Halo: The Flood

Summary
Halo: The Flood is the novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved written by William C. Dietz, following the book Halo: The Fall of Reach.

DATE: September 19, 2552-September 23, 2552

Plot
It expands 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.

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 seemed watered down, with the mentioning of MREs, Dog Tags, and the Marine motto, semper fi, Dietz's portrayal of the UNSC marines makes them appear to be US Marines, only trapped in the 26th century. Another criticism mentioned about the book is the chewed up facts. For example, in the book Master Chief faces Jackals on the Pillar of Autumn when in the game he only faces Elites and Grunts. So the book and the game aren't all that similar. The plot of both the book and the game are related though.