Halo: Cryptum

Halo: Cryptum is the first novel in the ongoing Forerunner Saga by Greg Bear. The novel explores the events leading up to the Forerunner-Flood War and the shared history of humanity and the Forerunners.

It was released on January 4, 2011.

Plot synopsis
The story follows Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, a young Forerunner Manipular who refuses to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Builder. Bornstellar's rebellion forces his father to send him to live with the Miners; one of the lowest classes of Forerunner society. After living with the Miners on Edom in the Sol system for some time, he is inspired by his ancilla to hunt for artifacts left by the Precursors — beings of extraordinary power that preceded the Forerunner civilization. Bornstellar escapes to Erde-Tyrene, where he crosses paths with two humans - Chakas and Riser, who guide him on his search for Precursor artifacts. In the Djamonkin Crater, they find an artifact that is revealed to be a Cryptum—a mysterious object created by a Forerunner Warrior-Servant group known as the Prometheans. Bornstellar opens the Cryptum and finds that it belongs to an ancient Forerunner military leader known as The Didact.

Forerunners

 * Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting
 * Bornstellar's father
 * Confirmer
 * Didact
 * Faber
 * Glory of a Far Dawn
 * Librarian
 * Splendid Dust of Ancient Suns

Humans

 * Chakas
 * Morning Riser

Artificial intelligences

 * 05-032 Mendicant Bias

Glossary
Halo Waypoint provided a glossary of nouns used in Halo: Cryptum over a week to make sure readers understood the meaning of the words used.`

Trivia

 * Greg Bear had stated at the Emerald City Comic Con that the novel's working title was "Antediluvian". The title was later changed.
 * Illustrated by Sparth, the cover of the novel depicts two small figures, possibly Forerunners or humans, standing on a ledge overlooking a large Forerunner structure. Given the different heights of the two, it is possible that these two figures are either the Didact and Bornstellar or Chakas and Riser.
 * A preview of the novel containing the first two chapters was released online on December 22, 2010.