: I really enjoyed reading this and the character interactions, but all these
: stories are inconsequential and filler these days. By the end of all these
: books everything is wrapped up in a nice pretty bow. The good guys win and
: the galaxy is always the same. Look at FoR, First Strike, Contact Harvest.
: Each of those ends with a small victory in the scheme of a greater and
: hopeless future. There are no more stakes in these books or any emotional
: outcome for the reader.

I don't think that's the case at all with Last Light. Consider the "good guys win" point that you raised:

1. The Gao Republic is emboldened by scaring off the UEG's "invading" Fleet task force. This has excited the populace into an even greater independent frenzy that was already setting them on course to ally themselves with Venezia, already an essentially breakaway Earth colony. ONI's battalion deployed to Gao was pushed to the brink by religious extremists and insurrectionists. Now the Gaos have a military that has been bloodied by the Spartan boogeymen and has downed prowlers and stealth dropships, as well as the surviving Marine companies of the 717th XEG. The Spartans might have nuked Montero but this was still the Gaos' victory to claim.

2. The Good Guys, represented by Team Saber, have to go into hiding to such an extent of being classified as killed in action, almost unprecedented for Spartans like them. As CHRYSANTHEMUM used highly illegal and dangerous augmentations to increase the Gamma's ability to kill the entire company is regarded by ONI as being a political liability.

3. Intrepid Eye lives. :P

While it may seem like the affects of what happened in Last Light might not have far-reaching implications, at the very least it appears like it's teasing a new branch for Halo to grow out.