When i say most important i mean story wise going into halo 4 and onward.
I know the forerunner saga are definitely the MOST important considering how forerunner heavy halo 4 is.
but what about the older books and the kilo 5 trilogy?
Do they tie into the games in any significant way?
The first two Kilo-5 books are really only in the Universe to explain the new Covenant faction that appears in Halo 4. Forward Unto Dawn may not be a book, but it’s a pretty enjoyable tie-in.
If you really want a back story on the Flood/Forerunners by far the Forerunner Saga is a must read especially Silentum. It gives you a view of what was happening up to the Halo Array being fired. You really see why the Ur-Didact is the way he is and get a insight into the Primordial (Precursor)
The Forerunner trilogy. It answers questions we’ve had since 2001.
Why not Read everything?
Here’s the list of Halo books that have been released (not including graphic novels or comics). I’ll rank the books 1-5, with 5 being what I feel is the most relevant to the games’ stories.
Halo: the Fall of Reach (5) - While this book does have a bit of redundancy with Halo: Combat Evolved, this is one of our better looks into Master Chief as a character, his beginnings, Halsey as a character, etc. It’s one of my favorite Halo books, honestly.
Halo: the Flood (2) - This book has even more redundancy with Halo: Combat Evolved, and less extra material. I found this book to be one of the harder ones to get through.
Halo: First Strike (3) - First Strike goes into the events between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. While these are interesting to read, the main focus I remember from this book is the computing power of Cortana. This book feels more like a direct sequel to Fall of Reach, with slightly less direct impact on the games’ stories.
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (3) - I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and for fans of Fall of Reach, this is a great read. There is more introduction into Forerunner facilities and securities than what we’ve seen before, and this book will be helpful when reading later books (see Halo: Glasslands).
Halo: Contact Harvest (4) - As Halo: the Fall of Reach is a great introduction book for Master Chief and humanity, I feel that Contact Harvest is such for the Covenant and the reason for the Prophets’ decision to go to war. This also does explain a bit more about both AIs and Forerunner applications, so that’s always a plus.
Halo: the Cole Protocol (1) - While it has admittedly been a while since I’ve read this book, I don’t recall there being much in terms of necessary facts that this book had that would be helpful to the games. You get to dive into the Covenant’s roles a bit more, but after Contact Harvest, that isn’t a necessity.
Halo: Evolutions (2) - Again, with there being so much included in this collection, as well as how long ago it has been since I’ve read it, I’m not the best to confront for this book, but I don’t recall any specific story within the book that was a huge foretelling or aid to the books, though I do want to go back and re-read this one.
Halo: Cryptum (4) - This is one of the other books that are hard to get through, possibly because it has such a different feel than the other books. I’ve given this book a high number not because it’s a great book, but rather because reading this book will give you a much better understanding of a necessary book listed later (see Halo: Silentium).
Halo: Glasslands (4) - If you were confused about Jul M’dama in Halo 4, this is a book to help with that. This book deals with his story, as well as feels like the unofficial sequel to Ghosts of Onyx, dealing with some of those characters.
Halo: Primordium (4) - If you were able to get through Cryptum, then do yourself a favor and power through this book. You’ll be 2/3 of the way through the Forerunner trilogy, and I’m sure by the time you’re through with Silentium, you’ll be glad you read the first two. This book deals a lot more with the backstory of the Flood.
Halo: the Thursday War (4) - If you read Glasslands to understand Jul M’dama, then you need to read this book as well, which is why it’s ranked so high. The other main thing to point out about this book is that it further details events of ONI that may come to fruition even later on in Halo games.
Halo: Silentium (5) - Of the newer books, definitely the most impactful in terms of connecting with games and other books. This book potentially has ramifications that could completely change how we view Halo games in the future. Read it.
Halo: Mortal Dictata (3) - Honestly my least favorite of the Kilo Five trilogy, I had high hopes for this book to showcase a lot of good material, but instead it felt much more self-absorbed. It does deal a bit more with ONI’s future, and it resolves (ish) the events surrounding the Kilo Five team, but not a lot more than that.
To be fair, there is no point reading the books to understand the games. Whoever makes the games doesn’t give a crap about what the novels say: Look at halo reach, look at halo 5. If you do wan’t to know more about the master chief storyline I would recommend the original novels (fall of reach - first strike). But like I said: don’t read fall of reach to understand Halo Reach, because the game isn’t cannon and full of unforgivable mistakes. Halo 5 wanted to introduce blue team to the games but made some mistakes towards ghost of onix as well (Fredrick is a higher rank than John, but still the Chief has command???). If you want to know more about the (ur-)didact, halo cryptum should be enough (probably has been said before, but still…)
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> To be fair, there is no point reading the books to understand the games. Whoever makes the games doesn’t give a crap about what the novels say: Look at halo reach, look at halo 5. If you do wan’t to know more about the master chief storyline I would recommend the original novels (fall of reach - first strike). But like I said: don’t read fall of reach to understand Halo Reach, because the game isn’t cannon and full of unforgivable mistakes. Halo 5 wanted to introduce blue team to the games but made some mistakes towards ghost of onix as well (Fredrick is a higher rank than John, but still the Chief has command???). If you want to know more about the (ur-)didact, halo cryptum should be enough (probably has been said before, but still…)
I recommend re-reading the OP’s post, because your only point I don’t believe to be incorrect is one which doesn’t have anything to do with his question.
343 Industries is incorporating story from the novels into their games. One of the main arguments I’ve heard against Halo 5’s story is that some people are angry about certain backstories not being filled in, backstories which actually are filled in in the novels. The stories for Fireteam Osiris’ members and Blue Team are detailed in the novels.
You were correct that reading the Fall of Reach will not give deeper understanding to the game, Halo Reach. However, the OP asked about Halo 4 and forward, and other novels do give insight into the backstories of characters in the games. Additionally, you are incorrect in your assertion that Halo Reach “isn’t cannon”. 343 has bent over backwards to make the stories of the novel and game fit into a coherent (if messy) narrative. Both the game and novel are officially canonical, and there’s nothing you, nor anyone else outside of 343 Industries can do to change that.
Additionally, when you start talking about Halo 5, the supposed mistake is actually explained in the backstory from the novels, meaning it isn’t a mistake at all. Master Chief has hardly been apart from Blue Team since they were six years old (Yes, I know on occasion, the members of Blue Team changes). And since nearly the beginning of their training, John 117 has been the leader of the Spartans, a position made official early on. The Spartans know that John is the best among them, and they are not going to try to make him play second fiddle just because he turned down promotions which would have made him outrank just about everyone. Master Chief leading Blue Team is not a mistake.
Regarding the Ur-Didact and Halo 4, the OP already acknowledged the value of the Forerunner Saga.
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> When i say most important i mean story wise going into halo 4 and onward.
> I know the forerunner saga are definitely the MOST important considering how forerunner heavy halo 4 is.
> but what about the older books and the kilo 5 trilogy?
> Do they tie into the games in any significant way?
Agree with some of the other posters. Karen Traviss’s books are some of the best-written in my opinion (having read nearly all the Halo novels), and help set up Halo 4 and Spartan Ops. Also agree that you should read Nylund’s books. Well done and lots of good insight into the Chief.
Looking forward, perhaps also read Hunters in the Dark. May or may not tie into more stuff, like Halo Wars 2. We’ll see.
Please don’t revive old threads thanks, especially ones over 2 years old