What order to read all the Halo books

By the time I finish writing this article, another book will undoubtedly be added to the ever-expanding series of the Halo universe. There are some fantastic and some not-so-fantastic entries in the list, but if you’re looking to fully grasp the lore of the series, you should take a read. Here is the order in which I think you should read the Halo books for the most rounded experience.

So many Halo books

The world of Halo opens itself to a lot of expansion, looking at the prelude, the histories of both races, the flood, and the list goes on. Because of this, there are a lot of books expanding on the universe. It’s understandably overwhelming, so start with his definitive list of Halo literature reading order and go from there.

I believe that the Halo books should be read in release order. The chronology jumps backward and forwards, but not in a confusing or disjointed way. The books reference one another as they are published, fleshing out the Halo universe fully. Trying to read them in chronological order becomes very complex very quickly and can often miss details.

Every Halo book, in order of release

• Halo: The Fall of Reach (October 30, 2001)
• Halo: The Flood (April 1, 2003)
• Halo: First Strike (December 2, 2003)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (October 31, 2006)
• Halo: Contact Harvest (October 30, 2007)
• Halo: The Cole Protocol (November 25, 2008)
• Halo: Evolutions (November 24, 2009)
• Halo: Cryptum (January 4, 2011)
• Halo: Glasslands (October 25, 2011)
• Halo: Primordium (January 3, 2012)
• Halo: The Thursday War (October 2, 2012)
• Halo: Silentium (March 19, 2013)
• Halo: Mortal Dictata (January 21, 2014)
• Halo: Broken Circle (November 4, 2014)
• Halo: New Blood (March 2, 2015)
• Halo: Hunters in the Dark (June 16, 2015)
• Halo: Saint’s Testimony (July 27, 2015)
• Halo: Last Light (September 15, 2015)
• Halo: Shadow of Intent (December 7, 2015)
• Halo: Fractures (September 20, 2016)
• Halo: Smoke and Shadow (November 28, 2016)
• Halo: Envoy (April 25, 2017)
• Halo: Retribution (August 29, 2017)
• Halo: Legacy of Onyx (November 15, 2017)
• Halo: Bad Blood (June 26, 2018)
• Halo: Silent Storm (September 4, 2018)
• Halo: Battle Born (January 1, 2019)
• Halo: Renegades (February 19, 2019)
• Halo: Oblivion (September 24, 2019)
• Halo: Meridian Divide (October 1, 2019)
• Halo: Shadows of Reach (September 22, 2020)
• Halo: Point of Light (March 2, 2021)
• Halo: Divine Wind (October 19, 2021)
• Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (August 9, 2022)
• Halo: Epitaph (February 27, 2024)

This is a monstrous list, but there are a few you could skip if you have recently played the games. To shorten this list a little, it is possible to overlook Halo: The Flood as it just covers the plot of Halo 1. If you have recently played through the game or want to get the same information but from the convenience of gaming, skip this read in the Halo order and just play the game instead.

What are the Halo books all about

If you’re a fan of the video game franchise, you’ll already be aware of a lot of the lore that goes into the games. Old histories and battles spanning eons flesh out the action-packed scenes that develop as you follow the story of Master Chief and beyond.

Many histories and events can be picked up from simply playing the game and listening to various clips around the games. Characters cleverly provide exposition through dialogue and situations. However, this has left me and many other writers and readers wanting something more.

The Halo book series sets the universe in order while you read them. They dig much deeper into the world, history, politics, and battles of the franchise, giving the fans the content they want. History and expansion around the games are built throughout the narratives.

Are the Halo books canon?

The ever-changing team behind the Halo franchise states that “the Official” Halo canon can only be created by developers of the Halo franchise.” This means that for a book to be considered in the official reading order of the Halo canon, it needs to be officially sanctioned by the team. This helps stop any inconsistencies, although there are a few.

Of course, like any huge gaming franchise, there are many excellent fanfiction additions to the reading list. However, if you really want to start digging into those, it is best to finish off the games and official book series first. This will give you the context and knowledge to spot something wildly off track or sticks to the source material. You don’t want to accidentally reference something off-canon without knowing it; that would be embarrassing.

There are many amazing video game tie-in books out there, ranging from Assassins Creed to the Souls games. Halo, although maybe one of the most extensive, isn’t the only good one out there.