Halo: First Strike
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Halo: First Strike | ||||
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Todd McLaren | |||
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Del Rey Books | |||
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Print (Paperback) | |||
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352 pages (original) | |||
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Halo: First Strike is a Halo novel authored by Eric Nylund. It was published in December 2003,[1] after being written in a period of sixteen weeks.[2] It is the third book of The Original Series.
Halo: First Strike fills the gap between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, in addition to continuing the story of the Spartans and Dr. Halsey on Reach where Halo: The Fall of Reach left off. The story is continued directly in Halo 2 and the subsequent novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. First Strike also ties up several unresolved plot threads, including how Sergeant Johnson survived the attack of the Flood.
The novel, along with The Fall of Reach and The Flood, was reissued in 2010 by Tor Books, with the new version including some content updates.[3] In 2026 the book will be included alongside its prequels The Fall of Reach and The Flood in an omnibus collection titled Halo: The Master Chief Omnibus, featuring further canonical fixes and new adjunct story content.[4]
Official summaries[edit]
Original edition by Del Rey Books[edit]
| “ | The Human-Covenant war rages on as the alien juggernaut sweeps inexorably towards its final goal: Destruction of all human life!
Halo has been destroyed, and the threat it posed to sentient life, neutralized. But victory has come at a terrible cost for the UNSC. Thousands of valiant soldiers fell in the battle to prevent the alien construct from falling into the enemy's clutches. Now, everything depends on the Spartan known as the "Master Chief." Yet even with the aid of the artificial intelligence known as Cortana, the Master Chief will be hard-pressed to rescue survivors and evade the Covenant ships patrolling the remains of Halo in debris-strewn space. Ahead lies a dangerous voyage home, through a gauntlet of Covenant forces. For the sake of all, the Master Chief and his war-torn squad must not only survive, but take the fight to the enemy with a decisive first strike. |
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Definitive edition by Tor[edit]
| “ | Rounding out Tor’s series of reissues of the original three Halo novels, this newly edited and revised edition of First Strike is a must-have for all Halo fans. Featuring author Eric Nylund at the helm, this tale bridges the events that take place in the game Halo: Combat Evolved (as novelized in The Flood) and its blockbuster follow-up, Halo 2.
After destroying the first Halo, Master Chief and Cortana attempt to voyage back home among a myriad of deadly Covenant attacks. With a battle weary squad, that includes the last of the Spartan-II survivors and the program’s creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey, First Strike delivers an action-packed space opera told against the backdrop of one of the richest and most complex Science Fiction franchises of our time. |
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2019 Gallery Books reprint[edit]
| “ | The New York Times bestselling aftermath of Halo: Combat Evolved featuring the Master Chief—part of the expanded universe based on the award-winning video game series!
2552. The theocratic military alliance known as the Covenant is showing no mercy as it continues to assault every human world it encounters, but in the way lies humanity’s greatest champion, the super-soldier Spartan John-117—the Master Chief. Together with his AI companion Cortana and the last remaining Spartans, the galaxy-spanning fight rages on two fronts following the destruction of the human military stronghold Reach by Covenant forces and the mysterious artificial ringworld known as “Halo” at the hands of the Master Chief. One faction—a squad of Spartans lead by Blue Team’s Fred-104 and Kelly-087—is trapped on the glassed surface of Reach, the only planet they’ve ever known as home. And beneath this ruined world, Dr. Catherine Halsey has discovered an ancient secret… one that could alter the course of the war. Meanwhile, the Master Chief and Cortana lead a second group toward 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 Earth and is forming a massive fleet to utterly destroy it, as well as all who oppose the indomitable will of the Prophet… |
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Plot synopsis[edit]
Section 0: Reach[edit]
The prologue begins during the Fall of Reach and flashes back to Chapter 34 of Halo: The Fall of Reach, where Captain Jacob Keyes informs Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 about the unsecured NAV database. John makes Frederic-104 the leader of Red Team and orders