Halo: Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe is a 2009 science fiction anthology written by Tobias S. Buckell, B. K. Evenson, Jonathan Goff,  Frank O’Connor, Eric Raab, and Eric Nylund.  Published by Tor Books, this collection holds eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.

Positives:

• Great writing
• Great characters
• Great stories

Negatives:

• n/a

Plot:  The collection contains stories covering both the Human/Covenant war and it’s aftermath. All of the entries are a good read, adding something to the Halo lore.

Pariah tells the story of Spartan Soren-066 during the experiments that form them into super soldiers. Unfortunately not all of the experiments worked. The story explores how he deals with the disfigurement he received from the augmentation procedures.  It is a pretty deep story, especially watching how someone who has trained all of his life to become great, only to be disfigured and loosing all chances of achieving that.

Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss follows the story of ONI operative Connor Brien who is captured by brutes and must conspire with his fellow captives to make an escape.  The story is a great page turner, especially with the exposition of the brutes, showing how their hierarchy works (at least this pack which is comprised of three separate clans). It even shows that despite the Covenant’s campaign against humanity, that the organization is more fractured than it appears.  It’s a great read, though the ending is pretty damn sad.

Dirt is one of the best stories.  It follows the tale of one solider to another.  The story itself is pretty deep and the ending does have a great but sad send off.

Headhunters follows Spartans Jonah and Roland who are sent to wreak hell on a Covenant camp.  The story is pretty intense and does a great job of showing how badass the Spartans are.  It does end off on a pretty sad note with everyone dying in the end.

The other stories are pretty good too.  I liked some of the reports and the poems that just add a bit of flare to the collection.  (4 out of 5)

Characters:  As with any anthology there are a ton of characters, some don’t have the prominence or interest as others, but there are a number of great.  Soren is probably one of the most notable.  He has a pretty dark past concerning his parents and his recruitment into the Spartan Program.  But it’s how he deals with his disfigurement and rejection that’s interesting.

Michael Baird is another one of the great characters.  The guy sacrifices himself to protect humanity.  Really felt for the character especially given the messed up circumstances surrounding him.  The guy’s cure for cancer leads him ten deep with the Covenant, but at least he goes out like a soldier.

I did like Spartan’s Jonah and Roland in Headhunters.  I liked their dynamic and how effective to two were as a team.  It’s pretty messed up that the two are killed but it’s the way of the Spartan, humanity’s ultimate weapon.

Gage Yevgenny is probably one of the deepest characters in the book and he tells a really compelling tale.  And like many other characters in these stories performs a self sacrifice worthy of legend.

There are a lot of characters, both on the side of humanity and on the side of the Covenant, and they do a great job of actually give a diverse look at the Human/Covenant war. (4 out of 5)

Writing: The writing is exceptional and the authors are just awesome, each bringing something unique to the Halo lore.  What makes this collection so good is just how diverse the content is.  We have stories, reports, and poems, all giving a bit of depth to each

As a fan who’s familiar with the franchise, I’m not new to the violence and dark atmosphere of the series.  However, it doesn’t feel overly goring nor does the action feel too drawn out.  As short stories the pacing is pretty sound, especially when hitting their points. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Halo: Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe is an awesome addition to the Halo mythology.  As a collection, it works.  It captures the overall feel of Halo while managing to add little elements, little side stories that matter.  This is definitely a must read for fans of the series and comes as a high recommendation.  Halo: Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe gets 4 out of 5.