Halo: Silentium

This book is epic. I don’t want to overhype it, but Silentium uses narrative tragedy to unlock an emotional depth in its characters that I haven’t seen elsewhere. You see them in entirely different colors from beginning to end, taking dramatic actions and growing in ways that feel both unexpected and earned. The series transitions from political maneuvering to literal life-and-death stakes for a race that is supposed to be vastly more advanced and sophisticated than humanity. What makes it work is how those characters interpret and navigate those stakes. Their decisions feel believable, even when the consequences are catastrophic. If you were at all disappointed with Halo: Primordium, it is absolutely worth pushing through to reach this book. Silentium is where everything clicks. The dots finally connect. The mysterious figures teased in Cryptum and Primordium are given full perspective, developed into the legends they’re remembered as, and stress-tested against the adversity those earlier books only alluded to. You also get genuinely cinematic battles that will resonate with anyone who loved playing the Halo games, brought vividly to life through Greg Bear’s writing. Bear does an especially impressive job bridging the narrative gap between Primordium and Halo 4, which released before Primordium. I’ve read that he was surprised by some of the ways his characters were handled in Halo 4, but you would never know that from the books. Even with the intentionally disorienting string structure, the big picture remains cohesive. The character arcs stay believable, and the way everything is arranged makes it feel as though Bear was steering the story the entire time. This book does not feel like a 400+ page novel. It’s the definition of a can’t-put-it-down read. I only wish there were more prequels to bridge the gap between Silentium and the rest of the series. Starting with these three books in chronological order almost feels like a mistake, because this truly feels like peak Halo. Part of me wishes I had saved it for last. It’s hard to believe this isn’t the ceiling of the series, and I genuinely hope it’s not all downhill from here.

WOW! This was an incredibly good read. Greg Bear has done a remarkable job here, and I cannot imagine a more worthy conclusion to the Forerunner series. I absolutely loved Cryptum, with its fresh insights into the mysterious Forerunners and its compelling narrative style, but hated Primordium, boring and needlessly drawn out as it was. For anyone who worried that Silentium might continue in the direction of Primordium, fear not! Silentium is more like Cryptum 2.0, an even better version of the book that got me hooked so thoroughly at the outset of the Forerunner series. Avid Halo devotees will not be left wanting. Many mysteries that have long plagued Halo fans attain satisfying resolutions within this book, and I found myself with a heightened appreciation for the Forerunners, the Flood, and mankind. After my read-through, it became abundantly clear why the release date was pushed back; this book is a highly effective, deeply informative tie-in to Halo 4; it would have prematurely informed fans about many vital plot elements found in the game, thereby ruining the "aura of mystery" and the "appeal of the unknown" which permeated Halo 4's storyline. Silentium has a substantially different narrative style from the previous two books. Instead of using one character as the chief storyteller (Bornstellar/Chakas), Bear uses a wide variety of characters (and styles) to tell the story. For fear of revealing too much of the plot, I won't go into detail about whom exactly these storytellers are. Most are familiar, and I'm sure many are easily guessed. Overall, I enjoyed this change. It lent a certain richness to the storytelling, as each character's strand combined to form a cohesive and compelling narrative tapestry. Pacing was also improved; with the constant cycling of perspective, I never found myself bored. There was also a heightened degree of urgency and suspense gained in this change, a la George R.R. Martin. Right as something important is about to happen, the perspective may change, urging you to read on to discover what happens next. Needless to say, I tore through this book in record time. My only real criticism is tied directly to the aforementioned narrative change. I found myself far less attached to characters than I had been in Crpytum; my emotional capital was far less invested in any singular character. I personally found this to be an enjoyable element of Cryptum, and mourn for its loss here. That being said, the scope of Silentium's story is far larger than Cryptum's ever was, so expecting Bear to get me as attached to characters as he had previously is deeply unfair. I understand that, and accept it, but still thought it worthy of mentioning. In the end, Silentium was a high-quality ending to the Forerunner series, and I don't regret a moment I invested in reading it. A big shout-out goes to Greg Bear for lending his skill and sci-fi know how to enriching the Halo universe. A weak middle book did not prevent him from concluding what he'd started so well in a laudable manner, and for that I thank him. Well done, sir, well done. Finishing this fight, Chris

This Halo book was so well written that I could not believe it. So completely different from the first two, which I found to be dry deserts with small oasis's of relevant storyline information. From the moment I flipped into the first page, I was sure that this book was going to fill in many of the pieces that Halo fans want to know of the Forerunners. The book is written in such a way that it appears that Humanity has dicovered a Forerunner AI and is retrieving bits of data and decoding them. Called Strings, these make up the chapters. These strings consist of the testimony of The Librarian and the Isodidact and the Urdidact, as well as a few words from the testimony of Faber, the Master Builder. Given my total love of the Halo universe, I have read each and every scrap of information in books and terminals, and played all the games. I can tell you that this book answers SO many questions and gives the perfect answer to the collapse of the Forerunner empire, and just how the Didact could have become the Tard that he is in Halo 4 if he had respect for the Humans after the Forerunner-Human war. While some of the Anomalous Strings can be somewhat tedious to read, the information is worth it and comes together in the end. All in all here is a preview of some of the questions this book answers: What happened to the Original Didact? Who lead the forces into battle? How is it that the Gravemind was able to trick Mendicant Bias? What forces did the Forerunners have to fight? What ARE the Precursers? What is the Flood? How are the First set of Halo weapons different from the second set? How did Faber manage to circumvent the Mantle and build the weapons in the first place? This book beautifully ties together what we already know, and the answers to what we have been asking for so long. All in all, I rate this a 4.5 since it must be PERFECT to warrant a 5 in my book, also, if you like books that come full-circle at the end, and books that tie together outside storyline into it's own, this is the book for you!

OK - I'll admit it right up front.... I probably like the mythology and the stories in the rich Halo universe maybe more than the games themselves. There I said it. (Whew... Feel oddly better...) The fiction that has arisen around Halo has matured over the years, and - except for a couple of notable exceptions - have all been of top-notch quality. Greg only takes the bar up a couple notches. No small feat in this hotly debated lore, with a timeline and series of events that is part of an 'official' canon. I'll provide no spoilers, or discussion of the content or specifics. Suffice it to say, if you read Cryptum, and/or Primorium, Silentium is an absolute and stunning conclusion to the series. And, it will become obvious to followers of the events of Halo 4 (the game) why Greg had to push back the date of the book release by a few months. Added content? Details of the story in Halo 4 shifting? Giving people time to play Halo 4 before reading Silentium? All possible. But the ending of the book is a fitting conclusion - and provides closure with few real questions as to what the heck happened. It's kind of like watching "Titanic". You know how it ends. You just need to see how it got there. Greg has written a conclusion to the Forerunner trilogy that exceeded my expectations. The scope and breadth of the series is massive to begin with. In three books, Bear sets out to define very big, sweeping things through the eyes of very few specific players in the actual events. And he succeeds with his usual effortless reading style and ability to paint a complex, yet comprehendible, picture. What is probably most interesting about the style and the treatment - one does not have to be a fan of the Halo video game to enjoy this book. And in some ways, it might even be the best introduction to a potential NEW player (are there any left out there??) because there are no preconceived notions of what the Forerunners are. Nor are there any questions like, "Just how does this person, Forerunner, ancilla, Monitor, etc. fit into the Halo games?" Puzzle that all out after reading the books AND while playing the game. Because, at the end of the day, this is just good science fiction written by one of the best in the art.

This is by far the best of the Forerunner Saga books. After his capture by the Master Builder, Didact (now the Ur-Didact as Bornstellar is now an exact copy called the Iso-Didact) was sent to a Burn, a system being consumed by the Flood. He's there with an older Catalog, Juridical's who are part of the Forerunner legal structure. These are common throughout the book, taking the testimony of everyone with knowledge of Mendicant Bias and what took place in Primordium. The Ur-Didact does escape, but only after he's interrogated by a Gravemind. This sadly, has a really negative effect and leaves him in a really bad place mentally. After learning that the Precursors, who created both Forerunner and Human, chose to hand the Mantle to Humans, the Forerunners chose war against their creators. The Lifeshaper takes a small crew on a mission she believes was taken by others twelve million years before, and learns that Precursors created the Flood as a means of eradicating the Forerunners just as they had eradicated the Precursors. Once again there is disent on how to handle the Flood as it consumes the galaxy. Use the Halo's, killing all biological life, or the Ur-Didact's shield worlds. Ultimately, the Master Builder, who's been found not-guilty for his crimes, is placed in charge and agrees with the Lifeshaper. I don't want to give anything further away. We see some characters return, and we see how the return of Humanity comes about after they were nearly whipped out by Forerunners. This was well paced, the world building strong, and an overall satisfying close to this trilogy.

To start, I was very disappointed with the first and second book in the Forerunner Series. I even gave the second book a 1 Star Review here on Amazon, in which I received a couple of negative comments, but fortunately most people did find it useful. While the first two took me weeks to finish, this one took me just days. This novel finally digs into Forerunner history and explains so much material across the 10 years of the Halo Franchise. What started out in the hidden terminals across the Halo games is fleshed out and explained in great detail. I was so afraid that there would still end up being more questions than answers, but I can assure you, I had very few questions after reading this book. And any questions I had were due to my own memory from context covered is games, comics, and books past. A ten minute session on the search engines filled in what I had forgotten. I think Greg B. did pay attention to previous reviews, as a lot of the complaints myself and others had were not present in this final book. It has a great pace, and is clearly written and understandable. While there is more story tell, I think 343 and Greg B. did a fantastic job without leaving a monumental cliff hanger at the end, but still leaving the reader with curiosity. And while I previously stated in a previous review that I am not a fan of Greg B. I now am. For an author to take a story and timeline as complex as this and convey it in a way that can be followed and understood shows a great depth of expertise in their craft. From H2 to H3, this novel in my opinion, finally cleans up the fragmented Halo storyline to create a more cohesive universe for games, books, and movies going forward. I'll be looking forward to the future of the Halo franchise.

One of the major weaknesses I've found in fiction generated from source material such as movies or games is that it tends to lean heavily on that source material. The author(s) are afraid to deviate from known material in fear that legions of loyal fans will rise up in ire at their creation, angry that their beloved fandom has been altered. The Forerunner Saga has managed to transcend that- although it is set in the Halo universe, it is readable without that as a major influence- as it focuses on a civilization that predates both the UNSC and the Covenant in-universe, it can almost be read without ever even having played a Halo game. In this book, Silentium, keeps with the slow, grand pace that Greg Bear is fantastic at setting. In this and other series, Bear avoids the cheap tropes of science fiction and especially of this type of fiction- while it is easy to fall back on flashy prose and snappy, but hollow dialogue centering around massive space battles, Bear manages to create a series (and in this book especially) that relies more on a sense of grandeur, that emphasizes the tragedy of what is occurring between the two main characters, the Ur-Didact and his wife, the Librarian. I hesitate to expand upon the plot as most who are going to read this will know the generalities of what may occur, but without that previous exposure, one could reveal major spoilers. Silentium is an intense read- it only clocks in at over 300 pages, but it forces you to read slowly. For fans of the Halo universe, Silentium exposes much about the legendary Forerunner civilization that has been a driving point behind the war that comprises the original games' stories, in ways that are both repulsive and sympathetic. If you've read the first books in this series, read this. If you've not, get the others, then work your way through all of them- rarely have I literally been unable to stop myself reading a book, but this is one time it happened, and I consider it time well-spent.

While this entry was a nice way of ending the story of forerunners. There were some points that just didn't fit well. 1) Some parts were way over played: Slip space travel, the Librarian and her immenseness and boring procedures( we got enough of that sense in the first book), the ur-didact and his tension with the master builder,... etc. I was looking forward to some real meaty detail into the forerunner battles, and the precursors themselves, but most of that was mentioned in a slightly "higher than passing" fashion. Also the chapters with regard to the librarians long journey, to "somewhere over the rainbow", was way overblown and the significance after she made the trip was not worth the wasted book space: all just to pretty much learn what was ALREADY known.... the forerunners "bit the hand that fed them". Also in the same vein, I though the ur-didact was NEVER going to finish with his dealing in the burn zone on that ship: layed on way too thick. Bornstellar really took another back seat after he was barely even there in Book 2. Even the gravemind was kind of a 1 or 2 small chapter show, and wasn't he supposed to be the "big bad"? Was at some point Offensive Bias corrupted, fragment 4 was conflicting; typo? Lastly, Catalog could have completely been written out the story, or at least mentioned in passing. All in all, the book had more great moments than "muddled" ones. 1) After reading one can argue that there is a good chance that the ur-didact in halo 4 might have a dormant infection from the gravemind. The same can be said about Catalog. I think catalog might be infected as well( how else might the gavemind/mendicant bias known of the lesser arks coordinates?). 2) The iso-didact may still be alive. In his last chapter, there isn't any mention of him and catalog being killed or consumed. And the arks are out of the firing range of the halos, so that leaves room for a surprise in the future. Also, that same ark might be the ark visited in halo 3. So if its still there in halo 3, then I guess the gravemind didn't destroy it. 3) There is no mention if the master builder was consumed or destroyed. So there is potential there as well. 4) Those really ancient forerunners in that other galaxy still exist... so what the hell is up there. 5) How will the realization of the organon play out in Halo 5/6? was that the "cure" the humans found? In conclusion, this entry misses some targets. Most of the book is spent describing the Librarians tendency to stargaze, wonder, ponder, and use correct English. She is also a frustrating character that obviously is related to Andrea from The Walking Dead: does stupid 'ish' that makes no sense like going to earth and NOT leaving with Chant....Forthencho could have sent her a slip-o-gram. Lastly the ending was little flat; I think the Librarian had enough chapters doing that "thoughty" mind ramble... why put that at the end? While other points could have been given more attention: what happens to vinevra( Librarian 2)and riser, provide more detail about iso-didacts role in the forerunner/flood war, and everyone/everything else mentioned above. The saving grace being that there were so many more intriguing threads laid out, my interest remains piqued. ...There is definitely some good material that can be expanded upon in Halo 5/6. I think there is a safer bet now that the flood WILL return. P.S. if 343i reads this.....please tell Traviss to not screw up her next book like the first one and the second( Thursday War to a lesser degree). All halo fans please read this one.

Narrates from the respect of composer and adds up all the unfinished stories from cryptum and primordium and concludes thr ends of forerunner-flood war.

Ich habe das Buch innerhalb eines Tages durchgelesen und kann das Buch auch weiterempfehlen. Es werden viele Fragen beantwortet, aber auch einige offen gelassen. Zum Beispiel wird nur sehr geringfügig auf das Ende der Forerunner-Zivilisation an sich eingegangen. Tausende Welten die dem Feind zum Opfer fallen sind wenn überhaupt nur Fußnoten, kleinere Details werden vollkommen außer Acht gelassen (im krassen Gegensatz zu zB The Fall of Reach), hier stehen die Geschehnisse rund um den Iso-Didact und der Librarian im Vordergrund. Im Endeffekt gibt es dem ganzen eine mystische Note, wie die Erzählung einer Legende, und das macht es für mich nur umso interessanter zu lesen. Und zugegeben, die 330 Seiten Hardcover sind schnell gelesen.

Both the first two and this one, are beautifully written. I actually had goose bumps many times because of how it connects to the rest of the Halo universe. Especially Halo 4 and the terminals in that one. 343 and Greg Bear have done an amazing job connecting the books and games. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this conclusion. You really get an insight into how the Forerunners spent their last days doing anything and everything to survive. The ending was also really well done. Ties into the universe perfectly. If you like the world of Halo at all and its Forerunner history, this is a trilogy worth reading. You'll also appreciate Halo 4 and other games going forward a lot more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone asking. The first in the trilogy did a great job at hooking the reader and setting the stage, whilst book 2 lacked a little in terms of pacing, but this title is something else entirely. Anyone knowledgeable of the Halo fiction will know that the forerunner "tragedy" is one of the most interesting parts of the lore, but even without having learnt this from the games, one can easily appreciate the raw emotional intensity and sheer scale of the events that take place in this book. I literally read it from cover to cover in the space of two days and felt emotionally drained by the end (in a good way of course.) There are plenty of ingenious direct references to the games, but irrespective of that, the tale and characters told here are some of the best I have ever seen in science fiction. The forerunner saga is essentially what the Star Wars prequel trilogy should have been to the original films, done to sheer perfection and with such grace as to compliment the games but to maintain a solid, sweeping tale that is completely inclusive. There are a few mysteries left yet to be explored as a result of these books, but that is definitely a positive if it means there could be more entries as impressive as this in the future. A solid read and one of the best sci-fi tales out there, I would recommend it to anyone with an open imagination and a penchant for tragic yet hopeful tales.

nao sabemos como mas ele tem todas as certezas! por que adorei a froma escrita e a forma cmo a