Halo: The Flood

Halo: The Flood is the novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved written by William C. Dietz, following the book Halo: The Fall of Reach. This novel attained the Publisher's Weekly bestsellers list during May 2003.

DATE: September 19, 2552 -September 23, 2552

Plot
It expanded on the game by detailing the actions of the Helljumpers and the Covenant, introducing the SpecOps Elite Zuka 'Zamamee who attempted various ploys to stop the Master Chief, but in vain, and had Jenkins aid Major Silva and Lieutenant McKay as well as the other Helljumpers even after his conversion to a Flood Combat Form by persuading a Helljumper leader to destroy the Truth and Reconciliation in order to prevent the Flood from reaching Earth and killing many.

The story also explored what happened to Captain Keyes after the Covenant invaded his ship. This part of the story was not featured in the game, which is why some fans take to the book, despite its criticism (see below).

Criticism
There have been many criticisms of the book, many times ultimately due to the fact that William Dietz did not incorporate ideas into his story that were developed by Eric Nylund in Halo: The Fall of Reach and continued in Halo: First Strike.

Some fans generally have a strong dislike for this particular novel stating that the Dietz's characterization of the Master Chief was too drastically changed from Eric Nylund's written portrayal of the character. The Chief, previously portrayed as a carefully guarded person, smiles freely and generally acts less like the Spartans did in the first book. In addition, many of the futuristic elements of Halo were conflicted, with the mentioning of MREs, Dog Tags, and the Marine Corps motto, Semper Fi. Dietz's portrayal of the UNSC Marines is more akin to the current United States Marine Corps, with little regard for any evolution that would have taken place over approximately 500 years. Also, in the earlier book Eric Nylund showed again and again that the Master Chief's abduction and replacement with a flash clone had been top secret, while in the book it shows that not only do Major Silva and Lieutenant McKay know of that "secret", but that Captain Keyes divulges this information freely, the exact opposite of what he does in Halo: The Fall of Reach.

Further criticism around the book is focused on inconsistencies with facts. For example, in the book, Master Chief faces Jackals on the Pillar of Autumn. While in the game, he only faces Elites and Grunts. However the small factual differences are negligible in relation to the overall plot. In fact, the book contains all of the dialog from the game, word for word.