The Covenant has collapsed after a long brutal war that saw billions slaughtered on Earth & her colonies. For the first time in decades however peace finally seems possible. But though the fighting's stopped the war is far from over: it's just gone underground. The UNSC's feared & secretive Office of Naval Intelligence recruits Kilo-Five a team of ODSTs a Spartan & a diabolical AI to accelerate the Sangheili insurrection. Meanwhile the Arbiter the defector turned leader of a broken Covenant struggles to stave off civil war among his divided people. Across the galaxy a woman thought to have died on Reach is actually very much alive. Chief scientist Dr. Catherine Halsey broke every law in the book to create the Spartans & now she's broken some more to save them. Marooned with Chief Mendez & a Spartan team in a Forerunner slipspace bubble hidden in the destroyed planet Onyx she finds that the shield world has been guarding an ancient secret -- a treasure trove of Forerunner technology that will change everything for the UNSC & mankind. As Kilo-Five joins the hunt for Halsey humanity's violent past begins to catch up with all of them as disgruntled colony Venezia has been biding its time to strike at Earth & its most dangerous terrorist has an old painful link with both Halsey & Kilo-Five that will test everyone's loyalty to the limit. ...

This is the essential visual guide to the Halo universe. Take a journey into the world of Halo & discover everything you ever wanted to know about the characters creatures locations vehicles & weapons from Halo" " Halo 2" " Halo 3" " Halo Wars" & " Halo 3 ODST". Each page in this handy guide is dedicated to one element focusing on its role & significance in the Halo universe from Master Chief the Arbiter the Halo Array the UNSC Pillar of Autumn & the Spartan Laser. It also features over 600 specially commissioned artworks by Microsoft artists. This is a must have for any Halo fan." ...

This is how it began.. . It is the year 2524. Harvest is a peaceful prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space. But we have trespassed on holy ground -- strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as The Covenant." What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer & a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the " Insurrection." So the survival of Harvests citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines & their inexperienced colonial militia trainees. In this unlikely group of heroes one stands above the rest.. .a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson." ...

Almost nothing is known for sure about this ancient race. Worshipped by the Covenant as gods their engineering relics pepper the galaxy & their connection to humanity remains unanswered. Devoted fans of both the books & games will finally get to delve deep into the era of these enigmatic beings & discover for themselves the epic story behind one of the great mysteries of the ' Halo' universe: the complete disappearance of the Forerunners from existence. ...

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars & horizons they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire millions of lives were lost
- but millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict not many of the stories of these heroes both human & alien have a chance to become legend. This collection holds stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe not only from the perspective of those who fought & died to save humanity but also from those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.
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Rounding out Tors" series of reissues of the original three Halo novels this newly edited & revised edition of " First Strike" is a must-have for all Halo fans. Featuring author Eric Nylund at the helm this tale bridges the events that take place in the game Halo: Combat Evolved (as novelized in " The Flood") & its blockbuster follow-up " Halo 2". After destroying the first Halo Master Chief & Cortana attempt to voyage back home among a myriad of deadly Covenant attacks. With a battle weary squad that

Includes:: the last of the Spartan-II survivors & the programs creator Dr. Catherine Halsey " First Strike" delivers an action-packed space opera told against the backdrop of one of the richest & most complex Science Fiction franchises of our time."

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With the Human-Covenant war over the universe is in chaos. The enemy that gave humanity much-needed drive & unity has been defeated. Rising from the trauma of this long-fought devastating conflict the UNSC must now lay claim to the universe. But new dangers both alien & human may threaten any chance for lasting peace. Join a group of old soldiers & new heroes as they begin a mission to penetrate what was once the heart of the Covenant empire in a desperate attempt to stop old foes from rising again. ...

In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the Forerunner empire two humans -- Chakas & Riser -- are like flotsam washed up on very strange shores indeed. They find themselves on an inverted world where horizons rise into the sky & where humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of neglect. They have become strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end -- a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life & the Forerunners. In the company of a young girl & an old man Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost & damaged Halo in search of a way home an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within & for the Librarian's tampering with human destiny. This journey will take them into the domain of a powerful & monstrous intelligence who claims to be the Last Precursor & who now has control of both this Halo & the fate of Forerunners & humans alike. Called the Primordial by ancient human warriors this intelligence may control the fate of not only Chakas Riser & the rest of humanity but all of sentient life. ...

In the last years of the Forerunner empire chaos rules. The Flood -- a horrifying shape-changing parasite -- has arrived in force aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defences. Too little too late the legal rate of Juridicals is only now investigating possible crimes by the Master Builder & others. Evidence-gathering agents known collectively as Catalog have been dispatched to collect testimony from the Librarian & both Didacts: the Ur-Didact treacherously abandoned in a Flood-infested system & the Bornstellar Didact who accompanies the Librarian as she preserves specimens against the dire possibility of Hal extermination. Facing the imminent collapse of their civilization the Librarian & Ur-Didact reveal what they know about the relationship between the long-vanished Precursors & the Flood. The Precursors created many technological species including humanity & the Forerunners. But the roots of the Flood may be found in an act of enormous barbarity carried out beyond our galaxy ten million years before. Because of that barbarism a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact & the Librarian -- husband & wife pushed into desperate conflict -- hold the keys to a solution. Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time -- to prevent an insane evil from dominating the entire universe. ...

The Art of Halo" is the ultimate gallery of the Halo universe with over 400 images including sketches & concept art by acclaimed artists such as Ashley Wood detailed interiors & sweeping landscapes of Alex Chu & Frank Capezzutos breathtaking spacescapes plus commentary from the artists themselves & a Foreword from the face of Halo Frank OConnor." ...