Summary
Thesecond season of Paramount+‘sHaloaired earlier this year, leaving many fans yearning forHaloseason 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: Epitaphby Kelly Gay, was released on June 23, 2025, 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 BestHaloBooks in 2024
Halo: Fall of Reach by Eric S. Nylund
The very first book in the Halo series, Fall of Reach tells the whole backstory of Master Chief, or Spartan John-117. The space scenes are especially evocative, and the way that Nylund weaves empathy through small or quiet moments makes readers really feel for Master Chief. As a baseline for expanding the Halo universe, Fall of Reach is a good book that gives insight into Master Chief’s personality, and it certainly deserves a spot on fans’ shelves.
Halo: New Blood by Matt Forbeck
Halo: New Blood is a middle-of-the-road kind of sci-fi novel, focusing mostly on militaristic action. The story follows Sergeant Edward Buck, who joins the new spartan program after the Covenant war. Throughout the book, there are tons of references to Halo games and plenty of extra pieces of information that shed light on some of the background elements of the Halo universe. This book is definitely an entertaining read for those who like faster-paced, combat-heavy sci-fi tales.
Halo: Silent Storm by Troy Denning
A prequel to the first Halo book, Fall of Reach, Troy Denning’s Silent Storm once again connects readers to their favorite spartan soldier: Master Chief. Although this book is newer, it has less of the moral and emotional elements found in other modern Halo stories. Instead, this book aims to return to the fast-paced action that made the earlier Halo books entertaining reads. For fans who really want to absorb all Master Chief lore, Silent Storm is a must-read!
Halo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten
Following one of the greatest Halo characters ever, Avery Johnson, Contact Harvest tells the story of first contact between humanity and the Covenant. Extremely well-written with perspectives from both humans and aliens, this book not only explains Avery Johnson’s backstory and sets the stage for the Halo campaign, but also manages to create a lot of empathy for every character. Throughout the book, Contact Harvest offers readers engaging military sci-fi that builds on the Halo universe.
Halo: Fractures
Halo: Fractures showcases 14 original stories set in the Halo universe from as far back as the Forerunners to decades after the Covenant war. Each story offers a fun, exciting read with great writing to interweave the action and themes with Halo worldbuilding that fans love to see. Most of the short stories take place after Halo 3, so readers who haven’t played through the Halo series will probably have more questions than answers with this book.
Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear
One of the most popular and controversial trilogy in the Halo library, Greg Bear’s Cryptum is a dense book that assumes the reader already knows almost everything about Halo. It’s tough not to categorize this book as “hard sci-fi” since the depth of this backstory is incredible. The book is set long before the events of the game; a time that has hardly been addressed in other Halo content. Cryptum follows an ambitious forerunner who teams up with two humans to change everything.
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric S. Nylund
A great follow-up to Fall of Reach although not technically a direct sequel, Ghosts of Onyx is an action-packed novel about a totally different spartan soldier. Kurt Ambrose, or Spartan-051, is the star of this story, providing readers with a fresh look at the life of a UNSC spartan. Nylund’s excellent world-building builds on his skillful action writing and new characterization to deliver a novel that many fans consider one of the best Halo books overall.
Halo: Glasslands by Karen Traviss
The first of the Kilo-Five Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss, Halo: Glasslands is part of the expanded universe set in the year 2553. The Covenant has collapsed after a long, brutal war with humanity that saw billions slaughtered. Peace finally seems possible, but though the fighting has stopped, the war is far from over; it’s just gone underground. Now, a secret elite group called Kilo-Five vies with the Arbiter as the Covenant approaches a civil war.
Halo: Outcasts
An original novel set in the Halo universe during the year 2559, New York Times bestselling author Troy Denning once again spins a Halo story that takes a deeper look at a variety of characters. This time, the Arbiter, Thel ‘Vadam, teams up with a Spartan named Olympia Vale to chase after an ancient artifact that may save both civilizations from the now-rogue Cortana.
Halo: Oblivion
The second in the Master Chief Story trilogy, this novel sees John-117 travel to Netherop, a Covenant planet, to try to recover a crashed frigate. Although the mission is clearly dangerous and offers no promises, Humanity finds themselves desperate for any Covenant tech they can get, which means Master Chief and his team have their work cut out for them!
Choosing the Best Halo Book
There are many reasons to pick up a good book, but not all apply toHaloreaders. Players wanting moreHaloin their lives should consider a few key factors before diving into the novels:
Best Halo Book About Master Chief
Halo: Silent Storm
Set before the events of the firstHalobook,Fall of Reach, Troy Denning’sSilent Stormfollows 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 inHalobooks. 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: OblivionandHalo: Shadows of Reach, each covering a new mission headed by John-117. All three of the books have left their mark on the entireHaloseries, with the most recently published book,Outcasts, sharing a setting withOblivion. For fans who really want to absorb all of the Master Chief lore,Silent Stormand the entire Master Chief Story trilogy is a must-read!
Best Standalone Halo Book
For fans ofHalowho also just generally enjoy science fiction novels,Halo: Outcastsmay be the best book they’ll read all year. Troy Denning is aHaloveteran, having written seven other books for the franchise, so plenty of fans are already familiar with his style.Halo: Outcastswas released just last year, though it draws on many of the previous installments, such asHalo: 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,Outcastsis a great expansion of theHalouniverse that utilizes the Arbiter’s unique perspective masterfully.
Best Overall Halo Book
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
Halo: Ghosts of Onyxis a book that was published around the same time as theHalogames 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 theHalobooks, 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.
