Gears of War: Aspho Fields, written by acclaimed author Karen Traviss, tackles the events of Aspho Fields during the Pendulum Wars and the events after the first Gears of War. Sure, this was written years ago, but it's still a fun read. Traviss starts out with a battle, like all good sci-fi novels do. The Locust Horde is still reeling from the attack by the Lightmass bomb (the ending to Gears of War). Delta Squad, particularly Sgt Marcus Fenix and Pvt Dom Santiago, along with Pvt Augustus "Cole Train" Cole and Corporal Damon Baird fight a wave of grubs when one of them is taken out by a sniper shot. They track the shot down to a mall and find former COG soldier Bernadette "Bernie" Mataki. They radio in for evac and head back to base, Dom asking her about the Battle of Aspho Fields.
The storyline then shifts to Carlos Santiago, Dom's older brother, in school, defending the new rich kid Marcus Fenix, son of Professor Adam Fenix. The scene shifts through time and shows Marcus growing up with the Santiago family. Dom and Carlos note how tightly Marcus keeps his emotions in check when he's told that his mother went missing exploring the underground caverns.
In the present, Colonel Victor Hoffman prepares to move one food supply base away from the Locust Horde's war path. This part of the plot is fairly simple and is short enough to get the gist that the COG is once more on the brink of being overrun by the grubs. The COG manages to reallocate the personnel and deliver them behind COG lines. Through the scenes, Hoffman refuses to apologize for leaving Marcus to die in Jacinto's prison known as The Slab during the events of Gears of War. Hoffman and Marcus eventually set aside old grudges and get over their angst.
Back in the past, the United Independent Republics (UIR) are building a major satellite network that will obliterate the COG from space. Hoffman leads the campaign with commandos, particularly Dom Santiago, while the rest of the soldiers, including Mataki, Marcus, and Carlos, stage a distraction to lure the UIR away from the base. It works. Hoffman and Dom retrieve the satellite data while several COG men and women die in the diversion. Carlos is wounded and sacrifices himself to save Marcus, an act that disturbs him to the end of Gears of War 3. Dom, after being told his wife's given birth to his second child, is ecstatic but sad that his brother was killed. Marcus and Mataki vow to never tell Dom what really happened.
In the present, Mataki tells him, coming clean a couple of decades late. Marcus says he wanted to spare him the grief, and now, what with Dom's kids dead and his wife Maria missing, Marcus didn't see a point in opening old wounds. The book closes with the threat that the COG is about to take the fight to the Locust.
All in all, a very well crafted novel that held suspense and keeps you wanting more. For those who've played the games, this novel is worth it and adds depth to the characters.
The storyline then shifts to Carlos Santiago, Dom's older brother, in school, defending the new rich kid Marcus Fenix, son of Professor Adam Fenix. The scene shifts through time and shows Marcus growing up with the Santiago family. Dom and Carlos note how tightly Marcus keeps his emotions in check when he's told that his mother went missing exploring the underground caverns.
In the present, Colonel Victor Hoffman prepares to move one food supply base away from the Locust Horde's war path. This part of the plot is fairly simple and is short enough to get the gist that the COG is once more on the brink of being overrun by the grubs. The COG manages to reallocate the personnel and deliver them behind COG lines. Through the scenes, Hoffman refuses to apologize for leaving Marcus to die in Jacinto's prison known as The Slab during the events of Gears of War. Hoffman and Marcus eventually set aside old grudges and get over their angst.
Back in the past, the United Independent Republics (UIR) are building a major satellite network that will obliterate the COG from space. Hoffman leads the campaign with commandos, particularly Dom Santiago, while the rest of the soldiers, including Mataki, Marcus, and Carlos, stage a distraction to lure the UIR away from the base. It works. Hoffman and Dom retrieve the satellite data while several COG men and women die in the diversion. Carlos is wounded and sacrifices himself to save Marcus, an act that disturbs him to the end of Gears of War 3. Dom, after being told his wife's given birth to his second child, is ecstatic but sad that his brother was killed. Marcus and Mataki vow to never tell Dom what really happened.
In the present, Mataki tells him, coming clean a couple of decades late. Marcus says he wanted to spare him the grief, and now, what with Dom's kids dead and his wife Maria missing, Marcus didn't see a point in opening old wounds. The book closes with the threat that the COG is about to take the fight to the Locust.
All in all, a very well crafted novel that held suspense and keeps you wanting more. For those who've played the games, this novel is worth it and adds depth to the characters.
