The Best Halo Books

Highlights

• Dive deeper into the Halo universe with the extensive collection of books, offering insight into different places, races, and adventures.
• Not all 30 Halo books are worth reading, but fan-favorites like “Halo: Outcasts” and “Halo: Epitaph” continue to receive high praise.
• Favorites like “Halo: Silent Storm” and “Halo: Ghosts of Onyx” explore Master Chief lore and offer engaging military sci-fi storytelling.

The second season of Paramount+’s Halo aired earlier this year, leaving many fans yearning for Halo season 3 to begin. Although there have been no official announcements, there’s still plenty to explore within the Halo universe, especially now that the Arbiter has shown up, leaving the door wide open for Thel Vadam to join the cast.

Fans who can’t wait to dive deeper into the world of Halo are in luck, as the franchise has been publishing books alongside the games since the beginning, so there are tons of resources for learning about other places, races, and adventures. There were already 30 books in the lineup before the show started, but in 2023, Halo: Outcasts – a highly anticipated novel from fan-favorite author Troy Denning – was published and received rave reviews. Another standalone novel, Halo: Epitaph by Kelly Gay, was released on February 27, 2024, also receiving high praise and proving that the Halo universe isn’t ready to slow down quite yet.

While it might not be possible for most fans to read all of the Halo books, to be perfectly honest, not all 30 of them are entertaining enough for anyone other than die-hard Halo fans. So, which Halo books are worth reading? Which Halo book is the best? These are Game Rant’s favorite Halo books!

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The Best Halo Books in 2024

Choosing the Best Halo Book

There are many reasons to pick up a good book, but not all apply to Halo readers. Players wanting more Halo in their lives should consider a few key factors before diving into the novels:

• Relationship to the Games: Not all of the books are directly related to the video games. In fact, plenty of the available books cover stories that have never been told in any of the games. While this is exciting for some, others may want to stick to books that feature in-game characters or locations.
• Page Count: Not everyone can handle a doorstop of a book. This isn’t necessarily because of the difficulty, as plenty of players can be intimidated by large books or simply don’t have the time for such a lengthy tale. Most of the Halo books are less than 300 pages, but for an even faster read, only choose titles that are closer to 200 pages long.
• Format: Most of the Halo books have audio versions available, along with the more standard print and digital editions. Although some people love to have hardcovers on their shelves, few of the Halo books have ever been released with a hardcover, and most physical copies are printed as mass-market paperbacks.

Best Halo Book About Master Chief

Halo: Silent Storm

Set before the events of the first Halo book, Fall of Reach, Troy Denning’s Silent Storm follows everyone’s favorite spartan soldier: Master Chief. The book hits a happy middle between the more emotional, sympathetic stories of the Spartans and the action-packed sci-fi that many fans love to see in Halo books. The fast-paced writing is ideal for players who don’t normally read very often, delivering the meat of the story without a lot of exposition or philosophical speeches.

However, despite the heightened attention to action sequences, the plot manages to fit in a fair bit of politics and betrayal. This novel covers the very beginning of the war with the Covenant, so there are still large factions of a human insurrection trying to puzzle out how they can avoid teaming up with the government they hate.

The book is followed by two other installments, Halo: Oblivion and Halo: Shadows of Reach, each covering a new mission headed by John-117. All three of the books have left their mark on the entire Halo series, with the most recently published book, Outcasts, sharing a setting with Oblivion. For fans who really want to absorb all of the Master Chief lore, Silent Storm and the entire Master Chief Story trilogy is a must-read!

Best Standalone Halo Book

Halo: Outcasts

For fans of Halo who also just generally enjoy science fiction novels, Halo: Outcasts may be the best book they’ll read all year. Troy Denning is a Halo veteran, having written seven other books for the franchise, so plenty of fans are already familiar with his style. Halo: Outcasts was released just last year, though it draws on many of the previous installments, such as Halo: Oblivion.

What really makes this book stand out is the fact that the main character is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. Although the Arbiter gets precious little screen time in the game series, he has become a fan-favorite character. In this standalone novel, the bold Covenant leader teams up with a Spartan, Olympia Vale, to try to stop Cortana’s reign of evil over both Humanity and the Covenant.

Fast-paced and featuring a decent mix of sci-fi combat and character building, Outcasts is a great expansion of the Halo universe that utilizes the Arbiter’s unique perspective masterfully.

Best Overall Halo Book

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx is a book that was published around the same time as the Halo games were at the height of popularity, but it remains one of fans’ most beloved novels in the series overall. Although it isn’t the first book in the series, it’s still a great starting place for newcomers to the Halo books, as it’s one of the first not to feature Master Chief as the main character. Instead, the book follows several Spartans that went MIA during a mission to retrieve Ancient Forerunner technology, and hopefully turn the tides of war in favor of humanity.

Another somewhat fast-paced book, this novel is a bit longer than other installments. This is mostly due to the fact that the story isn’t just another action-packed sci-fi adventure. The abandoned planet Onyx, where the UNSC hopes to gain an edge, is a darkly mysterious place even on its best days.

Perfect for fans wanting a bit more details on what was going on while Master Chief was saving the universe, this well-written novel is the best Halo book for most readers.