What was your favorite Bionicle Novel and why?

[Matoro Zeliph]

I think many will agree with me on this, my favorite Bionicle Novel would be "Bionicle Adventures #10: Time Trap." Simply because I liked how Greg focused on one character (Vakama) and put so much thought into it. Kind of sucked that the 5 other Toa Metru were not involved in the story.

*Spoilers* It was interesting to see what happened with Vakama when he went back to Metru Nui and struck a deal with Makuta to have "1 free year of peace". Like what?! Lol! That was something!

I really wouldn't mind having a e-book digital copy of Bionicle Adventures #10, if not the whole Bionicle Novel series! It would be nice to read my favorite sections every so once in awhile. But *sigh* boo!

[xccj]

While I like Time Trap, I would probably say Bionicle Legends 1, Island of Doom. The fight between the Piraka and Toa Nuva was great... and I believe a little too brutal so future books got toned down a bit or something. It also focused more on the Matoran than most of the other books, which is something I always like.

 

[Adventurer]

Well I was going to say Time Trap, but to be different I'm going to say my other favourite - Legacy of Evil, was awesome seeing that backstory and was actually quite emotionally charged I thought.

[Airoski]

Well I was going to say Time Trap, but to be different I'm going to say my other favourite - Legacy of Evil, was awesome seeing that backstory and was actually quite emotionally charged I thought.

 

Yep, I've read them all but that one stood out to me. I didn't like the Piraka for just being 'ruthless' badies with no thought, but had a change of heart after reading Legacy of Evil. Greg really is great at fleshing out a cast that would otherwise be very shallow.

 

'Downfall' was also a highlight. Very action packed, but also quite emotional.

[Voltex]

I'd have to say that my favorite is also Island of Doom. That book was so dark all around. I loved the focus on the Matoran and the en fight was totally awesome.

[Sumiki]

Huh, I thought that this topic would be a Time Trap runaway.

Time Trap was a really great book, actually. It's certainly not high literature, but Greg proved his capability as a writer with it.

[TNTOS]

Time Trap was pretty good, but my favorite is Dark Destiny. I'm not sure why, but that book always stood out to me. Guess it has something to do with Karzahni or something.

 

Oh, and Swamp of Secrets was awesome, too. Loved how it alternated between the present and the past. And it had a nice cover, too.

 

-TNTOS-

[Airoski]

Huh, I thought that this topic would be a Time Trap runaway.

 

Time Trap was a really great book, actually. It's certainly not high literature, but Greg proved his capability as a writer with it.

 

I was trying to avoid bringing up Time Trap, as I thought everyone else would

 

I think what made it so great was that it wasn't retelling what was already set out by the story team, so Greg was free to go wild.

 

Doh'! Now I want to read it again!

[Makaru]

Mine will always be Challenge of the Hordika. Krahka remains to this day the best character Greg ever wrote.

[boston100]

legacy of evil, island of doom and raid on vulcanus. in that order. I liked legasy and raid because it showed us stuff we wernt able to see before and island because it was nice to see the toa lose for a change. i was 6 when i read it so it was a HUGE shock.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Downfall is easily one of my favorites. It had a lot of action, the Piraka snakes, and a really sad ending. (RIP Matoro.) Plus, where else would one see a giant island go underwater and smash an underwater city to pieces?

 

I'm surprised Voyage of Fear and Maze of Shadows haven't been mentioned yet. Both of them, especially MoS, had really good stories and actions. They are up there on my list of favorite Bionicle books.

[KCGR]

Time Trap and Downfall are my 2nd and 3rd favorites, but Power Play has to be my favorite, because I absolutely love the Inika and this was really the first time we saw them in action as Toa.

[Lyichir]

I have to agree with Time Trap. I was just thinking about how good it was, in how it tied the Metru Nui arc with the Mata Nui arc and foreshadowed the 2006 arc at the same time. It did a good job of elevating Makuta Teridax from a simple recurring villain to a true mastermind, but at the same time featured one of his greatest unequivocal failures (he lost his chance to obtain the Mask of Time, and never ended up obtaining it in the long run).

 

Greg Farshtey's writing is controversial but I think Time Trap represented him at his best. He was free enough to do his own thing in that book, with the 2005 story wrapped up, and he used that freedom to wrap up loose ends (rather than creating them, as he did with the serials). The overly dark mood of the later years had not yet set in at that point, but that book didn't need over-the-top violence to make the battle of wits between Vakama and Makuta one of the most compelling showdowns in the series.

[doodleloot]

I haven't read all the novels yet. I'm slowly working my way through obtaining them all, wich is not that easy since I live in Germany.

Anyway, out of the few I have read I must say that Time Trap really stood out.

[toa kopaka4372]

I have a couple of favorites, the 'classics' in my mind:

 

The Darkness Below was the first book to truly challenge the Toa Metru as a team. The idea of being trapped underground with a shapeshifting being so that no one can trust anyone is an intriguing premise and the book utilized it well. Krahka is a great character, and I liked how the novel touched on the morality of her conflict with the Toa Metru and how it related to their earlier conflict with the Morbuzakh. The book as a whole also tied well into the Metru Nui years' theme of deception and lies.

 

Voyage of Fear is just a great book. What more can I say?

 

Maze of Shadows *see above*

 

Time Trap, as many people have already mentioned. I just reread it a few days ago and it's amazing how well it holds up, 8 years after I first read it. If anything I appreciate it more now, taking notice of a lot of subtle touches and foreshadowing I didn't notice before. It's a real page-turner, with a tightly written plot that was brilliantly conceived. Aside from the plot, it features some great characterization for all in involved, particularly Teridax and Vakama. Teridax was transformed into a true villain mastermind in this book and imbued with some genuine depth; the elitist philosophy he espoused here was very interesting to read. Vakam's character arc finally reached it momentous completion here, as Vakama finally used all he'd learned and suffer to truly beat Teridax. His confidence and efficiency here was fun and very satisfying to read, and as others mentioned, his final showdown with Teridax was compelling. Shout out to Teridax vs TSO as well.

 

Dark Destiny is a particularly great book as well. It was very dark, as was characteristic of the 2006 books, but the darkness and gloomy tone felt more natural. Island of Doom at times felt like it was trying too hard to be dark, but Dark Destiny came across as more balanced. The Voya Nui side of the story was fun to read, all the way to its depressing ending, but it was really Jaller's side of the story that elevated the book for me. His journey to Voya Nui, alongside the others, was very unsettling and really gave off a foreboding vibe. Karzahni's realm was fascinating and disturbing, and overall all the book's elements came together to make a very satisfying tale that lived up to the title.

 

Legacy of Evil was fantastic. I have a bias for flashback stories, and this was right up my alley. The Piraka's backstory and the light it shone on the history of the Matoran Universe was great, and the Piraka were absolutely hilarious. This book cemented them as my one of my favorite villain groups ever, BIONICLE or otherwise.

 

Downfall was an emotionally powerful book. Matoro's death scene was beautifully written, and Teridax continued to get great characterization here. 

 

Raid on Vulcanus was amazing. It seamlessly blended comedy with battle strategy, suspense, and great characterization for the primary Glatorian cast. Like all the other books on this list, reading it never gets old.

 

Journey's End is fantastic as well. Considering he was only given one book to wrap up a 10-year story, Greg did a stellar job. Loved Mata Nui's character development, his argument with Raanu, and Tahu's conversation with Nektann. A great read, overall.

 

Prisoners of the Pit deserves mention for the abundant character development it gave to the Toa Mahri, more than the 2006 books, as well as to Teridax. The Final Battle was an experience to read, and I will never forget my disbelief at the insanity of the events that unfolded at the end of that book. The epilogue...surreal.

[Fang RRB]

My favorite is Bionicle Tale of the Toa, because it just introduces you to the Toa and their Missions and stuff

[NorikSigma]

I don't have a single favourite, so I'll make a list:

 

Bionicle Chronicles #4 Tales of the Masks

 

This book first introduced me to the Bionicle Novels series. This was the first time I could see the characters on paper, interacting.

 

And boy was it good.

 

The episodic format. I'm a sucker for good ones like that and this one was amazing. The whole saga of the Nuva masks conveyed through one book was no mean feat.

 

The fact that it directly led to the first Bionicle Movie that I already owned don't hurt too.

 

Bionicle Adventures #2 Trial by Fire

 

Good character interaction within the Toa Metru Team, really brought to view the differing personalities and how they might clash

 

Bionicle Adventures #3 The Darkness Below

 

Krahka's ambiguous morality in her fight against the Metru.

 

Bionicle Adventures #5 Voyage

Of Fear

 

Mavrah protecting his Rahi. You won't believe how much I shrieked in delight when I saw Mavrah alive on the Red Star.

 

Bionicle Adventures #10 Time Trap

 

So much has been said about it. So much of it was true.

 

Bionicle Legends #3 Power Play

 

The comics in book form

 

Bionicle Legends #4 Legacy Of Evil

 

Ahh, flashbacks. Piraka were hilarious as always, and the team dynamic was great.

 

We also saw stuff about the MU that was sorely lacking so that's good too.

 

Bionicle Legends #5 Inferno

 

Back and forth race to the Ignika. Tension, excitement and a big foreshadow of Matoro.

 

Bipnicle Legends #8 Downfall

 

Geddit, down fall? Falling down? Okay I'll stop.

 

Matoro's death. I still cry when I read it.

 

Bionicle Legends #11 The Final Battle

 

What it says on the tin. Doesn't disappoint.

 

Raid On Vulcanus

 

This was one of the few in-depth looks onto the Glatorian and Bone Hunters, and it was very engaging.

[dotcom]

I was always partial to The Darkness Below, Downfall, The Final Battle, and Raid on Vulcanus, for various reasons. I've been meaning to reread the books for a while now, and I might end up doing so soon, since they're really very short. There's a few books I remember liking a lot but can't remember too well now, so I'd like to correct that I guess. 

[Boidoh]

I've only ever read Journey's End, so that.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Copied and pasted from a recent topic I made:

 

So the return of Bionicle has got me so hyped that I took the time to procure every Bionicle book so I could reread them. They're easy reads, and I remember having fun with them so I thought "why not". It's been such a long time since I've read them though. 

 

I remember my favourite being either Mystery of Metru Nui or Swamp of Secrets.

 

What was everyone's favourite? Any stand out books that you hold special to you, or just loved to pieces? I remember the general gist of things but the actual writing itself seems to escape me. Let me know so I have something to look forward to!

 

(Popular responses were Time Trap, Dark Destiny, and Maze of Shadows. We also began to discuss how much more in-depth the Movie novelizations were).

 

-NotS