Gears of War: Bloodlines

Gears of War #7

by Jason M. Hough

The new novel set within the action of the Xbox Game Studios video game Gears 5, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Hough.

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.

Genres: Science Fiction, Video Games

464 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Jason M. Hough (pronounced 'Huff') is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World. In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has also worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning.

The Darwin Elevator began life in 2008 as a project for National Novel Writing Month.  The book released on July 30th, 2013 and reached the New York Times Bestseller list the following week. Darwin was Jason’s first published fiction. The subsequent books in that trilogy were released that same summer, along with a prequel novella, The Dire Earth, in 2014.

Jason's latest novel, Zero World, released on August 18th, 2015 from Del Rey Spectra (US) and Titan Books (AUS/NZ). Publishers Weekly called it “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.”

He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.

Reviews

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews]

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.

Read more reviews from Amy at www.trans--scribe.blogspot.com

[Ben]

A fantastic edition to the extended universe, and truly an essential read for any Gears fan. Although similar to the book previous, it is clear that this is in every way an improvement.

The pacing of the battles feels more crunchy and visiral true to the Gears combat the franchise is known for, coupled with a genuinely gripping and interesting narrative.
The swarm takes a back seat throughout the entire book and the focus is pulled back to the human war making for a more personal and somehow more violet tale.

That is to say act 2 is the star of the show here. Kait Diaz is the conduit for the story here as she learns about her father and his place in the pendulum wars.

Act 2 is a truly great war story and deep dive into one of my favourite characters from the franchise. Espionage, tactical combat and all out chaos had me churning through this book at record pace and even if you are coming into this book knowing the fate of Gabe you stand only to gain from your previous knowledge. It really feels like your fandom to this franchise is rewarded with this book and should be on any Gears of War fans reading list.

[Miles Brenchley]

Much better than Ascendence. This book covers the story of Kate Diaz's father, Gabe Diaz. Gabe, who Kate thought was a simple mechanic in the COG army, was actually a master tactician for the COG. Definitely worth a read if you want more backstory to the Gears of War universe.

[Thurm]

I liked this more than the previous book, but I think that is mostly due to its spending more time in the past than in the present. Gabe Diaz is a great character, and I enjoyed his role in Gears Tactics and liked seeing him fleshed out here with a backstory. Kait is an okay character, and I go back and forth on how I feel about her. I still feel like the author doesn't quite have the grip on the Gears universe I would like him to, but it was a little less bothersome this time around. Hoffman returning is great, and is true to the character he was in the older books. The same goes for Marcus, Baird, and Cole. I don't feel like they got Sam quite right. After playing Hivebusters and knowing Cole has a daughter, it is disappointing that she hasn't been mentioned whatsoever, as it would be extremely out of character for him to keep something like that quiet.

There were a handful of editing errors that would have been caught by hitting F7 before publishing, as well as too many characters "exchanging nods" and continuing to wait "what felt like an hour but was probably only a couple seconds". Another gripe: I get that swapping pronouns out for someone's name in dialogue is necessary, but every time dialogue appeared from Marcus like "'Insert quote here' said the Legend." I wanted to die.

Overall, most of my complaints are nitpicks and the story is very good. If you like the new era of Gears books and games then you won't be disappointed here. And hopefully it will motivate you to go check out Gears Tactics, as I hope it will be popular enough to get a sequel.

[Mike Priestland]

The latest gears tie in novels, though still good, are not as good as the original run by Karen Traviss.

However the Gears 5 books are still really readable and raise the lore and events of the game much more than even the game did. The characterisation on display here is really good.

The book is set between the first and 2nd levels of the game just before Kait and Del set off for Oscars Outsider camp. It also jumps to the events that end the Imulsion war and we meet a new character influential on a number of the gears characters.

You couldn't read this without prior knowledge of the games but if you do you will enjoy this.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X]

Gears of War: Bloodlines by Jason M. Hough

Expanded Book Review from a Casual Gears of War Player

Rating: 4.5/5

As someone who considers myself more of a casual Gears of War player than a hardcore lore expert, I went into Gears of War: Bloodlines mostly because I wanted more Gears. I knew the major characters, had played several of the games, and understood the basic history of the Locust, the COG, and the Pendulum Wars, but I wouldn’t consider myself someone who knows every single piece of Gears lore.

That actually ended up making Bloodlines a surprisingly enjoyable experience.

Jason M. Hough’s novel gives readers a much deeper look at the history behind the Gears of War games while telling a story centered around Kait Diaz and her father, Gabriel Diaz.

What surprised me most is that the book isn’t just a straightforward continuation of the games.

Instead, it spends a lot of time looking backward at the Pendulum Wars and showing us who Gabriel Diaz was before Kait was ever born.

And honestly, I think that was a great choice.

⸻

A Story About More Than Just Shooting Locust

When I think of Gears of War, I naturally think of huge guns, chainsaw bayonets, Locust, giant monsters, explosions, and soldiers hiding behind cover while everything around them is falling apart.

Bloodlines certainly has plenty of that.

But the novel is also much more interested in the people behind the armor.

The story jumps between two different periods.

One follows Kait Diaz during the events surrounding Gears 5, while the other takes us back decades earlier to the Pendulum Wars and follows her father, Gabriel Diaz.

Gabriel is a COG soldier who becomes involved in a dangerous military operation that eventually leads to the Battle of Gatka Ridge.

For someone like me, who mainly knows Gabriel as Kait’s father, this was probably the most interesting part of the entire book.

It gave me a completely different perspective on him.

Instead of simply being a character from Kait’s backstory, Gabriel becomes an actual character with his own military career, relationships, decisions, failures, and accomplishments.

⸻

Gabriel Diaz Is the Biggest Surprise

Gabriel Diaz is easily one of the best parts of the novel.

Before reading Bloodlines, I didn’t have a particularly strong opinion about him because, realistically, there isn’t a huge amount of Gabriel in the games themselves.

He’s mainly important because of his connection to Kait.

The novel changes that.

We get to see Gabriel as a young soldier and experience the war that helped shape the man Kait would eventually know as her father.

I really liked this because it made Kait’s family history feel much more important.

Gabriel isn’t portrayed as some unstoppable superhero who can win every battle.

He’s a soldier.

He makes mistakes.

He has doubts.

He has to make difficult decisions.

And sometimes those decisions have consequences.

That makes him feel much more believable.

By the end of the novel, I found myself thinking about Gabriel as a character rather than simply “Kait’s dad.”

And I think that’s one of the biggest successes of the book.

⸻

Finally Getting More of the Pendulum Wars

One thing Bloodlines does really well is give us a better look at the Pendulum Wars.

As a casual Gears player, I knew the Pendulum Wars were important, but they were always something that existed in the background.

I knew the COG and UIR had fought a massive war before the Locust emerged.

I knew Marcus Fenix and other characters had histories connected to it.

But the games don’t always give us the opportunity to actually experience what that war was like.

Bloodlines does.

And it reminded me of something pretty interesting about the Gears universe:

humanity was already fighting itself before the Locust ever appeared.

That’s something that can sometimes get lost when playing the games.

We’re usually focused on surviving the Locust or Swarm.

But Sera wasn’t exactly peaceful before the Emergence.

The COG and UIR had already spent decades fighting each other.

Cities had been destroyed.

Soldiers had died.

Entire generations had grown up surrounded by war.

The Locust invasion didn’t create humanity’s problems.

It made existing problems dramatically worse.

I thought the novel did a good job showing that.

⸻

The Battle of Gatka Ridge

The Battle of Gatka Ridge is one of the major highlights.

This is where the book feels most like Gears of War to me.

You’ve got soldiers fighting against overwhelming odds, desperate defensive positions, military operations going wrong, and characters trying to survive while everything around them turns into chaos.

If you’re coming to this book because you want Gears action, there’s definitely enough here.

But what I liked was that the battles aren’t just there to give us explosions.

They actually matter to the characters.

Gatka Ridge becomes an important part of Gabriel’s legacy.

It’s one of those experiences that helps explain the soldier he eventually becomes.

That made the battle much more interesting than simply reading another action scene.

⸻

Kait Diaz

Kait’s sections are obviously important because she’s one of the main characters of the modern Gears games.

Her story continues the problems she was dealing with around the time of Gears 5.

Kait is struggling with her identity, her family history, her connection to the COG, and everything she’s learned about her mother and the Locust.

What I like about Kait is that she isn’t simply another Marcus Fenix.

Marcus knows who he is.

He’s a soldier.

He’s a Gear.

He’s spent most of his life fighting.

Kait is different.

She’s trying to figure out what she actually wants to be.

Does she really belong in the COG?

Does she want to become a Gear?

How much of her identity comes from her parents?

And how much of it belongs to her?

Those questions make her story more personal.

⸻

Family Legacy Is Really What the Book Is About

The title Bloodlines actually fits the story extremely well.

At first, I assumed it was mostly referring to Kait’s connection to her mother and the Locust.

But after reading the book, I think it means much more than that.

The story is really about inherited legacy.

Kait inherits her father’s reputation.

She inherits her mother’s history.

She inherits the consequences of decisions made long before she was born.

And she inherits a war that has been shaping her family for generations.

That’s what makes the connection between Gabriel and Kait so interesting.

Even though their stories take place decades apart, they are connected by the same questions about war, family, and responsibility.

Gabriel’s experiences help shape the world Kait eventually grows up in.

And Kait’s experiences give the reader another perspective on the legacy Gabriel left behind.

⸻

The COG

Another thing I enjoyed was seeing more of the COG military.

The games give us plenty of COG soldiers, but Bloodlines gives us more of a feeling for how the organization actually works.

There are commanders, soldiers, intelligence operations, military objectives, special forces, political considerations, and plenty of situations where soldiers have to follow orders even when they aren’t necessarily sure those orders are the right ones.

That makes the COG feel more like an actual military organization.

And that’s important because sometimes the Gears games can make the COG feel like “the good guys” simply because we’re playing as them.

The book gives us a little more perspective.

The COG isn’t perfect.

Its soldiers aren’t perfect.

Its leadership isn’t perfect.

But they’re trying to survive in an incredibly brutal world.

⸻

Ghost Squad

The Ghost Squad storyline was another part I enjoyed.

Their mission initially has a mysterious feeling to it, and the book gradually reveals more about what’s actually happening.

It gives the story a little bit of a military-thriller feeling before everything eventually turns into the kind of large-scale Gears conflict you’d expect.

I especially liked that because it kept the book from becoming repetitive.

If the entire novel had just been one giant battle after another, I think it would’ve gotten tiring.

The mystery and military elements give the story some variety.

⸻

The Action

If you’re worried that a Gears of War novel might not have enough action, don’t be.

There are plenty of firefights.

There are plenty of soldiers getting thrown into terrible situations.

There are plenty of moments where things go horribly wrong.

And there’s definitely enough violence to remind you that you’re reading Gears of War.

But the action doesn’t feel like it’s there just because the author needs something exciting to happen.

The characters actually have something to lose.

That makes the fights more meaningful.

When someone gets injured or killed, it doesn’t just feel like another random body being added to the battlefield.

There’s emotional weight behind it.

And that’s important in a franchise where characters are constantly surrounded by death.

⸻

Does It Feel Like Gears of War?

Yes.

That’s probably the most important thing I can say about the book.

It actually feels like Gears of War.

The military atmosphere is there.

The characters feel like they belong in the universe.

The COG feels recognizable.

The weapons and technology fit.

The battles feel appropriately brutal.

And there’s that same general feeling that humanity is barely holding everything together.

As someone who isn’t an expert on every piece of Gears lore, I never felt like the novel was completely leaving me behind.

There are plenty of references and connections for longtime fans, but you don’t necessarily have to know every detail of the franchise to understand what’s happening.

⸻

My Biggest Complaint

My biggest complaint is probably the structure.

If you’re picking up Bloodlines because you want a direct continuation of Kait’s story, you might be surprised by how much of the novel focuses on Gabriel.

Personally, I didn’t mind it.

Actually, I ended up really enjoying Gabriel’s storyline.

But I can understand why some readers might feel like they were expecting one type of story and got something different.

The constant movement between the past and present can also take some getting used to.

There were times when I was completely invested in what Gabriel was doing and then the story would jump back to Kait.

That wasn’t necessarily bad, but it did occasionally interrupt the momentum.

Still, I think the payoff makes the structure worthwhile.

⸻

Why Casual Fans Should Give It a Chance

I think Bloodlines is especially interesting for casual Gears fans because it made me appreciate parts of the franchise that I hadn’t thought much about before.

I knew about the Pendulum Wars.

I knew Gabriel Diaz existed.

I knew Kait’s family history was important.

But I hadn’t really thought about how those things connected.

The novel helped fill in those gaps.

It also made me want to go back and revisit some of the games with a better understanding of the history behind them.

And that’s probably one of the best compliments I can give a video-game tie-in novel.

It made me more interested in the original games.

⸻

Final Verdict

Gears of War: Bloodlines ended up being a much better read than I expected.

Going into it as a casual Gears of War player, I wasn’t expecting some massive literary masterpiece.

I just wanted another good story set in the Gears universe.

And that’s exactly what I got.

The book gives us a much better understanding of Gabriel Diaz, expands the history of the Pendulum Wars, adds more depth to Kait’s character, and provides plenty of the military action and brutal warfare that makes Gears so recognizable.

The biggest surprise for me was Gabriel.

I went into the book knowing him primarily as Kait’s father.

I came out of it feeling like I actually understood who he was.

That’s something I really appreciate about expanded-universe stories.

They can take a character who might have seemed relatively minor in the games and suddenly make them important.

The book also reminded me that the Gears universe is much bigger than Marcus, Kait, JD, Del, the Locust, and the Swarm.

There are decades of history behind these characters.

There are wars that happened before the games.

There are soldiers whose stories never made it onto the screen.

And Bloodlines does a good job opening that history up.

Is it perfect?

No.

The switching between Kait’s story and Gabriel’s story isn’t always seamless, and readers looking specifically for a direct continuation of Gears 5 might find themselves wanting more Kait.

But for me, those issues weren’t enough to seriously hurt the experience.

As a casual Gears of War player, I’d absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants to spend more time in Sera and learn more about the history behind the games.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

Recommended for:

* Casual Gears of War players
* Longtime Gears fans
* Fans of Kait Diaz
* Fans of military science fiction
* Players who enjoyed Gears 5
* Anyone who enjoys stories about family and legacy

Bottom Line

Gears of War: Bloodlines isn’t just a book about shooting Locust and blowing things up.

It’s a story about where the characters came from, what their families sacrificed, and how the wars of one generation can affect the next.

For a casual Gears player like myself, it was a surprisingly interesting look at the universe beyond the games—and by the time I finished it, I had a much greater appreciation for Gabriel Diaz and the history that helped shape Kait.

[JJ]

In Gears of War: Bloodlines, author Jason M. Hough proves once again his mastery of slowly moving plots and the quiet moments in stories. However, he also proves once again that he can't write an engaging action scene to save his life.

Story-wise, Bloodlines is basically split into two sections: The first and third sections, basically bookending the main part of the novel, take place during the time-skip in Gears 5 after a mission doesn't go well and people recover from their injuries. I was a bit jarred by the skip while playing the game, and appreciated the opportunity to see what everyone was up to during the relative downtime and how they got to where they were when the action in the game picked back up. Hough is in his element during the conversations and internal monologues in hospitals and on lawns, as people play politics and are maneuvered into where they need to be for Gears 5 to resume. I wouldn't consider it exactly essential reading, but I found these sections to be important for filling in my sense of the Gears 5 story.

The bulk of the novel -- the second section -- focuses on Gabe Diaz, the father of Gears of War 4 and Gears 5 protagonist Kait Diaz, as he completes a mission during the Pendulum Wars (a conflict occurring immediately prior to the main conflict in the series). It introduces the character and sets him up as a smart tactician, which makes sense given his central role in the then-upcoming game Gears Tactics. I did feel at times that Hough was hitting me over the head with it though, and I wasn't always sure if he was really as smart as I was being told he was. This story takes place at Vectes Naval Base, a location players of the games and readers of previous novels in the series might recognize. And it fleshes out details of Kait's family and Gabe's relationship to Kait's uncle Oscar. But while it certainly ended up being consequential for Gabe, it didn't really feel consequential *to me* -- to a reader taking in the events in the context of the "present day" Gears story that Kait is a part of. It may have pushed Kait somewhat in one direction over another, but it didn't feel worth the extended focus it received.

Unfortunately, in both the present-day and Gabe-focused flashbacks, the action is sorely lacking. It almost feels a bit silly to say: Hough's Gears of War books succeed when they're focusing on the exact opposite things from the games, and fail when focusing on what the games do best. But the action is simply boring -- with the same extensive detail and plodding sentence pacing that does so well in the slow sections of the book bogging down the action and making me feel like the characters were running through molasses. This is particularly bad in the multiple extended action sequences in Gabe's story that absolutely ground my enthusiasm to a halt.

Overall, I'd recommend Bloodlines to Gears fans who were thrown off by the time skip in Gears 5 and want to know what happened in it. But be warned that it's not some phenomenal, incredibly-engaging read. Parts are great, parts are boring, and it just averages out as acceptable.

[Alek Hill]

Eh. The overall tone and story just feels so PG-13. The interim story of Gade Diaz is really weak and juvenile. I had hoped for a more espionage/spec ops story, but it's just a random island story. His "tactical genius" seemed more like luck and random guessing when you consider it all hinged on knowing that islander was a UIR informant.

As for the Kait Diaz story, it's her anger at JD that turned me off. I think that in todays climate, making JD complicit in essentially a police brutality incident was a bad call story wise. But if you understand how JD was trying to redeem himself I think you can salvage his character. Sure he followed orders and willing had his DB's open fire on civilians protesting the government. But he left the COG with Del right after, joined Kait and the Outsiders, and risked his life to stop the Swarm with the hammer of dawn. All are clear evidence of a guilty conscience trying to make up for past sins. And yet the entire time he's in a coma Kait hates him for not telling her and Del that he did that thing they hate the COG for! Like no wonder JD goes a little "bad" after the coma. He overcompensated for the worst mistake of his life and it resulted in more innocent people being incinerated by the Hammer of Dawn, and instead of his friends being there to show that they still care for him all he has is Jinn. Who has a creepy surrogate mother thing with him and sees his moment of failure as a good soldier following orders.
All in all I just found Kaits seething anger at JD to be selfish and petty.

My critiques of the GoW universe aside, this book also ends on a continuity error. One of its own making to be exact. At the start of this book, Kait goes to Sal's Outsider village as a test run to see if she can help the COG convince other villages to come to New Ephyra for protection. Sal's is to be the first village of many that we know from Gears 5 to come over to the COG. And yet at the end of the book Kait is immediately on her way to Riftworm to get Oscar. Which also leaves no time for JD to be going on missions with Fhaz, having just woken from his coma by the end of the book.

[C.J. Bunce]

Originally reviewed May 12, 2020, at BORG.com

Gears of War: Bloodlines arrives as one of this year’s best military sci-fi novels

Review by C.J. Bunce

One of the year’s best military sci-fi novels awaits you in the next Gears of War tie-in novel, Gears of War: Bloodlines. Author Jason M. Hough creates a gritty tale of an unthinkable mission by current lead game character and former Gear soldier Kait Diaz and a forgotten, impossible mission by her father, Lt. Colonel Gabriel Diaz. The story begins in the future at war, after the destruction of Settlement 2. Kait’s comrade J.D. Fenix is severely wounded. While Kait awaits his outcome, she is approached by an old man who claims he fought with her father years ago. The man slips her a secret file, which recounts a mission that determined the fate of her father, marked a turning point in his life, and might influence who she may become.

Read the full review here at BORG.

[Sasch Stormcloak]

Gears of War is my favorite video game franchise of all time, meaning I will take any piece of new information I can get. I loved every single book from Karen Traviss, and Hugh’s two novels are also a fantastic addition to the lore of the Gears saga.
Having already completed the Gears 5 campaign, Kait’s part in the story, taking place during the four-month period between the HoD incident in Settlement 2 and her visit to the Riftworm village, does not add much to the game’s story.
On the other hand, Act 2, in the form of a flashback told by Kait’s reading of the file given to her by Hoffman, is aimed at introducing Gabe Diaz as the main character of Gears Tactics.
It was nice to learn more about the final days of the Pendulum Wars, and the fact that this part of the story takes place at Vectes and rest of the Lesser Island also gave me a sense of ‘completeness’, returning to it after having last seen it flooded with Lambent polyps.
Overall, a great story expanding the saga’s lore, and that any true ‘Gearhead’ will enjoy, with tons of references to the games’ events, characters and mechanics.

[Brandon]

I have read the other Gears of War books, and I have truly enjoyed many of them, however my main issue is Kate. She is a constant strain on the series, and was in Gears 5 the Video Game. I understand that the books are trying to get her the lore and background the games did not do, like they did for Marcus and Dom, Baird and Cole Train, and sadly it feels rushed and forced.

A part of this book is just discussing her father, who before now we had no idea who this guy even was. Personally I still don't care. Kate is a nag, a constant person that doubts herself and others, her emotions guide her every decision, she refuses help when she needs it, and knows mentally that she does.

The pluses to this is that Marcus and the team are still there in the background and help flush out the poor choice for a main character like Kate. Baird is still funny, Marcus direct and Cole Train as unstoppable as ever. The only times that Kate is likeable for me, is when she is around that team, because of their shared history and quick bites towards each other.

Overall, a 3 out of 5 for me because the old Gears Team still did it for me.

[Igor Veloso]

Took notes:

Did not like the long italic page texts, but I am glad they were short moments. I am not a fan of these italics for long reads, though I enjoy the font.

Most of the book tells the story of Gabe, Kait's father, during the Pendulum Wars. This was without a doubt a great addition to the lore. Loved the character and brought back memories of Karen Traviss. Albeit the final "boss battle" at this chapter of the book was unecessary, and quite franklly weirdly sloted, it did not break the conclusion for me.

The book ends with Kait again, and those who read the previous books know there's always a big battle, high octane and high stakes. That should've been the only "boss battle" in the book, though.

I am finally ready to pick what I've been told to be the most political book of GoW "Ephyra Rising". That one brings a new author, so I am also curious about his approach.

[OnyxCrimsonBlur]

I picked up and put down this book many times.
As with the last book, Ascendence, I just couldn't seem to keep myself engaged with it. I felt I -had- to read it for the lore which I love so much in Gears, but it wasn't a joy to read. I miss Karen writing for Gears and both books by Jason cement that fact for me. I'm sure the man is a decent writer, just not for the Gears franchise.

These titles just didn't hit the same as the other books. Moments felt rushed and many fell flat of what I once knew Gears to feel.

I actually put the book down for so long that I had to start from the beginning again just to finish it.
So, yeah, that's all I've got.

[Nick Green]

Having played every Gears of War video game and read (possibly) almost every book that has been published, this was a great addition to the series, that adds to the story of Gears of War 5 and adds more background to Kait Diaz's father, Gabe, who was one of the main characters for Gears of War Tactics.

This was a great read and, with Jason once again at the helm, this book was much better than Gears of War: Ascendance.

5/5

[Louis Fritz v]

While some of the Kait stuff feels unnecessary (explaining what happens between Act 1 and Act 2 in Gears 5 aka her motivation to go to Riftworm) the main crux of this text is Gabe Diaz,the leader of Gears Tactics, and his motivation to be demoted in the CoG and work the motor pool. Engaging story and interesting showing of Gabes tactical prowess overall. Bringing Kait who is reading his file could have been left more to an introduction than added prologue and epilogue. I do like Kait Del and Marcus as they are depicted but as i said they felt a little unnecessary.

[Marco A.]

I guess I can't blame the author as the original idea of this came in the game. The whole idea that they're upset at J.D. because he shot people throwing incendiary grenades at him is a huge turnoff. I mean, are they supposed to just burn alive? Anyone with military or law enforcement experience knows that incendiary projectiles are horrendously lethal. Other than that annoying tidbit, the book is well written and enjoyable.

[Alyssa Allen]

Aside from The Slab, this is by far my favorite Gears book. I really liked the way the characters were consistent with their counterparts in the games, and it helped explain certain relationships further.

I really enjoyed the section about Gabe Diaz. I think he's a bada$$. I wish we would've known him more in the actual game series.

It was descriptive, colorful, fulfilling, and an action-packed novel in the Gears series. A must-read for fans.

[Ben-Roy Turner]

Unlike any of the other Gears of War books, this feels like they carved a significant (yet minor) part from the games to and stretched it over the course of a tie-in novel.

The books should expand upon the primary story/media, in this case Gears 5. That or a few lore pickups. But instead it feels as if a cutscene or two were plucked out and given the author. Then to fill the rest of the pages we go a slightly unfulfilling back story for the Diaz family.

[Luke]

I'll be honest gabe as a character is interesting and I did really enjoy gears of war tactics i would even want to see a sequel to that series with gabe or a completely new story! BUT, in this book i found myself not really caring for the middle half that deals with gabe and I cared more for what was happening with Kate instead. As this is not a bad book it's just some parts where better than others a very average gears novel but still worth checking out.

[An Anglo]

A great Gears of War book. It nicely fills in the gap that are left by the games and goes more into the back story of the main character of Gears Tactics during his missions in the Pendulum Wars. The writing was gripping and the story was full of unexpected moments. He is no Karen Travis but few writers are as good as her. I hope that the author is allowed to work on Gears of War again and we can soon see a continuation of the story from Gears of War 5.

[Suki Rickey]

Bloodlines

This book has a few errors throughout. I enjoyed the book so far, but it was lacking in overall for the series. The plot is about the same and the characters are still developing. The book bounces around from present to past and back too present, almost like it was filler information for the book in telling a story about the father. It could have been better.

[Kate]

This book felt unneeded. I guess on its own the writing itself was good. I was confused. And couldn't feel connected to any of the characters. These last 3 books are written by someone different and they deal with different characters at a totally different time and feel more like a new series than a continuation of the same series.

[Jen]

Another awesome installment in the Gears Franchise. This one definitely did not disappoint. I absolutely love learning different pieces of history. And just like with his previous book Hough has left me wanting more.

[Robert Levelle]

I thought his first novel in the Gears of war series was worth a read, but I absolutely adored this one! It compares to that of Karen's Aspho Fields. Great Storytelling and a great new perspective. Jason should be proud of his contribution to the world of Sera.

[Andrew William]

Well I was hoping a lot more got revealed in this story overall, it was certainly interesting to know Gabe's story. I hope we learn more soon.

[Robert]

Loved it. Good story missed with perfectly timed action. Fits well in the Gears of War universe.

[TonyAntSonWil]

hmmmmmmm not the best.

[Gregg]

Definitely one of the better books in the series.

[Andreas Hasslöf]

So far one of the best Gears books i've read. The arc about Gabe is so well writen.

[Patrik Åkerlund]

A good solid science fiction!