'In the aftermath of Settlement 2's destruction, Kait Diaz reels from the near loss of a close friend amid utter defeat at the hands of the Swarm. To move forward, she must choose either to walk the Outsider path of her mother, or rise to her beckoning duty as a Gear, as her father did. As Kait grapples with her circumstance, an unexpected ally illuminates secrets from the past that offer a new perspective. Over four decades before, the two superpowers of Sera - the Coalition of Ordered Governments, and the Union of Independent Republics - wage a bitter, worldwide conflict known as the Pendulum Wars. For nearly a century, the two have fought to wrest control over Sera's most precious energy resource: Imulsion.
'On the 79th year of the Pendulum Wars, Gabriel Diaz is a decorated Lieutenant Colonel serving the Coalition, assigned to Vectes Naval Base - a fortress that's seen little action despite its close proximity to UIR territory. The island's relative quiet is disturbed when a COG special forces team known as Ghost Squad arrive with a mysterious mission to the nearby island of Knifespire: an unforgiving rock of seemingly no strategic value. When the Ghosts send out a distress call, it's up to Gabe to evacuate them - and what he discovers on Knifespire could change the very course of the Pendulum Wars. There, the Battle of Gatka Ridge will define Gabe's legacy, and shape the future of his daughter, Kait Diaz. '
Last years Gears of War: Ascendance was a book that very firmly made it's place on my top ten for the year, thanks to not just going and filling in gaps in the Gears of War timeline, but thanks to author Jason M. Hough writing incredibly engaging characters and scenarios that kept me gripped throughout. And this year it looks like he's done it again with Gears of War: Bloodlines, a novel that not only slots into the events of Gears of War 5, but also sets up some of the characters that will be appearing in the upcoming Gears Tactics.
Picking up moments following the deployment of the Hammer of Dawn super weapon at the end of the first act of the game, readers get to actually see the rescue of the injured James Fenix and the heroes desperate escape from Settlement Two. Yes, we know the main characters survive these events because we see them in the game, but it's still exciting to see just how they managed to get to safety. It's a testament to how much energy that Hough manages to put into these scenes that they still feel tense and exciting despite knowing the outcome.
The main story takes place within this 'gap' in the game's narrative, during the few months following the Gears' defeat at Settlement Two and Kait's eventual trip to her uncle's Riftworm Outpost. This is a time where Kait is still battling with her role in the world now, where she agrees that people need to come together and join as one if they want to survive the Swarm, but still doesn't know if she can be a part of that. We see a Kait who is wrestling with the choice of whether or not to join the COG, especially after the revelation of JD's involvement in a government ordered shooting of civilians.
This was something that the game seemed to gloss over during their 'three months later' time jump. Kait had gone from learning an awful truth about not just one of her friends, but the government that wants her to join them, to being one of their soldiers. Obviously this was done in the game so that the main story and the action could continue, but it always felt like something was missing. This decision is the central focus of Gears of War: Bloodlines, and it's thanks to her father that Kait manages to decide on her course of action.
During an extensive flashback section, courtesy of a top secret file given to Kait by the older but still awesome Colonel Hoffman, we get to jump backwards in time to the Pendulum Wars, where Gabriel Diaz is stationed at Vectes Naval base in a quiet island chain far away from the front lines of the war. When this quiet posting is disrupted by a special forces unit and their secretive mission, Gabriel is forced into action against impossible circumstances.
The flashback to Gabriel and his mission is a pretty large section of the book, and it doesn't jump back and forward with the present, meaning that you can really get your teeth into it without breaks in the action. Unlike the rest of the book, where we know certain characters are going to live, this section has a less certain outcome, where any character other than Gabriel is a potential death. Because of this, the flashback drew me in a lot more, and managed to keep me guessing as to what might happen next.
Not only do we get to know Gabriel more, which is sure to be useful for the new Gears: Tactics game, but we get a great insight into who Kait is through him. The things she learns through this report change the way that she views her dad, a man she thought she knew well. It also makes her reconsider her own position on joining the COG or not, especially after seeing the Swarm destroy more outsider camps. Having Kait make her decision based even in part on her fathers legacy is a great choice. It gives her more depth, rather than it just being her making a tactical decision.
Gears of War: Bloodlines adds more to the Gears of War 5 story, it gives more depth to Kait's character, and it expands the world further, both during current events and with things that happened in the past. A brilliant addition to the Gears of War universe.
No comments:
Post a Comment