If you are familiar with the Gear of War video games, you will like this book. I listened to the audio book, though, and just be forewarned that it takes a bit of concentration to listen to because the story goes back and forth between 3 different time periods. Good story, though and a lot of good background info on the characters and their experiences together. ( )

I have read all of the Gears books, they are all well written and add a lot of depth to references made in the games. Aspho Fields takes you back to the beginning including the end of the pendulum wars and E-Day also covering the truth about Doms brother. The book series gives insight into the minds of Col. Hoffman, Anya and others. If you enjoyed the games I highly recommend the books. ( )

Karen Taviss always brings the visual affect to mind with words, the first book in the Gears of War series personally was not expecting such an amazing story line. This book reflects on Dominic Santiago's older brother Carlos Santiago both main characters are soldiers in the COG army. In this book Dom is still looking for his wife Maria who has been missing for about ten years. He runs into his old commando seargant Bernie. Seeing her Dom recalls memories about her and Marcus, one of Doms best friend whose like a brother to him too. But Dom didn't know the exact details about how his brother Carlos died at Aspho Fields still wondering and wanting to find out how he died.

Surprisingly good. First time I've ever read anything by Karen Traviss, but I've heard of her because of her Star Wars Republic Commando novels. She does a very good job writing scenes of battle and war, as well as the camaraderie between solders. I also very much liked the dialogue between the characters in this book, and she has really filled them out by what they say and how they act. In fact, I liked the "character building" parts of this novel much more than I liked the action. ( )

Review from Badelynge
Karen Traviss does a great job of bringing some Gears of War goodness to those of us who like to relax our trigger fingers once in a while. Traviss admits herself that she's worked on a lot of stuff in her day, tie-ins and the like and that not all of the varied franchises and projects have been particularly worthy. But Gears is different. She thinks it's special. I'm inclined to agree. Working on something you really love rather than it just being the latest meal ticket has really brought out the best in the writer, both in these books and her hands on work with the latest Gears game.
This one tells the untold Story of the battle for Aspho Fields. A battle we've heard about in the game that takes place several years before Emergence Day when the humans of Sera are still locked in a world war over Imulsion that has lasted the best part of a century. At this time they are unaware that another race called the Locust are biding their time beneath their feet, waiting for a good time to pop out and call 'Time' on human Seran history. The Cogs have discovered that the other power block are developing a weapon of mass destruction called The Hammer of Dawn at a research base at Aspho Point. Now at this stage Gears fans will most likely be grumbling that a Gears book without Locust is not something they signed up for. Traviss cleverly frames the pre-Emergence Day sequences with a story set between games 1 and 2, just after the deployment of the Light Mass Bomb. The Cogs are consolidating as best they can and are cautiously hopeful that the worst of the Locust threat has been dealt with. A face from the past in the form of a veteran female Gear called Bernie brings the past back to the surface. Dom Santiago wants to know the full story of the death of his brother Carlos at Aspho Fields. Marcus and Bernie were the only witnesses and neither are keen to talk about it. During an escort mission all the main characters get a chance to reflect and more of the story of the friendship of the brothers and Marcus gets revealed along with a lot of other stuff involving the feud between Hoffman and Fenix. These books can't tell the big story - that is for the games to tell, instead they tell the other stories that the games don't have time or the opportunity to tell. It's very well written with a great feel for the characters. All the dialogue just feels right, so much so that you can't help hearing the voice acted tones from the game; Fenix's tortured gravel, Cole's booming bonhomie, Baird's verbal sniping, Dom's quiet dignity, Hoffman's caricatured parade ground bark. And Traviss's new female characters fit in fine. The military attitudes are very believable. It's infantry soldiering with thoughtful introspection in a world that has become so desperate that the values of humanity are having to be sacrificed. Sure it still knows it's an actioner filled with chunky guys, chunky guns and chunky aliens... getting chunked, but it doesn't mean it has to be empty between the ears.
Even though fans of the game will get the most from this book I'm convinced that folks who enjoy gritty military sci-fi will still enjoy themselves. That was violent, reckless... and necessary! Well done. ( )