The Halo universe is going back to where it all began, and this time it is leaning hard into horror. Halo: Parasite's Wake, a new novel from bestselling author Tim Lebbon, is now available, and it tells a fresh story set during the events of Halo: Combat Evolved as the Flood erupts across the first Halo ring.
The official Halo account announced the release this week, along with the book's cover art.
The cover was illustrated by Rythaze, a well-known artist in the Halo community, and the official Halo Waypoint post describes the book as a new horror novel connected to the events of the first game.
A Different Side Of Installation 04
Rather than following the Master Chief, Parasite's Wake focuses on the ordinary Marines of the Pillar of Autumn. The story takes place in 2552, after Reach has fallen to the Covenant and the Autumn has fled through slipspace to the ancient ringworld. With human forces scattered across its surface, Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto has to lead his fellow crewmates back to the Autumn's crash site to regroup with the rest of the UNSC.
The catch is that Mobuto's squad is made up of survivors from the ship's brig. According to the official synopsis, "Desertion, drunk and disorderly, and murder are only a few of the charges that Mobuto's squad carries," and keeping them in line could be as hard as surviving the Covenant forces dug in across the ring.
Then things get much worse. As the battle for control of the installation's weapons and secrets rages on, "a far more terrible threat from deep within Halo's underworld is hellishly unleashed that transforms this conflict into a desperate battle of survival for UNSC and Covenant alike." Fans of the first game know exactly what that means. It is the moment the Flood gets loose, one of the most famous twists in gaming history.
A Returning Face From The Halo Novels
Longtime readers may recognize Mobuto. He first appeared as a minor character in Halo: The Flood, William C. Dietz's 2003 novelization of Combat Evolved, which also showed the outbreak from several perspectives beyond the Master Chief. Parasite's Wake gives him a story of his own and expands on what the Marines went through while the Chief was fighting his way through the ring.
Formats, Price, And A Familiar Voice
Halo: Parasite's Wake is published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, and is listed as book number 35 in the Halo line. It runs 400 pages, with a list price of $19 for the trade paperback, and it is also available as an ebook and an unabridged audiobook.
The audiobook comes with a fun bonus for fans. It is narrated by Michael Crouch, Lisa Flanagan, Kevin R. Free, Joshua Riley, and Tim Dadabo, who is best known to players as the voice of 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of Installation 04. Hearing him narrate a story set on the very ring his character watched over is a nice touch.
A Horror Writer For A Horror Story
Lebbon is an obvious fit for a Flood story. He is an award-winning horror and fantasy author whose novel The Silence was adapted into a 2019 film, and he has plenty of experience writing in established sci-fi universes, including the Alien novel Out of the Shadows. That background should help him capture the claustrophobic terror of the Flood, something the games have always done best in levels like 343 Guilty Spark and The Library.
Halo's books have been a major part of the franchise since Halo: The Fall of Reach launched ahead of the first game in 2001, and Halo Waypoint now lists Parasite's Wake as the latest entry in its official book guide.
Are you picking up Halo: Parasite's Wake, or would you rather see Halo go back to telling stories about the Master Chief himself?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.