Next Halo novel, 'Cole Protocol,' detailed

21 Comments by Randy Nelson Jun 18th 2008 6:00AM
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360

Just because there are Spartans in it doesn't mean it's a history book. Sci-fi scribe Tobias S. Buckell has been tapped to write the sixth novel based on and in the Halo universe, Halo: The Cole Protocol, due this fall.

Buckell is no stranger to the genre, his most recent work, Ragamuffin, having received a 2007 Nebula Award nomination for Best Novel. According to Bungie, The Cole Protocol promises plenty of fan service, focusing on the whereabouts of the Spartan Gray Team and "an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered." Formed and shattered.

Tags: books, bungie, halo

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

Chase: Jun 18th 2008; 6:51AM

I'd dig BioShock fiction in Lovecraftian tone. Make it happen, someone, and I'd be a loyal patron.

kirby8u: Jul 2nd 2008; 9:16PM

The jump to halo 04 wasnt random, cortona knew what she was doing ever though she said it was random. I cant wait to hear what happened to the spartens, halsey, and mendez in the the dyson sphere.

GalileoAce: Jun 18th 2008; 7:42AM

If I recall correctly the "Cole Protocol" was the UNSC fleet protocol of erasing all coordinates and mentions on Earth from the ships' computer cores in the event of it being captured... No wait I don't think that's right... I think it's actually where they do that and commit a random jump (hence how they found Halo Alpha in the first place)

theturtle363: Jun 18th 2008; 10:43AM

isn't it where they just jump through slipspace to like 6 different places then abandon ship? But why would the Cole protocol be relevant now? They already found Earth

GalileoAce: Jun 18th 2008; 10:44AM

It's possible the book is about the result of one's ship/crew's following of said protocol.

Zach: Jun 18th 2008; 7:35PM

If you read the first book "The Fall Of Reach" Grey Team was the only team not recalled to Reach during the first briefing of the glassing of Harvest. Later in the book and again in "First Strike" we learn they actually lost contact with Grey Team and were actually the first Spartans to be legitimately MIA.

Assuming that's right this book takes place before Reach falls during the same time as Harvest is lost.

Zach: Jun 18th 2008; 7:40PM

Sorry, Grey Team is missing during the second briefing at Reach, days before Reach Falls.

RGC Painkiller: Jun 20th 2008; 5:41PM

yah the Cole protocol is to stop the enemy from finding earth are a major stronghold by randomized jumps

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring): Jun 18th 2008; 7:45AM

Watch Aliens, then read the Ringworld series by Larry Niven and just imagine Spartans crawling around the ring instead.

Dunno, sometimes these throwaway novels are actually pretty good. At least I think they have a greater success rate than movies adapted from video games. Anyone have an opinion on this series?

Solid Chief: Jun 18th 2008; 7:55AM

the original 3 books were actually rather good!
Contact harvest, not so much good.

Karen: Jun 18th 2008; 8:57AM

My local library stocks all the Halo novels you might want to check at your library to try them out. I've read them all and was pleasantly surprised that they were better then I thought they were going to be. The Eric Nylund books First Strike, Ghosts of Onyx and The fall of Reach were the better ones. The Flood don't read it at all and Contact Harvest was Okay.

Thanks for the Ring World suggestion I just reserved it at the library.

Obie: Jun 18th 2008; 10:04AM

Original 3? You don't mean "Halo:The Flood" among those do ya? It was one of the worst pieces of fiction I have ever read.

I am serious, every third sentence was: "Then he slapped a new magazine in his assault rifle".

Ugh.

J.Goodwin: Jun 18th 2008; 9:02AM

The Flood isn't bad considering that it basically had to be a novelization of the first game, and there wasn't a whole heck of a lot to go on. It at least gave you some tiny snippets of additional backstory, but they were all characters who were kind of made up explicitly for the novel to fill it out, and they all die eventually, so it's missable for sure.

The novels are the best part of Halo. I'm not a huge fan of the games, only played them to fill in the gaps in the novels (ironic).

theturtle363: Jun 18th 2008; 10:44AM

I really like the books and I'm looking forward to this one. Especially since Halo 3's ending still left a lot of unanswered questions, even so it was still a lot better than Halo 2's ending

A: Jun 18th 2008; 11:21AM

hehe- i still can't imagine taking the halo story seriously. it's a cut above power rangers to me. i especially like aliens who speak english. man, what if they spoke portugese? the entire game would have to be subtitled.

goldblum's macbook being compatible with an alien ship was plenty funny, but also plenty tongue in cheek. like the 5th element. i'll never understand why halo wants to be taken seriously.

maybe they could do a halo kitty spinoff? i'd read that.

umm....hello???: Jun 18th 2008; 11:27AM

I've enjoyed all of the Halo books thus far, and am working on collecting the comic book series as well. the only one I haven't really cared for is Halo's graphic novel (bunch of short comics in one hardcover book). can't wait to read more...

josh: Jun 18th 2008; 12:24PM

Bring it on, Sucka!

Colin: Jun 18th 2008; 3:11PM

Cole Protocol is if I remember correctly where if a UNSC ship is in imminent danger of being captured then the ship must either do a blind jump away from all human worlds or self destruct. Check the Halo wiki and see if im right.

Baka: Jun 18th 2008; 3:44PM

OMG, you mean to say, the "Cole Train" is making the jump from Gears of War to Halo?! Time to preorder!!!

Jamesology: Jun 19th 2008; 3:56AM

What??!? Halo has a story to it? I always thought it was random shooting. Heck even Tetris has more of a story

UNSC HighCom Sec.6: Jul 2nd 2008; 9:04PM

cole protocal is in the event of iminate capture of the ships computer and/or A.I.(artifical intelengence) all all data reevant to earths location and how to get there is erased.Also after a battle if any ships survive(20% chance) they are to jump into slipspace on a random vector and comtinue so until in a friendly area(discovery of alpha halo)Another part is to abandon the ship and attemp to secure and/or destroy and navigational system still functional.

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