User:TheArb1ter117/Sandbox2

The staff at Halopedia are happy to present our third ever review of a Halo novel! In this article, we will share our thoughts Troy Denning's latest novel, Halo: Outcasts. While the novel was released about a month ago (at the time of publishing this article) and we allow any of its content to be posted to the site, we have ensured that the first half of this review is spoiler-free, so you can safely read the first five questions if you have yet to complete the novel yourself!

If you would like to experience the novel for yourself, you can find it at Amazon (US or UK), Forbidden Planet, Simon & Schuster, Waterstones, and Barnes & Noble.

Given that collaboration between people of varied opinions and backgrounds is core to the concept of a wiki, our review consists of a number of talking points with multiple editors giving their thoughts individually. This time, we’ve got Halopedia staff members BaconShelf, JackVibe, Sith Venator, and TheArb1ter117!

Please note that we were not asked by 343 Industries, Microsoft, or any other party to produce this review, nor were we asked to promote or praise the book.

Question 1
'What are your overall thoughts on Halo: Outcasts? Was it what you expected?'

BaconShelf:

JackVibe:

Sith Venator:

TheArb1ter117: "While I expected to see some specific characters given the setting of the novel, I really had no clue where the story would go, and I definitely did not see the ending coming. It was a very enjoyable read, resulting in it being one of the few Halo novels that I finished in less than a week. For fans of the Sangheili and Troy Denning's writing style, this really is a must-have book. I would say it's my third favorite Halo novel by Troy Denning, right behind Halo: Silent Storm and Halo: Last Light."

Question 2
'Is there any other Halo media that you think fans need to play, read, or watch before picking up Halo: Outcasts? Or any that you think would simply enhance the reading experience?'

BaconShelf:

JackVibe:

Sith Venator:

TheArb1ter117: "The book's setting on Netherop makes Halo: Oblivion an obvious answer, though I would argue that it's not required reading to understand Halo: Outcasts as Denning does a good job summarizing the key events from the novel. However, you will have a much better time reading Outcasts if you understand the history behind some of the key plots points. Aside from reading Oblivion, I also recommend checking out Halo: Hunters in the Dark, a novel which gave us an in-depth look at Olympia Vale's character. Also, if you plan to read Oblivion, I would strongly suggest reading Halo: Silent Storm before that given that Oblivion is its direct sequel."

Question 3
'Prior to Halo: Outcasts, Troy Denning's Halo novels always followed the Spartan-IIs of Blue Team and/or the Ferrets, while the main characters of this novel are Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Spartan-IV Olympia Vale—both of which have never appeared in any of his previous novels. How do you think Troy did in writing these two established characters?'

BaconShelf:

JackVibe:

Sith Venator:

TheArb1ter117: "As you may or may not expect given my username, I quite enjoy the character of Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, and Denning did not disappoint! If you've read his previous works (particularly Silent Storm and Oblivion), you are well-aware of his talent for bringing Sangheili characters to life. In the case of Olympia Vale, I was already as fan as well, particularly due to her portrayal in Hunters in the Dark and because of her love for Sangheili culture. If you love diving deep into the history and psyche of characters, I think you'll love the portrayal of Arbiter and Vale in Outcasts."

Question 4
'Without revealing any key details, what did you think of the novel's exploration of the Created occupation of the galaxy and the lead-up to the Battle for Zeta Halo? How well does it bridge the gap between the two?'

BaconShelf:

JackVibe:

Sith Venator:

TheArb1ter117:

Question 5
'For fans who haven't read any previous Halo novels and are unsure if they should start with Halo: Outcasts, what advice would you give to them? For the fans who have read previous Halo novels, which novels would you say feel most like Outcasts?'

BaconShelf:

JackVibe:

Sith Venator:

TheArb1ter117:

Summary
Ultimately, we at Halopedia greatly enjoyed Halo: The Rubicon Protocol and how it expanded the story introduced in Halo Infinite. While there were areas that we think could have seen further attention, the novel overall is fantastic and has earned from us a rating of 8.5/10!

This concludes our third review of a Halo novel! We will be continuing this with Kelly Gay's Halo: Epitaph next year, so any feedback on the format and content of this review is appreciated! In the meantime, you can check out our reviews of Halo: Divine Wind (here) and Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (here).

We’ll leave you with JackVibe’s beautiful mock-up of a poster for a theoretical Halo movie following the boat crew of Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (or TRP) inspired by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the discussion that led up to it.

(Editor's note: Jack has been promoted to the wiki's Graphics Lead.)