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Hate Reading? Listen To The Next Halo Novel
Posted by Leigh Alexander at 10:20 AM on June 24, 2008
We now learn that the upcoming sixth Halo novel, Halo: The Cole Protocol will also publish simultaneously with an audiobook, so you can explode your head by listening to the Halo story while playing Halo. What a world.
As we recently reported, the book will apparently deal with an "unexplored conflict" in the war against the Covenant, will reveal the location of the Spartan Grey Team, and is penned by Crystal Rain author Tobias S. Buckell for a spring release.
Full details after the jump.
TOR BOOKS CONFIRMS RISING SCIENCE FICTION STAR AND NEBULA NOMINEE TOBIAS BUCKELL TO PEN THE NEXT HALO® NOVEL
Halo®: The Cole Protocol is Expected for Release This Fall
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC--the largest publisher of science fiction in the world--and Microsoft are pleased to announce the latest novel and its author in the New York Times bestselling Halo® series. Nebula nominee and Prometheus Award finalist, Tobias Buckell has been tapped to write Halo®: The Cole Protocol, due in Fall 2008. The new novel will be the sixth in the New York Times bestselling series based on the blockbuster Microsoft and Bungie Studios' Halo® video games for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. An unabridged audiobook edition will publish simultaneously with the new novel.
Tobias S. Buckell exploded onto the science fiction scene with Crystal Rain, (Tor 2006) a debut that combined a unique mix of Caribbean culture - where Buckell was born and raised - and hard SF adventure elements. Buckell's unique and groundbreaking work won him acclaim from peers and the literary community, who called him "a dazzling new voice." His second novel, Ragamuffin, (Tor 2007) was a 2007 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novel; a 2008 Prometheus Award finalist for Best Novel; and a Locus "Best of 2007." He is a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, and was a first-place winner for the Writers of the Future, as well as having been nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
Buckell's blend of hard science fiction with character-based action adventure and forays into classic SF pulp won the admiration of both Tor and Microsoft. Buckell is also a big Halo fan who has played every incarnation of the game. "I've been a fan of Buckell's since Crystal Rain, and when I found out he was playing Halo®, I was chomping at the bit to get him to try his hand at a Halo® novel." says Tor Editor Eric Raab. "The Cole Protocol is awesome stuff that expands the Halo universe in some really amazing ways."
Halo®: The Cole Protocol will unveil the location of the Spartan Grey Team, and take readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War, where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered, altering the course of the humanity's epic struggle for survival. The Halo® novels, Halo®: Ghosts of Onyx (Tor 2006) and Halo®: Contact Harvest (Tor 2007) became instant bestsellers and they, along with the three previous novels, have helped establish Halo® as one of today's greatest SF franchises.
The original Halo®: Combat Evolved game for the Xbox came out in 2001 and established the Xbox as a leader in the console video game market. The three games that serve as the foundation of the Halo® franchise has now sold more than 20 million units worldwide, logging hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel and more.
About Tor Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1980 and committed (although not limited) to SF and fantasy literature. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperback, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and for the last twenty years in a row Tor has been named Best Science Fiction Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Cwn
Posted 11:25 AM 24/6/08
Duuude, that guy is crapping IN his armour.
=(
He needs some of Bash's toilet paper with numbered instructions on dumpage procedure.
Cwn
Erwin
Posted 11:17 AM 24/6/08
@Erwin: By the way, that was an excerpt from Tor's website so don't fret about copyright issues Kotaku. Looking back I should've just posted the link.
*slaps forehead*: [www.tor.com]
Erwin
Erwin
Posted 11:11 AM 24/6/08
(I hope this isn't a double post, and if it is allow me to apologize in advance)
I really don't think the tech heavy dialog of the Halo books translates well to an actual audio recording. Maybe Tobias Bruckner will change up the style, but the previous entries? See for your self:
1135 HOURS, JULY 3, 2545 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
51 PEGASI-B SYSTEM, TARGET AREA APACHE, PLANET PEGASI DELTA
The orbital pod impacted, and metal wrenched and sparked. Inside his cocoon of titanium, lead foil, and stealth ablative coating, SPARTAN-B292 watched black stars explode across his vision, he tasted blood in his mouth, and the last air compressed from his lungs.
Tom's training kicked in: he pulled the pod's twisted frame apart and blinked in the bright blue sunlight.
Something was wrong. 85 Pegasi-914A was supposed to be a faint yellow sun. This was electric blue-boiling plasma blue.
He jumped, rolling to one side as the blast washed over him. The outer layers of his Semi-Powered Infiltration armor boiled and peeled like a bad sunburn.
---
Yeah. Doesn't really role off the tongue.
Erwin
DarkHomer
Posted 11:07 AM 24/6/08
Can't wait to start listening to halo while i sleep.
DarkHomer
.endejas.
Posted 11:01 AM 24/6/08
@ThatsMrOffDutyNinja: Yeah. They're pretty nice reads, save Halo: The Flood and Contact Harvest.
They're better than average sci-fi books, and sweet, sweet candy for Halo fans.
.endejas.
vanderblade
Posted 10:57 AM 24/6/08
"Tobias S. Buckell" sounds like a pen name if I ever heard one. Or perhaps it's merely a sick form of destiny that he was fated to write generic science fiction novels.
Or he sounds like an O'Toole character gone awry.
vanderblade
Fox
Posted 10:53 AM 24/6/08
@archibaldleech: *sigh* Can someone please ban this retard already?
Fox
Krondonian
Posted 10:49 AM 24/6/08
@ThatsMrOffDutyNinja: They made about 5.
Krondonian
Krondonian
Posted 10:49 AM 24/6/08
@Green-clad Gamer Dude: Yeah, though it brings new meaning to:
'What's black and white and red all over?'
Krondonian
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 10:48 AM 24/6/08
Wait.... They made a Halo novel?
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
archibaldleech
Posted 10:46 AM 24/6/08
i think halo is a pretty cool guy, eh kills aleins and doesn't afraid of anything.
archibaldleech
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Posted 10:45 AM 24/6/08
Can you shoot people while you're reading?
Green-clad Gamer Dude
JonDarkwood
Posted 12:09 PM 24/6/08
I hope it's JUST LIKE the Halo Fanfic readings on YTMND
[fanficofthelegendary.ytmnd.com]
[halosinspace.ytmnd.com]
JonDarkwood
Krondonian
Posted 11:53 AM 24/6/08
@Erwin: The pod landed. Inside his cocoon of metal, The Chief felt a bit dodgy.
Tom's training kicked in: he opened the pod.
Something was wrong. Pegasi was supposed to be a yellow sun. This was blue.
He jumped and rolled to avoid the blast. The outer layers of his armour came off.
Fixed. (Yes, that does include adding a 'u' to 'armor').
Krondonian
alitcofsky
Posted 11:48 AM 24/6/08
@Erwin: Halo fans go for such gushy romantic fare? Color me shocked.
alitcofsky
Erwin
Posted 12:41 PM 24/6/08
(again, sorry if a double post. Every time I comment Kotaku tries to log me out.)
@Erwin: God, "role"? Good lord, what's wrong with me?
@Krondonian: "The Chief felt a bit dodgy... Pegasi was supposed to be a yellow sun. This was blue." Haha, that was hysterical, yet I don't know why.
@JonDarkwood: The third paragraph in Halos in Space 2 is a real mindfuck.
Erwin
Altima NEO
Posted 1:01 PM 24/6/08
As an eBook this would be pretty awesome. Especially if they go the extra mile to have the games voice actors act out their respective characters in the ebook.
Altima NEO
TheGuero
Posted 1:18 PM 24/6/08
I haven't read the books, but I think that saying the Human-covenant war is unexplored is a bit of an overstatement. Unless we're speaking only book wise here, then I have no room to talk.
TheGuero
ChiChi_BBQ
Posted 2:13 PM 24/6/08
An audio book is such a great convenience. Store it on your MP3 player and listen to it on the treadmill.
ChiChi_BBQ
Paul Soth
Posted 2:12 PM 24/6/08
@Cwn: Naw, he's just working on the next game.
Thank you, I'm here all week.
Paul Soth
tehbighead
Posted 1:52 PM 24/6/08
@Green-clad Gamer Dude: just the memory of herbert, asimov, dick, et al, and then only metaphorically.
tehbighead
demonknightinuyasha
Posted 2:42 PM 24/6/08
audio books are awesome. i love to be able to actually sit down and read a book but now and days i dont get to sit down and do what i want often, so more times than not i end up in front of the tv catching up on web related things or playing games.
i dont listen to them at the gym though cause i like the raw power of some good metal to get me pumped =D
demonknightinuyasha
Cyrian
Posted 2:58 PM 24/6/08
still sucks that Eric Nylund's not doing it. I even remember reading somewhere that he actually wanted to write about Grey Team.
Cyrian
maraxusofk
Posted 4:58 PM 24/6/08
ima sucker for the halo books. have every single one and will continue to do so.
maraxusofk
keiserxol
Posted 6:22 PM 24/6/08
the books written from nylund rock, the other ones suck. hard.
keiserxol
gametavern
Posted 3:26 AM 25/6/08
Don't worry about stealing my picture from 405th.com or anything.
gametavern
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 2:10 PM 25/6/08
@Krondonian: That was my bad attempt to get the 360 haters outed and sarcasm. @.endejas.: See the above mentioned answer. I have been meaning to check it out every time get to the book store just read a few pages and see how trapped I get. Thanks it is nice to see someone enjoyed it so far.
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
dowingba
Posted 2:55 PM 25/6/08
I tried to read a Halo novel once. Man was it ever laughably bad. I guess this is good so that at least now blind people can hear the joke that is Halo's series of novels.
dowingba