This is the best Halo book I've yet read. It takes a well-liked, but also relatively unknown Halo character and fleshes him out. Buck is an incredible character, and I had always been curious after playing through ODST the first time about his past, and his future. Some folks can't separate Nathan Fillion from this character, but I think that's a shame. Learning the complete story of Edward Buck leading right up into Halo 5: Guardians is a truly interesting and unique experience. It's very neat to realize that Buck is, more or less, the lowest common denominator of the Halo universe. He's fought alongside the Master Chief, and Noble 6. He led Alpha-Nine. He is a long fighting member of the UNSC- experienced as he is capable, and it's really great to get a sense for how he feels about the events that occur throughout the franchise from the first person perspective. He cracks wise just like he'd do in the game, and it makes for some memorably funny moments. The narrative of the SPARTAN IV program has been a disaster until this book, but this book almost makes me okay with it. Worth a read. Or two. Or three.