Customer Reviews

Gears of War: Aspho Fields

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you are a Gearhead (Gears of War Fan) you will love this book as it really fleshes out the main characters back stories. It will answer some long standing questions & create some new ones. This book reads well & is good escapist fun. I'm usually not one to buy a novel from a video game, but Gears is different here because the 1st game doesn't give any back story really. It just throws you in the middle of the fray. That being said I enjoyed the novel & look forward to the next one in the planned trilogy.

If you have played the gears of war games, this should be defined as essential reading. You learn a lot about Marcus, Dom, Anya and Maria's backstory, as well as learn about Dom's brother Carlos. It also is not conflicting with the game at all; everything seems to flow. It is very well written, and its at a great reading level for everyone. Also, if you have read any star wars books by the same author, you will certainly enjoy this book.

Aspho Fields bridges Gears 1 and 2 and not only expands the characters introduced in the first game as well as introduces new characters that you meet in the second game, but also tells a great story that provides background information to the main characters. Dom's background story, including his relationship with his wife, is explored, providing context for the sappier parts of the second game. I found this book immensely enjoyable as it took some characters I was familiar with, gave them deeper personalities and back story, and told a great story at the same time. I highly recommend it for any fan of the Gears of War series.

Very well written book, not to mention it was a suprise when it arrived early while I am deployed. The insight in to Marcus and Dom's past gives the reader a very close sense of brotherhood and camradarie that all military personel feel while in combat. I bought it on a whim and a was very pleased with the results. Final Verdict- Buy the book, Devil Dog!

This book is so great! To all out there who love Gears of War, this is a good background story.
Me myself, I picked the book up today by accident and wasn't disappointed.
What I like about it is it answers some of the questions raised in Gears 1 and 2 and it goes into depth with the characters.
The games are good fun and good story, but reading this book, is like reading the book to the lord of the rings.
You get so many good details, and the story describes many things the game doesn't bother with.
Normally I would say that a book wouldn't be required to a game, but in the case of Gears it's a different story.
Also as the story progresses from the first to the second game, this is a untold story, which can only be read.

My favorite thing about this book is Dom Santiago.
In the game I didn't really care for Dom, I focused my attention on Marcus and his story, Cole and his jokes, Baird and his wise comment, but overlooked Dom's personality.

However the book gives us such a good background story of Dom Santiago that the game fails to deliver.
The Maria Scene in Gears 2 is the best adaptation of the love he has for his wife, but the rest of the Dom scenes in the game is quite obsolete, compared to the book.
Also the friendship between the four Gears really fits to the slogan of Gears 3 "Brothers to the end."
If you love the game and have the time/energy for reading, this is a must buy, it is such a good story in addition to the game and provides a lot of information that you won't see in the game.

Being a Gearhead, I can't do anything but recommend this book. If you as into this universe and story line as me, then this is a must read. I can't say it is the best written book, but this gives you some great background information for Marcus, Dom and others. Along with the background information it keeps moving the story forward and leaves you wanting more.

The author does a really good job in creating the world and universe for the Gears of War storyline. She explains how the survivors need food and the prioritizing of resources towards the Gears protecting the survivors. The character development is also well done, explaining their past histories that shaped them in the video game storyline.

The author does give credit to her scout-sniper friend and his influence is again apparent (previously found in Star Wars New Republic Commandoes series) with the obvious reference to spotting terrorists placing improvised explosive devices on a pipeline. Another reference to our world would be the Pesang Commandoes who might parallel the South Vietnamese Army Rangers from the Vietnam War.

Overall the book was an entertaining story that complements and enhances the video game series. Found that the constant chapter flashbacks interrupted the flow of the story and didn't create tension to draw the reader into the book.

Had the pacing and flow been better or presented the antagonists points of view, would have given it five stars. Unfortunately, the antagonist point of view is often missing in the author's writing style and the storyline becomes one dimensional at times.

This book is easy to pick up, put down, and pick up again, just like a video game. Fun book and entertaining storyline for fans of the video game series. Other science fiction readers may want to borrow the book from the library instead.

If you have not played Gears of War 1 or 2, then move along, this book will hold little value or interest for you. However if you played and liked the game, then this books adds some really good value for fleshing out Delta Squad members Dominic and Fenix. You still don't fully learn why Hoffman had placed Fenix in the Slab beyond a few pages of surface storyboarding. But you do get a feel of why Fenix and Dominic are so close, and why Dominic busted Fenix out of the Slab in GoW1. Good canon for fanboys.

U hope Karen continues to write more about Delta Squad, past, present and future as she really grabbed and retained the GoW world, personalities and ambiance.

once I started it I could not put it down it does a great job at giving some back story since the first game did not ex-plane must about the gear of war back ground.

This book provides some backstory to the game. The author has clearly been around the military, as she uses a lot of Army terms and lingo. That's refreshing. The book jumps between a current timeline mission, set between GoW1 and GoW2, and the battle of Aspho Fields, 14 years prior to the E-Day. However, the book barely explains the reasons behind Marcus's mother's desappearance - which appears to not really be a big deal in big scheme of things. None of the nuggets that you will find in the book are crucial to the storyline and, overall, the book is just another story set in the GoW universe. That is the only reason I am giving this book a 4/5 rating. It's a fun read but not a must have for fans.