Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo Series, In what order should I read them in?
  • Subject: Halo Series, In what order should I read them in?
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • of 2
Subject: Halo Series, In what order should I read them in?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum but should I read the halo series according to the timeline of the halo universe or the date they were published? Please help I am going to indigo tomomrow :)

  • 07.18.2011 3:15 PM PDT

Jake

No, it's the right forum. I'd say that you should probably read The Fall of Reach first. Make sure to read that before you read First Strike. Most of the books are from different charatcers' points of view, so it doesn't really matter what order you read them.

Also, where/what is Indigo?

  • 07.18.2011 3:17 PM PDT

http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=13408825
Go to the second post.

[Edited on 07.18.2011 3:19 PM PDT]

  • 07.18.2011 3:18 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Start out with the novels following the same storyline:

1) Fall of Reach
2) The Flood (optional)
3) First Strike
4) Ghosts of Onyx

Then move on to the stand-alones:

5) Cryptum
6) Contact Harvest
7) Cole Protocol
8) Evolutions

  • 07.18.2011 3:18 PM PDT


Posted by: JibJub1212
No, it's the right forum. I'd say that you should probably read The Fall of Reach first. Make sure to read that before you read First Strike. Most of the books are from different charatcers' points of view, so it doesn't really matter what order you read them.

Also, where/what is Indigo?


Okay, thank you very much JibJub!

Indigo is my local bookstore.

  • 07.18.2011 3:19 PM PDT

read them in the order they were released.

Fall of Reach
The Flood
First Strike
Ghost of Onyx
Contact Harvest
Cole Protocol
Evolutions
Cryptum

there are also some comics that i can't think of the names at the moment

  • 07.18.2011 5:06 PM PDT
  •  | 
  • Exalted Legendary Member


Posted by: ajw34307
Start out with the novels following the same storyline:

1) Fall of Reach
2) The Flood (optional)
3) First Strike
4) Ghosts of Onyx

Then move on to the stand-alones:

5) Cryptum
6) Contact Harvest
7) Cole Protocol
8) Evolutions


This is good, but I'd save Cryptum for last as it's the start of a trilogy for which the other two books have not been released yet and aside from the wait you'd be reading a whole lot of other story before getting back to the next part of this trilogy. Could make it a bit trickier to remember where the next book is picking up from.

Also since Cryptum is at least the first part of massive revelations to mysteries in the Halo universe that have been built up to forever, I'd say you should save Cryptum for last. You get the good build up to it that way, and some of those books, especially Contact Harvest, contribute a fair bit to the build up of that mystery, so you don't want it given away beforehand. That'd be like watching Star Wars for your first ever time in Episodic order, Episodes 1-6, the way George Lucas says "they are meant to be viewed" and completely ruin one of the biggest movie twists/revelations in film history by having three whole movies explain the plot twist for you before you ever get to see it.

Also, it's a damn fine book and while the others aren't bad, you don't necessarily want to read the best one first and have it be down hill from there.

  • 07.18.2011 10:24 PM PDT

Live Free, or Die!

I agree with this post. Cryptum had me up all night. Finished in the one read and was wanting more. Can't wait for the next two books.

  • 07.18.2011 10:43 PM PDT


Posted by: ajw34307
Start out with the novels following the same storyline:

1) Fall of Reach
2) The Flood (optional)
3) First Strike
4) Ghosts of Onyx

Then move on to the stand-alones:

5) Cryptum
6) Contact Harvest
7) Cole Protocol
8) Evolutions


Agreed. The Flood is definitely optional. It reads like a video game and is really boring, HOWEVER, the parts of the book that we don't see in the game are awesome and are a great addition to the Halo CE story.

  • 07.18.2011 11:07 PM PDT

Knowledge talks, wisdom listens.

Posted by: x Foman123 x
Actually, I find that I'm more invincible without pants, which is why I am not wearing any at the moment.


Posted by: Thugzz Deluxxxe

Posted by: ajw34307
Start out with the novels following the same storyline:

1) Fall of Reach
2) The Flood (optional)
3) First Strike
4) Ghosts of Onyx

Then move on to the stand-alones:

5) Cryptum
6) Contact Harvest
7) Cole Protocol
8) Evolutions


Agreed. The Flood is definitely optional. It reads like a video game and is really boring, HOWEVER, the parts of the book that we don't see in the game are awesome and are a great addition to the Halo CE story.


I agree. If its anything to do with just the Chief, I would skip it, he behaves kinda off to me in this one, like hes a different person. The Marines side story was great though.

  • 07.19.2011 12:51 AM PDT

Signatures are for squares.

Release order, for sure.

1. Fall of Reach
2. The Flood
3. First Strike
4. Ghosts of Oynx
5. Contact Harvest
6. Cole Protocol
7. Evolutions
8. Cryptum

Then move onto the comics.

1. Halo Graphic Novel
2. Halo Uprising
3. Halo HellJumper
4. Halo Bloodlines
5. Halo Bootcamp

  • 07.19.2011 2:52 AM PDT

Or you could go chronologically:

-Contact Harvest
-Fall of Reach
-The Flood
-First Strike
-Cole Protocol
-Ghost of Onix

Then you've still got the Evolutions stories and Cryptum to read after. Plus the graphic novels.

  • 07.19.2011 7:30 AM PDT

Jesus loves you! But I think you're a -blam!-

Fall of Reach. The Flood (Unless you've played Halo: CE) First Strike. Ghosts of Onyx.

  • 07.20.2011 12:30 PM PDT

Expressing my strong liberal views without shame. Favorite quotes below:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"One starts to live when he can live outside himself."

- Albert Einstein

Just read them in order.

  • 07.20.2011 12:34 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?

Ignored everybody saying "read the flood unless you played CE" and read it anyway.

IT gives more insight to what was going on during the game and you actually get to see how chief really is.

You people that skipped the book are the same people that say the PoA can land in atmosphere and the same people that think spartans can't get infect all because you haven't read the book.

And it is a damn good book

  • 07.20.2011 12:34 PM PDT
  • gamertag: Fin
  • user homepage:

"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.

I thought The Flood was very missable to be honest, it was very poorly written, read as a playthrough of the game on easy, and had very poor characterisation.

It also included such gems as the UNSC using a Napoleonic-era infantry square, Elites that were dumber than a bag of rocks, faulty Flood, a marine that changed gender three times in as many sentances, and the Chief portrayed as "generic speeese muuhreeen #111775553-9"

There were a few good points, like a brave grunt, but mostly it was a very poor book in my opinion.

Ps the POA can land in atmo :)

  • 07.20.2011 1:18 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?

No it can't

  • 07.20.2011 1:30 PM PDT
  • gamertag: Fin
  • user homepage:

"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.

Well, it did, granted it needed a little help to take off again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSYF2FztUnU

It also set down on halo with little issue.

  • 07.20.2011 1:41 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: Fin5434p
Well, it did, granted it needed a little help to take off again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSYF2FztUnU

It also set down on halo with little issue.


Which is clearly why people need to read "the flood". Keyes himself wondered if he would be able to land on halo because the ship was already severely damaged from the battle at reach and it was not built for atmosphere as the autumn and other ships of her tonnage were built in space.

It wasn't an "issue" because the goal was a crash landing and gravity did all the work. I believe this was all on page 40



Posted by: Fin5434p
I thought The Flood was very missable to be honest, it was very poorly written, read as a playthrough of the game on easy, and had very poor characterisation.

It also included such gems as the UNSC using a Napoleonic-era infantry square, Elites that were dumber than a bag of rocks, faulty Flood, a marine that changed gender three times in as many sentances, and the Chief portrayed as "generic speeese muuhreeen #111775553-9"

There were a few good points, like a brave grunt, but mostly it was a very poor book in my opinion.

Ps the POA can land in atmo :)



1. elites are not use to fighting on the ground, and their tactics were good. the ODST's were better and use to fighting on the ground.

2.the one flood infection form that we know of was tired from sleepy for only iunno one hundred thousand years. i don't expect them to be in tip top shape after that.

3. those are what we call typos

4. opinion. I and many others like the chief in the books more than in the games.

  • 07.20.2011 2:12 PM PDT
  • gamertag: Fin
  • user homepage:

"but you already knew that, I mean, how couldn't you?

Only when no Human brick is left atop another, shall we be satisfied with your destruction.


Posted by: grey101

Which is clearly why people need to read "the flood".


I've read it, that's why I was giving it a little review.

Keyes himself wondered if he would be able to land on halo because the ship was already severely damaged from the battle at reach and it was not built for atmosphere as the autumn and other ships of her tonnage were built in space.

Yes it's designed for space, but it's quite clear it can set down on (or take off from) a planet's surface. We see it doing so. It's not even clear how necessary the little 'tug' thrusters are as they drop off once the Autumn is clear of the dock, and it then proceeds to fly off just fine.

It wasn't an "issue" because the goal was a crash landing and gravity did all the work. I believe this was all on page 40

Indeed, but it did infact manage to land, it was a crash landing but it was a controlled crash landing. It's a big chunk of Titanium-A heavy armour, it's not as if it's going to burn up on rentry.
Atmosphere or no, I'd suggest the main problem with landing it would be finding somewhere to support it's weight (the dedicated dock on Reach is obviosly one such place) and trying to get it back off the ground again (may need those 'tugs').


1. elites are not use to fighting on the ground, and their tactics were good.

The elites are the Covenant's 'elite' ground troops as well as naval officers, there is no excuse.

Pages 64-67.

You can't honestly tell me that's good tactics with a straight face.
Fistly the elites are attacking an infantry square of ODST, which, to be fair, probably had them really overconfident at the utter stupidity of their opponents... Then they decide to drive their ghosts up until they are within easy range of the now-immobilised infantry. And mill about for a bit, kill lots of their own men, run each other over, and generally behave like a mob of unruly children.

Then their officer has them all circle the same way around the immobile, totally vulnerable, exposed, and crazily-deployed ODSTs, reducing collisions between the elites by almost a third! While broken ghosts now start to give the ODSTs some cover. Then he brings in a few banshees, so the ODST can shoot them, as they don't appear to actually do anything.

When the officer dies, the other elites run away.

the ODST's were better and use to fighting on the ground.

Their tactics were 'good' for a battlefield of 1802, against heavy cavalry armed with lance and sabre.

There is a reason modern armies would never deploy in such a tight immobile formation, it involves the words "automatic weapons", like the kind mounted on ghosts, or carried by the elites...

Another reason is combined arms, but to be fair, the elite commander seems to have been gripping the idiot-ball with both hands and forgotton such things as rifles, artillery, mortars, suppression, air support, grenades, well, lets just leave it at "pretty much everything" to stop this list from going on a while. Suffice to say even running the ODST over would have been a better plan, it's not often that "ram them 'till they give up" is a better plan than one shown.

2.the one flood infection form that we know of was tired from sleepy for only iunno one hundred thousand years. i don't expect them to be in tip top shape after that.

Yep, that one faulty infection form, only one we know about that can't do what all the rest do, nothing like that ever mentioned before or since. The only one not under control of the proto-gravemind... Or maybe jenkins is just an absoloute beast and fought it off a bit... I just found it a bit ridiculous to be honest.

3. those are what we call typos

Indeed. There are far to many for an actual published book. The book needs an editor, badly. It doesn't add to the generally poor quality of writing, infact I'm forced to assume Mr Dietz was working to a really really harsh deadline, I wouldn't want to think all his work was that poor.

4. opinion. I and many others like the chief in the books more than in the games.

I did say "in my opinion".

I like the Chief in The Fall of Reach, and First Strike, I don't like his portrayal in the Flood.

About the only good points in my opinion were the brave grunt Yayap, and the bits about the Flood stealing Keyes' thoughts bit by bit, stripping away his mind.

I realise this has turned into a bit of a rant, so, apologies for that, just re-reading the bit about the infantry square etc reminded me how many head-to-desk moments were in that book.

  • 07.20.2011 3:55 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

After the 2542 error in the first re-release of Fall of Reach, I wouldn't trust 343's editors. But you can't skip The Flood. I grant it has issues and isn't the most exciting novel, but I think some people just hate it because Nylund didn't write it. And if he did and nothing was changed, folks would like it.

  • 07.20.2011 4:03 PM PDT

Posted by: DecepticonCobra
After the 2542 error in the first re-release of Fall of Reach, I wouldn't trust 343's editors. But you can't skip The Flood. I grant it has issues and isn't the most exciting novel, but I think some people just hate it because Nylund didn't write it. And if he did and nothing was changed, folks would like it.


Granted, it's been 5-6 years since I've read any of the first three books (the only ones that I did), but you're not missing much if you skip the Flood. If you played Halo CE, it's a pretty boring read. Then again, all the Halo books are pretty -blam!- boring if you're not six.

  • 07.20.2011 4:32 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Well, the added Covenant and ODST perspective is a nice touch. That and Chief actually TALKS more in the books.

  • 07.20.2011 4:36 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: HappyMeals
Posted by: DecepticonCobra
After the 2542 error in the first re-release of Fall of Reach, I wouldn't trust 343's editors. But you can't skip The Flood. I grant it has issues and isn't the most exciting novel, but I think some people just hate it because Nylund didn't write it. And if he did and nothing was changed, folks would like it.


Granted, it's been 5-6 years since I've read any of the first three books (the only ones that I did), but you're not missing much if you skip the Flood.


Nice example cobra saidly it was shown far too fast.


And yes you are missing alot.

- a geas being implied far before we even knew about it

- that the PoA can't land in atmosphere

- john knowing how to use forerunner relics

- how everything on halo went down (that the game doesn't show

- you will know why there is a random elite at the end of the maw on the elevator

- master chief almost almost got infected

- you will learn that chief is TERRIFIED of the flood and HATES them

- the mystery with 343 confusing chief for somebody else

- 343 saying that live guards once protected halo

and the list goes on

  • 07.20.2011 4:38 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: grey101
- the mystery with 343 confusing chief for somebody else


Hopefully Chakas or Riser, *crosses fingers*

  • 07.20.2011 4:39 PM PDT

  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • of 2