Halo: Contact Harvest: Difference between revisions

{{Era|RW|FA}}

|publisher=[[Tor Books]]<ref name="amazon"/>

|publication=[[2007 (real world)|October 30, 2007]]<ref name="amazon"/>

|media=Paperback<ref name="amazon"/>

|length=400 pages<ref name="amazon"/>

|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0-7653-1569-6|0-7653-1569-6]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0-7653-1569-4|978-0-7653-1569-4]]<ref name="amazon"/>

'''''Halo: Contact Harvest''''' is a ''[[Halo universe|Halo]]'' [[Halo novels|novel]] written by [[Joseph Staten]], a writer for the original ''Halo'' trilogy of games.<ref name="interview"/> Published by [[Tor Books]], ''Contact Harvest'' was released on [[2007 (real world)|October 30, 2007]] and is the fifth official book in the ''Halo'' series, the second of three that were published by Tor.<ref name="amazon"/> ''Contact Harvest'' is Staten's first published novel, which he wrote after he was approached by Tor.<ref name="interview"/> The novel was generally well-received following its release and remained on ''[[Wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'' Best Sellers list at #3 for four weeks.<ref name="nytimes">[http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/19/halo-contact-harvest-lands-3-on-nytimes-books-list/ '''Engadget''': ''Halo: Contact Harvest lands #3 on NY Times list'']</ref>

Set between [[2524]] and [[2525]], ''Contact Harvest'' details the first contact between [[human]]ity and the [[Covenant]] on the [[Outer Colony]] planet of [[Harvest]], as well as the events leading to the beginning of the [[Human-Covenant War]]. Staten described the novel as an "ensemble piece", as ''Contact Harvest'' is narrated from the points-of-view of both human and Covenant characters. The novel centers around a young [[UNSC Marine]], Staff Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]]—a popular and major recurring character that appears throughout the ''Halo'' series.<ref name="interview"/>

{{Article quote|This is how it began...

But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection. So the survival of Harvest's citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees. In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest...a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.<ref name="amazon"/>}}

{{Spoiler}}

On Harvest, there is only peace and prosperity. Watched by two [[artificial intelligence]]s, [[Sif]] and [[Mack]], the colony produces much of humanity's food. Under the supervision of Captain [[Ponder]], Johnson, Byrne, and [[Hospital Corpsman]] [[Healy]] are tasked with raising a [[Harvest militia|militia]] to protect Harvest from the growing threat of the Insurrection. This peace is interrupted when a [[Covenant]] [[missionary ship]], ''[[Minor Transgression]]'', discovers a malfunctioning [[Horn of Plenty|unmanned human cargo ship]]. The coordinates registered in the cargo ship's [[navigation computer]] lead the aliens to Harvest. An [[Unggoy]] [[deacon]], [[Dadab]], is alarmed when the ship's [[Luminary]] seems to register thousands of [[Forerunner]] artifacts and an [[Oracle]]. The opportunistic Kig-Yar plan to take some artifacts for themselves before reporting the discovery to the [[Hierarchs]], and begin surreptitiously raiding human [[freighter]]s. Unfortunately for the Kig-Yar, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] has recently organized a strike team to counteract what they believe to be a growing insurrectionist group. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander [[Jilan al-Cygni]], Johnson and Byrne await for the expected insurgents aboard [[freighter]] ''[[Bulk Discount]]''. They successfully deceive the crew of ''Minor Transgression'' into boarding the freighter, where they are immediately attacked by Johnson and Byrne. Johnson receives a cracked skull from their meeting and Byrne is stabbed in the leg with an [[energy cutlass]], though the humans manage to defeat the Kig-Yar boarders. This raid marks the first meeting of the humans and Covenant forces, and makes the humans aware of a brand new threat they may be facing. The Kig-Yar vessel's [[self-destruct]]ion sequence is activated by its dying [[Chur'R-Yar|shipmistress]], and Johnson and Byrne barely manage to escape the resulting explosion. Among the missionary ship's crew, only Dadab and his [[Huragok]] friend [[Lighter Than Some]] flee the destruction of their ship aboard an [[Covenant escape pod|escape pod]].

While Ponder, Johnson, Byrne, and Healy work to prepare the Harvest militia for a possible alien invasion, the [[San'Shyuum]] [[Prophet of Truth|Minister of Fortitude]] is confronted by the [[Prophet of Regret|Vice Minister of Tranquility]] on [[High Charity]]. The [[Vice Minister]] reveals the discovery of the large amount of "relics" found on Harvest and, after some convincing, Fortitude agrees to initiate a coup of the current [[Hierarch]]s with Tranquility, using the Vice Minister's discovery as a fulcrum. To keep the [[Sangheili]] from using this discovery as a way to upset the balance of power, they utilize a [[Jiralhanae]]-controlled ship, ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'', captained by [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Maccabeus]] and crewed by his [[Maccabeus' clan|clan]] of Jiralhanae—including a youthful [[Tartarus]], the chieftain's nephew. ''Rapid Conversion'' arrives in [[Epsilon Indi system|the system]] and discovers the escape pod containing Dadab and Lighter Than Some. Maccabeus is delighted to have a Huragok aboard his cruiser, as the Sangheili only permit Jiralhanae ships to employ [[Yanme'e]] workers in maintenance roles. Maccabeus tasks Lighter Than Some with making repairs to the ship's weaponry, which was disabled by the Sangheili. Meanwhile, the Yanme'e are relegated to menial roles or combat positions, much to their chagrin. The chieftain uses the deacon as a way to motivate the cruiser's own lackluster complement of Unggoy. Upon arriving at the planet, the crew of ''Rapid Conversion'' soon discover Harvest's vast store of Forerunner relics and a message of peace left by Sif and Mack in the form of a crude pictogram displaying a desire for peace. Their Luminary also indicates that there is an Oracle on the planet. The Jiralhanae land two [[Type-25 Spirit|Spirit]] [[dropship]]s at the specified date to meet with the human peace delegates, though the Jiralhanae only desire to capture the entire planet and its relics. The peace talks falls apart after [[Yull|an errant Unggoy]] attacks and kills Harvest militiaman [[Osmo]], and the one-sided [[First Battle of Harvest|Battle of Harvest]] begins.

*[[Unidentified Arbiter (Taming of the Lekgolo)|Unidentified Arbiter]] {{Fm}}

***[[Colonial Military Administration]]

*[[Type-25 Chopper]]

*[[Type-25 Spirit]]

*[[Type-1 plasma grenade]]

*[[Type-25 Spiker]]

*[[Metarch]]

{{Quote|I’ve wanted to tell Avery’s back-story for years, knowing that the tale I had in mind was probably too complex for a game to support.|Joseph Staten<ref name="interview"/>}}

According to [[Frank O'Connor]], [[Tor Books]] approached [[Bungie]] and asked if one of their writers was willing to write a new ''Halo'' novel. Realizing that Bungie now had a sufficient team of writers to manage the upcoming ''[[Halo 3]]'' and having been responsible for writing most of the previous in-game ''Halo'' canon, [[Joseph Staten]] offered to write the novel. In an interview with O'Connor, Staten admitted that writing ''Contact Harvest'' was a challenge: "''Honestly, this book’s been the most difficult mental challenge I've ever tackled''".<ref name="interview"/> He noted that writing the action scenes in the novel involved "slowing things down", in comparison to the fast-paced ''Halo'' games.<ref>[http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/680487/exclusive-joseph-staten-interview/ '''G4tv.com''': ''EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Staten Interview'']</ref> Staten decided to use [[UNSC Marine]] Staff Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]] as the central character of ''Contact Harvest'', as he believed that a novel is the best way of expanding on the backstory of a popular character like Johnson.<ref name="interview"/> The novel was originally intended to be released before ''Halo 3'', but Staten's work on both the game and the novel caused the release date of ''Contact Harvest'' to slip behind by a month.<ref name="1up">[http://www.1up.com/news/halo-contact-harvest '''1UP.com''': ''Halo: Contact Harvest Q&A'']</ref> ''Contact Harvest'' was released on [[2007 (real world)|October 30, 2007]].<ref name="amazon"/>

''Halo: Contact Harvest'' is the first novel written by Staten. He used the [[Halo Story Bible|''Halo'' Story Bible]] to assist him while we wrote ''Contact Harvest''. In addition, Bungie's team of game writers provided him with support, with O'Connor and [[Robert McLees]] reviewing Staten's final drafts of the novel<ref name="interview"/><ref name="acknowledgements">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''Acknowledgements''</ref> and cross-referencing the drafts with the Story Bible themselves to ensure accuracy.<ref name="podcast">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ckC0RO8Zk '''YouTube''': ''Bungie Studios Podcast Episode #3 7/23/07'']</ref> Staten received advice from [[Eric Nylund]]—the author of previous ''Halo'' books—while writing the first chapter of ''Halo: Contact Harvest''.<ref name="acknowledgements"/> Staten claims that his writing style for the novel was influenced by several 20th century science fiction authors, including [[Wikipedia:Larry Niven|Larry Niven]], [[Wikipedia:Iain Banks|Iain Banks]], and [[Wikipedia:Robert A. Heinlein|Robert A. Heinlein]]. Staten stated that reading the work of his favorite authors taught him the importance of "honing a strong, consistent voice" within his own writing.<ref name="interview"/> He wrote the novel hoping that it will be seen as a great novel, not just a great ''Halo'' novel. He wanted readers who were not familiar with the ''Halo'' universe to be able to "''pick up Contact Harvest and enjoy the read''".<ref name="1up"/> Staten promoted ''Contact Harvest'' at the [[2007]] [[Wikipedia:San Diego Comic-Con International|San Diego Comic-Con International]] by giving away signed posters of the novel's cover.<ref name="podcast"/> The novel's cover art was collectively designed by [[Isaac Hannaford]], [[Lorraine McLees]], and [[Aaron LeMay]].<ref name="acknowledgements"/>

Staten worked to ensure that ''Contact Harvest'' was a factually accurate addition to the ''Halo'' universe, as he considered his audience to be intelligent, suave, and quite willing to point out flaws.<ref name="npr">[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17938562 '''NPR''': ''Best-Selling Book Shows 'Halo' Game's Wide Appeal'']</ref> Prior to the release of the novel, confusion arose over the appearance of the anachronous [[BR55 battle rifle]] in the cover art. As ''Contact Harvest'' was confirmed to take place in [[2525]] and the BR55 was originally noted to be a new weapon in [[2552]] as cited in the original edition of ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'',<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 133'' (2003)</ref> fans on [[Bungie.net]]'s forums questioned the rifle's inclusion in the novel. In Episode III of the [[Bungie Podcast]], Joseph Staten claimed that he had intentionally included the weapon in the novel, claiming that the BR55 that appears in ''Contact Harvest'' is [[XBR55 battle rifle|a prototypical model]] of the battle rifle used by players in ''[[Halo 2]]''.<ref name="podcast"/> The battle rifle inconsistency has been further rectified, as the 2010 reprint of ''First Strike'' identifies the weapon as the "latest version" of the BR55.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 163-164'' (2010)</ref>

Critical reception to ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' was generally positive. Upon the novel's release on [[2007|October 30, 2007]], ''Contact Harvest'' was placed on ''[[Wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'' Best Sellers list at #3, where it remained for four weeks.<ref name="nytimes"/> Staten was complimented on linking ''Contact Harvest'' to the rest of the ''Halo'' game series, such as introducing the [[Type-25 Chopper]]s and explaining the origins and intent of the [[Covenant]]'s genocidal war against [[human]]ity. ''Contact Harvest'' was praised for being a sufficient standalone novel which could be read without having any prior knowledge of the ''Halo'' universe.<ref name="bella">[http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art48925.asp '''BellaOnline''': ''Halo - Contact Harvest'']</ref> Some reviewers of the novel perceived that ''Contact Harvest'' was "overly descriptive" and used too much military slang and jargon,<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/02/try_a_halo_novel_before_you_buy_or_dont-2/ '''Kotaku Australia''': ''Try A Halo Novel Before You Buy (Or Don't)'']</ref> while others were pleased that each military or fictional term was explained and noted that the novel was descriptive, but not enough to detract from the action and story.<ref name="bella"/> The novel's audiobook, featuring the voices of [[Jen Taylor]] and [[Wikipedia:Holter Graham|Holter Graham]], was generally well-received, though ''[[Wikipedia:Publishers Weekly|Publishers Weekly]]'' believed that Taylor's over-emphasis, cheesy dialects, and over-the-top accents detracted from the tension within the novel.<ref>[http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4272-0249-9 '''Publishers Weekly''': ''Audio Book Review: Halo: Contact Harvest'']</ref>

The success of ''Contact Harvest'' came as a surprise to the hosts of [[Wikipedia:National Public Radio|National Public Radio]]'s "All Things Considered" segment. NPR's Chana Joffe-Walt interviewed Staten after the novel's release and acted surprised that ''Halo'' had a story beyond shooting aliens.<ref name="npr"/><ref name="npr transcript">[http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=17938562 '''NPR''': ''Best-Selling Book Shows 'Halo' Game's Wide Appeal'']</ref> The interview sparked some controversy among the gaming community; many game review sites criticized NPR's comments for implying that "gamers can't read" and "games do not have stories", citing that Joffe-Walt was ignorant to the gaming world. In turn, several critics and reviewers praised ''Contact Harvest'' and its success.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/01/do-gamers-read/ '''Kotaku''': ''"Do Gamers Read?"'']</ref><ref>[http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/npr-takes-a-condescending-look-at-stories-in-games/ '''Engadget''': ''NPR takes a condescending look at stories in games'']</ref><ref>[http://www.cinemablend.com/games/All-Things-Considered-Thinks-You-re-Illiterate-8267.html '''Cinema Blend''': ''All Things Considered Thinks You're Illiterate'']</ref> Will Tuttle, an editor of [[Wikipedia:GameSpy|GameSpy]], claimed that ''Contact Harvest''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success "makes sense" as the ''Halo'' series had sold tens of millions of games at the time of the novel's release and noted that video games are increasingly becoming story-focused.<ref name="npr"/><ref name="npr transcript"/>

*This is first ''Halo'' novel not to feature [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II supersoldiers]].<ref name="interview"/>

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