Hello everybody. I know I don’t really post much on this section of the forum but I do browse occasionally.
I’ve never read any Halo literature before, only know what has been told to me by others or what has happened in the games.
MasterSable convinced me to spend the B&N giftcard I got last year on some Halo literature. Since I’ve never read the books I’m really super curious!
This is a thread I’ve made to track my progress as I read, jot down thoughts and questions I have as I go through the plot and watch the characters evolve or change. Also to make comparisons between the book and what I have seen of the characters in the games.
By all means feel free to comment or join in discussion with me or each other. Though try not to give away huge plot spoilers until I read past them! 
Have a feeling I’m REALLY going to enjoy reading Fall of Reach.
EDIT: Since not everybody has read the book yet, and I don’t like it when people spoil things for me, or accidentally spoiling for others - any posts I make where something might be considered a spoiler I’ll put in tags for those of you who don’t want spoilers!
One of the best Halo books fall of reach is. did you obtain the original or re issue?
this is the only book ive read from the series. i enjoyed it. i put off reading more books while i catch up on star wars books. i wouldnt necessarily say they are better, i just enjoy jedi stories more then spartan stories.
i bought the original, what is the difference between it and the reissue?
> this is the only book ive read from the series. i enjoyed it. i put off reading more books while i catch up on star wars books. i wouldnt necessarily say they are better, i just enjoy jedi stories more then spartan stories.
>
> i bought the original, what is the difference between it and the reissue?
Just a few slight edits and corrections from the original, plus a different cover.
I have yet to have a chance to read Fall of Reach. However I got a kick out of the Forerunner Saga, and might have to start eyeballing Fall of Reach next.
Also from what I understand the reissued version makes a few retcons to try to make the book mesh better with the video game Halo: Reach. I am sure though a quick internet search after you read the book will bring up what those retcons where and how they change the story.
In my humble opinion, you should keep an eye out for the Forerunner Saga. They’re great books to read even if you have no idea what Halo is. As for the rest, I enjoyed Contact Harvest because it gave some insights into the beginning of the war and the Covenant lifestyle.
Please tell me you got the original version and not the re-write with the fancy cover. Read the original versions of the main trilogy first.
I’ve just read the fall of reach last week because it was suggested to me a few weeks back on the halo universe forum . After I’ve read it I must say that I was really suprised how good it was. I immediately ordered Halo : The flood and Halo :First Strike to finish off the first trilogy. I am really curious about the forruner trilogy , how it’s written . And how understandable it is for someone who doesn’t have english as his first language , but as his fourth.
Btw ; Believe me you’re gonna enjoy The fall of reach.
> Please tell me you got the original version and not the re-write with the fancy cover. Read the original versions of the main trilogy first.
Why? They’re 99.9% identical with only a handful of sentences reworded. The real additions are simply tacked on to the back of the book in an Adjunct section.
> One of the best Halo books fall of reach is. did you obtain the original or re issue?
I bought the re-issue trilogy - however, I’m expecting a package from a friend that contains the original release trilogy. Believe me, I’m utterly delighted to be able to own both issues. I’m a collector of books, though my private library is small, having these Halo books makes me quite happy. :]
On that matter, I’ve been reading the book the last while. I tend to read it most at work on my break when I eat, and at home to wind down before bed. (Anybody used to read books late at night with flashlights when they were a kid? ;])
SPOILERS BELOW
I’m VERY intrigued to discover certain aspects of Johns personality…for instance, he says he never felt like he had a direction or a purpose before being taken and drafted into the SPARTAN program. And that his personal goals usually center around “winning” and being first. Which I understand this is “Young John” we’re talking about here, some of that is just teens being teens. But I find it very curious…
The part with the augmentations was nothing short of emotionally heart wrenching. Not everybody passed the ‘test’, and John felt like it was his fault and that he ‘lost’. 
So far I’ve read up to the point where they kidnap the rebel leader alive and steal the captured pelican in order to get back into UNSC safety. It’s been great so far, and another curious thing I noted was that he had a brief lapse of ‘professionalism’; where he wondered and thought about all those other human lives that had been ended on that mission and how it effected the other people who were still alive. Who those people were, what they did, their families, etc.
Chief definitely so far in the story has a much more emotional outlook/personality than most of what I’ve seen in the games. Not that I’m calling him an emotional man mind you, but he seems a tad bit more realistic/human so far. I’m liking it!
I’ll post again when I’ve read some more, and if/when I have interesting thoughts or questions.
Oh my goodness Tonight I cried on my way home because I reached the bit with [REDACTED] and [STUFF HERE] and all the emotions and sadfacedness. Directly after they got their MJOLNIR armor from Halsey.
Ugh. So many sad feels.
The novel is more than ten years old and you are in the universe forum, you don’t need to hide anything. Did you get the original or not? I suggest you right the originals first since it is best to learn how things were originally before the stupid little changes.
You are going to be at a disadvantaged to those that know the original.
I still believe that this novel specifically would make for a great reiteration on the big screen, it would be a great kickstart to Halo’s introduction to movies (FUD is not a movie). Since origin stories are what make it big on the box office nowadays.
> I’ve just read the fall of reach last week because it was suggested to me a few weeks back on the halo universe forum . After I’ve read it I must say that I was really suprised how good it was. I immediately ordered Halo : The flood and Halo :First Strike to finish off the first trilogy. I am really curious about the forruner trilogy , how it’s written . And how understandable it is for someone who doesn’t have english as his first language , but as his fourth.
>
> Btw ; Believe me you’re gonna enjoy The fall of reach.
The book trilogy is actually Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx. The Flood is not connected to them at all, beyond being a novelization of Combat Evolved, and wasn’t written by the same author 
It’s not a bad book, but Eric Nylund’s three are much better than the Flood by far.
One of my favorite books along with silentium and ghosts of onyx, hope you enjoy it and it introduces you to a new side of halo
> The novel is more than ten years old and you are in the universe forum, you don’t need to hide anything. Did you get the original or not? I suggest you right the originals first since it is best to learn how things were originally before the stupid little changes.
>
> You are going to be at a disadvantaged to those that know the original.
You must have missed the post where I said I have the re-issue currently in my possession, and am waiting patiently for a package containing the original trilogy to arrive. :]
As far as I’m aware, only a few lines/dates were edited in the reissue, apart from the original. I’m skeptical a couple lines and a date or two would leave me at a ‘disadvantage’ as it is more or less still the same story being read.
> The book trilogy is actually Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx. The Flood is not connected to them at all, beyond being a novelization of Combat Evolved, and wasn’t written by the same author It’s not a bad book, but Eric Nylund’s three are much better than the Flood by far.
I always thought the original trilogy was Fall of Reach, First Strike and The Flood like he did. Isn’t GoO part of another Halo book trilogy that came out later/some time after CEs release? In any case I plan to buy GoO at some point too. Never have too many books.
But on topic with the book itself, I’m really curious how things will progress towards the end…how John will change, even if just minute, now that Sam is dead.
> As far as I’m aware, only a few lines/dates were edited in the reissue, apart from the original. I’m skeptical a couple lines and a date or two would leave me at a ‘disadvantage’ as it is more or less still the same story being read.
It is only a few sentences changed. The new book also overrides the old book so I don’t see how you would be at a disadvantage by not knowing outdated information. I’ll give you an example using a scene you already read.
Halo The Fall of Reach (Original Publication) Page 124
“They climbed down.
John immediately fell down on the first deck.
‘Gravity,’ he said. ‘And with nothing spinning on this ship.’
‘Artificial gravity?’ Kelly asked. ‘Dr Halsey would love to see this.’
They continued inward, scaling the metal walls, past alternating layers of gravity and free fall, until they were approximately in the middle of the ship.”
Halo The Fall of Reach (2010 Publication) Page 147
“They climbed down.
John immediately fell down on the first deck.
They continued inward, scaling the metal walls until they were approximately in the middle of the ship.”
As you can see the entire part about the Artificial Gravity being noticeably important is completely removed.
> I always thought the original trilogy was Fall of Reach, First Strike and The Flood like he did. Isn’t GoO part of another Halo book trilogy that came out later/some time after CEs release? In any case I plan to buy GoO at some point too. Never have too many books.
If I’m not mistaken I believe they did release Fall of Reach, First Strike and The Flood in a box set. However I would say the Eric Nylund Books are part of the real trilogy. Just think of it as the “Eric Nylund Trilogy” with the Flood being the odd one out.
> > The book trilogy is actually Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx. The Flood is not connected to them at all, beyond being a novelization of Combat Evolved, and wasn’t written by the same author It’s not a bad book, but Eric Nylund’s three are much better than the Flood by far.
>
> I always thought the original trilogy was Fall of Reach, First Strike and The Flood like he did. Isn’t GoO part of another Halo book trilogy that came out later/some time after CEs release? In any case I plan to buy GoO at some point too. Never have too many books.
>
>
> But on topic with the book itself, I’m really curious how things will progress towards the end…how John will change, even if just minute, now that Sam is dead.
Nihilus Shadow pretty much said what I was going to say, they may have been boxed together or treated a trilogy in that way at one point, but the Flood doesn’t really have any bearing on the stuff from The Fall of Reach, it doesn’t mention or really deal with the other Spartans or carry over themes and such pertaining to them, that’s why I don’t regard it as part of a trilogy with TFoR. Nah, unless you regard it as part of a trilogy with TFoR and First Strike Ghosts of Onyx would be stand-alone. The reason I considered it part of a trilogy with the other two those is that it’s a direct continuation of the events from First Strike, it continues all of Eric Nylund’s plotlines and such, so it’d make more sense to consider it part of a trilogy over the Flood. Main reason I exclude the Flood is because it’s a novelization of the first game, I wouldn’t consider Combat Evolved part of a trilogy with TFoR and First Strike, so for the same goes for the Flood.
Thanks for the informative posts guys. Since I have’t read them yet I never would have guessed that The Flood is probably better treated as a stand alone. I WAS curious how the authors writing would tie in with Nylunds because two different authors usually write two entirely separate ways. 
If I read some at work daily I expect I’ll be finished with FoR very soon, and should continue with First Strike instead of The Flood? I prefer being able to continue plot lines/author writing styles until it’s fully concluded before beginning to read by another author.
I really want to read Bears works, but I think I’ll benefit more from reading the books prior for more back story and understanding in general of the universe as a whole.
First, there are at least three editions of The Fall of Reach.
The 2001 edition has the original cover with four SPARTAN-IIs in MJONLIR Mark V armor. They are in front of a burning building in a fan-out formation.
The 2010 edition has the new cover with John S-117 in MJOLNIR Mark IV armor standing above an enflamed planet Reach.
The 2011 edition has the same cover as the first, except with “Definitive Edition” on the cover.
Summary of some of the changes between 2001 and 2011:
- The number of trainees in the Pelican was incorrect; this has been fixed.
- The book now notes that the ONI orbital facility above Reach is old because it has centrifugal gravity.
- John S-117 falling straight to the deck of the Covenant ship raises no alarm.
- Some dates that erroneously said “2542” are now corrected to say “2552.” The 2010 edition had every date listed as “2542.”
- During Halsey’s briefing, the “large armored creatures” are now merely referred to as “Hunters” in a casual, familiar way. Elites are also spoken about in a similar manner.
- The Master Chief’s “first encounter” with an Elite is no longer said to be his first encounter.
While we’re on the topic, First Strike also underwent some changes between the 2003 and 2010 prints:
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Halsey’s wording to Fred S-104 changes to accommodate the new timeline of the Reach game, that the Covenant were on Reach a month prior to August 30.
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The narrative has been altered to make Brutes a more familiar enemy.