A Master Chief story and original full-length novel set in the Halo
universe--based on the New York Times bestselling video game
series!2526. It has been more than a year since humanity first
encountered the hostile military alliance of alien races known as the
Covenant, and several weeks after the United Nations Space Command's
devastating counterattack of Operation: SILENT STORM was deemed an
overwhelming success. The UNSC has put its faith in the hands of the
Spartans, led by the legendary Master Chief, John-117: enhanced
super-soldiers raised and trained from childhood via a clandestine black
ops project to be living weapons. But the Covenant--enraged and fearful
of their enemy's unexpected strategies and prowess--is not taking its
recent defeat lightly, and is now fully determined to eradicate humanity
from existence, brutally overrunning the ill-fated planets of the Outer
Colonies faster than retreats can be ordered. If the UNSC has any chance
of stemming the tide of the war, the Master Chief and Blue Team must
drop onto an empty, hellish world in order to capture a disabled
Covenant frigate filled with valuable technology. It has all the makings
of a trap, but the bait is far too tempting to ignore--and this
tantalizing prize is being offered by a disgraced and vengeful Covenant
fleetmaster, whose sole opportunity for redemption lies in extinguishing
humanity's only hope of survival...
