*Possible Spoilers for the Gears of War Games*
For the first time, fans of the blockbuster Gears of War video games get an in-depth look at Delta Squad’s toughest fighters–soldier’s soldier Marcus Fenix and rock-solid Dominic Santiago–as well as a detailed account of the pivotal battle of the Pendulum Wars.
As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they were torn apart. Marcus, Fenix, and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom’s elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There’s a new war to fight now, a war for mankind’s very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom. For Marcus–decorated war hero, convicted traitor–the return of an old comrade threatens to dredge up an agonizing secret he’s sworn to keep.
As the beleaguered Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments take a last stand to save mankind from extermination, the harrowing decisions made at Aspho Fields have to be re-lived and made again. Marcus and Dom can take anything the Locust Horde throws at them–but will their friendship survive the truth about Carlos Santiago?
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I enjoy playing and watching video games, and the Gears of War series has always been a series that I’ve been casually interested in. I don’t typically enjoy military fiction, but I figured I’d give it a try. So let’s see how Gears of War holds up.
The first struggle I faced with the novel was I became confused about which story was which. The story of how Carlos died seemed to intertwine with the “present-day” story. It wasn’t until near the end of the novel I was able to separate the two battles.
Even though I struggled with the two different stories going on, I felt like you didn’t need to know much about the games to enjoy this novel. This is actually a prequel to the first game in the series. This gives fans more insight into the characters’ backstories as well as for newcomers to learn about the main characters and the overall plot of the games.
I liked how the author not only included quotes from the human characters, but as well as quotes from the enemy leaders. I felt like this gave the bad guys more personality as well as insight into how they’re just two factions both believing they’re doing the right thing in their part in the war.
Both parts of the story were written well. At times, I felt like I was on the battlefield with the other Gears. I could imagine the chaos of gunfire, the bombs, and the constant fight-or-flight senses going off. So if you are a military buff, then I think you would enjoy this novel and/or series.
Overall, I enjoyed Gears of War: Aspho Fields I found it to be action-packed and somewhat thought-provoking. If you enjoy the video game series, or hesitant about jumping into it, then I would highly recommend you start off here.
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