Jump to content

Halo: Last Light Novel Official Description


Recommended Posts

Finally after its announcement, 343i decided that we have waited enough for the official description for one of the full-length novels releasing later this year. Halo: Last Light was talked about albeit briefly in this week's Canon Fodder by Grim. This here is the cover art for the novel.

 

halolastlightcovercfhires-426244a37b104f

 

I'll simply paste it here so as to not waste anyone's time with redirecting:

 

"It is 2553, and the three-decade long Covenant War that defined a generation has suddenly drawn to a close. Yet, in the remotest parts of human space, tensions remain that threaten to overflow into another full-scale conflict. Beneath the surface of the planet Gao lies a vast cavern system renowned for its therapeutic effects and rumored miraculous cures. But now Gao natives are turning up brutally murdered down there – violent acts that happen to coincide with the recent arrival of a UNSC research battalion protected by Spartan Blue Team, led by the renowned Spartan-II Fred-104.

 

Maverick detective Veta Lopis of the Gao Ministry of Protection is only trying to do her job as the Special Inspector assigned to catch a serial killer – one who is possibly hiding within the Spartan ranks – but she never anticipates the situation spiraling out of control into an all-out crisis. When Gao is revealed to harbor ancient Forerunner technology that could solidify the UNSC’s military supremacy for centuries to come, Insurrection loyalists within the planetary government will do anything – even align with a vicious faction of what remains of the Covenant – to ensure that never happens…."

 

Halo: Last Light is going to be a murder-mystery novel. Certain speculations have led to the belief that the Spartan III team that was alongside Blue Team in Ghosts of Onyx and Glasslands, Team Saber, will play a role in this novel although I have personally seen nothing to confirm this other than cover art (some people are awfully sure though). Last Light will release September 7th this year. Thoughts, speculations, comments, concerns?

 

Source

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly think they are being a bit heavy-handed with the whole "covenant and humans dislike each other unless those humans are insurrectionists" shtick. I mean, that's a MASSIVE amount of hypocrisy coming from both the Covenant and the Insurrectionists. The neo-covenant are justifying their war with humanity by saying that the prophets may have lied about a lot of things, but not that humans were vermin. The insurrectionists were probably the most effected by the covenant genocide, because of their operations being on the outer-rim planets, which were the first ones to get glassed.

 

So seriously, they are allying because plot.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gotta agree with The Director on this

 

I love the idea of a murder-mystery novel(I am currently reading one as of now) but all these novels seem to be following similar troupes. This one seems different because its a genre not seen before in Halo novels.

 

I just want more Forerunner trilogy like stuff. I want to read about aliens  :blush:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I would love a novel on Sangheli though....

That novel already came out.

 

Its called Halo: Broken Circle 

 

Really good novel too. I bought it the day of release last year. Worth a read. It describes a great deal of the culture of the Sangheli and gives a much greater insight on them as a society and their conflict with the prophets(as well with some insight on the culture of the prophets)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That novel already came out.

 

Its called Halo: Broken Circle 

 

Really good novel too. I bought it the day of release last year. Worth a read. It describes a great deal of the culture of the Sangheli and gives a much greater insight on them as a society and their conflict with the prophets(as well with some insight on the culture of the prophets)

 

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that. I'll definitely have to give it a read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly think they are being a bit heavy-handed with the whole "covenant and humans dislike each other unless those humans are insurrectionists" shtick. I mean, that's a MASSIVE amount of hypocrisy coming from both the Covenant and the Insurrectionists. The neo-covenant are justifying their war with humanity by saying that the prophets may have lied about a lot of things, but not that humans were vermin. The insurrectionists were probably the most effected by the covenant genocide, because of their operations being on the outer-rim planets, which were the first ones to get glassed.

 

So seriously, they are allying because plot.

 

Absolutely no. I presume 'Neo-Covenant' refers to Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, because to quote a certain Zef 'Trahl;

 

 

 

A hundred warlords claim to rule the covenant

 

There is no one unified Covenant, though Thel 'Vadam and Jul 'Mdama are probably the two tied for top dog, though it is important to remember that out of the hundreds of Kig-Yar clans, Jiralhanae Packs, Sangheili Factions (etc), many are apathetic to humanity, and a few are friendly; the majority of Sangheili and Jiralhanae are more concerned with the power grab in the vaccuum left by the removal of the hierarch triumvate.

 

Anyway, Jul's covenant is motivated through simple religious fervor, to which Jul uses (Note he doesn't believe as such himself, it is heavily implied) to gain allies- he did meet a living 'god' and gain his personal army. However, Jul is motivted by a hatred of ONI, who was creating bioweapons to wipe out his species almost immediately after the war ended, and ended up MAC'ing Sanghelios with Infinity and generally being **** bags to his species; is it ny wonder he does not trust humanity?

 

The insurrection was never one unifed faction, Buck explains it perfectly in New Blood, in that, for the most part, the URF was simply a banner to rally behind, but each planetary group operated largely without rule or order, some more organised by others. There were those on Madrigal who organised to create the Rubble, those of Eridanus II that had a mostly politcal prescence and those of Draco III who were disorganised and sloppy. The true human threat to the UEG is the New Colonial Alliance, which is gathering UNSC military assets like ships, Spartans and even high-level officers alike, as well as forming alliances with Covenant groups such as Vata 'Gajat's mercenaries.

 

To assume that all Covenant and Humans hold the same ideals and there is one faction for a group is honestly ridiculous.

 

 

OT:

 

TEAM KATANA IS BACK

E

A

M

K

A

T

A

N

A

I

S

B

A

C

K

 

Seriously, we have heard NOTHING of the spartan-III survivors for three years, I am pumped for this. That looks like Olivia on the cover, and likely Lucy and Tom in the background.

 

******* YES.

 

vwMin.gif

Edited by BaconShelf
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely no. I presume 'Neo-Covenant' refers to Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, because to quote a certain Zef 'Trahl;

 

 

 

 

There is no one unified Covenant, though Thel 'Vadam and Jul 'Mdama are probably the two tied for top dog, though it is important to remember that out of the hundreds of Kig-Yar clans, Jiralhanae Packs, Sangheili Factions (etc), many are apathetic to humanity, and a few are friendly; the majority of Sangheili and Jiralhanae are more concerned with the power grab in the vaccuum left by the removal of the hierarch triumvate.

 

Anyway, Jul's covenant is motivated through simple religious fervor, to which Jul uses (Note he doesn't believe as such himself, it is heavily implied) to gain allies- he did meet a living 'god' and gain his personal army. However, Jul is motivted by a hatred of ONI, who was creating bioweapons to wipe out his species almost immediately after the war ended, and ended up MAC'ing Sanghelios with Infinity and generally being **** bags to his species; is it ny wonder he does not trust humanity?

 

The insurrection was never one unifed faction, Buck explains it perfectly in New Blood, in that, for the most part, the URF was simply a banner to rally behind, but each planetary group operated largely without rule or order, some more organised by others. There were those on Madrigal who organised to create the Rubble, those of Eridanus II that had a mostly politcal prescence and those of Draco III who were disorganised and sloppy. The true human threat to the UEG is the New Colonial Alliance, which is gathering UNSC military assets like ships, Spartans and even high-level officers alike, as well as forming alliances with Covenant groups such as Vata 'Gajat's mercenaries.

 

To assume that all Covenant and Humans hold the same ideals and there is one faction for a group is honestly ridiculous.

 

To assume that Thel 'Vadam would allow the Sangheili following his command to be called 'The Covenant' is also ridiculous. To assume that individual groups of former covenant species would also willingly go by 'The Covenant' is also ridiculous. That would be like calling Ukraine 'The USSR', which would probably get you stabbed by the way.

 

Thel 'Vadam leads the "Swords of Sanghelios", which can at most be called The Covenant Separatists. They have branched away from the traditional covenant to a point where they can barely even be compared to the covenant any longer.

 

Going by canon, the "Covenant Remnant" is defined as the forces led by Jul 'Mdama. I like to call them the Neo-Covenant because the "Covenant Remnant" sounds like something from Star Wars Jedi Academy, and calling them "The Covenant" implies that they are somewhat as powerful as the original covenant. Which they aren't. Jul's goal, as shown in several instances of canon material, is the eradication of humanity. He no longer believes in the Forerunners as gods, but simply sees their technology as a means to an end. This end is the destruction of humanity. Not ONI, not the UNSC, not even just McDonald's. The entirety of humanity. While I am no doubt willing to believe that he would deceive human terrorist groups into assisting him in this goal, doing so would be risky and overall likely not worth the help it provides.

 

While you are correct that the insurrection is a loose-flag organization, they still hold the belief that the UNSC is evil. However, it would take an awe inspiring amount of stupidity to ally with a faction who's goal has always been the extermination of humanity. The sheer amount of people that were involved in the Human-Covenant war means that there likely isn't a single colony left who doesn't have several refugees from the glassed planets, meaning that they would also know of the Covenant's goal of destroying humanity and the extent that they went trying to accomplish this goal. Even were it possible for them to believe that reports during the HvC war are simply UNSC propaganda, they would have access to survivors and refugees to corroborate the reports and realize that the Neo-Covenant was probably just trying to use them to weaken the UNSC so that they could destroy all of humanity.

 

So once again, because plot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

To assume that Thel 'Vadam would allow the Sangheili following his command to be called 'The Covenant' is also ridiculous. To assume that individual groups of former covenant species would also willingly go by 'The Covenant' is also ridiculous. That would be like calling Ukraine 'The USSR', which would probably get you stabbed by the way.

 

Thel 'Vadam leads the "Swords of Sanghelios", which can at most be called The Covenant Separatists. They have branched away from the traditional covenant to a point where they can barely even be compared to the covenant any longer.

 

Is this not common knowledge yet? I sort of assumed you meant Jul's Covenant. Or my bad wording. Either way, I thought it was implied that Thel wouldn't be described as a 'warlord'.

 

Going by canon, the "Covenant Remnant" is-

 

Halo Nation is a horrible sourcez halopedia is ar better.

 

-defined as the forces led by Jul 'Mdama. I like to call them the Neo-Covenant because the "Covenant Remnant" sounds like something from Star Wars Jedi Academy, and calling them "The Covenant" implies that they are somewhat as powerful as the original covenant. Which they aren't. Jul's goal, as shown in several instances of canon material, is the eradication of humanity. He no longer believes in the Forerunners as gods, but simply sees their technology as a means to an end. This end is the destruction of humanity. Not ONI, not the UNSC, not even just McDonald's. The entirety of humanity. While I am no doubt willing to believe that he would deceive human terrorist groups into assisting him in this goal, doing so would be risky and overall likely not worth the help it provides.

 

While you are correct that the insurrection is a loose-flag organization, they still hold the belief that the UNSC is evil. However, it would take an awe inspiring amount of stupidity to ally with a faction who's goal has always been the extermination of humanity. The sheer amount of people that were involved in the Human-Covenant war means that there likely isn't a single colony left who doesn't have several refugees from the glassed planets, meaning that they would also know of the Covenant's goal of destroying humanity and the extent that they went trying to accomplish this goal. Even were it possible for them to believe that reports during the HvC war are simply UNSC propaganda, they would have access to survivors and refugees to corroborate the reports and realize that the Neo-Covenant was probably just trying to use them to weaken the UNSC so that they could destroy all of humanity.

 

So once again, because plot.

 

Actually, no. Human space cover(ed) 800+ terrestrial Colonies. There are at least several dozen colonies, it would seem, that survived unscathed such as Gannick 22, Sedra, Gao (Presumably), Venezia and Talitsa. We know for a fact that some colonies were so far removed that they barely felt the effects of the war- remember that space is 3D, so logic says that humans expanded in a sphere with Sol at the centre, so not all outer colonies died immediately. Those on the complete opposite of human space to Harvest, for example, would likely not have much to do with the war- it took 28 years to basically exterminate the radius of human space, so if we assume equal distribution of stars, there are roughly 400 colonies left. Those who had literally nothing to do with the war- conscription wasn't a thing, and some colonies were very removed- have had no direct contact with the Covenant and no direct reason to hate them other than being expected to.

 

To put it on context, Jews were able to live within Post-Nazi Germany, and Eastern Europe after the war, after the Nazis did things objectively worse than glassing to said people. Same thing, on a larger scale- those alien species that either want to trade and co-operate with humans (Such as the very trader Kig-Yar) and some Sangheili (Thel, Vata Gajat, Zef Trahl) as well as at least one Jiralhanae pack (Lydus) realise that trying to continue war with humans is A) Pointless- what reason have they? Humanity acted in self-defence from a lie that caused 23.3 billion to die. B) It's counterproductive. If the more prominent species try to co-operate, then at least they can say they tried. Ultinately, the ideological difference stems to two related things; the knowledge of the Forerunners and Flood is widespread, common knowledge within the Covenant. ONI filters information and the majority of te human populace are still under the belief that humanity alone beat back the Covenant by themselves. The UNSC military tries to forge alliances, but by keeping civilians in the dark, they will never succeed without the backing of the government and population.

 

So, ultinately, you don't like Covenant allying with humanity for a very common reason. Not directly stated but easily read; you like a clear cut 'us vs. them' story. Unfortunately, 343i are trying to do something more complex than that. Accept it or get off, nobody is forcing you to read/ play new media if you don't like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...