Editing Halo: The Fall of Reach

{{Title|''Halo: The Fall of Reach''}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Center|This article is about the novel written by [[Eric Nylund]]. You may be looking for the [[Fall of Reach|namesake engagement]], the [[Halo: Fall of Reach|comic adaptation]], or the [[Halo: The Fall of Reach (animated series)|animated series]].}}
{{Novel infobox
|name=''Halo: The Fall of Reach''
|variant=Original
|image=[[File:HTFOR Coverart 2001 edition.png|300px]]
|author=[[Eric Nylund]]
|cover artist=*[[Lorraine McLees]] {{C|Original}}
*[[Gabriel Garza]] {{C|2010 edition onwards}}
*Maciej Garbacz {{C|Polish 2012 edition}}
|illustrator=Gabriel Garza {{C|2010 edition onwards interior art}}
|editor=
|audio=Todd McLaren
|publisher=*[[Del Rey Books]] {{C|2001}}
*[[Orbit]] {{C|2005}}
*[[Tor Books]] {{C|2010/11 editions "Definitive Edition"}}
*[[Gallery Books]] {{C|2019 edition}}
|publication=*October 30, 2001 {{C|Del Rey Books}}
*February 7, 2005 {{C|Orbit}}
*August 3, 2010 {{C|Tor Books}}
*June 28, 2011 {{C|Tor Books re-issue}}
*March 2019 {{C|Gallery Books}}
|media=Novel
|length=*340 pages {{C|2001 edition}}
*352 pages {{C|Orbit 2005}}
*424 pages {{C|2010/2011 edition}}
*464 pages {{C|2019 edition}}
|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0345451325|0345451325]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0345451323|978-0345451323]]
|series=[[The Original Series]]
|preceded=
|followed=''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
|multiseries=
|notable=This novel has received two adaptions, the comic series ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'', and the animation ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''.
}}
'''''Halo: The Fall of Reach''''' is a [[Halo novels|''Halo'' novel]] written by [[Eric Nylund]] published on [[2001|October 30, 2001]]. The first ''Halo'' novel to be published, it serves as a prequel to ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''.<ref name=xbox.com2>[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/spotlight.htm '''Xbox.com''': ''Game Worlds in Written Words'']</ref> The novel was reportedly finished in seven weeks,{{Ref/Reuse|xbox.com2}} eventually becoming a ''Publisher's Weekly'' bestseller with nearly 200,000 copies sold in the United States and United Kingdom.<ref name=xbox.com3>[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo2/spotlight2.htm '''Xbox.com''': ''First Strike Author Eric Nylund Q&A'']</ref>

''The Fall of Reach'' was reissued on [[2010|August 3, 2010]] by [[Tor Books]], with the new reissued version including some content updates and additional content;<ref>[http://kotaku.com/5543023/halo-novel-trilogy-to-be-republished-with-updates-new-content '''Kotaku''': ''Halo Novel Trilogy to be Republished with Updates, New Content'']</ref> on [[2011|June 28, 2011]], Tor released the "Definitive Edition" of the novel, which fixes many of the errors introduced in the 2010 reissue.<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Fall-Reach-Eric-Nylund/dp/0765367297/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1315400359&sr=8-1 '''Amazon.com''' - ''Halo: The Fall of Reach Definitive Edition'']</ref> A further reprinted edition was published in March 2019 by Gallery Books, featuring a slightly modified cover layout which no longer bears the title "Definitive Edition", but retains the 2011 text.<ref>[https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/HALO-The-Fall-of-Reach/Eric-Nylund/HALO/9781982111618 '''Simon & Schuster''' - ''HALO: The Fall of Reach By Eric Nylund'']</ref> 

A comic book adaptation series titled ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'', consisting of three story arcs was published by [[Marvel Comics]] and [[343 Industries]], starting with ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]'' on September 14, 2010. It is followed by ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]'' and ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''.<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/transmissions/article/2010-06-22--Marvel-Comics-to-Adapt-The-Fall-of-Reach-This-September '''Halo Waypoint''': Marvel Comics to Adapt ''The Fall of Reach'' this September]</ref> In addition, the novel was adapted into [[Halo: The Fall of Reach – Animated Series|an animated series]] which was shipped with the Limited and Limited Collector's Editions of ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''.<ref>[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/halo-5-guardians/buy-now '''Xbox.com''': ''Halo 5: Guardians'']</ref> The animated series was later released on Blu-ray and DVD.<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Blu-ray-Anthony-Del-Rio/dp/B014L2Y7EW/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1455796899&sr=1-2&keywords=halo+the+fall+of+reach '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: The Fall of Reach (Blu-ray)'']</ref>

==Official summaries==
===Original edition by Del Rey Books===
Before the Human-Covenant War engulfed Halo, the planet-colony Reach came under attack by the Covenant, and Earth's specially trained and augmented warriors, code-named SPARTANs, stood alone to fight for humanity's survival.

===Definitive Edition by Tor===
{{Article quote|The Definitive Edition to the First and Bestselling Halo Novel, Including Twenty-seven Pages of New Material

Legends are not simply born...they are willed into existence.
Humanity has expanded beyond the Sol System. There are hundreds of planets we now call "home."
The United Nations Space Command now struggles to control this vast empire.
After exhausting all strategies to keep seething insurrections from exploding into interplanetary civil war, the UNSC has one last hope.
At the Office of Naval Intelligence, Dr. Catherine Halsey has been hard at work on a top secret program that could bring an end to all this conflict...and it starts with seventy-five children, among them a six year old boy named John.
Halsey never guessed that this little boy would become humanity's final hope against a vast alien force hell-bent on wiping us out.
This is the story of John, Spartan-117…the Master Chief, and of the battles that brought humanity face to face with its possible extinction.

This new Tor edition will serve as the definitive version of the novel that started Halo fans reading the series, and features brand-new material, including:
Excerpts of Office of Naval Intelligence interrogations of the Covenant. Missives and mandates issued by the Covenant. Declassified transmissions regarding the defense of Reach. A personal insight into the Spartan program. The Official Evacuation Order for all inhabitants of Reach. Five sketches of cover art by 343 Industries artist, Robogabo.}}

===2019 Gallery Books reprint===
{{Article quote|'''The New York Times bestselling origin story of the Master Chief—part of the expanded universe based on the award-winning video game series Halo!'''
The twenty-sixth century. Humanity has expanded beyond Earth’s system to hundreds of planets that colonists now call home. But the United Earth Government and the United Nations Space Command is struggling to control this vast empire. After exhausting all strategies to keep seething colonial insurrections from exploding into a full-blown interplanetary civil war, the UNSC has one last hope. At the Office of Naval Intelligence, Dr. Catherine Halsey has been hard at work on a top-secret program that could bring an end to the conflict…and it starts with seventy-five children, among them a six-year-old boy named John. And Halsey could never guess that this child will eventually become the final hope against an even greater peril engulfing the galaxy—the inexorable confrontation with a theocratic military alliance of alien races known as the Covenant.

This is the electrifying origin story of Spartan John-117—the Master Chief—and of his legendary, unstoppable heroism in leading the resistance against humanity’s possible extinction.}}

==Plot synopsis==
{{Spoiler/begin}}
The prologue takes place on the planet [[Jericho VII]] on [[2535|February 12, 2535]], and introduces the Spartans and their purpose. As the seemingly unstoppable Covenant war machine moves into place to [[glassing|glass]] Jericho VII, Spartan [[Red Team|Red]] and [[Blue Team|Blue]] teams are sent to prevent the destruction of the planet. The Spartans manage to kill a thousand [[Unggoy|Grunts]] and even destroy a Covenant air strike with [[fougasse]]s. However, the situation in space soon deteriorates, and the Spartans are forced to retreat before the surface of Jericho VII is glassed. 

===Section I: Reveille===
The story itself begins with [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] and Lieutenant, Junior Grade [[Jacob Keyes]] on board the ''[[Han]]'': a [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] {{Class|Vancouver|courier}}. Traveling to the colony world [[Eridanus II]], their mission is to identify a potential candidate, [[John-117|John]], for Halsey's [[SPARTAN-II program]]. Dr. Halsey finds John in a [[Elysium City Primary Education Facility Number 119|school]] playground in [[Elysium City]], where she determines his suitability for the program. Using [[Quarter|a coin]], she tests John's reflexes by flipping the coin in the air and having him identify the side it will land on. John catches it and correctly identifies the side: the eagle. During this time, Halsey gives John the coin, which is later taken from him.

===Section II: Boot===
The plot then goes on to show, in detail, the brutal indoctrination and [[SPARTAN-II training|training regime]] that John and his fellow Spartans are put through. [[Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]] trains the Spartan-IIs, showing them the many necessary virtues of a soldier (e.g. courage, teamwork, skill, etc.) whilst the [[Dumb AI|AI]] [[Déjà]] teaches them history, mathematics, and physics. After a daring training mission in [[Military Wilderness Training Preserve|the wilds]] of [[Reach]] — where the young Spartans regroup, construct a map of the area from separate pieces, and steal a dropship back to [[Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex|base]] — John-117 is made squad leader of the Spartans. When the Spartans are fourteen, they undergo [[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures|intense biological enhancements]] that effectively triple their strength, drastically increases their reaction times, make their bones practically indestructible, and increase blood flow to their eyes so that they can almost see in the dark, among various other improvements. However, of the 75 Spartans, less than half emerge still fit for combat; the rest wash out and die during the operations or are horribly injured by the augmentation process. While recovering on the ''[[UNSC Atlas|Atlas]]'', John gets into a fight with a group of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s, but ends up accidentally killing two of them. The speedy arrival of Chief Mendez leads John to suspect that the incident may have been arranged.

After returning to Reach, the Spartans quickly prove that the augmentations have surpassed all expectations, and their cohesion in battle is amazing. The Spartans are then issued orders to capture [[Robert Watts|Colonel Robert Watts]], an [[Insurrectionist]] leader in the Eridanus asteroid belt. John leads a small team, consisting of [[Samuel-034]], [[Linda-058]], [[Kelly-087]], and [[Frederic-104]], which manages to infiltrate the Insurrectionists' [[Eridanus Secundus|asteroid base]] and capture Watts in [[Operation: TALON]]. John is wounded during this mission and is subsequently awarded a [[Purple Heart]].

On [[2525#February|February 3, 2525]], first contact is made with an alliance of alien races that refers to itself as the [[Covenant]]. [[Rapid Conversion|A single Covenant warship]] exterminates the entire surface population of the [[Outer Colonies|Outer Colony]] [[Harvest]]. Three UNSC warships — the destroyer ''[[CMA Heracles|Heracles]]'' and the frigates ''[[CMA Arabia|Arabia]]'' and ''[[CMA Vostok|Vostok]]'' — are sent to investigate this incident and initiate first engagement protocols. They attempt contact, engage the Covenant ship in battle, and are subsequently routed. Only the ''Heracles'' manages to return to Reach, having been badly damaged. By December of the same year, the UNSC has mobilized a [[Battle Group X-Ray|massive fleet]] under the command of famed war hero [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Preston Cole]], with orders to reclaim the Harvest colony and stop the Covenant advance.

In response to the emergence of the Covenant, the Spartans' graduation occurs earlier than anticipated, while Chief Mendez leaves to train the next class of Spartans, giving John some advice before returning the coin Dr. Halsey gave him years earlier. Dr. Halsey takes the Spartans to [[Chi Ceti IV]] to retrieve Project: MJOLNIR. Upon arriving in the system, the ''[[UNSC Commonwealth|Commonwealth]]'' — the [[UNSC frigate|frigate]] carrying the Spartans — is attacked by [[Unrelenting|a Covenant ship]]. The ''Commonwealth'' engages the Covenant ship and is able to drive it off, but sustains significant damage. Heading to the [[Damascus Testing Facility]], Dr. Halsey introduces the Spartans to the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV|MJOLNIR power armor]], which further enhances the Spartans' already significant strength and speed. While returning to the ''Commonwealth'', John comes up with the idea to go [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]], [[Naval boarding|board]] the Covenant vessel, and destroy it using [[Anvil-II air-to-surface missile|Anvil missiles]]. Only three Spartans — John, Sam, and Kelly — manage to board the ship. They fight their way past the crew, a birdlike race later dubbed [[Kig-Yar|Jackals]], and are able to make their way to a reactor, but Sam's armor is penetrated and he is forced to stay behind or die upon exposure to vacuum. John and Kelly are able to escape as the Covenant ship is destroyed.

===Section III: Sigma Octanus===
Admiral Cole's fleet manages to gain a [[Second Battle of Harvest|victory at Harvest]], but at a high cost: two-thirds of his ships are destroyed. Despite significant tactical brilliance on the part of human commanders, the superior technology possessed by the Covenant gives the latter a crucial advantage in the war. One by one, the Outer Colonies fall to the onslaught and by 2536, virtually all have been destroyed.

To protect the location of [[Earth]], Vice Admiral Cole establishes the emergency order commonly known as the [[Cole Protocol]]: if any Covenant forces are present, selective purges of databases on all ship-based and planetary data networks are to be activated. When human forces are forced into retreat, they must not execute a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump in the direction of Earth or any major population center, even if this forces them to jump without the necessary navigational calculations (a "blind jump"). If such a jump is not possible, and if capture is imminent, the commanding officer must order a [[self-destruct]]. The on-board ship [[artificial intelligence]] construct, normally imperative to navigation and tactical decisions, must either be removed or destroyed.

Due to the shortage of effective officers, Jacob Keyes is promoted to Commander and assumes command of the [[UNSC Iroquois|UNSC ''Iroquois'']]. In [[2552]], he foresees a Covenant attack on [[Sigma Octanus IV]] thanks to a paper by Spartan washout [[Fhajad-084]]. His actions result in the destruction of a Covenant {{Pattern|Wik|light destroyer}} and two [[Covenant frigate|frigates]], as well as the routing of a [[Covenant carrier|carrier]], with a daring maneuver dubbed the "[[Keyes Loop]]". This unprecedented victory against a Covenant force earns him a promotion to Captain and helps him become recognized by the entire UNSC. Keyes and the ''Iroquois'' remain in the [[Sigma Octanus system]] to partake in the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]. 

On the ground, the Marine force is slaughtered save for a small group of survivors, so Spartan Blue, Red, and [[Green Team]]s are sent to destroy a Covenant occupation force in the city of [[Côte d'Azur]] with a nuclear bomb. In the city, they find the Covenant has occupied [[Côte d'Azur Museum of Natural History|a museum]] and discover a new race called [[Huragok|Engineers]]. While Red and Green Teams escort a group of civilian survivors to the landing zone, Blue Team — John, Kelly, Fred, and [[James-005]] — enter the museum and discover two massive aliens: [[Mgalekgolo|Hunters]]. The Hunter pair seem to be scanning a [[Sigma Octanus IV artifact|rock]] and transmitting the data to [[Covenant stealth ship|a stealth ship]], which Captain Keyes discovers and destroys. The Spartans are able to neutralize the Hunters, acquire the rock, and escape to the landing zone, where they detonate a nuclear bomb and annihilate the Covenant presence. Keyes later returns to Reach, inadvertently disclosing the location of the planet to the Covenant via a [[Covenant spy probe|homing beacon]] attached to the ''Iroquois''. An [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] committee debriefs him. There, he meets John-117 once again. Scans of the rock produce a set of [[forerunner symbols|alien symbols]] that do not match any Covenant dialect. Dr. Halsey concludes that the artifact is from a [[Forerunner|separate race]] from the Covenant.

===Section IV: MJOLNIR===
By 2552, the Covenant have destroyed many of humanity's [[Inner Colonies]]. In a move of desperation, ONI [[ONI Section Three|Section 3]] orders the execution of [[Operation: RED FLAG|a secret plan]] to capture a Covenant ship using the Spartans. The ship would be taken to the Covenant [[High Charity|home world]] in order to capture a [[San'Shyuum|Prophet]], one of the aliens' religious leaders, and then use the Prophet as a bargaining chip to negotiate a truce.

To aid the Spartans in this mission, an AI, [[Cortana]], from Dr. Halsey's previously cloned brain is used. John is introduced to Cortana during a live-fire mission to test their capabilities working together, and they perform spectacularly. With Cortana's aid, John manages to overpower a full squad of ODSTs, pick his way through a minefield, destroy automated chain guns, and even evade an airstrike from a [[SkyHawk|SkyHawk fighter]], all of which are using live rounds. These were authorized by [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]: Dr. Halsey's main rival for [[UNSC Special Forces|NAVSPECWEP]] funding. In a move of revenge, Cortana arranges for a substantial amount of the Colonel's private funds to be sent to a brothel and forges a request for his reassignment to front line duty.

Every available Spartan-II boards a specially outfitted [[Halcyon-class cruiser|''Halcyon''-class cruiser]] known as the [[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|''Pillar of Autumn'']], which is under the command of Captain Jacob Keyes. The ''Pillar of Autumn'' moves out towards the edges of the system to make a slipspace jump to begin the mission.

===Section V: Reach===
''Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission is interrupted when a [[Fleet of Particular Justice|massive fleet]] of 315 Covenant ships enters the [[Epsilon Eridani system]]. Captain Keyes orders the ''Pillar of Autumn'' back towards Reach, but the Master Chief convinces him to allow the Spartans to continue their mission by finding a damaged Covenant ship to capture and take to Covenant space. [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet|Reach's fleet]] — with about a hundred ships and twenty [[orbital defense platform]]s on hand — engages the Covenant fleet, but takes massive losses. However, the Super MAC platforms manage to repulse the initial Covenant assault.

The Covenant return and land troops on Reach with the objective of destroying the [[Orbital defense generator|generators]] for the Super MACs: the only things that are stopping the Covenant. At the same time, the UNSC realizes that the ''[[UNSC Circumference|Circumference]]'', a [[ONI prowler|prowler]], is still docked at a station orbiting the planet of Reach just before its fall, and has not initiated the Cole Protocol. John takes Linda-058 and James-005 to deal with the ''Circumference'', while the rest of the Spartans are sent down under Fred to the planet to defend the MACs' power generators.

John's team crash-land their Pelican on [[Gamma Station]], on which the ''Circumference'' is docked, and move towards the NAV data. Among the Covenant attack force are the [[Sangheili|Elites]], the leaders of the Covenant military. However, James' [[thruster pack]] is hit by a [[Type-33 Needler|Needler]] shard and explodes, sending James flying uncontrollably into space. John and Linda proceed to the ''Circumference'', where they find [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and his Marines, including [[Wallace A. Jenkins|Jenkins]] and [[Bisenti]], also fighting to wipe the data. With John's help, the Marines are successful, but Linda is shot by five separate plasma blasts. The humans fall back to the ''Autumn''; Linda is clinically dead because of the extensive wounds she receives, but is placed in a cryotube in the hope that she can later be resuscitated. 

The surface of Reach is also overrun. The Spartans who John sent to the surface are all presumed by the ''Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s crew to be overrun and slaughtered. Without the generators, the Super MACs fall silent and are destroyed by the Covenant, who soon begin glassing the planet. The remaining UNSC ships are all destroyed, except for the ''Pillar of Autumn'', as Cortana plots an exit vector in compliance with the Cole Protocol, though not completely at random. A comment by the Master Chief leads Cortana to reinterpret the alien symbols from the artifact as star charts. The NAV coordinates lead the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to what the Covenant had been searching for: [[Installation 04|Halo]], an extremely sacred artifact to the Covenant. The book ends with Captain Keyes looking through view screens at the ring, asking Cortana to identify the object.
{{Spoiler/end}}
{{Clear}}

==Appearances==
{{Center|''As this is the first released piece of media in the Halo universe, all of the following are first appearances.''}}
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-5|title-1=Characters|
;Humans
*[[Aki Hikowa]]
*[[Anna Gerov]]
*[[Avery Johnson]]
*[[Bill Streeter]]
*[[Bisenti]]
*[[Catherine Halsey]]
*[[Cochran]]
*[[Codename: COALMINER]]
*[[Codename: SURGEON]]
*[[David Brightling]]
*[[De Blanc]]
*[[Dominique]]
*[[Fhajad-084]]
*[[Fincher]]
*[[Franklin Mendez]]
*[[Frederic-104]]
*[[Gerov]]
*[[Hall]]
*[[Harland]]
*[[H. T. Ward]]
*[[Jacob Keyes]]
*[[Jaggers]]
*[[James-005]]
*[[James Ackerson]]
*[[Joshua-029]]
*[[John-117]]
*[[Kelly-087]]
*[[Kits]]
*[[Langston]]
*[[Linda-058]]
*[[Maribeau Veredi]]
*[[McRobb]]
*[[McCasky]]
*[[Michael Stanforth]]
*[[O'Brien (Reach)|O'Brien]]
*[[Preston Cole]]
*[[Robert McLees (ship designer)|Robert McLees]]
*[[Robert Watts]]
*[[Roland Freemont]]
*[[Samuel-034]]
*[[Tupo]]
*[[Vance]]
*[[Wallace]]
*[[Wallace Jenkins]]
*[[Walker]]
*[[William Lovell]]
*[[Ysionris Jeromi]]

;Human Artificial intelligence
*[[Beowulf]]
*[[Cortana]]
*[[Déjà]]
*[[Doppler]]
*[[Toran]]

|title-2=Species|
*[[Human]]
*[[Huragok]]
*[[Kig-Yar]]
*[[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Sangheili]]
*[[San'Shyuum]] {{Fm}}
*[[Unggoy]]

|title-3=Organizations|
*[[Covenant]]
**[[Covenant fleet]]
***[[Second Fleet of Solemn Accord]]
***[[Special Warfare Group]]
****[[Fleet Security]]
*[[Insurrectionist]]s
**[[United Rebel Front]]
***Eridanus rebels
*[[Unified Earth Government]]
**[[United Nations Space Command]]
***[[UNSC Judge Advocate General's Corps]]
***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
****[[Fireteam]]
*****[[Corporal Harland's fireteam]]
****[[Platoon]]
*****[[105th Drop Jet Platoon]] {{Fm}}
***[[UNSC Naval Command]]
****[[UNSC Navy]]
*****[[Battle Group 4]]
*****[[Battle Group Leviathan]]
*****[[Longsword Squadron Delta]]
*****[[Epsilon Eridani Fleet]]
*****[[UNSC Fleet Command]]
******[[Orbital Defense Command]]
*****[[Naval Special Warfare Command]]
******[[SPARTAN-II program]]
*****[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]
******[[Materials Group]]

|title-4=Locations|
*[[Chi Ceti system]]
**[[Chi Ceti IV]]
***[[Vhalkem]]
****[[Damascus Testing Facility]]
*[[Draco III]] {{Fm}}
*[[Hydra system]] {{Fm}}
*[[Sol system]]
**[[Earth]]
***[[Wikipedia:Sparta|Sparta]] {{Mo}}
**[[Mars]]
***[[Reyes-McLees Shipyards]] {{Fm}}
*[[FLEETCOM Sector One]]
**[[Epsilon Eridani system]]
***[[Fermion|Remote Scanning Outpost Fermion]]
***[[Beta Gabriel]] {{Fm}}
***[[Reach]]
****[[Rally Point Zulu]]
****[[Highland Mountains]]
*****[[Camp Hathcock]]
*****[[CASTLE Base]]
*****[[Fairchild Field]]
*****[[Military Reservation 01478-B]]
******[[Pillars of Loki]]
*****[[Military Wilderness Training Preserve]]
******[[Longhorn Valley]]
******[[Big Horn River]]
*****[[Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex]]
******[[Reach Naval Academy]]
****[[Fleet Command Headquarters]]
*****[[Olympic Tower]]
**[[Lambda Serpentis system]]
***[[Jericho VII]]
*[[FLEETCOM Sector Three]]
**[[Sigma Octanus system]]
***[[Archimedes|Remote Scanning Outpost Archimedes]]
***[[Sigma Octanus IV]]
****[[Côte d'Azur]]
*****[[Côte d'Azur Museum of Natural History]]
****[[Sigma Octanus IV Grid 13 x 24]]
*****[[Firebase Bravo]]
****[[Sigma Octanus IV Grid 19 x 37]]
*****[[Alpha Headquarters]]
*[[FLEETCOM Sector Four]]
**[[Eridanus system]]
***[[Eridanus II]]
****[[Eridanus II space docks]] {{Mo}}
****[[Elysium City]]
*****[[Elysium City Primary Education Facility Number 119]]
****[[Luxor]]
*****[[Luxor Spaceport]] {{Fm}}
***[[Eridanus Secundus]]
*[[Epsilon Indi system]]
**[[Harvest]]
*[[Roosevelt military base]]
*[[Soell|Soell system]]
**[[Installation 04]]
**[[Threshold]]
***[[Basis]]

|title-5=Events|
*[[Wikipedia:Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]]
*[[World War II]] {{C|Indirect mention}}
*[[Hydra System Massacres]]
*[[SPARTAN-II training]]
*[[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures]]
*[[Insurrection]]
**[[Operation: TREBUCHET]]
**[[Assault on Eridanus Secundus]]
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
**[[First Battle of Harvest]]
***[[Harvest campaign]] {{Fm}}
**[[Battle of Chi Ceti]]
**[[Battle of Jericho VII]]
**[[Battle of Draco III]] {{Fm}}
**[[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]
**[[Operation: HYPODERMIC]]
***[[Contingency Plan: TANGO]]
**[[Operation: RED FLAG]]
**[[Fall of Reach]]

|title-6=Vehicles|
;Covenant
*[[Covenant stealth ship]]
*[[Covenant Corvette]]
**{{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} {{Fm}}
*[[Covenant destroyer]]
**{{Pattern|Wik|light destroyer}}
*[[Unrelenting]]

;UNSC
*[[AV-19 SkyHawk]]
*{{Class|Vancouver|courier}} {{1st}}
**[[Han]]
*[[Forklift]]
*[[Freighter]]
**[[Parabola-class freighter]]
***[[Laden]]
*[[GA-TL1 Longsword]]
*[[M12 Warthog]]
*[[Orbital defense platform]]
*[[Refit station]]
**[[UNSC Cradle]]
**[[UNSC Hopeful]] {{Fm}}
*[[UNSC carrier]]
**[[UNSC Atlas]]
**[[UNSC Magellan]] {{Fm}}
**[[UNSC Musashi]]
*[[Cruiser|UNSC cruiser]]
**[[Halcyon-class light cruiser]]
***[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]
**[[Marathon-class heavy cruiser]]
***[[UNSC Leviathan]]
*[[UNSC destroyer]]
**[[CMA Heracles]] {{Fm}}
**[[UNSC Gorgon]] {{Fm}}
**[[UNSC Herodotus]]
**[[UNSC Iroquois]]
**[[UNSC Lancelot]]
**[[UNSC Minotaur]]
**[[UNSC Pioneer]]
**[[UNSC Resolute]]
*[[UNSC frigate]]
**[[UNSC Allegiance]]
**[[UNSC Fair Weather]]
**[[UNSC Gettysburg]]
**[[Paris-class heavy frigate]]
***[[UNSC Commonwealth]]
**[[Stalwart-class light frigate]]
***[[UNSC Meriwether Lewis]] {{Fm}}
***[[UNSC Midsummer Night]] {{Fm}}
*[[UNSC Prowler]]
**[[UNSC Athens]]
*[[Yacht]]

|title-7=Weapons|
;Covenant
*[[Assault cannon]]
*[[Fuel rod cannon]]
**[[Fuel rod]]
*[[Class-2 directed energy cannon]]
*[[Heavy plasma cannon]]

;UNSC
*[[M340 autocannon]]
*[[Combat knife]]
*[[Fusion rocket]]
*[[M6 series]]
**[[M6D magnum]]
***[[M225 Semi-Armor-Piercing High-Explosive]]
*[[M9 fragmentation grenade]]
**[[ComL]]
*[[MA series]]
**[[MA2B assault rifle]]
***[[.390]]
**[[MA5B assault rifle]]
***[[7.62x51mm|M118 Full Metal Jacket Armor-Piercing]]
*[[Nuclear weapon]] 
*[[Paint pellet gun]]
*[[Point-defense gun]]
*[[SRS99 series]]
**[[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]]
***[[14.5×114mm]]

|title-8=Equipment and Technology|
*[[Airlock]]
*[[Artificial gravity]]
*[[Artificial Intelligence]]
**[[Avatar]]
**[[Dumb AI]]
**[[Smart AI]]
*[[Binoculars]]
*[[Boosted gravity propulsion drive]]
*[[Camouflage cloak]]
*[[Cryonics]]
*[[Electromagnetic pulse]]
*[[Electronic countermeasures]]
*[[Encryption code]]
*[[Extra Planetary Wide Web]]
*[[Energy shielding]]
*[[Fiber optic probe]]
*[[Flashlight]]
*[[Fusion drive]]
*[[Guidance lock]]
*[[Gravball]]
*[[Hawking radiation]]
*[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V]]
*[[Neutral-buoyancy gel tank]]
*[[Panic button]]
*[[Personal computer]]
*[[Polypseudomorphine]] {{1st}}
*[[Portable computer]]
**[[Data pad]]
*[[REACH DOC NET]]
*[[Retinal scanner]]
*[[Respirator pack]]
*[[Rucksack]]
*[[Combat harness|Sangheili combat harness]]
*[[Self-destruct]]
*[[Shredder round]]
*[[Signal flare]]
*[[Slipstream space probe]]
*[[Spaceport]]
*[[Stun round]]
*[[TEAMCOM]]
*[[Thruster pack]]
*[[Transmission classification]]
*[[Unggoy combat harness]]
**[[Methane tank]]
*[[UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform]]
*[[Vacuum suit]]
***[[Black body suit]]
*[[Viral data scavengers]]
*[[VTOL]]
*[[Weapon attachment]]
**[[Muzzle brake]]
**[[Suppressor]]
**[[Telescopic sight]]
***[[Oracle scope|Oracle N-variant scope]]

|title-9=Miscellaneous|
*[[Arc welding]]
*[[Bay Alpha]]
*[[Corundum]]
*[[Fallback point]]
*[[Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto Number Three]]
*[[Virtualscav]]
}}

==Re-releases and other countries==
===2010 bonus content===
{{Center|''See [[List of changes in Halo: The Fall of Reach rereleases|here]] for a list of changes in the Tor Books edition of the novel.''}}
The Tor Books edition of ''The Fall of Reach'' features a new "Adjunct" section at the end, which features several pieces of short fiction:
*[[ONI Directorate Memorandum Interrogation Findings]] - a series of excerpts from the interrogation of [[Subject 386]] by [[Preston Cole|Admiral Cole]] after the [[Battle of the Great Bear]] in [[2530]].
*Word from the [[Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence]] - a message sent by [[Supreme Commander]] [[Luro 'Taralumee]] to the [[Vice Cleric of Zeal]], after the [[Battle of Miridem]].
*A transmission from [[Vice Admiral]] [[Berlin M. Tursk]] to [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Lucius Jiron]], concerning the capture of Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] during the [[Battle of Miridem]] and [[Operation: WARM BLANKET|the UNSC response]].
*A message from [[Mike (civilian)|Mike]] to [[Agnes]], regarding [[Ralph-103]]'s upbringing and  reintegration into society.
*[[United Nations Space Command Transmission 34670J-17]] - A transmission sent by [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] of {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} to [[Vice Admiral]] [[Kopano N'Singile]] of [[Reach]] [[Central Command]] in [[2552]].
*An ONI post-incident investigation report on a possible security breach that may have contributed to the Covenant's discovery of Reach. It involves a transcript of a [[Secure Network|SecNet]] conversation between Sergeants [[Joseph M. Poteet]] and [[Alasdair R. Schicker]].
*[[WINTER CONTINGENCY Declaration Supplemental Orders]], an ONI directive containing orders for field agents on Reach in the event of a [[WINTER CONTINGENCY (protocol)|WINTER CONTINGENCY]] declaration.

===Polish 2012 edition===
On May 30, 2012, ISA publishing house published a Polish version of the book, "Halo: Upadek Reach".<ref>[https://isa.pl/p4107-HALO-Upadek-Reach-01BHALOUREN01.html ''ISA.PL'', Halo: Upadek Reach (01BHALO01)]</ref> This version was translated by Marta Koniarek and features a unique cover created by Garbacz.

==Reception==
Critical reception to ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' was mostly positive, though with a few negative comments. Gene Park, from ''Game Critics'', stated that it "...exceeds expectations by being an intelligently written and well-paced story with enough imagination to improve on the original Halo mythos."<ref>[http://www.gamecritics.com/feature/report/halofallreach/page02.php '''Game Critics''': ''Halo: Fall of Reach'']</ref> Many reviewers praised Nylund's writing skill, saying that it was "solidly written" and had many "vivid" details.

==Trivia==
*The Banshee on the original front cover of the book projects the same "energy beams" that the Banshee projects on the front cover of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
*An excerpt from this book, along with excerpts from ''Halo: The Flood'' and ''Halo: First Strike'', is included in a directory on ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' for PC]]''. It is found in the "Goodies" section of the disc.
*The first section of this book is titled "Reveille" and involves characters emerging from cryo-sleep. The first section from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' is also appropriately titled "Reveille", and also involves someone waking from cryo-sleep. Reveille is a traditional bugle call of the U.S. Military, which is sounded at the start of each day on military installations, to wake up the troops. "Reveille" is French for "to awaken."
*In ''[[Halo 3]]'', Cortana states several of Dr. Halsey's quotes from this book during Cortana moments, such as: "Can I speak with you please? What's your name? It's very nice to meet you. You like games? So do I.", "You have been called upon to serve, you will be trained...and you will become the best we can make you. You will be the Protectors of Earth and all her Colonies.", and "Could you sacrifice yourself to complete your mission? Could you watch him die?" In the game, "yourself" and "him" are changed to "me", referring to Cortana. This may be because Cortana was [[Rampancy|going rampant]]; as she was created from Dr. Halsey's mind, she would view herself as Halsey when reviewing the memories.
*Bungie considered canceling the book to allow players to see the Master Chief as a blank slate, and because of concerns that the book would not sell enough units to be worth the effort. Nylund's editor, [[Eric S. Trautmann]] convinced Bungie to approve the book, and it carried a dedication to him until it was reissued in 2010 by a different publisher.<ref>[http://scifishow.libsyn.com/005-dc-reboot-trautmann-interview-round-2-of-our-quiz '''The Sci Fi Show''': ''Episode 005: DC Reboot/Eric Trautmann'']</ref><ref>[http://ericnylund.com/?p=1256 '''Eric Nylund''': ''Unsung Hero of the HALO Franchise'']</ref>
*[[Gabriel Garza]] created the cover art used for the 2010 edition of the novel. It has been reused for every edition since, barring the unique 2012 Polish edition. 
*The original release cover art for ''The Fall of Reach'' was later echoed with the [[2020]] release of ''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''.

==Gallery==
===Cover art artwork===
<gallery>
File:HTFOR Original Cover Art Illustration.jpg|Stylized version of the original cover art.
File:HTFOR original cover art.png|The full picture of the original book cover art.
File:HTFOR Cover 2010 edition artwork.png|The full cover art of the 2010 and 2011 Tor Books reissues.
</gallery>

===Edition covers===
<gallery>
File:HTFOR Coverart 2001 edition.png|Original 2001 edition.
File:HTFOR Cover 2001 edition.jpg|2003 edition.
File:HTFOR Cover 2010 edition.jpg|2010 edition.
File:HTFOR Coverart 2011 Definitive Edition.jpg|2011 edition.
File:HTFOR Cover Polish Version.jpg|thumb|May 2012 Polish edition.
File:HTFOR Cover 2019 edition.jpg|2019 edition.
</gallery>

===2010 edition artwork drafts===
<gallery>
File:HTFOR 2010 Cover Draft 1.jpg|Artwork for Part I - Triumph.
File:HTFOR 2010 Cover Draft 2.jpg|Artwork for Part II - Vigilance.
File:HTFOR 2010 Cover Draft 3.jpg|Artwork for Part III - Support.
File:HTFOR 2010 Cover Draft 4.jpg|Artwork for Part IV - Momentum.
File:HTFOR 2010 Cover Draft 5.jpg|Artwork for Part V - Solidarity.
</gallery>

===Other===
<gallery>
File:HTFOR Cover 2001 cover.jpg|Original release jacket
File:HTFOR Cover 2010 edition full.png|2010 reissue of the novel.
File:HTFOR Back Cover 2019.jpg|2019 edition back cover.
File:HSOR Cover.jpg|The cover of ''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'', which echoes the original cover of the novel.
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0345451325/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-6002849-0256936 Read the first chapter of ''Halo: The Fall Of Reach''.]

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