Halo novel 'The Cole Protocol' releases Nov. 25
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 8th 2008 at 12:00AM }
The book is written by Tobias Buckell and follows the Spartan Gray team into "an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War." We're mostly just amused by the pseudo warning on the book's cover that the novel is based on an "M"-rated game.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sicsided @ Oct 8th 2008 12:05AM
Yay, something Halo that is good!
maylon @ Oct 8th 2008 12:31AM
You didnt like the games?
Vegnagun bwf @ Oct 8th 2008 1:31AM
If you didn't like the games, what makes you think this book will be any better? They already have 5-6 books out, this isn't something new.
Tiptup300 @ Oct 8th 2008 2:00AM
The books are fucking awesome. I just finished Ghosts of Onyx a second time. My god, the ending is like orgasmic. You're just like "OMFG, WTF JUST HAPPENED" It's that good. THAT GOOD!
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Oct 8th 2008 7:33AM
Oh come now, the writing can't be that good. In my experience the people who tend togo crazy over these books are people who liked the game and want more detail to obsess over.
sicsided @ Oct 8th 2008 10:49AM
I didn't like the games, and I have read all the books. Loved them, and the only game I thought was alright was the first one. To give you the sweet and short, I am a PC gamer. After playing FPS for so many years, Halo was just another quick run through the park. If I was going to play a FPS on console, it would be Timesplitters.
The reason I even picked up a Halo book was for school at the time. I needed something to read, and at the moment I hadn't decided what type of literature I liked. But now I am firmly nestled with Transgressive and Sci Fi. Mostly.
GoldenS1104 @ Oct 8th 2008 12:09AM
I've never read any of the Halo books. Are they any good? I didn't think the story in the Halo games was all that special so I've been reluctant to read any of 'em. Would I like them considering I thought the game stories were "meh"?
sicsided @ Oct 8th 2008 12:15AM
The books are far superior too the games in every aspect. The only book to avoid is the The Flood, as that is just basically the first game over again. The simple background of all the characters, fighting both land and space, are written quite well. I hate the story from the games, but damn do I love the books.
GoldenS1104 @ Oct 8th 2008 12:20AM
I definitely have to look into reading the books now. I always knew they were popular but I thought that was just cause of all the hype that Halo related things always get. I'm glad to hear there is actually some quality in a Halo spin-off product (the same can't be said for the Halo 3 Mountain Dew which was aweful).
Huey2k2 @ Oct 8th 2008 12:29AM
I agree with everything sicsided just said.
MarkHawk @ Oct 8th 2008 12:34AM
I'll agree to. I really love "The Fall of Reach". Haven't read harvest yet. Been sitting on a shelf since last Holiday season.
If your interested in Halo stories check out http://www.ilovebees.com
Im a recruit from it. Here is my proof from 4 maybe 5 years ago: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27484&id=570055391&op=6#/photo.php?pid=588204&id=570055391
:p
That guy @ Oct 8th 2008 1:26AM
The Halo books (and the overall Halo story) are quite interesting to read about. Its just a pity that Bungie can't really convey it as well in their games.
Fall of reach is good.
KarlW @ Oct 8th 2008 1:26AM
The HALO games were never about story for me. It wasn't something epic enough that I'd read.
I hate these kind of things anyway. They really dilute the meaning of the word 'novel'. The Brontes wrote novels.
Red Leader @ Oct 8th 2008 2:13AM
I'd drink any Mountain Dew drink to be honest.
ill trooper @ Oct 8th 2008 1:28PM
Yeah man, I'll try any Mountain Dew variation... To quote GoldenS1104, I think all of them are 'aweful,' and by that I mean 'inspiring awe.'
Matt_M @ Oct 8th 2008 12:19AM
"Yeah, woo! Bring it on sucka! This's my kind of sh.."
"Look at all dat jui- I mean, flood!"
edgore @ Oct 8th 2008 12:27AM
Hmmmm...does that make it an "M" rated book? Oh, wait, we don't rate books unless they contain pictures of naked people in them.
For some reason.
Alex McKee @ Oct 8th 2008 12:39AM
I thought that said Tobias Bruckner for a minute. R.I.P EGM2/Expert Gamer/GameNow :)
Courtney @ Oct 8th 2008 12:40AM
Could this be the long awaited Gears of War/Halo crossover, staring the lovable Cole Train?
That guy @ Oct 8th 2008 1:32AM
Cool :) Hopefully its better than Contact Harvest, which was interesting, especially for how Brutes behave and are treated in the Covenant aswell as the reason for the Covenant vs Humanity war...But it just didn't have the awesomeness of Sgt Johnson (aka premature ejaculation man) in this book.
Vegnagun bwf @ Oct 8th 2008 1:32AM
WOOO, AIN'T NOTHIN' GON STOP DA COLE TRAIN! YEAAHHH!
That guy @ Oct 8th 2008 1:35AM
Hurr, forgot to click undo to replying to you.
Sorry for the email in your inbox...And this second one.......
Tiptup300 @ Oct 8th 2008 2:02AM
The Cole Protocol is why earth people aren't allowed going in a straight line to earth. They have to jump around in random directions slowly inching towards earth. It also says that if Covenant get on yo ship. Yo blo Up.
Blah @ Oct 8th 2008 12:42AM
is that a sword? kickass.
Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 8th 2008 11:42AM
But is not Reconz!111Eleven.
Einhanderkiller @ Oct 8th 2008 12:46AM
Large image is large.
&rew @ Oct 8th 2008 1:09AM
I have yet to see a better science fiction book series.
This is the best news for literacy since Stephen Colbert's calender thing.
&rew @ Oct 8th 2008 1:11AM
Oh yeah, why didn't Eric Nylund write it?
Fosssil @ Oct 8th 2008 1:12AM
Damn, it isn't written by Eric Nylund. I guess I'll still give it a shot, but it's disappointing that he didn't get the call for this one. I've enjoyed all of the Halo novels thus far (save The Flood), but Nylund's installments are easily the best.
Tomas L. Martin @ Oct 8th 2008 6:38AM
Tobias Buckell is a very good writer in his own right. I've read his three novels set in his own world (crystal rain, Ragamuffin and sly mongoose) and they're all awesome. Good humour and action should suit the Halo universe well.
He was a really nice guy when I met up with him a few years ago too.
Cole Mullenbach @ Oct 8th 2008 1:57AM
That spartan got 49 achievements... i can tell because he has katana armor
John Z @ Oct 8th 2008 7:57AM
OK, so I know it's pulp sci-fi. It's not nearly as great or deep as, say, Stranger in a Strange Land or Fahrenheit 451 (two of my favorites, btw). But sometimes you just want to turn your higher brain functions off for a while, and the Halo books were great for that. It's the same reason I love cheesy action blow-shit-up movies. These are cheesy action blow-shit-up books, and damn good ones at that. (Except "The Flood"-- skip that one, you probably played it already.)
Incidentally, if you like these kinds of books (and trust a random stranger's judgment), I'm really digging the Ciaphas Cain books (in the Warhammer 40K series).
Easo @ Oct 8th 2008 10:51AM
I think I'll pass on this one. Eric Nylund should be the only author Bungie lets anywhere near the Halo cannon.
Easo @ Oct 8th 2008 10:54AM
lol Halo "cannon".
F1 @ Oct 8th 2008 12:08PM
Sweet! I've always wanted to see mark 4 armor!
theturtle363 @ Oct 8th 2008 2:56PM
yeah someone mentioned that when Kotaku had this story, but that's got me confused. It doesn't look anything like the Mark 4 that's used in Halo Wars. The helmet looks like a mix of Mark 4 and 6 but the chest looks completely new, and so do the shoulders. I'm completely baffled by this
umm....hello??? @ Oct 8th 2008 1:01PM
...am looking forward to this book. when is the 4th (last) Halo: Uprising comic coming out? I already have the first 3...
theturtle363 @ Oct 8th 2008 2:57PM
i think November
theturtle363 @ Oct 8th 2008 2:57PM
Too bad Eric Nylund isn't writing this one. Maybe that just means he's hard at work on another Halo book
Darthweder @ Oct 8th 2008 5:50PM
He is definitely, the only one who should write Halo books. He is great and even seems like a nice guy. I even picked up his other work, Signal to Noise, and its sequel A signal Shattered. Both were very well written.