The Slab

Gears of War #5

by Karen Traviss

MARCUS FENIX. WAR HERO. LOYAL SON. TRAITOR. Ten years after Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde advances on humanity’s last defended area—Ephyra—in a bloody war that has seen billions die, Marcus Fenix does the unthinkable: he defies orders and abandons his post during a critical battle in a bid to rescue his father, weapons scientist Adam Fenix. But Adam is buried in the rubble during a ferocious assault on the Fenix mansion, and Ephyra falls to the enemy. Marcus, grieving for a father everyone believes is dead, is court-martialed for dereliction of duty and sentenced to forty years in the Coalition of Ordered Government’s brutal maximum security prison, known simply as the Slab.

But Adam is very much alive, snatched from the destruction by the elite Onyx Guard on Chairman Richard Prescott’s orders. He’s now a long way from home and in a prison of his own—a COG doomsday bunker on the tropical island of Azura, a place hidden from the rest of Sera since the Pendulum Wars. His own guilty secret has been exposed: Adam knew the Locust existed deep below the surface of Sera long before Emergence Day, and were being driven from their tunnels by a lethal parasite known as the Lambent. Now he has to find a way to destroy the Lambent while the dwindling COG forces fight to hold back a growing Locust army that’s threatening to overrun the city.

As Adam struggles to find redemption in his comfortable island jail, Marcus seeks his own atonement in the squalid, closed world within the Slab’s granite walls. While Dom Santiago and Anya Stroud fight to get him released, ready to make any sacrifice to free him, Marcus gradually finds unexpected kinship among Sera’s most dangerous criminals—and a way to carry on his personal war against the Locust.

Genres: Science Fiction, Video Games, Fiction, Games, Gaming, Fantasy, Novels

464 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

#1 New York Times best-selling novelist, scriptwriter and comics author Karen Traviss has received critical acclaim for her award-nominated Wess'har series, and her work on Halo, Gears of War, Batman, G.I. Joe, and other major franchises has earned her a broad range of fans. She's best known for military science fiction, but GOING GREY and BLACK RUN, the first books in her new techno-thriller series RINGER, are set in the real world of today. A former defence correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, she lives in Wiltshire, England. She's currently working on SACRIFICIAL RED, the third book in the Ringer series, and HERE WE STAND, book three in the NOMAD series.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed all of Karen Traviss's Gears of War books so far, and The Slab is no exception. Covering the topic of Marcus's court-martial and incarceration, I knew it was going to be an intense story. I wasn't disappointed. As always, the characters she presented were multi-dimensional and believable, and I spent a great deal of the book breathlessly turning pages.

The sections of the book dealing with the Slab itself were quite believable to my mind, including how she chose to write her guards. How Marcus's incarceration affected his friends and colleagues was also spot on, as far as I'm concerned.

I only found myself thrown out of the narrative once or twice near the very end, where the book's timeline overlapped a little with the beginning of the original Gears of War game. I went into this book knowing that Ms. Traviss doesn't play the game, has been working with a world bible and the cinematic sequences, so I knew they weren't going to be precise to the game. But I've played the game several times, and the few places where her narrative didn't quite match up with the gameplay caused me a tiny bit of mental dissonance. It did nothing to lessen my enjoyment of the book, however.

If you're a Gears of War fan, or you just like gritty militaria that doesn't hold your hand, I highly recommend this book. Even someone who's never played the games will definitely enjoy it.

[Nick Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting from a book based on a big dumb but fun video game series. It was a great read. The story revolves around the events leading up and during Marcus Fenix's ( Main character from game series) stay at the lovely little prison nicknamed The Slab. This book is easily the best video game tie-in book I have read and there are a few decent ones (and one truly awful one, Tomb Raider and The Ten Thousand Immortals) that I have read. Even the narrative of the book is interesting, not once are we seeing anything from Marcus's point of view, we see him via other characters from a fellow prisoner to his BFF who calls him brother and even Hoffman (he's great). It was nice getting into the head of the supporting characters from the games and even a few who only exist in this book. This is not a quick read book, it is dense and full of ideas, in particular consequences for your actions. This is a way headier book than it needed to be and I really liked that. As to whether you can enjoy it with no knowledge of the games I am unsure and not qualified to answer that as I obviously have played all 4 games (Judgement is totally the 4th) and will play the hell out of Gears 4 later this year (I hope Karen Traviss is writing a book with that one).

Bottom line for this poorly worded and meandering "review" is that I really enjoyed it, of course being a Gears of War fan made me the target audience.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've finally hit my limit with Karen Traviss's oeuvre of books based on video game franchises with "The Slab". While previous Gears novels by Traviss provided some well-paced, much needed backstory (or even inter-story), "The Slab" serves as a collection of all of Traviss's worst traits as a writer wrapped inside the answer to a question that didn't need answering. Nothing interesting happens until the end? Check. Lots of soul-searching and hand wringing? Check. Awesome super protagonists with character slopes rather than arcs? Check.

I really liked Ms. Traviss's first few Gears books and am really enjoying her current "Batman: Arkham Unhinged" arc. But since her last Halo book, I've been wary of her tendency to spin plot wheels for a seeming eternity before ramping up to an exciting climax in the last 50 pages. And "The Slab" follows this pattern as if this book were written with an editor standing behind the author's shoulder making frantic stretching motions in the hopes to prompt enough material for two or three more books.

Other than the general event-less story, readers get a lot of dull detail as to the solemnity of Marcus Fenix, the lovesickness of Anya Stroud, the gravitas of Dom Santiago, and all the boring melodrama that people play the Gears franchise for. Wait, that's not why you play that hit military shooter? Is it for hackneyed prison stories? No? More details of what Marcus's dad was up to on a secret science island? Yes, he was just doing science; would you like 30 more pages describing that science? No?

Hmmm...so the book is boring, dreadfully repetitive, and has little of what Gears fans want to read about (i.e., fights, world-building). Guess this one's for the sad completionists only. Curse you, personal obsessive tendencies!

[Osiris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que cuando empecé este libro esperaba demasiado, considerando los anteriores libros de Traviss yo pensé que este iba a estar al mismo nivel, y lamentablemente no, no es malo como tal, de ahí que sean 3 estrellas, pero sin embargo, creo que le falta carnita.

A diferencia de los libros anteriores ahora no maneja dos lineas de tiempo, sino que se centra nada mas en los hechos que pasan entre los años 10 y 14 después del día E, más específicamente sobre que es lo que hace Marcus para terminar encarcelado, que es lo que hace Adam después de desaparecer y que es lo que hacen Anya y Dom mientras que Marcus está en la carcel.

Aun pese a que la trama del libro no es tan buena, en algunas partes simplemente no pasa nada, lo mejor y lo más rescatable son pequeñas frases de diálogo que ayudan a entender mucho mejor algunas cosas que pasan después, por ejemplo toda la relación de Anya y Marcus, porqué es que Hoffman odia a Marcus cuando sale de la prisión, como es que Dom encuentra a Marcus, pero sobre todo creo que lo mejor es lo que tiene que ver con Presscot, donde principalmente muestra Traviss por primera vez como es que piensa el presidente de la COG.

No es malo el libro, pero creo que de todos, este es el que es más para fans de la serie.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Gears of War first starts Marcus Fenix is in a prison cell, and we don't really know too much about why he's there. This book explains everything leading up to the start of the first game, why he's there, what he's been doing, and everything else that's been going on around him. While it is a prequel, the book also does make mention of some things that aren't revealed until Gears of War 3, so you should probably have played that before reading this.
All of the Gears of War novels have been really really good. They do a great job of developing characters, filling in backstory and history, and linking all the games together. This one ends right as the first game starts. I really can't recommend them enough for fans.

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

This was not what I was expecting from a book based on a big dumb but fun video game series. It was a great read. The story revolves around the events leading up and during Marcus Fenix's ( Main character from game series) stay at the lovely little prison nicknamed The Slab. This book is easily the best video game tie-in book I have read and there are a few decent ones (and one truly awful one, Tomb Raider and The Ten Thousand Immortals) that I have read. Even the narrative of the book is interesting, not once are we seeing anything from Marcus's point of view, we see him via other characters from a fellow prisoner to his BFF who calls him brother and even Hoffman (he's great). It was nice getting into the head of the supporting characters from the games and even a few who only exist in this book. This is not a quick read book, it is dense and full of ideas, in particular consequences for your actions. This is a way headier book than it needed to be and I really liked that. As to whether you can enjoy it with no knowledge of the games I am unsure and not qualified to answer that as I obviously have played all 4 games (Judgement is totally the 4th) and will play the hell out of Gears 4 later this year (I hope Karen Traviss is writing a book with that one).

Bottom line for this poorly worded and meandering "review" is that I really enjoyed it, of course being a Gears of War fan made me the target audience.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe that this is the first Gears book that is set entirely in the past without any jump into current events. So as a full prequel, it does a beautiful job of linking into the beginning of Gears of War (Xbox 360). The story perfectly fills in the little details between the events of the first game and what we’ve been reading in her past Gears’ novels that were otherwise off or did not appear to line up. I couldn’t help but smile whenever these things came up. As usual, Karen Travis excels at conveying the friendship, camaraderie, and love that her characters have for one another and the emotions that result from a time of war. The parts of the book dealing with The Slab itself were reminiscent of the types of distorted inmate-family dynamics portrayed in films and television shows like Prison Break. Very entertaining stuff! My one gripe with the book is that I could have done without the last chapter, as it’s essentially a rehashing of the intro act of the game. The previous chapter had ended so perfectly with Hoffman and Anya. When the folks at Epic Games designed Gears, there’s no way they could have possibly imagined the kind of fleshed out story and quality writing that Travis could give to a video game. The series has truly been a great read. I wish they would let her write one about the fallout of Gears 3.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a prequal. It tells the story of how Marcus was/why was court-martialed. It has Traviss' typical character development skills at work. Overall I enjoyed it but it contained slightly less action than normal. The author was also contrained by the timeframe she had to place the story in so the characters could only progress and mature so much because this story had to fit inbetween two others. The prison life part was ok, it seemed to be lacking something. Maybe because most of the book was people observing the main character and their thoughts and reactions to him and the narrative was never from his inner perspective. This fragmented the prison part as we had perspective from two main people that were not fully developed tell the prison portion of the story.

Overall well done.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. One of the better stories in the series. Makes me want to go back and play all the games again.

[Igor Veloso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been holding out on this one for two reasons.

First this is the end of an era, Karen Traviss's era. She's amongst the best militart sci-fi writers, and she can play around and expand an universe like it was hers to begin with. She's also the writer for Star Wars Republic Commando. In a sense reading this was like a goodbye.

Second I was not really looking to go back in time, not read about an high security prison. But I was very surprised and constantly entertained. Very hard to put down the book. I was at work and physically tired, and instead of longing for a bath I was eager to bury my face in this book. I really got a love for this series without even playing the games.

I did watch the playthroughs like movies on Youtube, though. The writing just isn't the same. The games are full high-octane and machismo, and the books humanize and build the whole personality of the characters. It's clear they had very different decisions: the games are about shooting things and keeping the action going. The books it's where the people who really care go to fall deeper in love with the characters and world. Then there's exceptions where someone simply takes a dive into the books for what they are, and that shows how good they stand on their own. There's a network of people who are not that into games and love gears of war. It's just good military sci-fi. And a fun one at that.

I also decided to continue the saga. I did enjoy the new direction the games took, and they were way, but way far from the "woke turn" some loud fans accused the studio of after the trailers came out. In fact, nothing at all. They are still gears of war games to the core. One can argue with the direction of the world building, the new threats, which I can understand and even agree, but won't spoil any here.

The books however, might be another story. New writers that understand the studio is indeed turning a page on the saga with new themes.

This one was a blast!

[Ben-Roy Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

And thus ends the Karen Traviss sage as far as the Gears of War books are concerned. And what a job she did.

It turns out the Gears book I was least looking forward to turned out to be one of the better out of the first five. The Slab is all about digging into our familiar cast of character one last time, as this seamlessly transitions into the first Gear of War game.

Some of these books have done some heavy lifting when unexplained scenarios go on in the Gears franchise, but The Slab is all about filling those in, whilst crafting a compelling prison drama at the end of the world. With a man so broken by what he'd done, with just one slip-up in his life. The Slab offers up another way of thinking, rather than condemning someone for a lack of judgement and/or a mistake.

Why is Marcus in prison, how does Adam end up on that island in Gears 3, the relationship between Annya and Marcus, and flashing out all those background faces we've seen or heard whilst playing. Those being Hoffman and Prescott. After the other four books and this one, I want to go back into that original trilogy right now. Instead of simply writing them off as two-dimensional authority figures that we are meant to have disdain for, you almost feel and get why they do what they have to. And Adam Fenix isn't just an old geezer you find atop a tower at the end of a trilogy.

I can honestly say that the first five Gears of War books by Karen Traviss are excellent supplemental fiction for those who are craving more Gears stories. I only wish I'd gotten to them sooner.

[Ostana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a massive GOW fan so I really enjoyed reading this book. The beginning was a bit slow but it picks up. The story jumps around between different perspectives and characters, but everything revolves around Marcus' incarceration in the Slab. If you've read the other books, like me, you may be expecting to FINALLY read the story from Marcus' perspective- but you won't. Travis writes from everyone's perspective EXCEPT his. However, out of all the books, Marcus opens up the most in this story and you do see and understand his personality better once he's in the Slab. My favorite sections were when he was in the Slab for those reasons. Without mentioning spoilers, you will discover why and how he was incarcerated, you get a bit of insight into his and Anya's relationship, you see Dom's devotion as his brother, and you see just what kind of effect Marcus has to those around him. You also find out how he got his scar. What I don't like is that the ending leaves a couple of things open or unanswered. A slight spoiler, for example, is in reference to GOW 1 when Dom releases Marcus from the Slab. Remember those bodies hanging from the ceiling? It's never mentioned in the story. I was really looking forward to learning why "you don't want to know" as Marcus said to Dom. Other than that though, I highly encourage GOW fans to read this if you love the video game and want to know more about the GOW universe.

[James Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does a prison look like at the end of the world? That's the best way to describe the book I can think of and it is just as interesting and compelling as that sounds; to an extent. One of the most interesting questions posed by the book is: Why does the last city have a prison? Because the government needs something to keep the people in line? Because we all agree there should be one in any polite society? Because these people are to dangerous to reintroduce into a society even as bleak as this one? All of these are true and not true. But what's even more interesting is the relationship between the prisoners are the guards, the guards know they're the lowest priority to the government, last in line for every bit of supply and priority and so have to strike deals with the prisoners to keep them in line; slowly losing more and more of their power to the prisoners in an attempt not to die. Part of me wishes the story was entirely about the Slab and the relationship between the prisoners and the guards, but at the same time I imagine staying with them the whole time would easily become exhausting and everything outside the Slab helps keep the book from feeling trapped along side the prisoners.
If it wasn't for everything outside the Slab, especially Azura, I would actually recommend this to people outside the Gears of War fandom. However as it stands the ties into the games and the ending would leave a new comer lost and confused

[Iordanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike the previous books in the series, Karen Travis stays in the same timeline throughout the story and it pays out because it is a hell of an interesting one. From the time that Marcus Fenix deserts Hoffman's orders until the day that he is freed from prison by Dom (in the beginning of game 1) cataclysmic events are happening. Adam Fenix consumed in remorse? Check. Marcus struggling with his life and career? Check. Hoffman balancing between his duty and his team feelings? Check. Anya confronting her unbearable loss? Check. Prescott machinating relentlessly? Check again.

And prison details are really juicy and realistic, reflecting the hard contrast between the life inside and outside the bars. Consider the following excerpt towards the end: "Prison discipline had ceased to exist a long time ago. This was just two heartbroken, damaged guys slugging it out over a personal grievance. There was no riot waiting to kick off. If there were any sides and lines drawn now, it was between the world within these walls and what was waiting for humanity outside."

A very satisfying prequel that "concludes" superbly the first trilogy.

[Sasch Stormcloak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every bit of this book. I’m a huge fan of the Gears of War saga, and always wondered about the years Marcus Fenix spent in jail, and what he was accused of. I replayed the original game right after finishing The Slab... man, that completely changed my perspective of the Marcus-Dom-Anya relationship.... those faces, those looks...

Karen Traviss did an awesome job with all five Gears novels, and beautifully extended the Gears of War universe beyond the original trilogy. I also loved the fact that Epic Games trusted her as the lead writer for Gears 3.

Ir there will be more novels extending the new Gears trilogy, I really hope Karen Traviss will be envolved with them.

[Alex Orcutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Slab marked the first time I truly felt connected to the storyline within this series. For the first time, it felt as though I had begun to genuinely scratch the surface of the Gears of War universe. The story was compelling, and it seemed that the author had finally found their stride. While there were still moments where the pacing slowed, the narrative overall was fast-paced and engaging, making it a true page-turner. The character development was significantly stronger in this installment, allowing for a deeper emotional connection with the characters and a more immersive experience within the Gears universe.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book and ties into the first game very nicely. You find out how Marcus disobeyed orders and what happened to his father while Marcus goes to jail thinking his father was killed but was kidnapped by Prescott and taken to a secret island. Adam had a relationship with the Queen before e-day and that is explored as well as Hoffman's own views on the imprisonment of his once friend and war hero Marcus. It's also interesting to see how far Dominic is willing to go for his friend and the impact Marcus had on all those around him, on the battlefield and in the slab.

[Cody Brightman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to get to see what Marcus endured during his time in The Slab. While I mostly felt indifferent to the story because I'm already very familiar with the other books and games, it was great getting to experience known events in better detail. Finding out how Marcus got his facial scars, why he is reluctant to talk about his four years behind bars, the political battle battle between Prescott and Adam Fenix, as well as the turmoil Anya and Dom found themselves in are just a few things that make this book well worth the read. Enjoy!

[Louis Fritz v · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent prequel to the entire series. I wish it did more to tie in the universe for the third game (which it was originally positioned to support) but little is discussed of Lambency aside from Adam Fenix's work prior to the first game.

Only reason it took me so long to read is due to it getting packed when I moved. When I found it and returned to it, it was a compelling read for the three weeks it actually took me.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic submission into GOW lore. Traviss is an exceptional writer, creating a story filled with emotion and gritty, gripping drama. With every book she brings the saga to life, immersing the reader in the dire situations faced by the heroes. It’s bittersweet to have finished the last installment. I’m glad I discovered these books, as they make the fan experience so much richer and more experiential.

[brian o leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

He'll outside the cell

Karen Traviss is Gears of War. She gets the characters so right as you would imagine them. These books are about people and how they react to extreme situations. A bit like the walking dead. Nobody could have pulled a book out of the main characters going to prison during the war better than her.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was good. But there was very little - if any - character development. And also very little plot development... it was mostly just the prison... also felt weird getting this at book 5 when it takes place before all the other books... I can kind of see why but what happened at the end (no spoilers) but still felt weird.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect end to this collection of books and this was a perfect send off of Karen Traviss as the writer of gears of war! I will admit i might not of liked her run of halo novels, BUT when it came to gears of war she understood the assignment and knew what she was doing Always!

[Niki Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Even the best of us do terrible things sometimes and we don’t even know why.”

[Suki Rickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The slab was a fun read and a look into life when Marcus was in the slab. Overall plot and characters was still well done and had new persons and old.

[Darren McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing from start to finish

Chronological order this book should be read first. However the book is amazing from start to finish, gears can or not this book is amazing.

[Tiger]

Wow

[Sami Eerola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous novels, more of a backstory for the games characters. But still a great finale for the book series that connects everything to the games.

[Thurm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gears of War: Alien 3 Edition

[Robert Levelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story, love the new light cast over Marcus and his days behind bars. Really stays true to the tales of Gears of War. Love Karen's work.