Ephyra Rising

Gears of War #8

by Michael A. Stackpole

An original Gears of War novel, exclusively detailing the aftermath of the Locust War written by New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole. The Locust War has ended with an energy weapon that pulsed across the land, destroying Locust and Lambent alike. The world is in shambles and the few survivors are isolated from one another. Humanity must begin anew. This novel reveals the canonical, never-before-seen events set in the time immediately following the game Gears of War 3 . With most of Sera's civilization destroyed, Sergeant Marcus Fenix and Lieutenant Anya Stroud must somehow rebuild on the ruins. For Marcus, his purpose is impossible to grasp. With no clear enemy to fight, there may be no place left for him in this postwar world. Some call him hero, others view him with resentment. As Anya struggles to create alliances to re-form the Coalition of Ordered Governments, she quickly discovers how impossible it is to tell friend from foe. Then whispers of Locust still stalking the land begin to spread. Fearing the worst, Marcus forms a team to assess the potential threat. As he and the other Gears search for Locust survivors, however, they quickly discover that the new enemy may be all-too-human, and utterly ruthless.

Genres: Science Fiction, Video Games

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[FernieReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I walked into this book very hopeful and excited to explore this era of the GoW universe. It’s always been fun to imagine what happened after the third game - what did “tomorrow” look like for Marcus, Anya, and the gang? It’s such a great opportunity to delve into topics like readjusting to civilian life after war, and rebuilding humanity after almost the entirety of it has been wiped out. I was especially excited/hopeful to see how Marcus was doing after losing his father and Dom and how the hell did he feel about his dad keeping secrets about the Locust? There were so many great opportunities and routes to take. And we don’t really take any of them in Ephyra Rising. At least not to depth we could. What we get is a political drama starring Anya that is meh at best, and Marcus going on a side quest to figure out if the Locust are really all dead or not.

This book pained me. I really wanted to give Stackpole’s version of these characters a try, but Marcus’s characterization was absolutely driving me crazy. I understand that there are probably challenges with picking up where another author has left off while also maintaining your own sense of style and voice. But the way Marcus, Anya, and Delta is written just did not make sense to me. We spend a lot of time in the books and the video games getting a deep sense of who these characters are, only for it to not really matter here. We know Marcus is silent, gruff, guilt-ridden, and grieving. He does not smile. He is loving and loyal, but does not express himself physically or verbally (one of the biggest plot points in The Slab is Reeve and Jarvi trying to get Marcus to write Anya back!!!). The most expression we get is when he is watching his loved ones die or he’s in active combat. I cannot see him spilling his guts to a man he just met (Brandon) and being so vulnerable and open. I think Marcus having his own POV was a sensible choice, but jeez Louise, I was floored by how much he was speaking. By how open he was so soon after losing his family. It was incredibly distracting, and at one point I wondered if this was an alternate universe version of Marcus I was experiencing…

It isn’t just Marcus himself who is off, but his interactions/relationships felt incredibly misrepresented. I was honestly shocked to see how Marcus and Hoffman spoke to each other at the gala toward the beginning of the book. Listen, they definitely have their differences, but Hoffman and Marcus’s entire arc in the Traviss books is about forgiveness and coming to an understanding of each other. Hoffman respects Marcus like no other, and he is GUTTED when Marcus deserts his post and when he has to decide to leave Marcus behind in The Slab. These two are almost mirrors to each other, and it’s a beautiful parallel to how alike they are when Marcus and his father aren’t very alike at all. Hoffman loved Dom too, and I was disappointed we never really got an acknowledgement regarding Dom’s death from Victor.

The Hoffman interaction was only the tip of the iceberg. I love Anya and Marcus and I loved reading about them in The Slab. But again, to have them go from still trying to figure things out on Vectes to being smooth sailing in this book? I don’t know… It just didn’t seem to have much continuity to it. And I’m supposed to buy in that they want children immediately… and somehow they adopted two… and we never really hear about them in Gears 4 and 5? Okay… sure.

I love this series. I love the world that has been built and I really hope we can have more books in the future. I wanted to love this one so badly, but I just couldn’t look past the dialogue, pacing, and characterizations. This one will be chalked up as a loss for me, and while we cross our fingers for more books, I’ll continue wondering if Marcus ever read his father’s journal from Azura and knew how much Adam loved him.

[Ben-Roy Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've come to it at last, the end of the Gears of War book series.

While the Karen Travis era will likely never be topped, Michael A. Stackpole's one and only entry, so far, is a welcomed return to what makes this expanded fiction so enjoyable to drive into. These are books revolving around war and the dirty politics that would take place at the end of the world. Or one on the brink at least. Whereas the prior two felt very much like wheel spinning.

Ephyra Rising takes place in the fertile ground between Gears of War 3 and 4. Territory that probably wouldn't make for a great game in the franchise, but a fascinating time period of reconstruction. It is honestly cool to see how Delta adjusted shortly after finding their tomorrow. Be it starting to learn a farmer's life, building robots meant for building new cities, or starting a Thrashball league.

But the major part of this is told in two parts, Marcus getting to farm and occasionally killing shit, but Anya falling into the political realm. Which honestly is handled so elegantly, it all works. The book also gets bonus points for including Aaron Griffin. Now that we know he is still in the mix, let's get him and Ice T back for Gears of War 6.

If we can't have Karen Travis back, who fleshed out this world to astounding levels, then I'd personally love to have Michael A. Stackpole carry on with the series. But as it has been fair few years since 2021 now, it doesn't look hopeful. Fingers crossed.

[Zeke · Rating 2 out of 5]

For someone like me, who is absolutely in love with the Gears of War franchise, who’s played all the games (besides the pop funko one lol,) who’s read all the comics, who’s read all the rest of the books, who will soak up whatever the Coalition puts out…..this book was a massive disappointment.

First hearing about this book, I was so excited. Taking place after the events of 3 and two decades before 4? Sounds great! Featuring a cast of our faves who we miss and love? Sounds awesome! Locust returning! Sure! Extra world building? Yes, please!

Was any of this successfully delivered? Well….

One, Stackpole is great at building a world and setting a tone for the story. The action scenes were great, they were a lot of fun, but…..he’s got no darn idea how these characters work.

While there’s little nitpicks for me here and there with characters like Anya and Hoffman, the most glaring and, downright unforgivable, is the characterization of Marcus Fenix.

Marcus was so massively, glaringly, DIABOLICALLY out of character throughout this book, it felt like I was slogging through mud when it was his turn on the page. Just a complete misunderstanding of his entire character. There were a few sins, but one was just unforGIVABLE to me. I just couldn’t get past it.

Now, we all know Marcus Fenix as a man of many words. Him having dialogue isn’t bad, it’s expected, because he does talk, but when he and that Brandon guy, who he’s known for like. Two weeks. Show up to Maria’s hometown. And he starts laying out just about EVERYTHING he’s been thinking about since Dom died, how Dom asked Maria’s dad to marry her, all that…..I had to put the book down. It was an EARTH SHATTERING moment for me. I was like. BRANDON? GUY HE’S KNOWN FOR TWO WEEKS? MARCUS FENIX IS BARING HIS SOUL FOR A STRANGER? MAN….

And it sucks, because Marcus is building back up Anya’s family estate. He’s building, gardening, hunting, using his hands, getting to know his neighbors, that’s so good! And it’s great because Marcus is not only physically building up this grand estate, but mentally building himself up as well. He’s trying to move on from the Locust and the war and the human genocide by pouring himself into something constructive, and that’s great! That’s awesome! But the book fails so spectacularly at guiding Marcus through a journey of healing in a way that makes sense for him.

Besides that, I did enjoy the game of politics Anya is forced to play in. I thought it was interesting to see all that still play out even though humanity is a shadow of its former glory. I didn’t expect the book to jump right into a full humanitarian aid situation that leads Anya to Jinn just yet, but it would’ve been nice to see Anya broach that a bit more. Baird and Cole were fun to see again. Clay was there. Yeah.

Now, this is not the dark and grim gorefest that Traviss delivers, nor is it the clean-cut, gut-punching ride that Hough delivers, and I didn’t expect it to be just like the previous novels, but it does NOTHING to set itself apart from the previous novels besides “look, more Gears!” Not a bad goal to have, but definitely a step down and a disappointment compared to predecessors. Maybe Coalition should’ve just published a Scorpio Squad origin story instead.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It's the first gears book I've read. I know it's the the 8th in the series but as Im a big fan of gears I'm very familiar with the lore and story from the games ect after reading the description that this book was just after the events of gears 3 and before the 4th game I knew I could go in having a idea what was going on.
It was so interesting to see the gears soldiers trying to settle down in a time of peace thinking they have defeated the locus. The small details really captivated me.Normally I dont care much for romance but I really enjoyed the relationship and romance with Marcus and anya living a peaceful life together (until called back to action) I loved the whole setting, seeing the aftermath and signs of the war everywhere, broken blown up buildings, trying to rebuild ect the struggle to get food, drink and supplies. The author did a great job with the details. I hope all the books in the series are this good but with different authors we shall see.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot was kind of dull, the characterization for Marcus in particular was not great, and for a series that is actually surprisingly critical of the military industrial complex and the decision to use the Hammer of Dawn in 1 A.E., the HOD apologist narrative was a little jarring. I did like that it attempted to show Marcus struggling with PTSD now that the fighting is done, and how quickly humans revert back to politics and backstabbing after the apocalypse, but overall kind of disappointing.

Nitpicks that bother only me: 1) Drove me up the wall that Baird was referred to as “Damon” most of the time; 2) Why are Marcus and Hoffman apparently on bad terms when their whole relationship arc in the Traviss books was one of mutual respect?

[TonyAntSonWil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this because I am a huge fan of the Gears of War universe but I didn't. I just found it boring and very one dimensional. For a Gears of War novel this was far far far too political and not enough gritty lancering action that Gears expect.

Could have been great but what we have ended up with is a mediocre book at best. Such a shame for me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this audio on a drive with my husband, who has played every Gears game multiple times over and enjoyed the previous 7 books (I've only read the books myself).

I don't know Mr. Stackpole's familiarity with the source material, but despite never playing the games I could tell that many of the characters spoke and behaved in ways that seemed extremely out of character for them- Marcus, Anya, and even Hoffman. If I had a physical or ebook copy I would've flagged how many times anyone, particularly Marcus, grinned or laughed: it was jarringly out of character for him.

It also felt like the there was no real stakes or tension, which was at odds with the rest of the series. I understand that because this took place between games 3 and 4 they couldn't kill off anyone major and I don't necessarily think they should have, but as my husband just said "I listened through chapter 7 and I still don't know what the stakes were yet."

So unfortunately, I don't know who I could recommend this to- not Gears fans unless they're series completionists, but there's also not enough world building or self-contained plot to make sense as a standalone sci-fi novel to someone unfamiliar with the franchise. 😕

[Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Addtion to the Gears Universe

I would give the book 5 stars but it just lacked a few elements of the other books. Maybe it's due to the political-warfare perspective we see through Anya which seemed unecessarly drawn out and cliche. I enjoyed the dark aspects of the series, the grim details of unpleasant situations seens through the eyes of a hardned warrior like Marcus who clings to what humanity he himself has left. It was great to see returning Delta members and hopefully we see more return to this unfinished story like Dizzy and his girls, what about Bernie Mataki and her dog or Miran Trescu and his people of Grosnaya. Alot is left to be desired in these follow up Gears novels.

[Igor Veloso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about new beginings, vulnerability, diplomacy and politics. Not too deep, of course, and the plot is not new per se, but it is new in the world of Gears. We are introduced to the making of settlements, government, markets and a nice story about private security and forbidden research.

There is little action, which is a plus in this one. We get somewhat of a calmer Marcus, and we follow Anya on her quest to help bring order and civilization to a lawless world.

It will feel different to those familiar with the previous books. New folk who are not looking for action focused Gears may enjoy this one.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I discovered Gears of War when it first came out I, like most people, were drawn to the inventive action, the over-the-top characters, and the stark, ruined beauty of the world that had been created. However, whilst I soon saw other fans moving from the main story into the multi-player and Horde modes as each successive iteration of the franchise came out I was instead drawn to the story, the setting, and the characters. I enjoyed picking up the books, reading the comics, and replaying the campaign over and over again. And when the series made a jump forward in time by decades with Gears of War 4 I was super intrigued by what had gone on in that time gap, and the world building that had happened.

Whilst we get some of this information in the games with files that can be found and snippets of dialogue it's been the novels where we've really had the chance to find out what happened after the defeat of the Locust and the Lambent, before the rise of the Swarm. And Gears of War: Ephyra Rising might give us the best insight into this period yet.

Picking up several weeks after the end of the third game the book begins with Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud having finished their time in the COG and trying to make a new life together in the remains of Anya's family estate. Whilst the house has been damaged over the years there's still enough of it there to be repaired and rebuilt, providing Marcus with a distraction to keep him mind busy whilst he begins to process the trauma of everything that he's been through during the war.

Whilst Marcus deals with the estate Anya finds herself being approached to help rebuild in another way, as Jamila Shin, a woman with a lot of political connections, tries to bring together influential and powerful people in a bid to build a new form of government that can try and help everyone. Not wanting a career in politics, but knowing that her skills would prove useful and that she could do some genuine good, Anya agrees to help, and begins to form a new Ministry. As Anya begins to learn the ins and outs of political power, as well as finding innovative ways to try and rebuild society, Marcus is approached by Brandon Turrall, a survivor of the war with connections to many small settlements, who has heard stories of surviving Locust. With Anya using her skills to help the world Marcus feels he can finally use his to do some good, and agrees to head out into the wilds with Brandon to make sure that the Locust are finished once and for all.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about Gears of War: Ephyra Rising is how little of the book is given over to action and firefights. Now, that doesn't mean that there aren't any, or that fans of those things will come away disappointed, but for the longest time reading this I didn't even think about those things. I was so engrossed in the story of this world and these people that I'd come to care about that it didn't even occur to me that a book based on an action game would involve action. Michael A. Stackpole had done such a good job in breathing life into Marcus, Anya, and the others that I didn't need monsters and explosions to enjoy things, I simply needed more time with them.

One of the prime examples of how well Stackpole deals with these characters in a setting none of them have ever really been in before, a time of peace, is what's done with Marcus. When Marcus and Anya first arrive at the Storud estate he's full of hope. He's got hope for building a life with the woman he loves, of starting a family together, and spending his time rebuilding the house and growing tomatoes. But slow things begin to turn for him. It begins with how he feels naked when not wearing his armour, how he unconsciously scans his environment for escape route, cover, and places where the enemy could be hiding. He slowly comes to the realisation that the world around him is at peace, but part of him is still at war.

It's not just that Marcus is always on edge though, but the grief that he also has to work through. Early on in his time at the estate he finds the bodies of a young woman and her baby on the land, both having died some time before. This is far from the first body he's seen, even the first dead civilian; but something about it causes him more pain than he's used to. He sees these two bodies as a symbol for all the death during the war, all of the pain and the loss, and sees how close they were to making it through the war alive before dying. Then there's the memories of Dom, the thoughts that sneak up on him when he's least expecting it but leaving him spiralling into depression.

This book takes a figure who has always been portrayed as this big, macho figure, a hero larger than life who's the first to run into danger and can do incredible things, and it shows the real man underneath it all. We see that the scars from the war run a lot deeper than they appear, and how even the bravest, most idolised soldiers come back from that hell as changed, hurt people. And this is why it makes perfect sense for him to go back out into the world to face more danger. He doesn't feel that the war has really finished with him, that even though the fighting might be done it still has his claws in him. He might be going out there to make sure the Locust have gone, and to save some people, but he's also out there to put a lot of his own demons to rest.

Whilst Anya doesn't have as much emotional trauma to work through as Marcus she does get ample things to do in this book, with an almost equal amount of the book given over to her and her story. Having played the later gears games I know that Anya will become the First Minister, and that she helped to shape the society that would rise from the ashes, so it's interesting to see her here as a person who wants nothing to do with politics and needs to be convinced to get involved. Over the course of the book we see her discovering parts of herself she never knew that she had, of her ability to not only manage people, but to see through their exterior and figure out what they're really after and the deceptions underneath. Anya doesn't end the book being First Minister, or even wanting the job, but the Anya from the beginning of the novel isn't the one there at the end, and it's easier to see how she would go on to become one of the most important political figures on Serra.

Outside of Anya and Marcus there are several returning faces throughout the book. We get a brief appearance from Colonel Hoffman, whose relationship with Marcus has definitely changed since these stories began, as well as the surviving members of Delta Squad. The one who gets the most time and development is Baird, and we get to see not only the formation of DB Industries, but also how he becomes one of the most important people in humanity's survival, helping to innovate new technologies and strategies to keep people alive. We also get to catch up with Cole, who's always a delight, as well as having appearances from Samantha Byrne and Clayton Carmine.

The book also introduces several new figures to the Gears of War mythos. There are a number of important political and industrial figures who play large parts in Anya's story, but the best new character is easily Brandon Turrall. Having grown up surviving out in the world during the Locust War Brandon is one of the few non-Gears who seems to be able to earn Marcus' respect, and the friendship that forms between the two of them feels very genuine, and well earned. He doesn't hold Marcus on a pedestal like some do, nor does he look down upon him for being a soldier. The two of them understand that the other did what they had to do to survive, and that their skills are useful and important. He's one of the few characters introduced in the book who I'm genuinely sad isn't in the games, as I'd love to see where he went after this, and if his friendship with Marcus got to carry on.

Fans of Gears of War who, like myself, love the characters and the world and want to see more of it and learn about the gaps between the games are definitely going to enjoy this book. It answers some very important questions about how society began to rebuild itself after the Locust War, and how the members of Delta Squad began their journey to where we find them in Gears of War 4. It takes its time to examine how the war effected these people, how it changed them, and how the hopes for a better world afterwards shape them too. As much a character piece as an action story, this was an absolute delight from start to finish.

[Centurion Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time gears of war fan, I couldn't give this book a miss.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it is written but it didn't have the full feel of the gears of war I know. There isn't alot of action and the book focuses mainly on politics and the rebuilding effort after the locust war.

As the front cover suggests, the two lead characters/ points of view, is from Marcus and anya as they struggle to rebuild both there own home and humanity. Just six months after Gears of war 3, humanity must survive. With lack of food, water, leadership and homes to settle the going is tough.

Anya is asked to help rebuild society and it infrastructure/politics, while Marcus is tasked with trying to fend of his demons from the past war and rebuild anya's old family home.

People familiar with the series of games and older novels will see their favourite characters in this book and we really see a more human side to these characters which is refreshing and the story itself fills in some plot holes between gears 3 and 4 which would make die hard fans like myself of the series what to read it.

Over all an enjoyable experience, if somewhat different than expected.

[Alyssa Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Least favorite Gears book by far. I thought the pacing was all wrong, the content matter was a bit crap, and the author had NO grasp as to the characters of the games and other books. It was super disappointing. I wanted to get more info later on, such as how Anya starts the fertility clinic, and things further away from the Locust war than just 4-6 months.

I thought giving Marcus an internal monologue was terrible. I also thought him and Anya being lovey dovey did not compute. They love each other, sure, but he expresses love in his own way. Marcus has never been super physical, nor has he been verbally expressive. It just was NOT cohesive with who Marcus is at his core.

Anyway, this is one I won't ever read again.

[Alek Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it more than the stories by Jason Hough. Not sure if that's due to the better characters or the overall story itself. I will say that the more vulnerable and expressive portrayal of Marcus and his feelings toward Anya was jarring. Through three games and all the Karen Travis books he always seems emotionally repressed, so I guess the take away is that post-war Marcus is one that can finally say "I love you".

Not a boring plot but I will say that Marcus's hunt for the truth plot line was more interesting than Anya's political side of the story.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I was so excited for more Gears content and I truly was not disappointed. While there were a few moments that the dialog made me think "hmmm, that's not a very Marcus thing to say", for the most part I thought the characters were well represented. The author did a fabulous job of really delving into the political aspect of what was thought to be the end of the Locust crisis. A true Gears fan will most definitely appreciate this tie in to the epic gaming series.

[Amy Wolford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great installment for the gears of War books. It was nice to see a softer side to the stoic Marcus and amusing that a sourdough starter was his new nemesis. The relationship between Marcus and Anya is sweet something that we never saw in the games or the previous books. Seeing how the people got back on their feet after the war was nice to see since we never got that between the 3rd and 4th game.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gears of War: Ephyra Rising — Michael A. Stackpole

★★★★☆ 4/5

Ephyra Rising is an interesting addition to the Gears of War universe because, rather than simply giving us another story about Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad fighting their way through hordes of Locust, Michael A. Stackpole asks a much more interesting question:

What happens after the war is finally over?

The novel takes place shortly after the events of Gears of War 3, following the destruction of the Locust and Lambent threats and the devastating state in which Sera has been left. Humanity has technically won, but there is very little that resembles an actual victory. Cities are destroyed, governments have collapsed, populations have been scattered, and generations of people have known nothing except war.

For the survivors, winning the war is only the beginning.

And honestly, that’s what makes Ephyra Rising such an interesting Gears story.

A Different Kind of Gears Story

Going into this book, I expected something much closer to the traditional Gears of War formula: Marcus, Cole, Baird, Carmine, Lancers, Locust, explosions, and a whole lot of chainsawing enemies in half.

There is certainly action here, but Stackpole wisely doesn’t make that the entire point of the novel.

Instead, the book spends considerable time exploring what happens when soldiers who have spent practically their entire lives fighting suddenly find themselves living in a world where there isn’t an obvious war to fight anymore.

That is particularly important for Marcus.

Marcus Fenix has spent years being defined by combat. Being a Gear isn’t simply his occupation; it’s practically his identity. Take away the Locust, and suddenly he has to figure out who he actually is.

That’s a surprisingly compelling character problem.

Marcus is still Marcus. He’s still blunt, intimidating, stubborn, and perfectly capable of solving problems with overwhelming firepower when necessary. But Ephyra Rising gives us more insight into the person underneath the armor.

We get to see Marcus dealing with the consequences of everything he’s experienced and trying to imagine an actual future.

And that makes some of the quieter moments surprisingly effective.

Marcus and Anya

One of my favorite aspects of the novel is its focus on Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud.

The games obviously establish their relationship, but the demands of the games don’t always give them much opportunity to simply exist as people outside of combat.

Here, Stackpole has considerably more room to explore that relationship.

Marcus and Anya are attempting to build something resembling a normal life while simultaneously dealing with a world that has almost completely collapsed around them.

There is something genuinely satisfying about watching these two characters think about a future rather than simply trying to survive until tomorrow.

Anya in particular gets an opportunity to step out of the traditional military-support role we’ve primarily seen her occupy and become involved in the political reconstruction of Sera.

That storyline works well because rebuilding civilization is arguably just as difficult as defeating the Locust.

Destroying things is easy.

Building something better afterward is considerably harder.

Anya’s Story Is Just as Important as Marcus’s

The political side of the story might initially sound like it would be boring compared to a traditional Gears campaign, but I actually appreciated it.

Anya has to deal with the question of what kind of government should replace the devastated systems of the old world.

The Coalition of Ordered Governments has been through hell, and simply putting the old system back together isn’t necessarily the answer.

There are competing personalities, competing political philosophies, competing settlements, and plenty of people who aren’t willing to simply trust the old leadership anymore.

Anya finds herself having to negotiate, compromise, build alliances, and determine who can actually be trusted.

It’s a completely different kind of battlefield from the one Marcus is accustomed to.

And that’s intentional.

Marcus is fighting to determine whether humanity still faces an immediate physical threat.

Anya is fighting to determine whether humanity can actually build a future worth surviving for.

The contrast between their stories works extremely well.

The Real Enemy

One of the novel’s strongest ideas is that once the Locust are removed from the equation, humanity doesn’t suddenly become peaceful.

There are still opportunists.

There are still criminals.

There are still people willing to exploit desperate survivors.

There are still political factions willing to manipulate fear.

And there are still people who see the devastation of Sera as an opportunity rather than a tragedy.

That fits the Gears universe extremely well.

The series has always portrayed humanity as being capable of doing terrible things to itself, even before the Locust War. Ephyra Rising continues that tradition by showing that eliminating the monstrous enemy doesn’t eliminate human greed, ambition, resentment, or corruption.

In some ways, that’s more frightening than another Locust attack.

Delta Squad Is Back

Naturally, one of the biggest selling points for longtime fans is getting to spend more time with familiar characters.

Seeing Marcus, Baird, Cole, and other members of the Gears cast interacting again is a lot of fun.

The novel understands that part of the appeal of Gears of War isn’t simply the setting or the action. It’s the personalities.

Baird’s arrogance.

Cole’s larger-than-life personality.

Marcus’s bluntness.

The camaraderie between soldiers who have spent years surviving impossible situations together.

Stackpole does a good job of bringing these characters back into the story without making the book feel like nothing more than a reunion tour.

Cole in particular gets an interesting direction because he’s trying to reconnect with the civilian world and bring some happiness back into people’s lives.

That fits Cole surprisingly well.

After spending so long being a soldier, it’s interesting to see him consider what it means to actually give people something to live for.

The Worldbuilding Is Probably the Best Part

If there’s one reason I’d particularly recommend Ephyra Rising to someone who enjoys the Gears novels, it’s the worldbuilding.

The games jump from the end of Gears 3 to the much more established postwar society of Gears 4. There’s a huge amount of history sitting between those two points.

What happened to Sera?

How did humanity begin rebuilding?

How did surviving settlements reconnect?

How did political institutions begin returning?

What happened to the surviving Gears?

How did Marcus and Anya eventually transition into the lives we see later?

Ephyra Rising doesn’t answer every question, but it gives us a glimpse into that missing period.

And I appreciate that Stackpole doesn’t try to turn the novel into a giant encyclopedia explaining every single event between the games.

Instead, we’re following a specific story during the early stages of reconstruction.

That makes the world feel lived-in rather than simply providing exposition.

But Don’t Expect Gears 3.5

This is probably the biggest warning I’d give prospective readers.

If you’re expecting Gears of War 3.5, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

This isn’t a nonstop action novel.

There are battles, firefights, military operations, and plenty of Gears-style violence, but there are also long stretches devoted to politics, rebuilding, character development, and Marcus and Anya trying to figure out what their lives are supposed to look like now.

Personally, I think that’s a strength.

But I completely understand why some readers might find the pacing slower than expected.

The original Gears novels, particularly the Karen Traviss books, established a particular rhythm and style that many fans associate with the expanded universe. Ephyra Rising feels somewhat different.

It’s more interested in the aftermath than the war itself.

The Biggest Weakness: The Story Feels Smaller Than Expected

My biggest criticism is that the novel sometimes feels like it’s setting up a much larger story without actually being able to tell that larger story.

There is an enormous amount of history between Gears 3 and Gears 4, and I kept finding myself thinking:

“Okay, but what about this?”

“What happened with that?”

“How did we eventually get from here to the world of Gears 4?”

The novel provides pieces of the puzzle, but it doesn’t provide the entire picture.

That’s understandable because this isn’t supposed to be a comprehensive history of the 25-year period between the games.

Still, it can occasionally make the book feel somewhat incomplete.

There are developments that feel as though they’re laying groundwork for stories that we may never get to see.

That’s simultaneously intriguing and frustrating.

Stackpole’s Writing

Michael A. Stackpole was an interesting choice for this novel.

His background with military science fiction and major licensed universes makes him a natural fit for Gears of War. He understands how to write military action, but he also understands that characters and politics can be just as important as explosions.

His action scenes are particularly cinematic.

When the fighting does happen, it feels appropriately brutal and kinetic.

You can practically imagine the camera cuts, the Lancers firing, characters diving into cover, and the battlefield exploding around them.

But I think his bigger accomplishment here is resisting the temptation to make every chapter a firefight.

The quieter sections allow the setting to breathe.

Does It Feel Like Gears?

Yes.

But it feels like a different side of Gears.

The grimness is still there.

The military culture is still there.

The humor is still there.

The violence is still there.

The enormous scale of Sera’s destruction is still there.

But underneath all of that is something the games don’t have as much time to explore:

hope.

The entire point of the story is that humanity has survived.

Now it has to decide what to do with that survival.

That’s a surprisingly hopeful premise for a franchise famous for blood, misery, giant monsters, and chainsaw rifles.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed Gears of War: Ephyra Rising.

It’s not necessarily the most explosive or memorable Gears novel, and I can understand why some longtime readers might find the slower political material less exciting.

But I think it’s an important story for the universe because it explores a period that the games largely skip over.

The Locust War is over.

The heroes survived.

The monsters are gone.

Now what?

That’s the question this novel is really interested in.

Marcus has to learn that he can’t spend the rest of his life fighting.

Anya has to learn that rebuilding civilization can be just as difficult as fighting a war.

The survivors of Sera have to figure out how to construct a society from the ruins of the old one.

And, perhaps most importantly, the characters have to figure out what they’re actually fighting for now that they’ve spent so long fighting simply to survive.

I wouldn’t recommend Ephyra Rising as someone’s first introduction to Gears of War. You’ll get much more out of it if you’ve played at least the original trilogy, particularly Gears of War 3.

But for fans who have always wondered what happened immediately after the ending of Gears 3, this is a worthwhile look at that missing chapter of Sera’s history.

It isn’t the story of humanity winning the war.

It’s the story of humanity trying to figure out what winning actually means.

Final Rating: 4/5 ⭐

Recommended for: Gears of War fans, military science-fiction readers, fans of post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, and anyone interested in Marcus and Anya’s lives after the Locust War.

Best aspect: Character development and exploring postwar Sera.

Weakest aspect: The story can feel smaller and less consequential than the enormous gap between Gears 3 and Gears 4 might lead you to expect.

Overall: A surprisingly thoughtful Gears of War novel that trades some of the franchise’s usual nonstop action for character development, politics, reconstruction, and an exploration of what happens when soldiers finally have to live in a world without a war.

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ephyra Rising is a good read that feels like it fills in significant gaps in the Gears of War timeline and does some good character work -- I just wish it stuck the landing more successfully.

This novel is, as of this review, the only look we have at the time between the end of Gears of War 3 and the beginning of Gears of War 4. I admire how the series jumped forward and slowly rolled out information about the new state of things -- it's a great way to build new reveals into a decades-old universe -- but I'll admit that I was curious to learn more about what happened to Marcus, Anya, and the rest of Delta Squad (and how society rebuilt into what we see in Gears of War 4).

Ephyra Rising answers some questions, but it's limited in scope. Rather than a tell-all book that completely bridges the gap between games, it focuses directly on the initial rebuild: the reformation of government and cleaning up potential Locust stragglers. It's a good balance of interesting information and leaving some things in reserve. We still don't know much about the next 25 years, and there are plenty of story threads from Gears of War 4 that deserve being picked up eventually.

Much of the book feels like a slow character study of Marcus, Anya, and their relationship. This is when the story is at its best. I loved the scenes of the two of them rebuilding their estate, spending time together, and slowly venturing out into what remains of the world to figure out where a societal rebuild would even begin.

Unfortunately, Anya and Marcus eventually go off on their own missions: Anya to help reform the government and Marcus to track down reports of Locust. Some of Marcus' story is interesting as he visits various settlements and we learn more about the state of the world. But Anya's adventures into politics lack many engaging hooks. Politics doesn't have to be boring, but Anya herself isn't particularly interested in it -- so she gets stuck with the less interesting logistical jobs that also aren't all that fun to read about.

Anya and Marcus are also each saddled with a flimsy side character to assist them. Anya has Jamila Shin, someone who is actually good at politics but isn't portrayed as particularly savvy (we're told she's this great politician, but rarely see it). Marcus has Brandon Turrall, whose most notable characteristic is that he's there too -- narration even remarks on occasion that Brandon gets included in important conversations because he's tagging along with Marcus, and he seems to exist just to give Marcus someone to talk to in long stretches where Marcus would otherwise be by himself. It's a shame to see these and other secondary characters given the short end of the stick, considering how this book made me appreciate Anya and Marcus so much more.

Eventually there's some action toward the end (not nearly as engaging to read as the slower parts) and a clear antagonist is revealed -- but the reveal happened so quickly that I still don't understand how all the dots were connected to reveal them. It just felt like the time had come to get to the climax, so now our heroes need to immediately pin the blame on the correct character.

While Ephyra Rising is not without its issues, I still think it's an easy recommendation for people interested in the broader Gears of War story. If you're looking to see more of Marcus and Anya's relationship or learn the very first steps to rebuilding what we see in Gears of War 4, this is the place to go.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay Y'all, I just finished this book! Let me tell ya it was exactly what I wanted/needed! The author, Michael A. Stockpile absolutely killed it! If you've played the games, you'll know that at the end of GOW3 the ICM happens. This fantastic book picks up shortly after that!

In this book, you get to see a different side of the characters we all love. The side of them that isn't driven by war with the locusts, fighting for humanity, or dealing with a loss of a friend. In this book you get to see the softer side of Mr. Marcus Fenix which I adored! Stackpole captured the personalities so well. Especially with Bairds cocky ego! (He is my favorite if you didn't notice the little Damon funko next to my book in the pic)

The story though is what blew my mind, I didn't see any of the plot twists coming at all. It kept me on my toes throughout the entire book! The story was simply amazing, now I need Michael A Stackpole to write and release another Gears novel as soon as possible. Soo, if you're reading this please tell me they'll be more!

If you like the story in the Gears of War games, then definitely read this book and also read the two by Jason Hough, and the 5 by Karen Traviss! This one is definitely a 5 star read for me!

[OnyxCrimsonBlur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having finished the other two previous books Ascendance and Bloodlines, Ephyra Rising was a breath of fresh air.

Yes, some of it was dialog and exposition, but I felt it was needed here to explain what was happening after the ICM and how events unfolded that were leading up to the events of Gears 4. Although it didn't answer the biggest questions I still have, it made me see Marcus and Anya's relationship in a new light and the beginnings of Marcus trying to fit into civilian life. I believe Mike did a decent job of capturing this.

In private, Marcus is more open and in public Marcus is more stoic. Either way, this read was much more enjoyable and did a great job bridging the gap. I look forward to another book by Mike for the Gears universe. Hopefully that answers the more pressing questions I have as to Anya becoming First Minister, the birth of James, and of course the events of her death.

[Eric Leeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Gears of War series up to book #6 before I played any of the games; this was useful to me as it provided me with a great background of information and an appreciation of many plot points that would have gone over my head if I had not spent the time to read them.

This novel takes place between Gears 3 and Gears 4. The world is trying to come back from the brink of the apocalypse and there are many that think that they should have all the privileges that they enjoyed prior to the locusts arrival. Others want to become the absolute rulers of humanity and keep everyone under their control, following the rules they have set and imposing limits on how many can rise up and become part of the "elites".

Lots of action, some interesting political fights and a decent couple of twists. I enjoyed this book like I have all the others.

[Sasch Stormcloak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder what happened after the Locust War emdes? This is your book.
All Gears novels so far have been a great add to the GoW lore, but this is by far one of my favourites. Although the last two novels were a great addition to the universe and greatly expanded on the story told after Gears 4 and 5, there still remained a tremendous gap about what happened just after the Locust War ended and humanity started to reconstruct Sera and what would eventually become the New Coalition of Ordered Governments. In any case, the novel just focuses on the events occurring in the few months inmediately after the ICM was activated, so there still remains a massive 25-year gap that I hope will be further explored in future novels. Give me more of this good stuff!

[Dave Haenze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it. I've been a fan of Stackpole's Star Wars books for years, so having him writing something in the Gears universe piqued me interest.

This books might not have as much action as the previous books by Karen Traviss, but I still found it really interesting - the main Gears story is arguably post-apocalyptic. Very few books that I've read focus on the immediate aftermath of solving the apocalyptic threat and the effort to actually rebuild society.

My only negative of the book is that based on the blurb, I thought it would cover more of the gap between Gears 3 and 4, whereas this starts about 6 months after the end of 3, and ends maybe three or four months later.

[Alex Orcutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This latest installment in the series, for the first time, left me genuinely wanting to know what the future holds for the Gears. The story was engaging, though at times it felt somewhat rushed, particularly as multiple storylines were built up only to conclude rather quickly. Despite this, the narrative maintained a strong momentum, offering another true page turner filled with the high-intensity action I have come to expect from Hough. Overall, it was a satisfying addition that continued the series' newfound energy and left me eager to see how the story would evolve.

[Austin Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much action, but that's ok. The world building and expanding on the Post Locust war was very interesting. Marcus was alittle bit lovey dovey, but I'll give this small gripe a pass since he has had character development in the past, so I'm open to him being more open, especially with Anya. Fan of Gears? I recommend it.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest I found this book to be boring it comes to late to be needed in terms of lore as this book should of came out before gears 4 also I'll add that this is the first gears book I DNF i got about 3 hours into the audiobook and I just thought why am i carrying on when im not enjoying it. I reccomend all the other gears books but this one can be ignored

[Suki Rickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ephyra rising

This book is a pre quell to the other author that wrote about the bots. I enjoyed the book overall, but would have liked more out of it. It dragged a bit and was a bit predictable. Better than the other author they chose for the bot books.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was good but rushed. I actually enjoyed this book more than some of the others. The prose was more like the first 5 books. The timing of this book - at the very end - is weird placement. This "series" does not go in chronological order at all.

[Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the exploration of grief from surviving two back to back wars and losing many friends

Seeing what goes on in Marcus' head is great

This does further annoy me that they killed Anya off screen to force Marcus and JD's relationship to fracture

[Marco A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the last. Loved the internal dialogue. Good to see Delta back doing excellent work.

[Andrew William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book to have between gears 3 and 4. I hope another book is released soon!