The Halo series’ vast collection of supplemental fiction has grown even larger with Halo: Cryptum, the new novel by author Greg Bear. It is the first in a three part series covering the Forerunners, the ancient race that created the halos. The Forerunners have been shrouded in mystery throughout the series, often speculated to get their own series of games because of their significance in the Halo fiction. Whether this is their definitive story, or simply one telling of a story that will be retold in game form a-la Halo: Reach remains to be seen.
Here’s a plot synopsis:
“HALO: Cryptum is the story of a young, rebellious Manipular – yet to become a part of the adult Forerunner society. He comes from a family of Builders, who create the grand technology that facilitates Forerunner dominance over the known universe. But his obsession with artifacts old and forgotten, left behind by the Precursors – long-vanished superbeings of unknowable power and intent – begins a chain of events with vast and unpredictable consequences. This is a tale of life, death, intergalactic horror, exile, and maturity. It is a story of overwhelming change – and of human origins. For the Mantle may not lie upon the shoulders of Forerunners forever…”
Hmm, Precursors? It seems like even when the secrets of one race are revealed there’s always one shrouded in mystery behind the curtain. I’m skeptical, but Greg Bear’s pedigree speaks for itself – his multiple Hugo and Nebula awards give me hope that this novel, like most of the Halo novels before it, isn’t just a cheap cash-in and adds something to the Halo universe.
