Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel the warrior; Ivy the healer; & Bethany a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human & when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone-especially herself-from the Dark Forces. Is love a great enough power against evil? ...

The Human-Covenant War a desperate struggle for humankind's very survival has reached its boiling point on the mysterious ring world called Halo. But the fierce Covenant warriors the mightiest alien military force ever known are not the only peril. As the fortress world of Reach & its brave defenders were bombarded to rubble a single cruiser fled the carnage with the battle's only human survivors
- Captain Keyes his small crew of Marines & the last SPARTAN super-soldier the Master Chief. With the cruiser's artificial intelligence Cortana concealed in his battle armor the Master Chief crash lands on Halo in the midst of a massive Covenant occupation. Curiously the alien soldiers appear to be searching for something hidden on the ring. Built by a long-dead race Halo harbours many deadly secrets but one overshadows them all. Now the Master Chief must lead the scattered troops in a brutal race to unravel Halo's darkest mystery
- & unleash its greatest source of power.. .

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As the bloody Human-Covenant War rages on Halo the fate of humankind may rest with one warrior the lone SPARTAN survivor of another legendary battle. This was the desperate take-no-prisoners struggle that led humanity to Halo
- the fall of the planet Reach. Now for the first time here is the full story of that glorious doomed conflict.. . Almost on Earth's doorstep Reach is the last military fortress to defy the brutal Covenant onslaught. But their highest priority is to prevent the Covenant from discovering Earth. The outnumbered soldiers seem to have little chance but Reach is the secret training ground for the very first 'super soldiers'. Code-named SPARTANs these bioengineered & technologically augmented warriors are the best
- quiet professional & deadly. As the ferocious Covenant attack begins a handful of SPARTANs stand ready to wage ultimate war. & at least one of them
- the SPARTAN ' Master Chief'
- will live to fight another day on a mysterious & ancient artificial world called Halo.. .



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Why do some companies prosper while others fail? Despite great amounts of research many of the studies that claim to pin down the secret of success are based in pseudoscience. THE HALO EFFECT is the outcome of that pseudoscience a myth that Philip Rosenzweig masterfully debunks in THE HALO EFFECT. THE HALO EFFECT highlights the tendency of experts to point to the high financial performance of a successful company & then spread its golden glow to all of the companys attributes
- clear strategy strong values & brilliant leadership. But in fact as Rosenzweig clearly illustrates the experts are not just wrong but deluded. Rosenzweig suggests a more accurate way to think about leading a company a robust & clearheaded approach that can save any business from ultimate failure.
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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 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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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 on the fragile human empire millions of lives were lost
- but millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such 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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