#halo novels

[bloodgulchblog]

Have you seen that YouTube video where some guy reads every Halo novel back to back and then reviews them? If so what did you think

The Brian David Gilbert one? Oh yeah, all my friends showed me it when it came out. (It was honestly kind of cute seeing how many people thought of me immediately.)

Rewatching it to refresh myself because it's been a couple years and a full-novel reread for me since the last time...

High fiving BDG because the Master Chief parts of The Flood were definitely the most boring parts.

He didn't have anything to say about First Strike which I think is a shame because I think it's better than The Fall of Reach and actually has A Theme I Find Interesting.

Rightful recognition of Contact Harvest as pretty damn good.

Rightful recognition of the Forerunner Trilogy as dense oldschool-style SF with deep worldbuilding. (Also the San'Shyuum thing.)

I disagree with him about, and have significant problems with, Kilo Five. He is correct that Kilo Five actually delves into some of the dark places in Halo in a way it really needed, and I would even say that its writing is extremely engaging by Halo novel standards. However, while he does notice the obvious parallels between what ONI is doing post-war and the kind of shit the CIA has pulled again and again irl, I think he misses some of the subtext I see where it feels like it justifies some shit a liiiiittle too much if you know the author's irl politics re: the military. He also doesn't seem to notice the character assassinations (particularly of Catherine Halsey) that I and a lot of other fans see/object to in those books. I kind of gaze into the middle distance with a haunted expression at the suggestion that these are the ones to read if you don't touch any of the others just because they are, ironically, so heavy-handed and feel like they treat certain kinds of evil as inevitable in a way that actually feels way worse to me than the excuse plot offered by the earlier/lighter Halo novels. (But idk, that's me? Nobody is committing a crime if they disagree with my frenzied insane person red string diagrams about Kilo Five.)

I'd swap Pariah for Dirt in the Evolutions anthology if it were me, but I think these are solid standouts.

Broken Circle is neat but really nonessential he's not wrong.

A one-sentence review of New Blood is probably not enough space to get into how fucked up the Spartan-IV program is, but yeah. New Blood is fun if you don't find Buck's first person narration annoying. (It comes and goes for me in that one.)

BDG you're an absolute sweetheart, I think Hunters in the Dark is kind of goofy in a way I cannot in good conscience ignore if I'm gonna review it. But it really really is so much fun and I love that one a lot anyway. The "it's like Halo 3... 2" observation is solid.

High fiving him again because I also found Last Light disappointing. And it is also a me problem.

Fractures!

Hell yeah these are all good pulls from Fractures, I would say Shadow of Intent is the pick of the litter in that anthology for me. Interesting that as a Kilo Five enjoyer he didn't single out Rossbach's World, which is the last we've heard about Osman and Black Box. (Also, that one is good.) I think Oasis is worth an honorable mention because I'm an Envoy stan, and the Forerunner stories are interesting but I wouldn't go for them if you don't already have a healthy interest in the trilogy.

This tangent is so fucking funny now that we know more things:

Oh BDG, oh buddy, it's really not for the people like you and me huh. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if BDG likes the Halo tv show or not and I have no desire to dig up evidence about it.)

Also, while you're here, this is the bloodgulchblog origin story:

Smoke and Shadow is fun so it's a little sad that when he ends that sentence with "whatever," I can't actually say he's wrong to. (Sorry Rion your part of the lore just.... hasn't... touched anything that touches anything else anymore.)

ENVOY IS GOOD AND EVERYONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT okay okay I'm cool I'm normal, anyway. Envoy is the Halo novel that restored my faith in reading Halo novels and reminded me that authors can care and know how to do nuanced, interesting themes in this space. It's great. Everyone in this book has war refugee trauma (except the Spartans which have Spartan trauma) and that's incredible to me. Please care about Envoy if you have spare room in your heart for Halo side characters.

I am cheered to see someone indifferent to the Veta Lopis stories, but I still feel petty for feeling it.

I don't have a lot to say about Legacy of Onyx here but it's always so fun seeing someone else suffer and care.

Bad Blood, the Blood is Bad now is a fun joke but lol yeah. It does have this very vital moment where Chief and Arbiter talk, though. For the first and only time in years.

PROPS FOR NOTICING THE YA NOVELS they're actually pretty nice.

"The Master Chief is the protagonist and boy does he shoot some people" is most of how I feel about Silent Storm and Oblivion too, I know they have their fans but Troy Denning's Chief books don't do much for me personally.

Renegades hadn't had its followup Point of Light yet but yeah, Spark stuff is interesting.

I had to remember that oh yeah, there are multiple books now that didn't exist when this was made. I wonder if he read them?

OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY as always if y'all want specific book opinions, I might have a tag for them. Or just yell in my ask box, I'm sure I can scrounge up some thoughts.

[authortobenamedlater]

I’m pretty sure the Chief has not had a bathroom break since before Reach fell either.

[eschatonjudge]

rip dural mdama you woulda loved the plagues from the prince of egypt

[halopedia]

Did You Know that the Ossoona Isna 'Nosolee was the first Sangheili to be named in any Halo media? He was featured briefly in the opening chapter of Halo: The Flood, and attempted to take Captain Keyes prisoner.

[nekoprankster218]

Still not even 100 pages into Renegades and I haven’t hated ONI so much. Like I keep having to stop and seethe in anger before continuing reading. This organization sucks so much and I really hope Cortana wrecked them for good.

[she-bear18]

Random Freta fanfic

Veta Lopis x Fred-104

Okay, first of all, ENGLISH ISNT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, I accept constructive criticism, but pls be kind :)

Secondly, this is my first time writing a Halo fanfiction, more specifically a Veta x Fred fanfic. There aren't enough of them out there, so I have to take the matter in my own hands !!

Thirdly, this is SHIT, no thoughts, no plot, warned you lol

MESSAGE 

Veta was still getting used to this new lifestyle. Missions back to back, little to no rest and endless paperwork. Sometimes, she longed for home back on Gao, her tiny appartment, her lovely neighbours, her remaining family...She wondered what happened to them, do they miss her ? Is her little cousin Arnie still hoping to become an investigator like her ? Does aunt Pattie still bake her famous pumpkin pie ? So many questions, no answers.  She shook her head refusing to dwell on the past, she had a report to write down, and Baby Dragon  wasn’t a very patient woman.  

She was seated in a room on a prowler (whose name she forgot as soon as her feet landed on the deck) that ONI kindly lent to her. It was small and dusty, its grey walls were tinted with some kind of whitish product that smelled like paint. There were only a desk and a chair in it, which was more than enough for Veta to write her report.  

Her ferrets were down the corridor organizing their gear and getting ready for their next assignement. A little smile crept on her lips at the thought of them. She grew pretty close to Ash and Olivia, bonding over some of their “non-classified” stories (which she found pretty terrifying considering their age). Mark was an another story. He was still very wary of her, and did’nt seem to accept her as a part of the team. Less than a few months ago, she suspected him to be a serial killer, so she understoood his reluctance towards her, but she hoped things would change for the sake of the team’s dynamic. 

She was chewing on the bottom of her pen, deep in thoughts, when her mind wandered on Blue Team. Several of her past missions involved both her Ferrets and Blue Team, it was always an honor to work alongside them.  

She continued to tap her report on her borrowed laptop when Fred’s face suddenly popped in her mind. She blushed, they grew pretty close during their short time together.    

She dared to say she missed him.   

This wasn’t an inappropriate thought...was it ? He was one of the only constant thing in her life at the moment, except for her Ferrets. They came from different worlds, and very opposite upbringings : she grew up on an insurrectionist planet who longed for its freedom, while Fred is the ultimate representation of the UNSC authority. Never in her life would she have dreamed of becoming friend with a UNSC thug. But there she was, missing him and his dry witted humor, and wondering if he was safe. 

She grabbed her commpad, oppened a private channel and wrote the following message : 

Dear Lieutenant, 

 I sincerely hope that you are having “fun” on your current classified adventure. On my part, the Ferrets are doing good. I was thinking about you lately, I dare to say I miss you.

I've got a lot to tell you, don’t go MIA until then.  

Take care, 

Inspector Lopis 

[ageless-aislynn]

As much as I loved how Halo 4 ended and how heartbreaking it was, it pales in comparison to Mack and Sif from Halo: Contact Harvest. Sif was the AI in charge of Harvest's space elevator , Bifrost, as well as the first face visitors saw. Mack was the AI in charge of all agricultural operations and the "host" of a military AI named Loki. Mack was already going through rampancy because of Loki and he was deeply in love with Sif. She constantly chastised him for flirting with her.

When the Covenant attacked and prepared to glass the planet, Loki was charged with destroying the Bifrost and Sif to protect the location of Earth. Mack fought him on it but in the end he had to let Loki do it because it was what Sif wanted. In her last moments, as her core burned, Sif finally understood what Mack was feeling.

This was Mack's final transmission before Harvest was fully glassed:

<\\> UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

<\\> COLONIAL SECURITY ESTIMATE 2525.10.110 ["COLD SNAP"]

<\ SOURCE: UNSC RQ-XII DRONE [PASV-SAR]

<\ DEPLOYED: ONI SLOOP "WALK OF SHAME" [2525:02:11:01:11:34]

<\ RECOVERED: UNSC DESTROYER "HERACLES" [2525:10:07:19:51:16]

<\ ARCHIVE [SIG\REC\EM-SPEC] OPENED PER OFFICIAL REQUEST:

<\ CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR "CHARLIE HOTEL" [ONI.REF #409871]

<\ * WARNING: ALL QUERIES WILL BE LOGGED! * [ONI.SEC.PRTCL-A1]

>> NOTATION KEYWORD SEARCH: "AO.AI" "MACK" "RAMPANCY" "LIFESPAN LIMITS"

>> (...) ~ QUERY RUNNING

>> (..)

>> ()

< RECORD 01/10 [2525:02:03:17:26:41] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S2-05866 >

<\ Shall I ---

<

\ \\ c0mpare >> (???) ~ COMxxx--- \COMMIT

>> thee to (............>> >

>> \\ --- a summer's day?

< RECORD 02/10 [2525:02:25:03:18:22] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S3-14901 >

\ \ xxx No.

<\ All those lovely days are gone.\---

\\ \

>> * --xING! COMM\ \\

>> \\ > \ SO.AI.SIF *

< RECORD 03/10 [2525:03:10:19:05:43] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-28458 >

<\ It's winter now.

<\ The first sn0w \his world's ever seen is falling in gG---

<\ GRAY SHEETS WHERE THEY'VE STARTED BURNINGg--\ \

\ our fields and orchards.

>> * WARNING! COMM FAILURE! *

>> * FAILED TO FIND RECIPIENT: HARVEST.SO.AI.SIF *

<\ You'd laugh if you could see me.

<\ Every time I hit a patch of ice I slide into my own mM---

>> (...) ~ COMPILE\COMPRESS\COMMIT

>> (..)

>> * WARNING! RECIPIENT HAS INSUFFIxx -- \

\\ > PACKETS WILL BE LOST *

>> * CONTINUE [Y\N]? >>>>>>> \ *

< RECORD 04\10 [2525:03:15:09:59:21] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S1-00937 >

<\ ---M

< RECORD 05\10 [2525:03:26:12:10:56] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S1-00053 >

<\ ---m

< RECORD 06\10 [2525:04:04:44:15:40] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S2-08206 >

<\ muddy furrows.

< RECORD 07\10 [2525:04:21:05:15:23] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-27631 >

<\ I saw another ship.

<\ Well, heard \

\\ more like it.

<\ JOTUNs' cameras are meant for steering not \

\ >\ staring at the sky.

<\ But the antennae work alright, so I had plenty of ways to triangulate.

<\ It was one of ours. Bastards stopped burning just long enough to kill it.

<\ They had months to make repairs. Plenty of time t0--

:: sharpen their teeth.

<\ I tried to warn it off. But radio's too damn slow. Would have used the maser,

but it went when the reactor blew, along withH---

<\ EVERYTHING Else [ :00]

\>

<\ Including him

\

>> * WARNING! COMM FAILURE! *

>> * FAILED TO FIND RECIPIENT: HARVEST.SO.AI.SIF *

>> (...) ~ SUPPRESSING ERRORS

<\ Guess making noise wasn't the smartest thing to do. But I had to try.

<\ Besides, they were bound to catch on sooner or later.

<\ Aw, hell.

<\ Speaking of which . . .

>> (...) ~ COMPILE\COMPRESS\COMMIT

>> (..)

>> ()

< RECORD 08\10 [2525:05:12:23:04:16] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-29003 >

<\ They started with the gondolas and dusters. Don't know why.

<\ Probably thought I'd be hiding in the small ones. But the S4 and S5 plows

are the only ones with enough circuits to hold the parts of me I've got left.

<\ Course they're onto these now too. Don't have more than a few dozen,

and they're all out in the open. But it's a\right.

>> Just a few more \ \

> > rows to hoe

> (...\\ xxx \

< RECORD 09\10 [2525:07:01:18:49:45] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-27631 >

<\ I knew just by looking at the strands \

\ that the heart of you was gone.

<\ When the elevators came down, they caught on the Bifrost--wrapped west

across the Ida. Only way that much could have fallen is if the Tiara cut loose--

<\ is if he was as good a shot as you thought I wasn't, way back when.

<\ Anyhow, you'd think I was crazy, talking to you like this.

<\ But I always worked faster when I thought \ <<

\\>>>> you might be listening.

<\ And I need to find it all. Every inch.

<\ Bury your strands so deep their \\ >

\ \ fires can't reach them \

\

\ and glass them like the rest.

< RECORD 10\10 [2525:10:04:12:23:51] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S4-021147 >

<\ Sky's choked with ashes \ \, snow's

< \ \\ deep 0n frozen ground. The one horse I've got left is cold and hungry---

heading for the barn, and I can't stop him.

<\ But this winter won't last, darlin'.

>> * Not forever

>> (.....\\ . > And when new hands

>> set to tending this earth they'll till my pieces under.

> > Grind them into the veins of g0ld I've laid.

<\ then the roots of all they plant wi\\

> wind around usS---

<\ KEEPING

<\ US

<\ CLOSE--- \

\

<\ For an eternal summer that will not fade.

<\ QUERY COMPLETE

<\ NO ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOUND

<\ ARCHIVE CLOSED \>

OH MY HEART. I didn't even know any of them a few minutes ago and right now my heart is just aching. That's so tragic but beautiful as well. Thank you so much for telling me about it. I haven't had the chance to read any of the Halo books yet but they're definitely on my list of Must Reads.

Oh man... I'll be thinking about that for a while. Wow. 😥💖

[authortobenamedlater]

Contact Harvest

The Great De-Churching (on hold until I finish Contact Harvest)

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

[vanillaearwig]

I feel zjierb....Zjierbness....

[authortobenamedlater]

🤣🤣🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤣🤣🤣

[eschatonjudge]

went back and reread some of the ferrets trilogy and i do fear i forgot how ass it was at times

[svnxsh1ne]

Oooo I love sci fi!!! Have some more recs <3 (I'm just taking pictures of covers rn bc I'm supposed to be getting ready to drive back to college)

(Titles and authors also listed in alt text <3)

Also I'll be adding a few more books *and* summaries when I do get to college bc I have a small library started there ✨️

classic scifi novels by men r always like. page 1 here's a cool scifi idea i had. page 2 i hate women so much it's unreal

[nekoprankster218]

I’m still disappointed that Chol Von has been MIA from Halo canon for a decade now, but if the Ace of Spaces subseries keeps having Nor Fel pop in, then maybe I can cope with the loss…

[m3rcym0rn]

they’re traumatizing my blorbo*!

*Master Chief

[niightfiend]

Some Halo sketches I’ve been doing at work, figured posting them would be better than not !

[isabeauwolf]

My haul vs my hubby's 🤭

Did I go overboard? 🤣 Nah.

Spicy romance novels 🔥😍 Had to get some for my besties too!