Halo Books in Order: How to Read 37 Book Sci-Fi Series?

The Halo book series are novels that have expanded heavily on the Halo universe. This project was initiated with the intent of establishing an “expanded universe” for future content.

The Halo book series are generally regarded as distinct from the Halo games’ stories in some respects. Although many fans of the games consider the Halo novels canonical.

The books delve into the backstory and mythology of the Halo universe, exploring the history of the various factions and characters that populate it.

Several books in the main novel series follow the exploits of the Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super-soldier, and his fellow Spartan soldiers as they fight against the alien Covenant and other threats to humanity. Overall, the book series provides a rich and detailed look into the world of the Halo games.

The Halo novel project is a project overseen by Microsoft Game Studios Franchise Development Group that was initiated with the intent of establishing an expanded universe for future content.

The stories told in the novels are considered canonical and are regarded as distinct from the story told in the Halo games.

Authors’ Biography

Eric Nylund

Eric Nylund is an American novelist and professional technical writer. He is particularly famous for writing the first book in the Halo book series, Hale: The Fall of Reach.

Since then he has written and co-written 5 other Halo books- Halo: First Strike, Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Halo Wars: Genesis, Halo: Evolutions “The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole,” and Halo: Reach “Dr Halsey’s personal journal and other classified assets.

William C. Dietz

William C. Dietz is an American science fiction author. Prior to working on Halo books, Dietz also wrote three Star Wars novels that followed the exploits of Kyle Katarn.

Tobias Buckell

Tobias Buckell is an American writer that is the author of several Halo novels and short stories.

Greg Bear

Greg Bear is an American science fiction author whose work covers themes of galactic conflict, artificial universes, cultural practices, and accelerated evolution. He has written and co-written several Halo novels along with original novels and series such as The Forge of God and the Darwin series.

Karen Traviss

Karen Traviss is a British science fiction author that previously worked as a journalist and a defense correspondent. Prior to working as a writer, Traviss served in the Territorial Army and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service. In addition to Halo, Traviss has written novels for the Star Wars universe and the Gears of War universe.

Matt Forbeck

Matt Forbeck is an American author and game designer. He is a Halo fan and has written and co-written 4 Halo novels and short stories.

Troy Denning

Troy Denning is a game designer and science fiction writer that has written over two dozen novels. He is credited as a writer of two Halo novel series along with several other short stories.

Kelly Gay

Kelly Gay is an American science fiction and fantasy author. She has written several Halo novels, novellas, and short stories.

Casandra Rose Clarke

Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative science fiction writer that is the author of Halo’s young adult novels- Halo: Battle Born and Halo: Meridian Divide.

Joseph Staten

Joseph Staten was the former head writer/cinematic director at Bungle Studios. He has written several Halo novels and novellas, and is even one of the voice actors for the Grunts in the original Halo trilogy and also voiced the Superintendent in Halo 3:ODST. Currently, Staten works as the project lead of the Halo Infinite development team.

John Shirley

John Shirley is an American fantasy and science fiction author. Other than Halo, Shirley is known for his cyberpunk science fiction novels and has also written several short stories, screenplays, and television scripts. His writing has a tendency to involve themes of political satire and spiritual allegory.

Peter David

Peter David is an acclaimed American author and writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. He is a prolific writer and has written many Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Trek novels.

Frank O’Connor

Frank O’Conner is a Scottish writer, content manager, and the current franchise development director of the Halo franchise at 343 Industries.

Halo Books in Order (Publishing)

The Original Halo Series

Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund

Published in 2001, Halo: The Fall of Reach is the first book in the Halo book series. It follows the SPARTAN-II program, the attack on Reach by the Covenant, and how the UNSC Pillar of Autumn escaped to Halo.

Halo: The Flood by William C. Dietz

Published in 2003, Halo: The Flood is the novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved. It also features a number of additional subplots that expand on the events in Installation 04.

Halo: First Strike by Eric Nylund

Published in 2003, Halo: First Strike takes place between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: 2. It explains the Master Chief’s return to Earth and the survival of a number of characters from Reach and Halo.

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund

Published in 2006, Halo: Ghosts of Nylund follows the journey of Kurt-051, the training of the Spartan-IIIS on Onyx, and the three-sided battle for the planet in 2552.

You can also buy Halo Box Set or Audible Audiobooks.

Gray Team Series

Halo: The Cole Protocol by Tobias Buckell

Published in 2008, Halo: The Cole Protocol details the backstories of Jacob Keyes and Thel’Vadam and introduces the Gray Team.

Halo: Envoy by Tobias Buckell

Published in 2017, Halo: Envoy follows Melody Azikiwe, an envoy of the UEG Diplomatic Corps, on a diplomatic mission on Carrow while simultaneously searching for a way to rescue the Gray Team from captivity.

The Forerunner Saga

Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear

Published in 2011, Halo: Cryptum gives the first-hand account of Forerunner Manipular, also known as Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, and the Didact during the Forerunner-Flood war.

Halo: Primordium by Greg Bear

Published in 2012, Halo: Primordium follows the story of a human being known as Chakas and his odyssey across Installation 07.

Halo: Silentium by Greg Bear

Published in 2013, Halo: Silentium recounts the twilight years of the forerunner civilization, the firing of the Halo Array, and the Urdidact’s descent into insanity.

Kilo-Five Trilogy

Halo: Glasslands by Karen Traviss

Published in 2011, Halo: Glasslands tells the story of the Halo universe after the end of the Human-Covenant War and serves as a follow-up to Ghosts of Onyx.

Halo: The Thursday War by Karen Traviss

Published in 2012, Halo: The Thursday War continues the story of Kilo-Five and humanity’s involvement in the Blooding Years.

Halo: Mortal Dictata by Karen Traviss

Published in 2014, Halo: Mortal Dictata tells the story of the Venezian rebel movement, which is threatening the security of Earth, and also focuses on the terrorist Staffan Sentzke’s connection to Kilo-Five’s Naomi-010.

Alpha-Nine Series

Halo: New Blood by Matt Forbeck

Published in 2015, Halo: New Blood explores the story of Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his squad Alpha-Nine during and after the Human-Covenant War.

Halo: Bad Blood by Matt Forbeck

Published in 2018, Halo: Bad Blood focuses on Spartan Edward Buck as he reforms his old squad Alpha-Nine and convinces them to undertake a daring mission following the rise of Cortana’s created.

The Ferrets series

Halo: Last Light by Troy Denning

Published in 2015, Halo: Last Light is a thriller that follows the Blue Team and Special Inspector Veta Lopis as they investigate the murders on a human colony that harbors Forerunner technology.

Halo: Retribution by Troy Denning

Published in 2017, Halo: Retribution tells the story of Veta Lopis and the Ferrets on a mission with the Blue Team to identify the assassin of Admiral Graselyn Tuwa.

Halo: Divine Wind by Troy Denning

Published in 2021, Halo: Divine Wind is a sequel to Halo: Shadows of Reach. It follows Veta Lopis and the Ferrets and their attempt to stop the firing of the Halo Array by the Keepers of the One Freedom.

Rion Forge And Ace of Spades series

Halo: Smoke and Shadow by Kelly Gay

Published in 2016, Halo: Smoke and Shadow follows Rion Forge, captain of the Ace of Spades, on her quest to discover the fate of her father and his ship, the UNSC Spirit of Fire.

Halo: Renegades by Kelly Gay

Published in 2019, Halo: Renegades continues where Smoke and Shadow ends. It follows Rion Forge on her journey to find her father while being pursued by ONI and Covenant remnants.

Halo: Point of Light by Kelly Gay

Published in 2012, Halo: Point of Light follows Rion Forge while they try to complete the Librarian’s plan as they are being pursued by ONI.

A Master Chief Story

Halo: Silent Storm by Troy Denning

Published in 2018, Halo: Silent Storm tells the story of John-117 and Spartan-IIs trying to gather information about the Covenant in the first year of the Human-Covenant War, and the insurrectionists’ attempts to stop their mission.

Halo: Oblivion by Troy Denning

Published in 2019, Halo: Oblivion is the sequel to Silent Storm and follows John-17 and Spartan-IIs on a mission to capture a Covenant frigate while Fleetmaster Nizat ‘Kvarosee tries to kill them.

Halo: Shadows of Reach by Troy Denning

Published in 2020, Halo: Shadows of Reach is set exactly one year after the events of Halo 5: Guardians. It follows the story of the Blue Team as they return to Reach to recover assets that are hidden in Dr. Halsey’s abandoned laboratory on CASTLE Base.

Battle Born: A Halo Young Adult Novel Series

Halo: Battle Born by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Published in 2019, Halo: Battle Born tells the story of four teens and a Spartan supersoldier trying to survive during the Battle of Meridian.

Halo: Meridian Divide by Casandra Rose Clarke

Published in 2019, Halo: Meridian Divide acts as a sequel to Halo: Battle Born and follows the four teens’ return to Meridian and monitors the Covenant’s efforts to retrieve an ancient Forerunner artifact.

A Halo Infinite Story

Halo: The Rubicon Protocol by Kelly Gay

Published in 2022, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol follows the members of the United Nations Space Command as they fight back against the Banished on Installation 07.

Standalone Novels

Halo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten

Published in 2007, Halo: Contact Harvest tells the story of Sergeant Avery Johnson and follows the events leading up to first contact with the Covenant at Harvest and the beginning of the Human-Covenant War.

Halo: Broken Circle by John Shirley

Published in 2014, Halo: Broken Circle tells the story from the perspective of several Sangheili and San’Shyuum characters during both the beginnings of the Covenant and the Great Schism.

Halo: Hunters in the Dark by Peter David

Published in 2015, Halo: Hunters in the Dark tells the story of a human-Sangheili expedition to the Ark in the post-war era.

Halo: Legacy of Onyx by Matt Forbeck

Published in 2017, tells the story of Molly Patels as she tries to adjust to her new life inside the Onyx Forerunner shield world and deals with a looming threat from the Servants of the Abiding Truth.

Halo: Outcasts by Troy Denning

Published in 2023, Halo: Outcasts tells the story of Arbiter Thel’Vadam and Spartan Olympia Vale as they look for an ancient artifact that is capable of liberating their peoples from Cortana and the Created’s rule.

Halo: Epitaph by Kelly Gay

Published in 2023, Halo: Epitaph tells the story of Ur-Didact after the events of Halo 4 and Halo: Escalation’s The Next 72 Hours arc.

Standalone Novellas

Halo: Saint’s Testimony by Frank O’Connor

Published in 2015, Halo: Saint’s Testimony explores the world through the eyes of Iona, a smart AI, as she attempts to prevent her own decommissioning.

Halo: Shadow of Intent by Joseph Staten

Published in 2015, Halo: Shadow of Intent follows the conflict that arises between Tem’Bhetek, a vengeful San’Shyuum Prelate, and Shipmaster Rtas ‘Vadum after the Covenant War.

Anthologies

Halo: Evolutions – Essential Tales of the Halo Universe by multiple authors

Published in 2009, Halo: Evolutions- Essential Tales of the Halo Universe is a collection of eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe from the perspectives of those who fought and died to save humanity and those who vowed to wipe it out of existence.

Halo: Fractures by multiple authors

Published in 2016, Halo: Fractures is a compilation of stories that span untold millennia. It explores mythic tales of bravery and sacrifice that blaze brightly at the very heart of the Halo universe.

Halo Books in Chronological Order

1. Halo: Cryptum
2. Halo: Primordium
3. Halo: Silentium
4. Halo: Rebirth
5. Halo: Broken Circle (first half)
6. Halo: Contact Harvest
7. Halo: The Cole Protocol
8. Halo: Battle Born
9. Halo: Battle Born – Meridian Divide
10. Halo: The Fall of Reach
11. Halo: Silent Storm
12. Halo: Oblivion
13. Halo: The Flood
14. Halo: First Strike
15. Halo: Broken circle (second half)
16. Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
17. Halo: Glasslands
18. Halo: The Thursday War
19. Halo: Mortal Dictata
20. Halo: Last Light
21. Halo: Retribution
22. Halo: Shadow of Intent
23. Halo: New Blood
24. Halo: Hunters in the Dark
25. Halo: Smoke and Shadow
26. Halo: Renegades
27. Halo: Saint’s Testimony
28. Halo: Epitaph (assumed, for now)
29. Halo: Point of Light
30. Halo: Envoy
31. Halo: Legacy of Onyx
32. Halo: Bad Blood
33. Halo: Sacrifice
34. Halo: Shadows of Reach
35. Halo: Divine Wind
36. Halo: Outcasts
37. Halo: The Rubicon Protocol

Frequently Asked Questions