List of Halo novels by release date

This article is about novels by release date. For them grouped by series, see Halo novels.

A compilation of cover artworks for all of the Halo novels published 2001-2024.

A compilation of cover art for all of the Halo novels released between 2001 and early 2024.

This page lists all Halo novels and short story anthologies, organised in release order. For a list of books organised via their respective series, see here.

Halo novels by release date[edit]

List of novels by release date
Book no.	Novel	Author	Series	Publication date	Summary	Notes
1	Halo: The Fall of Reach	Eric Nylund	The Original Series	October 30, 2001	Details the SPARTAN-II program, the Covenant attack on Reach, and how the UNSC Pillar of Autumn escaped to Halo.	Editions after August 3, 2010 contain an adjunct section.
2	Halo: The Flood	William C. Dietz	The Original Series	April 1, 2003	The novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved. Also features a number of additional subplots which expand on the events on Installation 04.	Editions after October 13, 2010 contain an adjunct section.
3	Halo: First Strike	Eric Nylund	The Original Series	December 2, 2003	Fills in the gap between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, explaining the Master Chief's return to Earth and the survival of a number of characters from Reach and Halo.	Editions after December 21, 2010 contain an adjunct section.
4	Halo: Ghosts of Onyx	Eric Nylund	The Original Series	October 31, 2006	Follows Kurt-051, the training of the Spartan-IIIs on Onyx, and the three-sided battle for the planet in 2552.	N/A
5	Halo: Contact Harvest	Joseph Staten	Standalone	October 30, 2007	Follows Sergeant Avery Johnson and features the events leading up to first contact with the Covenant at Harvest and the beginning of the Human-Covenant War.	N/A
6	Halo: The Cole Protocol	Tobias Buckell	Gray Team series	November 25, 2008	Introduces Gray Team and details the backstories of Jacob Keyes and Thel 'Vadamee.	N/A
7	Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe	Various (anthology release)	Anthology	November 24, 2009	This collection features eleven stories from the perspectives of humans and the Covenant.	In 2010, this compilation was split into two Volumes, with an extra story in both. Volume I contains Soma the Painter, while Volume II contains Wages of Sin; these stories are not contained in later editions.
8	Halo: Cryptum	Greg Bear	The Forerunner Saga	January 4, 2011	Details the experiences of the Forerunner Manipular known as Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting and the Didact during the Forerunner-Flood war.	A glossary was released to define certain terms from this novel.
9	Halo: Glasslands	Karen Traviss	Kilo-Five Trilogy	October 25, 2011	Details the state of the Halo universe after the end of the Human-Covenant War and serves as a follow-up to Ghosts of Onyx.	N/A
10	Halo: Primordium	Greg Bear	The Forerunner Saga	January 3, 2012	Details the story of a human known as Chakas and his journey across Installation 07.	N/A
11	Halo: The Thursday War	Karen Traviss	Kilo-Five Trilogy	October 2, 2012	Continues the story of Kilo-Five and humanity's involvement in the Blooding Years.	N/A
12	Halo: Silentium	Greg Bear	The Forerunner Saga	March 19, 2013	Recounts the twilight years of the Forerunner civilization, the Ur-Didact's descent into insanity, and the firing of the Halo Array.	An epilogue/coda for Halo: Silentium was released called Rebirth.
13	Halo: Mortal Dictata	Karen Traviss	Kilo-Five Trilogy	January 21, 2014	Focuses on the Venezian rebel movement threatening Earth and the terrorist Staffan Sentzke's connection to Kilo-Five's Naomi-010.	N/A
14	Halo: Broken Circle	John Shirley	Standalone	November 4, 2014	A story told from the perspective of several Sangheili and San'Shyuum characters during both the beginnings of the Covenant and the Great Schism.	N/A
15	Halo: New Blood	Matt Forbeck	Alpha-Nine series	March 2, 2015	Follows Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his squad Alpha-Nine during and after the Human-Covenant War.	The Gallery Books edition on March 15, 2016 features a coda at the end connecting the novel to Halo 5: Guardians.
16	Halo: Hunters in the Dark	Peter David	Standalone	June 16, 2015	Follows a joint human-Sangheili expedition to the Ark in the post-war era.	N/A
17	Halo: Saint's Testimony	Frank O'Connor	Standalone	July 27, 2015	Follows the world of smart AIs through the eyes of Iona as she attempts to prevent her own decommissioning.	This story is included in the Halo: Fractures anthology.
18	Halo: Last Light	Troy Denning	The Ferrets series	September 15, 2015	A detective story following Blue Team and Special Inspector Veta Lopis as they investigate murders on a human colony which hosts Forerunner technology. The Ferrets are officially formed as a team	N/A
19	Halo: Shadow of Intent	Joseph Staten	Standalone	December 7, 2015	Focuses on a conflict between Tem'Bhetek, a vengeful San'Shyuum Prelate, and Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum several months after the Covenant War.	This story is included in the Halo: Fractures anthology.
20	Halo: Fractures	Various (anthology release)	Anthology	September 20, 2016	This collection features fourteen stories from various perspectives during the Post-Covenant War conflicts.	N/A
21	Halo: Smoke and Shadow	Kelly Gay	Rion Forge & Ace Of Spades series	November 28, 2016	Follows Rion Forge on her quest to discover the fate of her father and his ship, the UNSC Spirit of Fire.	"Part One: Into The Fire" is included in the compilation Halo: Fractures as Into the Fire.
22	Halo: Envoy	Tobias Buckell	Gray Team series	April 25, 2017	Follows Melody Azikiwe on a diplomatic mission on Carrow, while searching for a way to rescue Gray Team from captivity.	N/A
23	Halo: Retribution	Troy Denning	The Ferrets series	August 29, 2017	Follows to Veta Lopis and the Ferrets on a joint mission with Blue Team to identify the assassin of Admiral Graselyn Tuwa.	N/A
24	Halo: Legacy of Onyx	Matt Forbeck	Standalone	November 14, 2017	Follows Molly Patel as she adjusts to her new life living inside the Onyx Forerunner shield world and deals with a looming threat from the Servants of the Abiding Truth.	N/A
25	Halo: Bad Blood	Matt Forbeck	Alpha-Nine series	June 26, 2018	Follows Spartan Edward Buck as he reform his old squad Alpha-Nine to undertake a daring mission following the rise of Cortana's Created.	N/A
26	Halo: Silent Storm	Troy Denning	A Master Chief Story	September 4, 2018	Follows John-117 and some Spartan-IIs as they gather information about the Covenant in the first year of the Human-Covenant War, and the insurrectionists' attempts to stop their mission.	N/A
27	Halo: Battle Born	Cassandra Rose Clarke	Battle Born: A Halo Young Adult Novel Series	January 1, 2019	Follows a group of four teens and a Spartan supersoldier during the Battle of Meridian.	The Gallery Books March 26, 2024 edition features an adjunct with the shorts Free Frontier Education: The Sundered Legion and Glassed.
28	Halo: Renegades	Kelly Gay	Rion Forge & Ace Of Spades series	February 19, 2019	Sequel to Halo: Smoke and Shadow. Follows Rion Forge and the Ace of Spades's crew in their journey to find Rion's father and the Spirit of Fire, while they are pursued by ONI and Covenant remnants.	N/A
29	Halo: Oblivion	Troy Denning	A Master Chief Story	September 24, 2019	Sequel to Silent Storm. Follows John-117 and some Spartan-IIs during their mission to capture a Covenant frigate, while coming at odds with Fleetmaster Nizat 'Kvarosee.	N/A
30	Halo: Meridian Divide	Cassandra Rose Clarke	Battle Born: A Halo Young Adult Novel Series	October 1, 2019	Sequel to Halo: Battle Born. Follows Saskia, Dorian, Evie, and Victor in their return to Meridian and monitor the Covenant's efforts to retrieve an ancient Forerunner artifact.	The Gallery Books April 30, 2024 edition features an adjunct with the short Meridian Homecoming.
31	Halo: Shadows of Reach	Troy Denning	A Master Chief Story	October 20, 2020	Takes place one year after the events of Halo 5: Guardians. Follows Blue Team as they return to Dr. Halsey's abandoned laboratory in CASTLE Base on Reach to recover assets that could be humanity's last chance against Cortana and the Created.	The Walmart Edition features an adjunct, namely the short story Sacrifice.
32	Halo: Point of Light	Kelly Gay	Rion Forge & Ace Of Spades series	March 2, 2021	Sequel of Halo: Renegades. Follows Rion Forge, Spark and the Ace of Spades's crew as they are pursued by ONI while trying to complete the Librarian's plan.	N/A
33	Halo: Divine Wind	Troy Denning	The Ferrets series	October 19, 2021	Sequel to Halo: Shadows of Reach. Follows Veta Lopis and the Ferrets in their attempts to stop the Keepers of the One Freedom, the Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant and Intrepid Eye from firing the Halo Array with the help of the UNSC Spirit of Fire and the indirect help of the Banished.	N/A
34	Halo: The Rubicon Protocol	Kelly Gay	A Halo Infinite Story	August 9, 2022	Follows members of the United Nations Space Command as they fight back against the Banished on Installation 07.	N/A
35	Halo: Outcasts	Troy Denning	Standalone	August 8, 2023	Follows Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Spartan Olympia Vale as they seek out a rumored ancient artifact that could liberate their people from Cortana and the Created's rule.	N/A
36	Halo: Epitaph	Kelly Gay	Standalone	February 27, 2024	Follows the Ur-Didact after the events of Halo 4 and Halo: Escalation's The Next 72 Hours arc.	N/A
37	Halo: Empty Throne	Jeremy Patenaude	Standalone	February 18, 2025	Follows the UNSC's attempts to steal the Domain from Cortana through an ancient access point on a seemingly insignificant human colony.	N/A
38	(No image yet) Halo: Edge of Dawn	Kelly Gay	A Master Chief Story	2025 (Not released yet)	(Not released yet)	(Not released yet)