INFO
AIM
to create an early entry point into the Halo series by novelising two of my favourite video games. Newcomers should complete the story with a sense of satisfaction from its conclusion and a spark of curiosity for the rest of the franchise. Existing Halo fans should be pleased by the provision of a new medium in which to relive the exciting experiences of Halo 2 and Halo 3 via a vivid, engaging and coherent prose.
DESCRIPTION
Halo Array is a fan-made novelisation that chronicles the epic sci-fi adventure and action combat of the video games, Halo 2 and Halo 3. With nods to other popular tales in the science fiction genre, this adaptation has been written for any appreciators of space opera, military sci-fi and retrofuturism, following the structure of Halo’s playable levels.
Whether you are well-versed in Halo lore or have never heard of it in your life, climb aboard this frigate and sail upon the cosmic currents of slipspace on a grand voyage to the wild, warring yet wonderful world of Halo.
DISCLAIMERS
Halo 2 (2004) and Halo 3 (2007) were originally developed by Bungie Studios, published by Microsoft Game Studios, are owned by Microsoft Corporation and currently developed by 343 Industries. They released on Xbox and Xbox 360 respectively (which are also Microsoft-owned products).
Halo Array is an unofficial adaptation not commissioned by Microsoft Corporation or affiliated companies. It is in no way an alternative to existing Halo media including any video games, books, films or television.
Note:
The language used is Australian Standard English, Western Australian variation. Expect Australian terminology and spellings such as ‘colour’ (instead of ‘color’), ‘organise’ (instead of ‘organize’), ‘towards’ (instead of ‘toward’), etc.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Halo Array versus The Flood
In April 2003, over one year after the release of the first Halo game, Del Rey Books published Halo: The Flood by William C Dietz. The second official Halo novel, it adapted the events of the original Halo, extending the battle of Alpha Halo and expanding the Halo Universe like never before. After Halo 2, fans eagerly awaited the next game-adaptation novel. No such book ever arrived.
Whilst Halo Array may be read as a sequel to Halo: The Flood, it is no such expansion. Both books can be deemed jumping-on points for readers intrigued by the franchise, but Halo Array was written with a distinctly different goal from how The Flood appears to have been designed. Halo Array is strictly a novelisation or retelling, allowing room for official Halo material to contribute secondary interquel and parallel events without causing excessive contradictions. It exists as an additional method for experiencing Halo. Perhaps your Xbox is broken; perhaps your fingers don’t wrap around your controller or vigorously tap your keyboard like they used to. Halo Array is there for you to relive each moment you might not otherwise be able to from the games, Halo 2 and Halo 3.
Halo: The Flood delivers on another level. To me, its experience is for those who know Halo, for those who wish to travel to that already-familiar ringworld as a mere human, an average marine fighting for their life. In Halo: The Flood, the Master Chief’s adventure guides the plot, but it is not integral to the story. John is the context, not the content. Whereas in Halo Array, John is the story, and the game is the novel.
William C Dietz wrote Halo: The Flood as an author. I have adapted Halo Array as a fan. This (thus far) is the only book I’ve ever written.