Gears of War: Coalition's End Mass Market Paperback – April 24, 2012

One of the most popular video game series ever created received another worthwhile edition to its mythology as Karen Traviss published Gears of War: Coalition's End in August of this year. It is her fourth novel based off of the Gears of War video game and helps bridge the gap between the second and third game in the series. It is important to note that this book cannot and was not intended to be a story unto itself. There is information expected of the reader throughout the novel that was presented in previous novels and through the video game series. The beginning starts where the last book ended and the ending is an obvious cliffhanger for the upcoming game. That aside, when read in conjunction with the rest of the series, Coalition's End is the best effort yet in the Gears of War mythos. Despite the limitations that Traviss had, she manages to breathe fresh air into a series that is infamously known for its mediocre storytelling, stereotypical characters, and its "meathead" dialog which has been brutally satirized across the internet. Traviss turns near-comical characters from the games into people with motives, desires, histories and different reactions to the pessimistic world in which they live. For example, the character named Baird is well known for his unrelenting, sarcastic, cynical view of the world. Through an exploration of his childhood memories and his family situation we start to look at him in a completely different perspective than before. Because of these incredibly in-depth characterizations, playing through the games without having read Traviss's novels will make you feel like you are seeing only the top of the iceberg. Although these flashbacks and mental explorations enhance the characters immensely, they are so profuse that the present storyline of the novel basically goes nowhere. The story continues as the remnants of the human race try to make a last stand from the locust (and another foe who you will soon become very familiar with) on the island of Vectes. Not much changes throughout the novel other than the humans surviving onslaughts of enemies and slowly getting weaker. The salvation of these people is only hinted at in the form of a secret which is not answered in the novel, but is obviously reserved for the upcoming game. The most noticeable aspect of Coalition's End is the pessimistic tone. The story of the last humans on the planet of Sera continues and their decline toward extinction is exacerbated as each day and each chapter of the novel continues. People are constantly dying with no one to replace them, resources run out and law and order starts to go down the drain. It is a stressful experience reading Coalition's End and it is supposed to be. In response to this grim and depressing world, we find out quite a lot about the characters that Traviss works with and this creates the bulk of the meaning of the plot. This is a character's story. If you are unfamiliar with the people of the universe, then you will find little value in the novel, as everything is one big character-building exercise. If you are interested in the people, however, the story continues with its dark "relate-to-this" scenarios. For example, how would one react to being one of only a few thousand people left of a race, your family being long gone and no apparent light in the distant? Each character deals with this in a different way. Some deal with it by with a facade of pure cynicism, humor or by trying to maintain a structured life amidst the chaos. Survival is the common characteristic among the people of the novel and is also the theme of the Gears of War storyline. Coalition's End shows humanity in its darkest pit while it refuses to surrender and lose hope. Traviss's latest novel is the longest of the series and goes into more depth than any previous one. It is essential material for people interested in the Gears of War universe but, unfortunately, cannot exist outside the context of a series. I can only recommend this novel to ardent lovers of Gears of War because of the fact that not a whole lot happens from a plot standpoint in the novel and much previous knowledge is a prerequisite. The purpose of Coalition's End and the other Traviss novels is to flesh out the characters and to provide a backstory for people like Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago and all of the rest of the gang. This is what Traviss set out to do and she does it very well.

Hey there. My name is Hippie Kai Yay and I'm a Gears of War fan. Whew, I said it. That may not sound important, but it kind of is. This is the fourth book in the series Karen Traviss writes in the Gears of War universe and thankfully, is easier to read through than the last entry,  Gears of War: Anvil Gate . To quickly sum the review before I dive head first going into detail, I'll say it is good, but only to the Gears of War fan. Books that have a franchise usually always have to be read by the fans of that franchise, otherwise the average reader will read into this and not only be confused (not just because they're reading a sequel without reading the predecessors) but will be bored. Now, details, details, details...Now, this is the first in the series to actually come out as a hardcovers, which I really appreciate. Hardcovers always have that lasting and enriching aura about them, and this is no different. But let's move on into the inside. I won't spoil any details, but read at your own caution if you have not played  Gears Of War  and  Gears of War 2 , and read the three books before this one. You have been warned!!The COG are still located on Vectes but are now dealing with Lambent problem, along with civil unrest. Marcus still doesn't narrate, Dom is learning to deal with his losses, Cole is quieter (seemed to me that way), and Baird seems more human then ever before and racking his brain over Hoffman's problem. Don't worry, Bernie, Sam, Anya, and Prescott are still here (along with others), and the tradition of flashbacks are intact, so if you've read the previous books, you'll be right at home. That's pretty much all I'll say about story; you'll have to read to find out!I can say with happiness that I believe that this book feels less boring, if you will, then compared to "Anvil Gate." That story I had to push myself to finish, as the whole flashback premise in that book seemed very unimportant in context. Here, the flashbacks are not really story relevant, but bring about greater background on characters that haven't been fleshed out in past books. That's good for the fans. Though that's the main drawback of this book, and the whole series of books: it's written for fans.I may sound a little harsh saying that this book (and series) isn't for everyone, but I'd rather you not have a Gears of War obsessed fan (like myself) tell you it's an interesting read, you buy it, then you're bored with it. And for fans... Well, if I know anything about fans, they'll buy this book without a second thought, which is fine. This book keeps what the series has been using since the first, but spruces it up. If you have liked books 1-3, this is worthy of buying. If you're expecting something different, then this doesn't change that. So Gears fans: buy this book, take cover, and feel safe knowing you actually have cover and that this book will whet you appetite of story yet to come!

This is by far the best Gears of War book so far and probably one of the best sci-fi books written by Karen Traviss. This is the fourth book in the series and is a compelling read for any Gears of War fan.Gears of War: Coalitions End takes place at the end of Gears of War 2 and the beginning of Gears of War 3. The book has many flashbacks which give you an insight it the characters past. You get to know how some of the main characters met and how they became part of the COG.If you have only played the GOW games, there are some new characters introduced to you in this book. Still very easy to follow the story but there are some moments when you are taken back in to the GOW past which may be unfamiliar.The book kicks of where GOW2 ended after the sinking of Jacinto. The COG have now taken up home on Vectes, the naval base becoming the New Jacinto.This book is ripe with emotion. Some of the characters have a very sad past, the book is so well written it leaves you feeling very empathetic. There is plenty of action written in and you will not feel bored or feel that a particular story drags on too long.After reading the book there are still many unanswered questions, in particular the origins of the Locusts and Queen Myrrah. The book adds additional questions to the pile.This is a very good book as a stand alone title but if you have read the other books or played the games you will enjoy it that little bit more. This book is a definite read for fans.

This is the final book of three in the story arc which bridges the second and third Gears games. Things are getting still worse for the COG's remnant -- even though they've found a valuable fuel source on their island haven, it brings with it a whole host of new problems. Locals on the paradise island of Vectes are struggling to feed themselves and the remnant, crop land is is being ruined, and the explosive enemy they face is showing up in ever more forms. The COG can't stay on Vectes forever - but when is the right time to depart, and where can Delta and co. go when they finally must?

Apart from the dramatic sinking of Jacinto (the last human city), things were pretty much still "business as usual" for our heroes in Delta squad at the conclusion of Gears 2. The core of Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird remained intact; still supported by Anya and their invisible robo-pet "Jack". Colonel Hoffman was still in charge and every indication was that, come Gears 3, their raven would touch down somewhere and everyone would immediately resume slaughtering locust and high-fiving each other. There must have been a few scratched heads, then, when fans first started Gears 3. Suddenly, Delta are living on a converted warship/ark/farm in the middle of the ocean. Dom has grown a beard (and aged 20 years), Anya is in full body armour, Hoffman has gone AWOL, and a whole host of new characters have appeared from nowhere like this is an episode of "Delta and friends". But I knew what was going on: I've been reading Karen Traviss' excellent series of novels based on the games.Each of the books in the series aims to fill out some of the back story from the games, and promises to reveal new secrets and insights into the characters' pasts. "Coalition's End", the fifth book in the series, covers events between the end of Gears 2 and the beginning of Gears 3, and also contains "flashbacks" revealing the past experiences of Cole, Dizzy and Bernie in the days, months and years following E-Day.I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the Gears of War novels, and this one is no exception. Traviss' writing is engrossing, and her experience as a former defence correspondent and member of the Territorial army clearly shows through. The novels have completely changed my perception of certain characters, making me more invested in them when I come to play the games, and I've been happy to accept the new characters as part of the Gears canon. Apparently, Epic Games were too - they enlisted Traviss to pen the storyline for the third game.It is true that the books haven't delivered on one of the things that has kept me reading them - the promise of finding out more about the origins of the locust and other unanswered questions from the games. Much like the games themselves, the books seem to throw up more questions than answers, but I can't really begrudge them that. Instead of being frustrated, I have found myself eagerly reading through each book searching for answers and I'm not too disappointed that what I've got out of it is more detailing than new information.If you are a fan of the series of games, I definitely recommend you give these books a try. It doesn't really mater much which one you start with either - as they all do a good job of being self-contained stories as well as part of a much bigger picture.

I've read this book back in 2011, after having played Gears of War 1 and 2, when I was eagerly anticipating the release of Gears of War 3. The story takes place after Gears of War: Anvil's Gate and takes place prior the events depicted in Gears of War 3. This book was a bit longer than the others and is at times slower, but in my opinion this isn't a huge problem. It sets the campaign of Gears of War 3 up quite nicely and I felt like I had a huge advantage by reading these books when I played through the campaign of Gears of War 3 (as in that everything made a lot more sense and the characters were already established)Seeing as that I enjoyed all these books I thought it'd be pretty cool that Karen Traviss would write the story to Gears of War 3's campaign. Unfortunately I was quite disappointed, I think Gears of War 3 had the worst campaign of all three games. But I'm reviewing this book and not the game, I'd easily recommend this book to fans of the Gears of War franchise interested in learning more about the Gears of War universe.

great book.