Halo: The Fall of Reach

By Eric S. Nylund

Book Overview

The Definitive Edition to the First and Bestselling Halo Novel, Including Twenty-seven Pages of New Material *** Legends are not simply born...they are willed into existence. Humanity has expanded beyond the Sol System. There are hundreds of planets we now call "home." The United Nations Space Command now struggles to control this vast empire. After exhausting all strategies to keep seething insurrections from exploding into interplanetary civil war, the UNSC has one last hope. At the Office of Naval Intelligence, Dr. Catherine Halsey has been hard at work on a top secret program that could bring an end to all this conflict...and it starts with seventy-five children, among them a six year old boy named John. Halsey never guessed that this little boy would become humanity's final hope against a vast alien force hell-bent on wiping us out. This is the story of John, Spartan-117...the Master Chief, and of the battles that brought humanity face to face with its possible extinction. *** This new Tor edition will serve as the definitive version of the novel that started Halo fans reading the series, and features brand-new material, including: Excerpts of Office of Naval Intelligence interrogations of the Covenant. Missives and mandates issued by the Covenant Declassified transmissions regarding the defense of Reach A personal insight into the Spartan program The Official Evacuation Order for all inhabitants of Reach. Five sketches of cover art by 343 Industries artist, Robogabo

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765328321
• ISBN13: 9780765328328
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

This book immerses you into the start of Halo CE and Halo Reach! Perfect for people that don't read

I'm definitely not a huge book fan but I started reading not too long ago. I've always loved Halo games and it was time for me to pick up the book. While Fall of Reach doesnt focus on the covenant's invasion of Reach, it still provides A LOT of context about the master chief and how he became the master chief. We get context about Cpt. Keyess, Dr. Halsey and Cortana. When the book goes over the invasion of Reach, you can catch certain subtle lines that combine the game and book (certain liberties have to be made since some dates arent specific).

Spartans are trained to handle difficult missions

This is a great book about the Halo universe and the how and why Spartans were created then molded into humanity's best soldiers. If youre into Halo lore, youll enjoy this book. Even if youre not a Halo fan, the book does a good job of introducing the universe. There is some repetition with some details, weapons and equipment, but that's a small nitpick.

Great introduction into the universe of Halo

This book was great for anyone wanting to explore the Halo universe and understand more about the Spartan Program. After being an enthusiastic Halo player for years, it was really nice to open a book and find such a great dialogue between the characters. I’m excited to read more in the series especially by this author.

How it all began

You may or may not have played the game, but either way this is the story that preludes it all. This book covers most of the life of a few unique individuals, the Master Chief and his fellow Spartans. This book follows much of the development of the Spartan program and the fight against the Covenant. Yes, this is the book where you meet such characters as Cortana and Keyes, but you meet others such as Dr. Halsey, the founder of the Spartan program. This book covers much of what the normal Halo player does not know and it gives great insight into the life of the Master Chief, the character you are in the Halo game. This is just a great book. Although I preferred the Halo book I think this is right about there with it. So read this one first to get the intro, then read the book and if you haven't played the game already, do that. Even if you're not a Halo fan now, you probably will be, or you'll just enjoy this as being a good sci-fi action book.

Excellent Book

I usually try to avoid books that are based on video games, as I find that they can be shallow at times. Plus, they usually try to follow the game storyline too closely and that results in a very predictable and sometimes undeveloped story. However, due to the game involving such an excellent storyline, I thought I'd give the book a [try], as it already had a pretty good game foundation. I was pleasantly surprised.Eric Nylund does an excellent job of writing the prequel to the video game. Not only does he stay true to the video game route, he makes the book interesting by adding in various aspects that are found in more creative titles. Such as explaining the space & terrestrial combat sequences with a creative flair that rivals most military fiction books. He also incorporates creative military strategy that is not clichéd, and sounds truly hypothesized. Although, don't let this fool you, as Mr. Nylund does not completely center this book around military action. Instead, he manages to successfully develop multiple characters through the course of the novel as well as character interaction.This is certainly the best game-based book since the first and second book of the "Doom" series in the mid-1990's. I'd highly recommend "Halo: The Fall of Reach" to any action/adventure or military fiction fan.

Great book even if you don't play the game

As many people have said, most books of this type (based on a game) seem to be quickly written and rather unexciting. This book is the exception to the rule. I was rather apprehensive going into this book but found myself hooked very quickly. From the training of the new breed of 'supersoldiers' to the fantastic space and ground battles this book never slows down. The characters are wonderfully well developed, the action is intense and exciting (loved the battle for Sigma Octanus), and the book as a whole is perfectly paced (you'll never say 'it was good, but slowed down a bit in the middle'). If you are planning on playing the game (I'm halfway through it myself) this book is a must read. Even if you don't plan on playing Halo but are a fan of military sci-fi action this book will satisfy. I will also be seeking out Nylunds other novels.

Great Sci-Fi novel,

I read this as soon as I could get my hands upon it and let me tell you that it was not in the least a letdown. I loved the book from start to finish and now know a lot deeper into the story of Halo. The book starts out with Dr. who started the whole Spartan project looking for candidates into the program for the soldier that is seen in Halo. The story progresses focusing on the boy who would grow up into the Master Chief [I don't want to give anything away] But, as the covenant begins to close in the story escalates to a large battle between the human and covenant that ends where Halo begins. So this is a great book if you wish to delve deeper into the story behind Halo and why it is one of the most innovative storylines in the gaming industry as well as the best game for Xbox. Enjoy!