remaining humans on the planet Sera. These humans has been more or less fighting among themselfes for loads and loads of years but are now forced together to fight the new threat against humanity, the Locust.

Marcus and his team mates are of the don't-give-me-no-bullshit variety kind of soldier who prefer to speak only in very short sentences and doesn't hesitate to put in a Fuck or two. So it's not the great American novel we are looking at but Traviss actually manages to make me care about the characters through the books were you get to know even more about the squad, but also what passed before E-Day, Emergence day, the day where the Locust first appeared and attacked mankind.

Aspho Fields concers itself with telling the story in the gap between Gears of War 1 & 2, while also finding the time to tell about the battle at Aspho Fields, where we find the later to become Delta Squads members fighting against other humans in a battle for Immulsion, the planet's fuel source. Also we get to expirience how the Hammer of Dawn (the most powerful weapon in the game) game to be in the hands of our Gears (Gears is the term used about the soldiers in this universe).

Jacinto's Remnant concerne itself with telling the story bridging Gears of War 2 and the upcomming 3. In this book we get to learn a bit more about our heroes as well as to get a flash back to around the time when the Hammer of Dawn was first deployed against the Locust (something akin to using weapons of mass destruction in our world).

It is no secret I'm a big fan of the games, not so much the story as the dynamics in the game. And as an avid reader and writer I was a little hesitant when I first downloaded the books for the Kindle. Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's not the next big American Novel, but if you like the games they are certainly worth reading. You get to know the universe a tad better and like a summer blockbuster both books has got bang for the bucks.

I can't really recommend the books if you haven't played the games as the books take it for granted that you have played the games. But if you have and liked them marginally, they come with a great recommendation from me. The only annoying aspect of these to books at least is, they tend to be keeping secrets they might as well share instead of constantly circling around them - but if everything was told in the books no one would buy the games except those looking for some multiplayer games.

As a last note I will review Gears of War: Anvil Gate (#3 in the series) at a later time. Until then, go find these two books if you liked the games.

Upcomming review:

• Against All Enimies (audiobook) by Tom Clancy & Peter Telep

Currently reading:

• Masters of Doom by David Kushner
• The Preacher graphic novels by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon