Welcome to the Halo Book Club! Please read the specifics about this particular festivity before participating:
This Is the Way the Book Ends: Introducing the Halo Book Club
Current selection: Halo: Evolutions, "Dirt"
Assigned: March 18th, 2011
Recommended completion date: March 31st, 2011
Discussion opens: March 31st, 2011
Related fanart: by Levi Hoffmeier
Rules
- Participation is optional and open to all forum members.
- Standard forum rules apply (brush up on our forum guidelines here).
- Participants are expected to keep discussion on-topic and relating to the books only.
- Please do not address your questions to 343 Industries but instead direct them to fellow Halo Book Club participants.
*While the book club is not intended to be a place to ask 343 Industries specific questions, it will provide a structured, friendly environment for those interested in participating in spirited, book-related discussion with fellow fans. The beginning will be discussed first, but please be advised this thread may contain spoilers if you have yet to complete the book. Enter at your own risk!
Since Dirt is shorter than a traditional novel, I’m guessing the majority of you have already finished reading it. Thus, we’ll dip right into the discussion instead of focusing on the beginning like we did last time. So, off we go!
One of the first things that jumped out at me with this particular reading assignment was the title. Short, simple, and a word that, in my opinion, has a slightly negative association with it. What sort of mood did the title set for you? And did it change while you worked your way through the story? Was your initial impression different by the time you finished reading it?
I think that Dirt is a great name for this short story…
Initially, I thought that it reflected the perception that Gage had ‘its just dirt’, dismissive, unwanted and below notice. Kind of like Gage felt compared to the marines, or the outer colonies felt towards the inner colonies… By the end of it, I felt that the title related to having dirt on someone because of the corruption that Gage encounters.
I was saddened that he seemed to have ironically become exactly what he wanted to get away from; he joined the CMA so that he could be someone, rather than ‘just’ a farm boy but then became a mechanical soldier who was treated more like dirt during the war with the covenant as demonstrated by the cold way that he recounts the deaths of his initial squadmates.
His final assertion that the war was about our dirt, [but] more importantly, who’s standing on that dirt gave a gritty tone that seemed to give the story a solid ending.
On a slightly off topic point, the first time I read this story I didnt particularly like it; couldnt connect to any of the characters but after re-reading it I definitely clicked more with the story as a whole, so thanks bs angel for inspiring me to read it again <3
As someone who appreciates the military/administration side of the Halo story Dirt stood out to me more than I thought it would. Fleshing out the relationship between the CAA and the UNSC/UEG was quite interesting to read through. Another story which muddies the moral water around the UNSC, the desire to keep the Outer and Inner Colonies united was turning brother against brother. The CMA was fighting and bleeding against their own people for a far distant overlord.
The central characters being from the CMA rather than the UNSC gave a face to the Outer Colonies which was previously only represented by Insurrectionists. We understand (and sympathise) the Outer Colonists plight and disillusionment with the UNSC far more than what we did following the Earthborn Johnson on Harvest.
The tragedy of the story is we follow Gage and the other former CMA as they lose everything they were fighting for. First with the emasculation and sidelining of the CMA by the UNSC as they embark on Operation: TREBUCHET. Then the absorption into the UNSC. The loss of the Outer Colonies. And as a final insult the requisition of the retirement allowances.
Gage, Felicia and the others of the former CMA have nothing left to fight for, after decades on the front lines they know more than anyone else (except the brass) how bad the war is going. They hold no loyalty to the Inner Colonies, so we can easily understand take their side when they decide to go postal and decide to do something for themselves after years of service.
The moral situation at the end gives the former CMA the thing they were longing for but they couldn’t see it. They wanted a reason to fight, a meaning to their deaths. What better reason than the children, the very future of humanity. Gage saw this in the end, he found something far distant from his dead home he thought he would never find. In the end he tells the Rookie (probably an Inner Colonist) how important your home is to who you are.
Apologies if my thoughts are a little all over the place I had so much I wanted to say.
Read it and sorry to say I didnt care for it. The story was kinda slow for me. It could just be me. If a story doesnt catch my interest quick I get bored with it.
I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
> Read it and sorry to say I didnt care for it. The story was kinda slow for me. It could just be me. If a story doesnt catch my interest quick I get bored with it.
I had the same experience with Dirt the first time that I read it; it felt really slow & being the impatient soul that I am, I was desperate to see some amazing Spartan action in the Evolutions book (and then books) so on re-reading at a more leisurely pace I really enjoyed it, so it may be worth coming back to it after you’ve read the other stories?
I particularly enjoyed the section where they were training on the mountain; those always seem to be my favorite bits in the books.
> I particularly enjoyed the section where they were training on the mountain; those always seem to be my favorite bits in the books.
I got my whole fill of the training thing in TFoR and GoO, once you’ve read about SPARTANS training even ODSTs seem a little tame. The highlight for me was in the middle of the story, Gage describing how hopeless the war was and out of nowhere in another seemingly lost battle, he comes across a SPARTAN. His feelings are mixed he knows that they could win the war but at the same time he felt his inadequacy.
> Read it and sorry to say I didnt care for it. The story was kinda slow for me. It could just be me. If a story doesnt catch my interest quick I get bored with it.
I fee similarly, especially coming off the back of Contact Harvest. CH is so incredibly descriptive. To me, Dirt just felt really empty. The whole middle section read, to me, like a “Greatest Hits” of the Human-Covenant War. It was really just a big list of “this happened, then this happened, then this happened” that left me feeling unattached to the characters. I think I understand the intent, it just didn’t work for me.
For my .02 cents, the most intersted and compelling part of the entire story was the gold bit near the end, but it was over and done with in just a few pages. I think, personally, that a lot more could have been done there, and Buckell could still have maintained all of the character development that he wanted to. I’m going to re-read it again pretty soon here, but my first impression was rather “meh,” unfortunately.
> > Read it and sorry to say I didnt care for it. The story was kinda slow for me. It could just be me. If a story doesnt catch my interest quick I get bored with it.
>
> I fee similarly, especially coming off the back of Contact Harvest. CH is so incredibly descriptive. To me, Dirt just felt really empty. The whole middle section read, to me, like a “Greatest Hits” of the Human-Covenant War. It was really just a big list of “this happened, then this happened, then this happened” that left me feeling unattached to the characters. I think I understand the intent, it just didn’t work for me.
I think because I’ve been familiar with the Human-Covenant war for so long now, I actually appreciated the fact that it took the ‘Greatest Hits’ approach. By this point, I can fill in a lot of the details, so I didn’t need a whole novel to delve into that. I was able to just enjoy the familiar from a different perspective - a human one (for the most part, the Halo story has been seen through the eyes of Spartans until the last few years).
One thing that immediately clicked for me was the more romantic format of the storytelling. There’s not really that many Halo stories that use older and more classical approaches, but Buckell’s story actually reminded me of a Chaucer’s Tale or something similar with its structure. You have the flashback story and you have the bookend Rookie story. Stories within stories within stories. And yet they tie back with each other. Having them influence one another like that was very smart in my opinion, and one of the reasons I wanted to keep reading.
Oh and ending it with an explosive finale definitely didn’t hurt either. 
> I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
Where does this information come from?
> > I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
>
> Where does this information come from?
It sounded right when he mentioned it but I looked it up anyway.
http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Halo3ODSTsquad
> > > I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
> >
> > Where does this information come from?
>
> It sounded right when he mentioned it but I looked it up anyway.
> http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Halo3ODSTsquad
Typos are killers. I was thinking he said his name is Luna, which is clearly wrong. I thought Rookie coming from Luna (the moon) was pretty common knowledge. Just not sure how this fit in with the story, pretty sure it’s two different Rookies.
> > > > I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
> > >
> > > Where does this information come from?
> >
> > It sounded right when he mentioned it but I looked it up anyway.
> > http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Halo3ODSTsquad
>
> Typos are killers. I was thinking he said his name is Luna, which is clearly wrong. I thought Rookie coming from Luna (the moon) was pretty common knowledge. Just not sure how this fit in with the story, pretty sure it’s two different Rookies.
Same rookie, the author confirmed it, can’t give link right now, going to go read the rest and going to bed.
The story like some of you guys said was a little slow paced. I still appreciated it though.
Hm, come on people, discuss more!
What I really like about this book is how the evolution of a human society and prejudice is demonstrated by the acceptance of [LGBT].
> I think because I’ve been familiar with the Human-Covenant war for so long now, I actually appreciated the fact that it took the ‘Greatest Hits’ approach. By this point, I can fill in a lot of the details, so I didn’t need a whole novel to delve into that. I was able to just enjoy the familiar from a different perspective - a human one (for the most part, the Halo story has been seen through the eyes of Spartans until the last few years).
That was exactly my problem with it. I’m very familiar with the war at this point. Many people are. It’s well documented in dozens of other places. I felt like the “Greatest Hits” approach was redundant and didn’t bring much new to my understanding of the conflict as a whole. I didn’t really feel like we got the war from a new perspective, as most of it was glossed over.
Lots of great discussion about the story and how it’s told. Let’s take some time to talk about the main character, Gage Yevgenny. Did you find him to be believable? What do you think about how he evolved over the course of the story? And did you relate to him? If so, why?
> > > > > I haven’t commented on it because I got to re-read it and I haven’t done it recently but for clarrification, the rookie is Luna.
> > > >
> > > > Where does this information come from?
> > >
> > > It sounded right when he mentioned it but I looked it up anyway.
> > > http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Halo3ODSTsquad
> >
> > Typos are killers. I was thinking he said his name is Luna, which is clearly wrong. I thought Rookie coming from Luna (the moon) was pretty common knowledge. Just not sure how this fit in with the story, pretty sure it’s two different Rookies.
>
> Same rookie, the author confirmed it, can’t give link right now, going to go read the rest and going to bed.
Here you are…
Same Rookie as H3:ODST 
<3 Grim
> Lots of great discussion about the story and how it’s told. Let’s take some time to talk about the main character, Gage Yevgenny. Did you find him to be believable? What do you think about how he evolved over the course of the story? And did you relate to him? If so, why?
I liked Gage a lot because he represents a particular perspective in the Halo universe we don’t get to see much. We’ve seen Colonials and Insurrectionists, but there hasn’t been much material about the Colonial military that was absorbed by the UNSC when the Covies attacked. His character develops from someone who just wants to get away to somebody who loses touch with humanity. Eventually, he manages to resolve both issues and redeems himself in his own mind by realizing what is really important. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price, but he got to go out with a bang, unlike so many characters in the lore who get suddenly taken by death.