yet another reason to look down upon the way 343 is handling the core story of halo.
Totall.. wait, what?
I loved Halo 1-3 + ODST (Reach.. ehhh), and the books, and everything. It was good. But by the end of Halo 3 the main "Man vs Aliens" story line had run its course for the most part. I have been absolutely thrilled with what 343i has been able to do since then, and they show no signs of letting up. The attention to the fiction & lore side has been amazing (especially compared to the Bungie days).
I suppose I should ask though, what does the "core story of halo" mean to you? As it likely is different for every fan (to some degree).
I think the biggest problem I have with the story in Glasslands, is Parangosky's hypocrisy . She's says Halsey is a monster for the things she did, but she was the leader of ONI at that time. She gave the the green light and should have known everything concerning the Spartan II program.
I get why the other characters hate Halsey. She created the program and everything, which is obviously a despicable thing. I think Hunt the Truth really drives this point home. Halsey just ins't the only one at blame here, and certainly isn't the worst of the people involved.
But naturally Parangonsky isn't going to hate herself, and even if she DID have her own demons about the whole thing (unlikely), I'd see that as MORE of a reason to shovel blame onto Halsey.
All the great bad things have faces attached to them, that doesn't mean they're the only ones in the wrong, but for better or worse that's how we seem to process things.
I was a #TeamHalsey kind of person for the longest time, but the K5 trilogy didn't bother me. I could tell it was coming from characters on the other side of the equation. I do feel (as a reader) that they could have given more consideration into the fact that the SII's helped save humanity, etc, but that's they're living in a post-Covenant War universe, where they now have the luxury to look back at things and judge them.
The HTT episodes dealing with the kidnappings etc have also really shown a light on the whole process, making it far more real and terrible. Though that, and Staffan in K5 there has been a lot more time and lore devoted to the other side of the equation. So what, Master Chief, Spartan John-117 saved the human race, at what cost? What cost was he created/molded/etc? From a fixed, logical point of view, I suppose the cost was 1 human (cloned) life. From an abstract view? The whole project likely cast a dim light on all of humanity to certain people.
I've enjoyed that the fiction post-Halo 3 hasn't been all about naval battles and evil Covenant baddies (though I am happy to see them still a part of it all). 50+ years of galactic war has bound to produce some consequences, and I am enjoying seeing those played out.
_/¯