Brilliant way to bridge between GOW 2 and 3 games. Fills in a lot of holes and helps you put perspective on events in GOW 3. Fantastic piece of stand alone fiction ( )

A good read. It was not as action oriented as some of the previous three books and dwelt a bit more on characters and their interactions. Well done and sets up the 3rd game well but not my favorite of the books.

I am duper glad they finally released a hardback edition. :) ( )

The world renowned Gears of War Novel Series and Award Winning Video Games comes to life like never before. Bringing insight into some of your favorite characters such as Dizzy, Bernie, and Cole and what happened on Emergence Day (E-Day) when the Locus Hoard emerged from underneath Sierra. Thrilling, action packed adventure with your favorite hero’s Marcus and Dom. ( )

Gears of War (for those of you who are not gamers) is the action packed 3rd-person shooter from Epic Studios. There are 3 games in the series; with the last one released this past September. Gears of War: Coalition’s End takes place between Gears of War: Anvil Gate and Gears of War 3, bridging the gap between the third book and the third game. It is a welcomed addition to the Gears universe, offering insight to Emergence Day, while shedding light onto other questions readers have had in the past. For any Gears of War fan this book is a definite must-read!



Overall I found Coalition’s End to be one of the best books in the Gears or War series. It works well as a standalone title; however I do recommend reading the previous novels (and maybe playing the games) so that one can get a better understanding of the characters, the Gears universe, and the basic story arc. Traviss’s strengths are depicted through her descriptions and attention to detail. Most of the time I felt as if I was in the middle of the fight as one of the Polyps rose from the ground. Action scenes are definitely one of the best parts of this novel. This book is also emotionally charged taking readers into the psyche of several of our beloved characters. Told in the standard Gears fashion of ‘flashbacks’, there is a prevalent theme of fighting through the odds, pulling together, and not losing focus or hope. Humanity is on the brink of extension and it is felt on every page.



Despite having flashbacks in this novel (which I feel is overused in these books), Traviss does an excellent job of engaging readers. I must admit there were a few times I zoned out because of flashbacks and how they pulled me out of the story. A full chapter in the present and another full chapter in the past can be a little overwhelming. But I continued to trudge through them because the story was still excellent. If you are the type of reader who does not enjoy the type of story that has this constant back and forth/past and present drilled into a book, then you might not make it to the end. This is probably my only complaint about the book, because in my humble opinion, it divided my attention and never let me fully stay in the midst of the current action/objective.

Gears of War: Coalition’s End is an awesome must-buy for all Gears fans. It’s well written, engaging, and a great Science Fiction adventure. Expect blood and gore, emotional highs and lows, questions to be answered and some left open to be referenced in the game. It’s a ride that will take you full steam ahead and prepare you for what’s to come if you still haven’t played Gears of War 3.

Originally Reviewed On: MotherGamerwriter.com ( )

The world renowned Gears of War Novel Series and Award Winning Video Games comes to life like never before. Bringing insight into some of your favorite characters such as Dizzy, Bernie, and Cole and what happened on Emergence Day (E-Day) when the Locus Hoard emerged from underneath Sierra. Thrilling, action packed adventure with your favorite hero’s Marcus and Dom. ( )