Halo: Glasslands

Halo: Glasslands is the first novel in the yet-untitled post-war series by Karen Traviss. It is to be released on October 25, 2011 on hardcover, paperback and audiobook.

Plot
Set after the events of Halo 3 in 2553, Halo: Glasslands will explore the volatile political situation in the Halo universe following the end of the Human-Covenant War. Though the story of the characters from Ghosts of Onyx will be continued in the novel and they will play a pivotal role, the main focus of the story is on a UNSC black ops team sent by the Office of Naval Intelligence on a diplomatic mission to Sanghelios. Led by Captain Sarah Osbun, a failed SPARTAN-II candidate and a protege of ONI director Margaret O. Parangosky, the team consists of two Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, Vaz and Mal, and the AI construct Black Box. They are accompanied by a civilian academic known as Evan Phillips, who is notably one of the few humans fluent in the Sangheili language. The team's allegiances are tested as they are asked to commit questionable actions, including surrendering a captured Huragok to ONI. At one point, they meet with the survivors from the Battle of Onyx.

It has also been mentioned that the Office of Naval Intelligence will be fleshed out and the moral implications of the SPARTAN-II Program and those involved with it - including Dr. Catherine Halsey - will be explored. In addition, Sangheili culture and the impact the sundering of the Covenant had on their society will be explored in detail.

It has been noted that threads of the story will have connections to Halo 4.

Characters

 * Black Box
 * Catherine Elizabeth Halsey
 * Evan Phillips
 * Franklin Mendez
 * Lucy-B091
 * Mal
 * Margaret O. Parangosky
 * Sarah Osbun
 * Thel 'Vadam
 * Vaz

Locations

 * Onyx
 * Sanghelios

Organizations

 * United Nations Space Command
 * UNSC Marine Corps
 * Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * UNSC Navy
 * Naval Special Warfare Command
 * SPARTAN-II Program
 * Office of Naval Intelligence
 * Section Three
 * Beta-5 Division
 * SPARTAN-III Program

Species

 * Human
 * Huragok
 * Sangheili

Trivia

 * The cover of the novel was illustrated by former Bungie concept artist Eddie Smith.
 * As Karen Traviss is an avid fan of Red vs Blue, Glasslands will feature Easter eggs that reference the series.