Quote from: Tyger on April 07, 2015, 02:33:03 PM

If I cared about your shitty halo archive posts I would go on halo archive

That is dickish but I do agree with you. If I wanted to read old Halo lore threads I would just go over to that site which is dedicated to it. I have no problem with lore threads or threads like it as long as they are recent. But to me it's just spam when it's threads from a month or so ago.

As you stated above it was literally a day later, so I wont go into that.

As for anyone who does not like Halo, you do not have to read it if you do not want to. Cheat said there is still a small remnant of Halo fans here so rather than jumping in and saying "Hey come here to talk Halo" Im just bringing it to you. I dont see how that's spam.

So the same member who wrote the Palmer piece last week is coming up with a new series going over each novel. If you are interested give it a read and some feedback and I can pass it along to her:

Halo has long been a major game changer in the industry. It redefined first person shooters for the console and helped establish online communities through the launch of Xbox Live with Halo 2.  The role of Halo within the medium of video games is a widely-discussed topic.

But what of its role in the genre? Not the first-person shooter genre, but the science fiction genre? Some have called it “archetypical” (X),  while others others have compared its cultural impact to Star Wars (X).  This reading journal series isn’t designed to give the ultimate answer to the question, but it is designed to give insight into the style of each Halo novel and what sort of story it contributes to the genre of science fiction. I will be using a textbook called Genreflecting to assist me with the latter portion.

I will be going through these books in chronological order of publication, but reading the reprints that added additional content, such as the adjuncts in the Master Chief’s “trilogy” and the short story addendum in Silentium. Graphic novels and short stories are currently not on the reading list.

First up: The Fall of Reach (The Definitive Edition) by Eric Nylund.
 
Reading Journal Synopsis
A summary of events that follow the creation of the Spartans, key battles in the Human-Covenant War, and of course, the fall of Humanity’s second home.
 
Reading Journal Style
With a few exceptions, this story is told from the viewpoints of John-117, Catherine Halsey, Jacob Keyes, and Cortana. Nylund places a great deal of emphasis on how the characters think and respond to situations. While in untalented hands this can bog down a story, Nylund is rather deft, using the characters’ perspectives to not only give insight into personality, but to drive the events of the book forward and reveal aspects of the universe.
As a result, Fall of Reach is very much a character-driven story. Scenes transition from one to the other when a character point is made or developed, as opposed to the completion of an event. In fact, looking at it from a whole, there is not that much of a solid plot. There is the underlying themes of what it takes to save humanity and the continual comparisons of lives spent and lives wasted. Each segment gives something else from which the next can continue and build. However, there is no overarching story line; it’s more a chronicle of events.

I do not fault Fall of Reach for this, not in the slightest. This is no detraction from the novel. One of the most widely celebrated science fiction novels, Starship Troopers, is the same. There is an end goal and a final exciting event that changes the course of the war, but the story is more about the characters and their journey. Quite frankly, I think a plot would get in the way with the sort of story that Fall of Reach is trying to tell.
sam dies

Halo: Fall of Reach – Covenant
A plotted story calls for resolution at the end, be it triumph or tragedy. Here, there is no resolution. Halsey’s constant questioning of morality is never answered. John’s understanding of winning/losing and spending/wasting lives is never finalized. Keyes and his crew find their morale, only to have to torn from their grasp. Cortana has barely entered the world proper and already her goals have been forced to shift drastically. It’s a strange sense of reality that was interwoven so beautifully that I didn’t even realize the lack of plot until I sat down to write this piece.
If there is one thing that I can fault Nylund on in his style, it’s repetition. Sometimes it works in his favor. Key points like the ideas mentioned above, for Halsey, John, and Keyes in particular, work well as repetition. It helps to draw you in and realize how much these thoughts weigh on their minds. Other points, not so much.
I lost track of how often “Kelly” and “fast” are mentioned in proximity. For the first part, during their training, I thought the emphasis was perfect, but when John tried on the MJOLNIR armor for the first time and “even the lightning-fast Kelly was impressed” at the speed, I had to roll my eyes a little. The phrase “Even Kelly was impressed” would have just as much weight as it’s been strongly established that she’s the rabbit of the group. Even El-ahrairah would be impressed. (Watership Down joke? Anyone? No? Okay.)
 
Reading Journal Genreflecting
The easiest Genreflecting category of science fiction to slide Fall of Reach into is Expanded Universe. Halo is even listed right there on page 380. I will be going into more detail with the Expanded Universe category in my post about The Flood. Such a discussion would be fitting here, as Fall of Reach is the first in Halo’s Expanded ‘Verse, but there’s a reason for the postponement.

Genreflecting describes science fiction as a whole as the “literature of self-discovery” where individuals are forced to confront change (Genre, pp 340). This is absolutely true with The Fall of Reach. As mentioned above, this book is a character-driven story. Even if there is no resolution, the characters are still asking questions about who they are and what are they capable of for both good and ill.

Two moments in the Fall of Reach stand out for me with this notion in mind. The first is John’s training exercise of “Ring the Bell.” Initially John fails in this because of what he has believed initially – winning is a solo event. The second time around, after a hard lesson, John discovers who Sam and Kelly are, strong, fast, and friends, and so discovers a portion of himself that defines him for the rest of his life.

Halo: Fall of Reach – Bootcamp
The second moment is the change in Keyes’ crew after the completion of the daring “Keyes Loop” at Sigma Octanus. Beforehand, they are merely going through the motions in their duties, keeping the paces with little sincerity or enthusiasm. After their stunning victory, the bridge crew comes alive. Lt. Hall drops pretenses of ambition to give herself to the task at hand, and Lt. Hikowa’s lethargy vanishes into crisp motions and confidence.

Even Frank O’Connor in the “Fore World” foreword of the Definitive Edition makes mention of self-discovery: “Whereas Halo is all about loneliness and exploration, Fall of Reach is about a different kind of journey – that of childhood into adulthood and innocence into war, for both its protagonist and the species he champions.”

There are three other categories of science fiction into which I would place Fall of Reach: Space Opera for the story of “interplanetary or interstellar conflict” (Genre, pp 345), Military SF for the focus on “military strategy, the chain of command [Master Chief does a lot of saluting], and the pressure that technology puts on space-age warriors” (pp 351), and Aliens and Alien Invasions as we learn that our galactic neighbors are “out to get us” (pp 369).
 
Reading Journal Recommendations
Liked Fall of Reach? Need other reading materials? Let me get you set up.

As I mentioned above, Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein has a similar style of events and character viewpoints. Andromeda’s Fall by William C. Dietz is another with that style, this time with a female protagonist. These and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card are good choices for those who enjoyed the Spartan training portions of this novel.

Looking for space battles complete with tactics? Both the Honor Harrington novels by David Weber and The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell are definitely worth a look. They also take some time to analyze morality in war, if you enjoyed the moments where Halsey really questioned her decisions with the Spartan program.

Also, due to the Fall of Reach be more focused on delivering the events through character eyes than a structured plot, I would recommend looking into some historical nonfiction books.

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman describes life in Nazi-occupied territory through the eyes of a family and their Jewish friends. Genreflecting recommends war titles such as Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, The Good Soldiers by David Finckel, and Valley of Death by Ted Morgan.

Original Post: http://www.haloarchive.com/halos-place-in-science-fiction-the-fall-of-reach/

Took you folks long enough to consider something about this place. Since we're all jolly Bungie outcasts we may as well be buds.

If you're just going to be posting more articles here that's fine too. Gaming forum needs some interesting things to go through from time to time.

Welcome to the site, finally.

Thanks for the encouragement, we are trying to bring the more serious lore fans together...even if they dont ALL reside here

Overall we have been pleased with the audience we reached and have a few members who use this forum/site and recommended it. Once we saw Cheat on our forum we contacted him and are still waiting for him to give us a few logos so we can promote you guys a bit.

Welcome to the site! Glad to see Halo Archive get in with the action!

Thank you! Glad to see people enjoying the article. Our members put up a lot of quality content and we're looking to spread it around a bit.

Our member Dildev wrote this exceptional piece on Spartan Palmer:

I love Sarah Palmer.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I know she has issues.

Sarah Palmer dislikes arrogance (eight years more of college does not make one superior…), and it’s one of her primary traits (…but augmentations do).  Sarah Palmer has a strong sense of morality (“This armor – this job – has been soiled because of you!”) when it suits her (“Orders are orders, Tom.”).  Sarah Palmer’s only positive trait that doesn’t have an obvious hypocrisy tied into it is her loyalty.

This all makes for a very problematic character.
And that’s a good thing.

When the Halo Universe was first created, everything was black and white. Kill the Covenant, kill the Flood, save Humanity. Then Fall of Reach revealed details on the origins of the Spartans, and we got a whole lot of grey. Then Halo 2 happened, and that did nothing but add another shade to the collection. Now in Post-War times, white and black have been pushed to the far edges, and everyone is working in a universe of greys. Many of the characters are aware of this, but some still choose to see the world in black and white.

Sarah Palmer is one of those people. Her measure for black and white is herself, her emotions. Palmer thinks far more with her gut and feelings than with her head. When DeMarco dies, she’s quick to place blame on Lasky. She’s even more ready to draw her weapon on Halsey, even when it’s unnecessary, and Palmer’s just mad. To her, these actions are clearly in the right.

We need these people in the Halo canon. With the Great Schism and the end of the Human-Covenant War, everything has shifted dramatically. We need to have people still looking for monsters in the shadows because that doesn’t go away after twenty-eight years of war. It really doesn’t go away for us, the players, either. Remember the backlash when Halo 2 first came out? People hated the fact that they had to play as the Covenant. My own roommate, when playing through the Halo 2 for the first time, stalled at the beginning of the level Arbiter.“I don’t want to play as the bad guy,” she said.

Even after we came to know origins of the Spartans and the Sangheili became our friends through Halo 2 and Halo 3, there was still that black and white. We still knew that there was the big, bad Covenant and the relentless Flood. The games following after, going back into the war or out into Requiem, still gave us that dichotomy, even if the enemies changed. We knew who to root for and who to shoot.

Twenty-eight years for the universe and fourteen for us. That’s a long time in learning to place blame very specifically. That’s a long time living with a strongly-defined and dangerous “other.”

In-canon, some people find the monsters back in the Covenant races – as displayed in the Kilo-Five trilogy. Some people find the monsters in the UNSC or Insurrection – as displayed in New Blood. Sarah Palmer found hers in Halsey.

In Mendicant Bias’ ANALYSIS of Palmer, I would agree that the Commander has an inferiority complex, but I don’t think that’s the sole source of her hatred for Halsey. In light of the most recent issue of Escalation, I have another theory. Halsey is the monster to Palmer because Halsey is a threat to Palmer’s black-and-white worldview.
Palmer is not unintelligent. She can pick up on cues and emotions. She is capable of developing strategies on the fly. Therefore, I sincerely believe that even before Halsey was brought aboard the Infinity at Requiem, a part of her knew that Halsey couldn’t be the sole person to blame for the Spartan-II program. A part of her knew that she herself was working for the other people who had a hand in the kidnapping of and experimentation on children. Sarah Palmer can’t tolerate that.

Palmer willfully chooses to see Halsey and only Halsey as the source for the stain on her morality. The authorities have labeled Halsey a traitor and a war criminal, and to spare her own conscience, Palmer buys it. Again, she is thinking with her emotions rather than with logic.

Palmer reminds me of another ODST: Corporal Vasily “Vaz” Beloi of the Kilo-Five trilogy. Both see the world in black and white. Both work off of their emotions. Both consider Halsey’s death some form of justice. Both approach the scientist with the intent to kill.

There is one crucial difference in Palmer and Beloi. Palmer might change.

Throughout the Kilo-Five trilogy, Beloi’s hatred of Halsey is lauded and never changes from book one to book three. Were it not for the intervention of BB, Vaz would have put a bullet through Halsey’s head. In contrast, when Palmer finally gets her clear shot in Escalation #16: “For some reason, I couldn’t just shoot her on the spot.” No external intervention saved Halsey’s life here. Something inside Palmer stopped her.

This dialogue between Halsey and Palmer in this issue is a thing of beauty, as Halsey breaks down all of Palmer’s arguments, laying bare the Commander’s uncertainty. Palmer ends up on the defensive in the conversation, a position she has never taken before with Halsey. The shift from aggressor to defendant makes me believe that the internal walls Palmer has built to keep her conscience clear are coming down. In turn, this makes me believe that Halsey is a herald-figure for Sarah Palmer.

In the Classical Monomyth or Hero’s Journey proposed by Joseph Campbell, the initial call that sets the protagonist on a journey of discovery is often accompanied by a herald. This herald figure, according to Campbell, brings about a crisis in the protagonist’s life, is commonly considered loathsome by the protagonist, and is the source of “irresistible fascination” (The Hero With A Thousand Faces, pp 51, 55). These details fit Palmer’s reaction to Halsey perfectly.
Halsey brings about a crisis of conscience – “It’s awfully convenient to think of me that way — isn’t it, Palmer?” – and Palmer can’t take the shot. Halsey is considered loathsome by Palmer before the moment they first share the screen together; Palmer flings the words “traitor” and “war criminal” around quite easily. Palmer is willing to ignore orders and place other’s lives at risk in order to locate Halsey, a twisted form of the irresistible fascination.

The key here is that a herald does not only mark the changing of the protagonist’s world, but the changing of the protagonist themselves. I believe Escalation 16 marks the beginning of a change in the Commander, a shift in her perspective. A shift that is just as needed as the past arrogance and hypocrisy of Palmer.

We need Sarah Palmer in the canon. We need a character that is struggling with the new grey that the universe is presenting, because we are too. We need that character to be willing to change, because we are too. We need Sarah Palmer, because in a way, Sarah Palmer is one of us.

Original Post: http://www.haloarchive.com/sarah-palmer-is-problematic/

I noticed a reference to that concept art before. And it does raise a few questions as to what happened.
As you can see in the trailers, that place got wiped out.

Agreed. And Chief pretty much confirms he had something to do with it from the dialog.

Hey everyone, MediaBias here from the http://www.haloarchive.com. After speaking with Cheat it looks like we will begin some mutual advertising and connecting our communities a bit. If you don't know who we are feel free to click the link and look around, primarily a lore Halo forum with constant blogs/theories/analysis being put out by staff and members.

Our member MoaHerder wrote a piece http://www.haloarchive.com/hunt-the-truth-2-2/ on the Live Action Trailers from last night.