User:TheArb1ter117/Sandbox2

The cover of Halo: Empty Throne.

The staff at Halopedia are happy to present our fifth review of a Halo novel, this time on Halo: Empty Throne by Jeremy Patenaude. While the novel was released about one month ago (at the time of publishing this article) and we allow any of its content to be posted to the site, we have ensured that the first half of this review is spoiler-free, with only a few allusions to topics covered in the Chapter 2 preview officially released prior to the novel. You can safely read the first five questions if you have yet to complete the novel yourself, but make sure to avoid the second set of questions and the summary section!

Given that collaboration between people of varied opinions and backgrounds is core to the concept of a wiki, our review consists of a number of talking points with multiple editors giving their thoughts individually. This time, we've got Halopedia staff members XXXXXXX, XXXXXXX, and XXXXXXX!

Please note that the Halopedia team were provided promotional copies of the Empty Throne audiobook, though were not asked by Halo Studios, Microsoft, or any other party to produce this review, nor were we asked to promote or praise the book.

If you would like to experience the novel for yourself, you can find it at Simon & Schuster, Amazon (US or UK), Forbidden Planet, Waterstones, and Barnes & Noble.

Spoiler-Free Questions

Question 1

'What are your overall thoughts on Halo: Empty Throne? Was it what you expected?

• TheArb1ter117: Going into Empty Throne, I legitimately had no clue what to expect aside from its setting toward the end of the Created's rule and the plethora of characters revealed to be making an appearance. Given the confirmation of the Shadow of Intent's crew and Gray Team in the novel, I was hoping for joint operations between the Swords of Sanghelios and the UNSC to be a major facet of the story. Empty Throne certainly did not disappoint in that aspect, and I really enjoyed the novel overall.

• BaconShelf: When Empty Throne and its cover were first revealed, I have to admit that I was somewhat sceptical of the premise: Spartans being father figures to children and scrambles over Forerunner macguffins are certainly well-trodden ground for Halo's expanded universe at this point. The character reveals at HWC2024 piqued my interest more, with the return of Sali 'Nyon and the crew of Shadow of Intent, alongside the announcement of the return of space combat to the Halo books, something that the series has gone without since 2008. Since then, my interest in the novel grew a lot and with the final release I can definitely say that it's beat any of my expectations out of the water. My initial worries that it was going to be a safe and somewhat bland Halo story that we've already seen a dozen times were definitely placated to some extent, and in retrospect this novel has done for the wider Halo setting what we should have had back in 2011. Overall, I certainly have quibbles here and there, but I think we're in a place where the Halo novels are consistently putting out hit after hit right now, and similar to Outcasts and Epitaph, my only real major complaint is that this is the kind of worldbuilding and setting-exploration we needed after Halo 5: Guardians, if not earlier.

• Sith Venator: My overall thoughts are I really enjoyed it! I was initially a bit dismissive of the premise of the book due to Outcasts and Epitaph covering such similar ground, but I'm glad I gave Jeremy a chance and let him cook.

Question 2

Tul 'Juran (center right) and Rtas 'Vadum (right) fighting Tem'Bhetek (left) during the events of Halo: Shadow of Intent.

In October 2024, it was revealed that Halo: Empty Throne would be bringing back several popular characters that fans have not seen in while, including Gray Team, Serin Osman, Terrence Hood, Black-Box, Sali 'Nyon, Rtas 'Vadum, and Tul 'Juran. Without spoiling anything, which of these returning characters did you most enjoy? Why?

• TheArb1ter117: My top two returning characters weren't among those revealed to be in the novel prior to its release, so I'll go with my third choice, which is sort of cheating because it's the entirety of Gray Team. But as the book itself acknowledges, Spartan-IIs often act like a singular entity, so I think it counts. I've always liked Gray Team since Halo: The Cole Protocol, but it wasn't until reading Empty Throne that I truly fell in love with them. The chemistry between them and the other people they interact with feels uniquely refreshing. They value comradery with those fighting alongside them even when the sentiment is not reciprocated, and it leads to some interesting interactions and character development that I can't go into without sharing spoilers.

• BaconShelf: For me, the Shadow of Intent crew really stole the show insofar as the returning cast from previous novels. Getting to see the world through Tul 'Juran's eyes was always fun, and Patenaude did a great job of exploring her alien perspective compared to humanity and even her fellow Sangheili without going into comic-levels of ridiculousness. To address the inverse, I was slightly disappointed that 'Nyon didn't play a huge role in the book, but overall I think it's safe to say that each of the many storylines in the novel could (and maybe should) have been a dedicated book in themselves; Empty Throne is one of the longest Halo novels to date and still feels like it has enough material in there for a trilogy, at least.

• Sith Venator: While I'm tempted to say the Shadow of Intent crew or even Gray Team, I'm actually going to go with Serin Osman and Black-Box. Shocking coming from me since I don't particularly vibe with the Kilo-Five Trilogy. I'll talk about them more in a spoiler question since the reason I like them more in this novel is definitely not spoiler-free.

Question 3

Since the reveal of the novel's official summary, it was evident that Halo: Empty Throne would be set during the twilight hours of Cortana's reign over the galaxy, tying into Halo Infinite and other stories from that time period. Do you feel that this novel tied into the existing media in a satisfactory way? Without going into specifics, what aspects of the universe do you think it did the best at fleshing out?

• TheArb1ter117: With the release of Empty Throne, I feel that the picture of the galaxy during the rule of the Created has been made satisfyingly complete while also hinting at what might be the next steps for the overall story of the Halo universe in the years to come. In particular, I think this novel does a great job of portraying the state of the UNSC and humanity as a whole during this time, explaining Cortana's reach throughout the galaxy and the methods used to avoid being detected by the archon.

• BaconShelf: I've always been very critical of Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite, so when I say that this book (in combination with the other novel releases from the last 4-5 years) has really kickstarted and maintained my interest for the new Halo Studios era of the franchise, it should hopefully indicate how highly I think of the new novel. Really, I find it difficult to talk about Empty Throne without also including Outcasts in the conversation, as the two are tied at the hip in a really satisfying way, telling alternate halves of a broader story; how does the galaxy react to the Created as a whole? I think it's a testament to the wider HS Franchise Team that they've been able to salvage so much from the less-than-satisfactory hands they've been given to work with from the past few main games.

• Sith Venator: Very much so! This novel gels super well with Outcasts and a lesser extent Epitaph. In my opinion, it does an excellent job of just planet hopping so we can see what the galaxy is like under Created rule. Turns out—depending on where you are and how quiet you are—it isn't that bad. The novel also has some very nice space combat sections featuring large warships which should make the Nylund fans very happy.

The cover art of Halo: Escalation Library Edition Volume #2.

Question 4

Are there any other pieces of Halo media that you think fans need to play, read, or watch before picking up Halo: Empty Throne? Or any that you think would simply enhance the reading experience?

• TheArb1ter117: To be honest, Empty Throne has so many connections to past media that will go unnoticed unless you've read like half of Halo's catalog of novels. However, that isn't to say that it's necessary to read so many books before diving in to this one; at the very least, I recommend reading Outcasts and playing Halo Infinite first. Still, there are several great returning characters that I feel like you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you don't first read Halo: Shadow of Intent, Halo: The Cole Protocol, and Halo: Envoy.

• BaconShelf: I don't think it'll be a surprise to anyone that Empty Throne's premise pretty tightly revolves around building up the opening of Halo Infinite. To that degree, that game and the aforementioned Halo: Outcasts are fairly good things to have in mind in the background. Otherwise, Patenaude is a very long-time fan and contributor to Halo and the more you know, the more you'll get out of little nuggets of info pulled from some pretty obscure places. While I could certainly list a dozen or more comics and other novels, I think that the book does a pretty great job of bringing the reader up to speed on things like who and why Sali 'Nyon is, and so forth.

• Sith Venator: Like everyone else, I'm going to say Infinite and Outcasts. There's connections to probably at least half the books or comics in this novel, so sticking with those two is probably best for simplicity's sake.

Question 5

For fans who haven't read many (or any) of the previous Halo novels and are unsure if they should read Halo: Empty Throne next (or even start their journey into the Halo novels with it), what advice would you give to them? For the fans who have read many of the previous Halo novels, which novels would you say feel most like Empty Throne?

• TheArb1ter117:

• BaconShelf: As ever, for someone interested in getting into Halo novels, I'm always going to recommend you start with Halo: The Fall of Reach and The Original Series in order. The first book was written at a time where no Halo media had been released yet, and so couldn't assume any amount of foreknowledge from anyone about anything. Empty Throne is great if you already have some preexisting knowledge of the series (especially the expanded universe), but it's also introducing and juggling a lot of characters, plots, locations, and things, that might be pretty overwhelming as an introductory piece.

• Sith Venator: Per my more recent attitude there's enough Halo content out there now I just recommend jumping in and going back to the starting point if you have the time. You don't need to know Grey Team blew up Glyke to know what their deal is in Empty Throne. As for which novels feel the most similar, possibly Halo: Envoy, but that might just be because both books involve most characters that I would say don't have any plot armor at all.

Spoiler Questions

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Question 6

While Halo: Empty Throne is Jeremy Patenaude's first Halo novel, it comes as no surprise that it was filled to the brim with connections to lore all throughout Halo's rich history, given his former role as franchise writer. What were some particular connections, references, and long-awaited revelations that stood out to you?

• TheArb1ter117:

• Sith Venator: I am happy to see Black Box's story come to an end. Not because I disliked the dude, but because I thought his termination was legitimately sad. I felt bad for both him and Osman, another character I don't particularly care for.

Question 7

Gray Team circa 2559.

Are there any other specific moments, characters, settings, or other elements of Halo: Empty Throne that you particularly enjoyed or want to highlight?

TheArb1ter117:

Sith Venator: I really liked the interrogation scene of the Order of Restoration Sangheili. It had some good character moments for both Tul and Grey Team while also adding a little to Sangheili lore.

Question 8

SUGGESTIONS WELCOME

TheArb1ter117:

Question 9

Concept art of a Created-occupied human city.

Combining this novel with the stories told in Halo: Outcasts, Halo: Epitaph and several other recent novels, fans now have a relatively complete picture of the state of the galaxy around the end of Cortana's reign. Do you think opportunities still remain to continue to story of the Created, or do you expect future media to start focusing on the state of the galaxy post-Created?

TheArb1ter117:

Sith Venator: It'll be interesting to see the Created as a faction where they are no longer the top dog. Might be a bit interesting to see some planets still under Created rule that actually like their AI overlords?

Question 10

Unlike the last Halo novel which seemed to shut the book on a major storyline (that of the Ur-Didact's character arc), Halo: Empty Throne has introduced a few plot threads that could be followed up on in later media. Which treads are you most interested in seeing continued? Would you like a direct sequel to Empty Throne down the line?

TheArb1ter117:

Sith Venator: I'm most interested in seeing the Order of Restoration plot line continue.

Spoilers end here.

Summary

Ultimately, we at Halopedia... We have agreed on giving the book a rating of /10!

This concludes our fourth review of a Halo novel! We will be continuing this with Kelly Gay's Halo: Edge of Dawn later this year, so any feedback on the format and content of this review is appreciated! In the meantime, you can check out our reviews of Halo: Divine Wind (here), Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (here), Halo: Outcasts (here), and Halo: Epitaph (here).

We'll leave you with some Halo: Empty Throne-themed memes originating from Halopedia staff discussions about the novel, arranged in order of appearance:

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