before we jump into the halo books in order, how many are there exactly? there are more than 30 books, each with at least 300 pages. you probably won’t run out of reading material any time soon.
The books give you additional information that doesn’t appear in any of the video games, but that doesn’t mean you have to have played the games to understand it.
You are reading: All halo books in chronological order 2021
Below, we’ll look at two ways to read the halo books in order. We’ll list the halo books in publication order and in chronological order.
what is halo?
We’re not going to assume everyone already knows about Halo, just in case you’re here because you discovered a book on a shelf without ever having played a video game.
halo is a military first-person shooter video game produced by bungie and first released on November 15, 2001.
halo currently has 6 main games with a variety of spin-offs. The most recent game, Halo 6 (also titled Halo: Infinite), released on November 15, 2021. 20 years after Halo first debuted to the world.
The Halo game follows a character called the Master Chief. The boss’s name is John, and he’s Spartan 117. A Spartan is a genetically modified soldier designed to help Earth fight an alien threat called the Covenant. In the books, other Spartans are present with many books not even featuring John.
The Halo books chronicle the epic adventures of these super-soldiers. from his recruitment to saving humanity from annihilation in the strange galaxies.
#1 Halo Books In Order of Publication
If this is your first time reading the series, I recommend reading the halo books in publication order. this way you’ll experience the books as millions of fans did when they were published.
the halo books are grouped into 9 different series. there are also individual novels, novellas and anthologies that you can enjoy.
upcoming halo books
the rubicon protocol (expected: August 9, 2022) halo: outcasts (expected: May 30, 2023)
the original series by several authors
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001) by Eric Nylund
- Halo: The Flood (2003) by William C. deitz
- halo: first strike (2003) by eric nylund
- halo: ghosts of onyx (2006) by eric nylund
tobias s gray team series. buckell
- halo: the cole protocol (2008)
- halo: sent (2017)
the precursor saga of greg bear
- halo: cryptum (2011)
- halo: primordium (2011)
- halo: silentium (2013)
kilo-five trilogy by karen traviss
- halo: glasslands (2011)
- halo: thursday war (2012)
- halo: mortal dictata (2014)
alpha-nine series by matt forbeck
- halo: new blood (2015)
- halo: bad blood (2018)
troy denning’s ferrets series
- halo: last light (2015)
- halo: retribution (2017)
- halo: divine wind (2021)
kidney forging & kelly gay ace of spades series
- halo: smoke and shadow (2015)
- halo: renegades (2019)
- halo: point of light (2021)
a master chief story by troy denning
- halo: Silent Storm (2018)
- halo: Oblivion (2019)
- halo: Shadows of Reach (2020)
battle birth by cassandra rose clarke
- halo: birth of battle (2019)
- halo: meridian divide (2019)
individual novels by various authors
- halo: contact harvest (2007) by joseph staten
- halo: broken circle (2014) by john shirley
- halo: hunters in the dark (2015) by peter david
- halo: legacy of onyx (2017) by matt forbeck
- halo: the rubicon protocol (expected: August 9, 2022) by kelly gay
- halo: outcasts (expected: May 30, 2023) by troy denning
individual novels by various authors
- halo: testimony of a saint (2015) by frank o’connor
- halo: shadow of intent (2015) by joseph staten
anthologies
- halo: evolutions – essential tales from the halo universe (2009)
- halo: evolutions volume i (2010)
- halo: evolutions volume ii (2010)
- halo: fractures (2016)
#2 halo books in chronological order
The second way to read the halo books in order is in chronological order. This reading method gives you a timeline of events to help you better understand the history of the world of Halo in real time. however, because of this, some books that appeared later in the publication order may take liberties with previously released information.
That doesn’t mean they won’t recapitulate the information in the books, but for this reason we strongly recommend reading them in order of publication for the first time. otherwise, you may not be entirely sure what’s going on.
Furthermore, the halo anthologies take place in a variety of eras and thus cannot be easily placed within the chronological timeline.
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readers experienced in rereading should grasp the story fairly quickly.
- halo: cryptum
- halo: primordium
- halo: silentium
- halo: broken circle (first section)
- halo: contact harvesting
- halo: the cole protocol
- halo: birth of battle
- halo: meridian splitting
- halo: the fall of range
- halo: silent storm
- halo: oblivion
- halo: the flood
- halo: first strike
- halo: broken circle (second section)
- halo: ghosts of onyx
- halo: glasslands
- halo: the thursday war
- halo: mortal dictata
- halo: last light
- halo: retribution
- halo: shadow of intent
- halo : new blood
- halo: hunters in the dark
- halo: smoke and shadow
- halo: renegades
- halo: testimony of saints
- halo: point of light
- halo: envoy
- halo: legacy of onyx
- halo: bad blood
- halo: shadows of reach
- halo: divine wind
- halo: the pr otocol rubicon
- halo: outcasts
summary of the halo books
halo: the drop in range
It’s the twenty-sixth century. As the bloody war between humans and the Covenant rages on in Halo, the fate of humanity may fall to one warrior: the sole Spartan survivor of another legendary battle. The desperate, no-prisoners struggle that led humanity to Halo: The Fall of Planet Reach. Now, brought to life for the first time, here is the full story of that glorious and doomed conflict.
As the brutal pact giant inexorably sweeps through space intent on wiping out humanity, only one fortress remains: the reach of the planet. practically at the gates of the land, it is the last military fortress to defy attack. but the staff here have another, higher priority: preventing the pact from discovering the location of the land.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers seem to have little chance against the covenant, but the range holds a closely guarded secret. it is the training ground for the first “super soldiers”. Codenamed Spartans, these highly advanced, specially bioengineered and technologically enhanced warriors are the best in the universe: calm, professional, and deadly.
Now, as the pact’s ferocious onslaught begins, a handful of Spartans stand ready to wage the ultimate war. They will kill, they will be destroyed, but they will never surrender. And at least one of them, the Spartan known as Master Chief, will live to fight another day in a mysterious and ancient artificial world called Halo…
halo: the flood
It is 2552. Having narrowly escaped the final battle against the great alien alliance known as the Covenant, the crew of the Pillar of Autumn, including the Spartan John-117, the Master Chief, and his partner Ai Cortana, are forced to make a desperate escape to slipspace.
but their destiny leads them into an ancient mystery and an even greater fight. Floating in this remote corner of the universe is a magnificently massive artificial ring world. the crew’s only hope of survival is to crash-land on its surface and take the battle opposing the pact to the ground.
But they soon discover that this enigmatic ring world is much more than meets the eye. Built a hundred thousand years ago by a long-lost civilization known as the Forerunners, this “halo” is worshiped by the Covenant: a sacred artifact they hope will complete their religious quest for supposed transcendence, and they will stop at nothing to control it.
In fierce combat, the Master Chief and Cortana will delve into Halo’s construct and discover its dark secret and true purpose, even as a monstrous foe far more ferocious than the Covenant emerges to threaten all sentient life. in halo and the galaxy beyond…
halo: first strike
It’s 2552. The theocratic military alliance known as the Pact shows no mercy as it continues to assault every human world it encounters, but standing in the way stands humanity’s greatest champion, the Spartan super-soldier John-117: Master Chief.
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Together with her partner AI Cortana and the last remaining Spartans, the galactic struggle rages on two fronts following the destruction of the human military stronghold by the pact forces and the mysterious artificial ring world known as “halo” at hands of the master chief.
One faction, a squad of Spartans led by Blue Team’s Fred-104 and Kelly-087, is trapped on the glassy surface of Reach, the only planet they’ve ever known as home. and under this ruined world, dr. Catherine Halsey has uncovered an ancient secret… one that could alter the course of the war.
Meanwhile, the Master Chief and Cortana lead a second group to a gathering of Covenant warships, as the United Nations Space Command’s worst nightmare has finally come true: the Covenant has discovered the location of the earth and is forming a massive fleet to completely destroy it, as well as all those who oppose the indomitable will of the prophets…
halo: ghosts of onyx
It’s the twenty-sixth century. Once considered clandestine, the Spartan-II program has now been made public. tales of armored supersoldiers fending off thousands of pact attacks have become legend.
As the Master Chief defends a besieged land, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, a top-secret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as “Section Three” devises a plan to buy the UNSC life time. however, you’ll need hundreds of willing soldiers, and one more Spartan, to get the job done.
the planet onyx is practically abandoned and it is the perfect place to launch this new plan. But when the Master Chief destroys Halo, something activates deep within Onyx: Ancient Precursor technology stirs, and UNSC fleets and Covenant ships race to reclaim it and turn the tide of the war between Humans and Covenants.
But this ancient and awakened force may have plans of its own…
halo: harvesting contacts
The year is 2524. Harvest is a peaceful and prosperous farming colony on the edge of human-controlled space. But humanity has unknowingly invaded sacred ground, drifting into the path of the aggressive theocratic empire known as the covenant.
What begins as a chance encounter between an alien corsair and a human freighter soon catapults all of humanity into a fight for its very existence.
but humanity is also currently locked in a bitter civil war of its own: the insurrection. With resources stretched to the limit, the citizens of Harvest’s ultimate survival rests with a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia apprentices.
In this unlikely group of heroes, one will stand out above the rest: a young Marine Staff Sergeant named Avery Johnson…
halo: the cole protocol
It is the year 2535. It is the first desperate days of the Human Covenant War, and the United Nations Space Command has enacted “Cole Protocol” to safeguard Earth and its inner colonies from discovery by its ruthless alien enemy. .
many are called upon to rid the galaxy of persistent navigation data that could reveal the location of earth and ensure the destruction of humanity. Among those charged with eliminating any trace of such dangerous information is Navy Lieutenant Jacob Keyes, now tasked with a top-secret mission from the Office of Naval Intelligence… one that will take him to a corner of the galaxy where nothing is right. what it seems
Beyond the outer colonies lies the planet Hesiod, a gas giant surrounded by a vast asteroid belt. As the pact continues to crystallize the human-occupied planets near Hesiod, many of the survivors, aided by a bastion of human insurgents, flee to the asteroids for refuge.
They have transformed the falling satellites into a tenuous but ingenious settlement known as the Rubble, and have come face to face with a Kig-Yar Pact settlement… but somehow survived. word of this unlikely treaty has spread to the warring factions.
Fortunately for the UNSC, this uneasy alliance finds itself in the way of the Spartan Gray Team, a three-person renegade squad whose simple task is to wreak havoc from behind enemy lines in any way they see fit. But the prophets also sent the best: an ambitious and ruthless elite whose quest for nobility and rank is matched only by their brutality…
conclusion
The order in which you read the halo books will ultimately depend on your experience and preferences. If you are a newbie to the world of halo, follow the order of publication.
But if you’ve already read the books once, chronological order can be a way to spice things up.
Looking for more books in order?
see my list of witcher books in order.
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