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  • HALO: Primordium

  • HALO, Book 8
  • By: Greg Bear
  • Narrated by: Timothy Dadabo
  • Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (170 ratings)

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HALO: Primordium cover art

HALO: Primordium

By: Greg Bear
Narrated by: Timothy Dadabo
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Summary

The second novel of the Forerunner Saga trilogy by science-fiction legend Greg Bear - set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times best-selling video game series!

One hundred thousand years ago. In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the alien Forerunner empire, two humans - Chakas and Riser - are like flotsam washed up on very strange shores indeed. Captured by the Forerunner known as the Master Builder and then misplaced during a furious battle in space, Chakas and Riser now find themselves on an inverted world where horizons rise into the sky and humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of horror and neglect. They have become both research animals and strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end - a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life and the Forerunners who expect to inherit their sacred Mantle of Responsibility to all living things.

In the company of a young girl and an old man, Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost and damaged Halo ringworld in search of a way home, an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within, and the reason for the Forerunner Librarian’s tampering with human destiny. Their travels will take them into the domain of a powerful and monstrous intelligence - known as “the Captive” by Forerunners and “the Primordial” by ancient human warriors, this being may not only control the fate of Chakas, Riser, and the rest of humanity, but of all sentient life across the galaxy....

©2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (P)2012 Macmillan Audio. All rights reserved.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 06-07-20

Much slower than Cryptum

Primordium feels like an exposition dump for the Halo universe wrapped in a mediocre story.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Drags, but worth it by the end.

loved it by the end, but for most of the way it really felt like it was dragging and was quite different from book 1, looking forward to the final chapter.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story but slow and to very little end.

The story was lovely but incredibly slow, slightly repetitive, and frustrating, but that may be by design. The performance was brilliant and was a pleasure to listen to. The story was slow and never developed and was very difficult to follow at some points with very heavy descriptions. It felt like it was building to something big that never happened. However, if you are a big halo fan, some of the details and crumbs of information are amazing... especially the end.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Decent

Not as good as Cryptum, but still decent. It is definitely worth a listen for further insight into the vast lore that is Halo.

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Drags like a dog on carpet

Phew! Well that's 8 and a half hours I'm not getting back.
I bought this book as a long time halo fan because I wanted to know more about the Forerunners fall to the flood. Unfortunately this book had other ideas.
The story is told via a human on a halo who spends 7 of the 8 hours wandering aimlessly (intentionally on some occasions) with an old man with an annoying voice and a female with no agency, oh and a Gorilla.
Rather than take us on a thrilling political thriller about life on the Forerunner homeworld, the story drags its shallow characters through hours of pointless speculation. unwilling as it seems to show us the story of the larger world the book has these details recited to us by various, poorly explained sources. Its lack of detail and depth is never more prevalent then when the main character Chakas wanders off in his own head, leaving you unsure what is happening or why.
The author seemed to remember they're writing a trilogy about an hour before the end when everything happens at once! They're rescued, they're captured, they're all dead but alive and all the while there's a 3rd party in the story in the form of an ONI ship in the current Halo timeliness but it's written like a series of memos. This would be fine if only the characters didn't keep interrupting eachother! you can't interrupt a memo or an email, it's like interrupting a mailed letter.
This whole book was a real shame because there was such an opportunity for grand story telling after the first book (which was fine if overlong). Why they chose the least interesting characters to be the main focus I cannot understand.
And I cannot understand why the Gorilla?!?! this has been bothering me for days! it does nothing other than find fruit and catch birds... not something I thought Gorilla were good at but who knows? certainly not the author.

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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit slow but some interesting points

Some of the lore is really interesting, but I found this book quite hard to follow at times. Even with really trying to focus on listening to the story and narration. Narrator is really good though. Puts a lot into the voices of each character.

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Good story,

I wished these books had been read by the same person, having the characters voices change thought made it harder to connect with the characters

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Continuing of Forerunner Story

Enjoying the insight into the Halo universe

Great narration enjoyed each of the character way they brought to life enjoyed Riser and all the interaction with early human species

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Good continuity

Enjoyed the story. continues the Haloverse can't wait for the next book starting as soon as this review is done.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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good book

I found the story tempo to slow down a bit too much halfway through but the narrators voices were incredible!

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  • Gannon Prather
  • 05-08-20

Can't stand the characters.

The characters were bearable as side characters in Cryptum, but an entire book about them got old, and uninteresting very quickly. I made it about halfway, and can't bring myself to finish.

3 people found this helpful

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  • DEMOND WASHINGTON
  • 08-02-19

mind blown again!!!!

once again my questions are answered but now I have more questions which I'm sure will be answered in the next book!!!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Bryson Robbins
  • Bryson Robbins
  • 13-07-19

get back to master chief please!

lots of confusing, boring moments with no real sense put into them. few but some moments of greatness. overall wish I could have skipped this book, or at least read an overview of key points needing to understand for next books.

1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Kohverd
  • 27-06-23

Worst Halo book by far

I would normally finish a book this length in about 2 days. This book took me two weeks, it was so boring I kept having to re-listen to chapters because I just could not pay attention. I would suggest not buying it and just skipping over this book. I do not feel like what little there was to the story brings anything to the rest of the HALO series.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Nicole Botes
  • 26-05-23

boring

slow,boring, just can't finish it.
narrator is good.
story is lacking,boring,
character not interesting

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • R. Shelton
  • 18-04-23

Really slow and boring!

Struggled to finish this one. This and the last one were not well written or performed. But you have to get through them for important story details.

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Graham Fowler
  • 04-03-23

Poor pacing

Timothy Dadabo works with the book wonderfully, but the pacing was very slow. I feel like the entire first half of the book was just the characters hiking through the halo trying to find food, and finally some fascinating lore got revealed over the last half. Overall still a good inclusion for the forerunner trilogy but it could have added more interesting events in the first half.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Nicholas Mugnaini
  • 18-02-23

Struggled to Finish

The whole first part of the book was unnecessary. basically listen to the last 2 hours and you'll be good

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Peter
  • 12-02-23

Starts Slow

Drags for a long time but my god it picks up and ends so strong.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Sam Clark
  • 25-01-23

Great origin story

I love this series and the origin of 343 guilty spark/chakas Tim’s performance was incredible

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