Gears of War: Aspho Fields

By: Karen Traviss

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

A New York Times bestseller! In the first of three official tie-in novels to the hugely successful videogame from Microsoft and Epic Games, the last human survivors of a vicious alien attack fight a pivotal battle for the fate of mankind.

As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they would be torn apart. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom’s elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There’s a new war to fight now, a war for mankind’s very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom. For Marcus—decorated war hero, convicted traitor—the return of an old comrade threatens to dredge up an agonizing secret he’s sworn to keep.

As the beleaguered Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments take a last stand to save mankind from extermination, the harrowing decisions made at Aspho Fields have to be relived and made again. Marcus and Dom can take anything the Locust Horde throws at them—but will their friendship survive the truth about Carlos Santiago?

Backstory to the video games

The one thing I enjoyed is the story of the book and each character. I enjoy the gears of war, video games

Good Setup for the Games, but Narrator Breaks Immersion

I enjoyed the story quite a bit and it did its job of making me very interested in filing in the blanks by playing the games (I'm quite late to the party) but unfortunately, a female reading the book took me out of the story's grip often as she gave voice too what are presented as the toughest soldiers since WH40K. The whole thing felt like a non-sequitur. It just didn't make sense.

Shockingly Good

I played Gears. I liked Gears.
Karen Traviss' Kilo Five series was so well done I checked this out.
It's just as strong and fun and sad.

perfect addition to GoW

this series is a perfect addition to gears of war's already amazing storyline and universe. it's great that Nan does the voice for it as she portrays Anya stroud. only wish we could have had the other voice actors from the game to add to this amazing story but that's asking too much! seriously if you love gears of war, these are must listens.

An Absolute Ride for Gears Fans, Dispute Minor Narration Troubles

This book was a fantastic dive back into the world of Gears of War! I’ve been a big fan of the franchise for a long time and love learning more about this hellscape world. The story and development of the classic Gears characters is great to see, and discovering details that the games never covered was an excellent treat. The only drawback of the audiobook would have to be the narrator.

Nan McNamara is actually an excellent voice for all the female characters in the book. The accents are great, and the characters feel really dynamic! However, a lot of the male voices sound very similar, making it hard to distinguish who’s who at times. It’s a surprising choice to have her narrate a book of mostly gruff, brutish military men. Still, it’s a great listen, and I’d highly recommend it for any Gears fan wanting to jump back into the fight!