Halo: The Fall of Reach

Last updated

Halo: The Fall of Reach
Halo - The Fall of Reach.jpg
Author Eric Nylund
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series Halo
Genre Military science fiction
Publisher Del Rey
Publication date
October 30, 2001, December 7, 2010 (reprint) [1]
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages352, [2] 416 (reprint) [3]
ISBN 0-345-45132-5
Followed by Halo: The Flood  

Halo: The Fall of Reach is a military science fiction novel by Eric Nylund, set in the Halo universe, and acts as a prelude to Halo: Combat Evolved , the first game in the series. The book was released in October 2001 and is the first Halo novel. It takes place in the 26th century across several planets and locations. The novel details the events which led up to the game and explains the origins of the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers, narrating the story of the series protagonist, the Master Chief.

Contents

The Fall of Reach was conceived after Nylund had discussed the possibility of a Halo novel with Microsoft's Franchise Development Group. A "Halo Story Bible" was created to assist Nylund in keeping with Halo canon. The novel was written in seven weeks, Nylund's shortest writing deadline.

The book was well received by critics, who thought it added depth to the plot of the game, but the large number of characters was highlighted as a shortcoming. Going on to sell over one million copies, the success of The Fall of Reach paved the way for further Xbox game novelizations, including another book in the Halo series. William C. Dietz would write the next book, entitled Halo: The Flood . The book was adapted into a comic series entitled Halo: Fall of Reach, released in 2010. The book itself was re-released on December 7, 2010 after the comic book adaptation and contained new content as well as updating both editing mistakes and minor continuity errors. The novel was also adapted into an animated series that was streamed exclusively through the Halo Channel to coincide with the 2015 release of Halo 5: Guardians . It is also available through DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Background and writing

Eric Nylund had discussed the possibility of a Halo-related novel with Eric Trautmann, a member of Microsoft's Franchise Development Group, before Halo: Combat Evolved was developed, but it was postponed due to legal technicalities. [4] Nylund thought positively of the delay as it "gave [him] a chance to see the game in almost every stage of development before [he] started writing." [4] He wrote the book based on an outline approved by Bungie and the Halo Story Bible, a book containing all information on the characters and universe in which Halo takes place, [5] so that his story would not conflict with other Halo publications. Nylund found it easier to write with the "Bible" available as the details of the universe he was writing in were already established, [6] only minor alterations were made to fit the novel into the universe. [4] A seven-week deadline was established for Nylund to write the book. [7] According to Trautmann, the book was nearly canceled because Bungie was opposed to the idea of the Master Chief having a definite backstory. They eventually relented after Trautmann made them the offer that they let the book be completed and published in exchange for him, Matt Soell, and Brannon Boren completing Combat Evolved's script, which was still "80 percent" unfinished. [8]

Synopsis

Setting and characters

The Fall of Reach takes place in the Halo universe and spans several decades, beginning in 2517 and describing events up to 2552. In the Halo universe, traveling faster than the speed of light is possible through slipspace, another dimension where special relativity does not apply. This has allowed humans to colonize hundreds of other planets which are controlled by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). Feeling repressed by the UNSC's heavy-handed rule, some colonies revolt; fearing rebellion will tear the UNSC apart, military leaders approve the SPARTAN-II Program, a secret squad of super soldiers designed to quietly suppress rebellion.

The protagonist of The Fall of Reach is the Spartan soldier Master Chief. Dr. Catherine Halsey, the creator of the SPARTAN-II Project, is introduced alongside then-Lieutenant Jacob Keyes. Franklin Mendez is the trainer of the Spartan II and Spartan III programs, teaching them their physical combat skills while an AI named Déjà teaches them military history and strategy. Cortana, Master Chief's AI companion through much of the series, is also present as Dr. Halsey's aide in the lead-up to the Spartans' mission.

Plot

The novel opens with the civilian Dr. Catherine Halsey and Lieutenant Jacob Keyes traveling to meet John, a six-year-old boy. Dr. Halsey reveals to Keyes that John is one of 150 children who possess rare genetic markers making them suitable for conscription into the SPARTAN-II program, a secret experiment with the aim of creating super soldiers for the UNSC to quell rebellions. [9] Seventy-five of the children are kidnapped by operatives of the Office of Naval Intelligence and replaced by clones engineered to die of natural causes shortly thereafter. From this point on, the recruits are known only by their first name and a three-digit number. John-117 and the rest of the children are drilled and trained by Franklin Mendez; John demonstrates leadership of his fellow Spartans, leading to his promotion to squad leader. In 2525, the Spartans undergo a series of surgical enhancements which turn them into highly efficient super soldiers - but more than half of the original 75 conscripts are paralyzed or killed. [10] The Spartans are also equipped with powerful MJOLNIR battle armor, designed to respond as quickly as the soldier's thoughts. John-117 is further promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer. [11] The Spartans are highly successful, but they experience a priority shift after a collective of alien races known as the Covenant begin obliterating human colonies, declaring humanity's destruction as the will of their gods. Mendez leaves the group to train the next generation of Spartans as John and his comrades first face the Covenant. [12]

By 2552, the war against the Covenant is going poorly. The technological superiority of the Covenant means that space battles heavily favor the Covenant, and the UNSC can only win engagements by suffering tremendous losses. To prevent the discovery of Earth or other human colonies, Vice Admiral Cole creates the "Cole Protocol", which forbids direct slipspace jumps to Earth or any other population center, and mandates the destruction of a ship before it can be captured by the Covenant. Jacob Keyes, now commander of the destroyer Iroquois, discovers four Covenant ships arriving at the Sigma Octanus System, and single-handedly destroys two Covenant escort frigates and a destroyer in a feat dubbed the Keyes Loop, earning him the rank of captain. The Covenant land ground forces on Sigma Octanus IV, overtaking the primary population centre; Cote d'Azure, in search of an ancient artifact. Despite a costly fight, the humans manage to repel the Covenant, and the Iroquois intercepts a coded Covenant transmission from the surface before the Covenant retreat. [13] The Iroquois heads to Reach, unwittingly bringing a Covenant tracking device with it. [14]

Soon after, Keyes is given the command of the UNSC cruiser Pillar of Autumn for a secret mission: the Spartans are to capture one of the Covenant's religious leaders and barter a truce. [15] Dr. Halsey also introduces John to the artificial intelligence Cortana, who would assist the Spartans by residing in their MJOLNIR armor. [16] Before the mission can begin, however, Reach is attacked by a massive Covenant fleet. John and Cortana reach the Pillar of Autumn, but most of the other Spartans are presumed killed as the Covenant vitrify the surface of Reach, turning the landmasses into glass. [17] Cortana initiates a slipspace course based on the ancient glyphs intercepted by the Covenant at Sigma Octanus; the course takes them to a massive ringworld known as Halo, setting the stage for the events of Halo: Combat Evolved . [18] [19]

Reception

Critical reaction to the book was positive, particularly regarding the depth the book added to the Halo universe. Reviewer Eric Qualls commented that "[it was] interesting to read and give[s] you a much greater understanding" of the universe. Qualls made a positive comparison to Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers regarding the manner of story telling. [20] GameCritics' Brad Gallaway also praised the back-story the book adds and the quality of the story. [21] Fellow reviewer Gene Park noted the descriptions in the book went beyond what was presented in the game, calling them "vibrant and rousing." [22] He also complimented the characters presented in the novel, saying they all "fit nicely into the Halo universe" but some times there were too many characters to remember. [22] Sal Accardo of 3D Action Planet said of the book: "it isn’t going to win any Pulitzers anytime soon. It’s well written, and a solid page-turner, but it’s still basically an action movie presented in book form" but praised the gritty presentation of the Spartans. [23] Don D'Ammasa of the Science Fiction Chronicle called the book "competently written", but stated the plot was "simpleminded". [24]

Though the book originally sold very slowly, [25] it became a Publishers Weekly bestseller. [26] The Fall of Reach would go on to sell more than 100,000 copies by 2003 [27] and a million copies by December 2009. [25] The novel's success convinced Microsoft and Del Rey to pen a three-novel publishing contract for novels based on Xbox games, including another Halo novel. [28] The next entry in the Halo novel franchise would be 2003's Halo: The Flood , written by William C. Dietz. The more human Chief seen in the novel led Bungie to tone down the character model in Halo 2 to make him less an exaggerated robot and more a real person inside a suit. [29]

Stuart Beattie, the screenwriter of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , wrote a spec script for a Fall of Reach movie. [30] Beattie, a Halo fan, wrote the script between other projects in the hope that someone would read it and agree to produce the film, but as of May 2008 there were no plans to do so. [31]

In May 2010, Tor announced that the first three Halo novels (not originally published by Tor) would be rereleased with new content and cover art. The Fall of Reach was the first novel to be reissued, with a release date of August 2010. [32]

Adaptations

Marvel Comics adapted the story into a three-part comic series entitled Halo: Fall of Reach, released September 2010. [33] The book was later adapted into a 2015 3D animated miniseries. The series was produced by Sequence, a Vancouver-based animation studio, and released in conjunction with Halo 5: Guardians . The game Halo: Reach largely ignored the canon established in the book. [34]

Related Research Articles

<i>Halo: Combat Evolved</i> 2001 video game

Halo: Combat Evolved is a 2001 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and currently owned by 343 industries and was published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. It was released as a launch game for Microsoft's Xbox video game console on November 15, 2001. The game was ported to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2003. It was later released as a downloadable Xbox Original for the Xbox 360. Halo is set in the twenty-sixth century, with the player assuming the role of the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier. The Chief is accompanied by Cortana, an artificial intelligence. Players battle aliens as they attempt to uncover the secrets of the eponymous Halo, a ring-shaped artificial world.

<i>Halo 2</i> 2004 video game

Halo 2 is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. Halo 2 is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved. The game features new weapons, enemies, and vehicles, another player character, and shipped with online multiplayer via Microsoft's Xbox Live service. In Halo 2's story mode, the player assumes the roles of the human Master Chief and alien Arbiter in a 26th-century conflict between the United Nations Space Command, the genocidal Covenant, and the parasitic Flood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">343 Guilty Spark</span> Fictional character from the Halo video game series

343 Guilty Spark, also known as just Spark, is a character in the military science fiction Halo franchise. 343 Guilty Spark plays a major role in the storyline of the original Halo video game trilogy: the character appears in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3, as well as the remakes of the first two games, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo 2: Anniversary. 343 Guilty Spark is voiced by actor Tim Dadabo in all media.

<i>Halo: The Flood</i> 2003 novel by William C. Dietz

Halo: The Flood is a military science fiction novel by William C. Dietz, based on the Halo series of video games and based specifically on the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved, the first game in the series. The book was released in April 2003 and is the second Halo novel. Closely depicting the events of the game, The Flood begins with the escape of a human ship Pillar of Autumn from enemy aliens known as the Covenant. When the Pillar of Autumn unexpectedly discovers a massive artifact known as "Halo", the humans must square off against the Covenant and a second terrifying force in a desperate attempt to uncover Halo's secrets and stay alive. Though the book roughly follows the same events of the Xbox game, featuring identical dialogue, Dietz also describes events not seen by the game's protagonist, the super-soldier Master Chief.

<i>Halo: First Strike</i> 2003 novel by Eric Nylund

Halo: First Strike is a military science fiction novel by Eric Nylund, based on the Halo series of video games. The book was released in December 2003 and is the third Halo novel; Nylund's second contribution to the series. The novel serves as a bridge between the events of the games Halo: Combat Evolved and its 2004 sequel Halo 2. First Strike was also released as an audiobook, narrated by Todd McLaren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Nylund</span> American writer

Eric S. Nylund is an American novelist and professional technical writer. His wife, Syne Mitchell, is also a science fiction writer. He holds a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an M.Sc. in chemical physics from the University of California, San Diego. He lives in North Bend, Washington with his wife, Syne, and his son, Kai Nylund.

Flood (<i>Halo</i>) Fictional parasitic alien lifeform in the Halo video game series

The Flood is a fictional parasitic alien lifeform and one of the primary antagonists in the Halo multimedia franchise. First introduced in the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved, it returns in later entries in the series such as Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo Wars. The Flood is driven by a desire to infect any sentient life of sufficient size; Flood-infected creatures, also called Flood, in turn can infect other hosts. The parasite is depicted as such a threat that the ancient Forerunners constructed artificial ringworld superweapons known as Halos to contain it and, as a last resort, to kill all sentient life in the galaxy in an effort to stop the Flood's spread by starving it.

Cortana (<i>Halo</i>) Fictional video game character

Cortana is a fictional artificially intelligent character in the Halo video game series. Voiced by Jen Taylor, she appears in Halo: Combat Evolved and its sequels, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. She also briefly appears in the prequel Halo: Reach, as well as in several of the franchise's novels, comics, and merchandise. During gameplay, Cortana provides backstory and tactical information to the player, who often assumes the role of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. In the story, she is instrumental in preventing the activation of the Halo installations, which would have destroyed all sentient life in the galaxy.

Master Chief (<i>Halo</i>) Fictional character in the Halo video game series

Master Chief is the protagonist in the Halo series of video games and related media. Also known as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, the character first appeared in the 2001 video game Halo: Combat Evolved, a military science fiction first-person shooter that became a long-running game series. The character also appears in spin-off Halo media such as the 2012 film Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, the 2022 Halo television series, and several graphic novels and books.

<i>Halo 3</i> 2007 video game

Halo 3 is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in 2004's Halo 2. Halo 3's story centers on the interstellar war between twenty-sixth century humanity, a collection of alien races known as the Covenant, and the alien parasite Flood. The player assumes the role of the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, as he battles the Covenant and the Flood. The game features vehicles, weapons, and gameplay elements not present in previous titles of the series, as well as the addition of saved gameplay films, file sharing, and the Forge map editor—a utility which allows the player to perform modifications to multiplayer levels.

Halo is a military science fiction media franchise, originally created and developed by Bungie and currently managed and developed by 343 Industries, part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios. The series launched in 2001 with the first-person shooter video game Halo: Combat Evolved and its tie-in novel, The Fall of Reach. The latest main game, Halo Infinite, was released in late 2021 as a free to play beta, and then had the campaign release later that year.

<i>Halo: Ghosts of Onyx</i> 2006 novel by Eric Nylund

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx is a military science fiction novel by Eric Nylund, based on the Halo series of video games. The book was released in October 2006 and is the fourth Halo novel; Nylund's third contribution to the series. Onyx was also the first of three Halo novels to be published by Tor Books, rather than the previous publisher, Del Rey.

<i>The Halo Graphic Novel</i> 2006 American graphic novel

The Halo Graphic Novel is a graphic novel anthology of the military science fiction video game series Halo, published by Marvel Comics in partnership with Bungie. The Halo Graphic Novel was the series' first entry into the sequential art medium, and features aspects of the Halo universe which until then had not been discussed or seen in any medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Staten</span> American writer

Joseph Staten is an American writer best known for his work at video game studios Bungie, Microsoft Studios, and 343 Industries.

<i>Halo 4</i> 2012 video game

Halo 4 is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. Halo 4's story follows a cybernetically enhanced human supersoldier, Master Chief, and his artificial intelligence construct Cortana, as they encounter unknown threats while exploring an ancient civilization's planet. The player assumes the role of Master Chief who battles against a new faction that splintered off from remnants of the Covenant, a former military alliance of alien races, and against mechanical warriors of the Forerunner empire known as the Prometheans. The game features a selection of weapons, enemies, and game modes not present in previous titles of the series.

The Halo video game and media franchise takes place in a science fiction universe. In the distant past, a race known as the Forerunners fought the parasitic Flood. The Forerunners ultimately activate weapons of mass destruction, the Halo Array, in order to starve the Flood and stop the threat. By the 26th century, humanity, led by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), is caught in a war with an alien coalition known as the Covenant. The Covenant worship the Forerunners as deities, mistakenly believing that the Halos are a tool of salvation, not destruction. The Flood, meanwhile, escape the confines of Halo and threaten to spread across the galaxy again.

<i>Halo Wars</i> 2009 real-time strategy video game

Halo Wars is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. It was released in Australia on February 26, 2009; in Europe on February 27; and in North America on March 3. The game is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo series in the year 2531, 21 years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. The player leads human soldiers aboard the warship Spirit of Fire in an effort to stop an ancient fleet of ships from falling into the hands of the genocidal alien Covenant.

<i>Halo: Reach</i> 2010 video game

Halo: Reach is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, originally for the Xbox 360. The sixth installment in the Halo series and a direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Reach was released worldwide in September 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the alien Covenant. Players control Noble Six, a member of an elite supersoldier squad, when the human world known as Reach falls under Covenant attack.

References

  1. ↑ "Halo: First Strike" . Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Halo: The Fall of Reach". Del Rey Books . Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Halo: The Fall of Reach". Tor Books. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Nylund, Eric (October 30, 2001). "Interview with Eric Nylund, Author of Halo: The Fall of Reach". Halo.Bungie.Org . Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ Levin, Mark (2000). "Frequently asked questions about Halo". Halo.Bungie.Org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Interview: Eric Nylund". Buttonbasher. July 29, 2006. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  7. ↑ Longdale, Holly. "Game Worlds in Written Words". Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Episode 005: DC Reboot/Eric Trautmann". The Science Fiction Show (Podcast). June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ Nylund, Eric (October 30, 2001). Halo: The Fall of Reach . Del Rey Books. p.  26. ISBN   9780345451323.
  10. ↑ Nylund, 64.
  11. ↑ Nylund, 116.
  12. ↑ Nylund, 100.
  13. ↑ Nylund, 199.
  14. ↑ Nylund, 216.
  15. ↑ Nylund, 243.
  16. ↑ Nylund, 255.
  17. ↑ Nylund, 330.
  18. ↑ Nylund, 339.
  19. ↑ Staff (December 2004). "2 Much Information: a Halo Series Time Line". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 1, no. 185. p. 128.
  20. ↑ Qualls, Eric. "Halo Book Reviews". About.com . Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  21. ↑ Gallaway, Brad (August 6, 2003). "Halo: The Fall Of Reach - Book Review". gamecritics.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  22. 1 2 Park, Gene (August 6, 2003). "Halo: The Fall Of Reach - Book Review". gamecritics.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  23. ↑ Accardo, Sal (January 17, 2002). "Halo: The Fall of Reach". 3D Action Planet. GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 31, 2002.
  24. ↑ D'Ammassa, Don (February 2002). "Resident Evil: Code: Veronica / Halo: The Fall of Reach". Science Fiction Chronicle. 23 (2): 59.
  25. 1 2 Hryb, Larry (December 9, 2009). "Show #343: Interviews with members of 343 Industries about Halo and more". Major Nelson Radio. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  26. ↑ Greene, Marty. "Halo: First Strike Author Eric Nylund". Xbox.com. Microsoft. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  27. ↑ Donahue, Deirdre (March 6, 2003). "They've played the game. Will they read the book? ; Hope is that teens will morph into sci-fi fans". USA Today . p. D1.
  28. ↑ Staff (April 2002). "Del Rey Microsoft pen deal for XBox novels". Science Fiction Chronicle. 23 (4): 6.
  29. ↑ Staff (November 2002). "Hail to the (New) Chief". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 1, no. 160. p. 214.
  30. ↑ "Halo: Fall of Reach… Movie?". Halo 3 Planet. April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  31. ↑ Mayimbe, El (April 1, 2008). "Exclusive: Halo Movie Has Reach!". Latino Review. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  32. ↑ Parker, Laura (May 19, 2010). "Halo novels get a makeover". GameSpot . Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  33. ↑ George, Richard (June 23, 2010). "Master Chief's Origin Revealed (Again)". IGN. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  34. ↑ Frushtick, Russ. "BUNGIE ON THE CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN 'HALO: REACH' AND 'HALO: THE FALL OF REACH' NOVEL". MTV News. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.