Who says adaptation can only go one way? Apparently not Epic Games and Del Rey. These two companies have teamed up to publish not one but three novels set in the gritty world of the critically acclaimed Gears of War video game series. That's right, a novel.

The first of the trilogy, Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields, is penned by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss and will be released on October 28, 2008. The launch of this book comes just in time as a good prelude to the much-awaited prequel for the Xbox 360 of Gears of War 2 set to come out a week later, November 7th.

The Battle of Aspho Fields brings you to the time where the last human stronghold on Sera is preparing itself for yet another ruthless attack from the Locust Horde. But apart from this battle is also an internal struggle of sorts within Marcus Fenix, as an old comrade returns, bringing the threat to expose a deep-seated secret. It is the last stand to save humankind from extermination and it is once again up to Marcus and Dom to survive not only the onslaught of the Locust Horde, but also the truth about Dom's brother, Carlos.

Interesting, eh. Now having the background of the first novel, let's now see what's the background to this brilliant idea of turning our favorite game into a book. Epic Games president, Michael Capps, explains:

After finishing the first Gears of War game, players were left wanting to know more about Delta Squad and the events leading up to Emergence Day. This trilogy of novels opens up whole new worlds of storytelling and opportunities, and will add even more context to the upcoming book series, game sequel and motion picture. We loved Karen Traviss' work on the Republic Commando series, and we can't wait to get her Gears book to our fans.

Del Rey is an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group. To get more information on the novel Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields, check out the source link below.

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