{"id":20263,"date":"2015-03-12T22:34:39","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T03:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=20263"},"modified":"2015-03-12T22:35:08","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T03:35:08","slug":"canon-fodder-novel-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=20263","title":{"rendered":"Canon Fodder: Novel Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"halo-5-concept-hero-small-1920x350-51cd3cfb806846fd81532fdf6e28e188\"<\/a><\/p>\n

BY\u00a0GRIMBROTHER ONE<\/p>\n

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ISSUE 15<\/h4>\n

\"canonfodder-3-12-15c-36af62b8ddb646a592466ac0e7fb87a3\"<\/a>Welcome back loremongers. A few days ago, one of our community members, SaBx DARKHAVEN,\u00a0started a topic in the Universe forum<\/a>\u00a0asking what the chances were that we\u2019d see another book before the release of Halo 5: Guardians. After quelling the usual urge to post a popcorn-eating gif while reading through the discussion, I instead reached in my desk drawer and grabbed my trusty magic 8-ball to find an answer for the question at hand. The bad news? Ol\u2019 Shaky spun up an initially depressing \u201coutcome not likely.\u201d The good news? That\u2019s because you aren\u2019t just getting\u00a0one<\/em>\u00a0new book this year. You\u2019re getting five. Before we get to a few delectable details, notice I said \u201cthis year\u201d and not \u201cbefore Halo 5: Guardians,\u201d so don\u2019t go telling Twitter that \u201cGrim told us the release date.\u201d Were it so easy\u2026 So with that out of the way, we\u2019re proud to announce the Halo publishing lineup for 2015 from our friends and partners at Simon & Schuster! We\u2019re pretty excited about it, and we hope you are too.<\/p>\n

2015 Halo Print Publishing \u2013 343 Industries, Simon & Schuster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halo: New Blood<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>by\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestselling author Matt Forbeck \u2013 a digital-first short novel released on\u00a0March 2, 2015,\u00a0ON SALE NOW<\/a>!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halo: Hunters in the Dark<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>by\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestselling author Peter David \u2013 a full-length novel on sale\u00a0June 16, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halo:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Saint\u2019s Testimony\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by\u00a0343 Industries Franchise Development Director\u00a0Frank O\u2019Connor \u2013 a digital single on sale\u00a0July 27, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halo: Last Light<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>by\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestselling author Troy Denning \u2013 a full-length novel on sale\u00a0September 7, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halo: Shadow of Intent<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>by\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestselling author Joseph Staten \u2013 a digital-first novella on sale\u00a0December 7, 2015! \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So SaBx DARKHAVEN, consider your question answered with an emphatic \u201cpretty darn good.\u201d<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> I’m still reading New Blood<\/em>. It’s FANTASTIC! <\/span>
\nHunters in the Dark<\/em>…Hmm, I do not think they’re talking about Mgalekgolo here. Rather, I”m going to guess it’s about Locke and his Spartan hunter team. <\/span>
\nSaint’s Testimony,<\/em> okay, this could be just about anything. However, given the Covenant’s penchant for ‘holy’ things, Il’l take a stab at this and say it’s from their perspective. Could it be this is a trail against Master Chief (who isn’t present) because he went AWOL in search of Halsey and\/or a way to bring Cortana back? (Continue reading below and you’ll actually find out some of what this story will be about)<\/span>
\nLast Light.<\/em> Now that is an interesting title indeed. We’ve already had a story about the final moments of the ancient Forerunners and the firing of the rings. Otherwise, I would have said it was that. So what might this be? Perhaps the glassing of a planet by the Covenant? But we’ve had that before in both novels and games. <\/span>
\nShadow of Intent<\/em>, this one absolutely reeks of Covenant, given that’s the name of Shipmaster Rtas ‘Vadam’s ship. Could he be coming to the aid of the UNSC? Or, might he turn against the Arbiter and attack? Suffice to say, these all seem interesting. No doubt they will be good reads.<\/span>
\nI’ll say this much, I’m excited that we’re getting this many new stories this year. (Whether before or after Halo 5’s release.)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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LET\u2019S BE FRANK<\/h2>\n

So with all the aforementioned awesome still fresh in our minds, I thought it might be fun to chat with one of the authors a little bit about what\u2019s in store. Since Frank sits about 30 feet from me, I went for efficiency. Also, he knows the most. Let\u2019s see what he had to say\u2026<\/p>\n

GRIMBROTHER ONE: Let\u2019s start with a bit of a \u201cState of the Union\u201d with regards to Halo fiction overall. Where are we at right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK O’CONNOR:\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019re actually in a creatively challenging place, and I don\u2019t mean that as a synonym for something negative. It\u2019s literally challenging and we\u2019re getting a lot out of that. We\u2019ve set up a universe now that\u2019s actually quite complex. We have gray areas where at the start of the Halo universe, everything was pretty black and white. We had a known bad guy that couldn\u2019t be reasoned with. We had an opaque mystery in the Forerunners that couldn\u2019t be penetrated. We had simple, almost binary motivations and everything was either good or evil. Now we have a galaxy in chaos and a lot of nuance in motivations and politics. We have Covenant with their own agenda, we have the beginning of an Elite civil war. We have a religion in tatters but perhaps in the beginning of a revival. We have Halsey whose past crimes have been exposed, but then so has the victory and good those crimes were in service of. And of course, we have the Master Chief dealing with the loss of a vital part of his own identity, and questioning his past. All of that stuff is feeding into the novels and comics and it\u2019s all grist for the mill.<\/p>\n

GRIM: The novels have been an incredibly important part of the Halo experience right from the beginning with\u00a0Halo: The Fall of Reach<\/em>. How has their role evolved in helping tell Halo\u2019s broader story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019re always careful to make sure the novels support and enrich the game, but to ensure they work as standalone pieces. Folks reading this are super familiar with our canon, and when they think of the Chief, they think of his origin story, the hardships he and the Spartans went through, the Insurrection, first contact \u2013 all of that \u2013 but remember, most players simply don\u2019t have that background, so we want those guys to be enriched and delighted when they do start reading the novels. But we also want them to enjoy the literature, which in itself spans more than one style \u2013 from the action and tactics focused Fall of Reach, to the esoteric, very alien atmosphere of the Greg Bear novels.<\/p>\n

GRIM: Fans have noticed some new approaches to releasing print-style media, specifically with the addition of shorter-form fiction such as the recently-released\u00a0Halo: New Blood\u00a0<\/em>by Matt Forbeck. Can you talk a bit more about how these new formats can add to the Halo experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>We have more of these shorter, digestible pieces in the works. I\u2019m finishing one right now that explores the nature of AI through the eyes and travails of a less-exposed Smart AI character, but someone you guys will be familiar with. This lets us do a couple of things \u2013 it lets us create fiction for people with shorter attention spans, or you know, busy lives, but also lets us pivot quickly on ideas and opportunities, and flesh out things we can\u2019t easily explore in an explosion-filled game.<\/p>\n

GRIM: What can you tell us about your own new addition to the fiction,\u00a0Halo: Saint\u2019s Testimony<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m writing in a subject that has always fascinated me, beginning with Halo from 2001 \u2013 the nature of AI and the nature of life itself \u2013 or rather consciousness. There\u2019s a lot of philosophy and physics pointing to consciousness being an aspect of existence itself \u2013 the universe itself evolving thought with life as a node of that evolution. And there is more than one way to skin that cat. This won\u2019t be an action epic, but it will be mercifully short.<\/p>\n

GRIM: This isn\u2019t your first foray into writing Halo fiction, either; many fans are quite familiar with your previous work,\u00a0Halo: Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian<\/em>. How is it different for you personally when approaching a single story versus helping guide the overall direction of the narrative from a franchise perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>I think of myself as a typist rather than a writer. And I suffer idea block all the time. If I have an idea, I can hammer out a few thousand words in a couple of hours, but getting the idea just right, and then forming what\u2019s often a partially baked notion into a narrative flow, that\u2019s hard. I know a lot of writers and they\u2019re all much more disciplined and better organized than I am. And that\u2019s not false humility at all \u2013 it\u2019s a confession of disorganization and fuzzy thinking. Thankfully I have amazing colleagues and editors to form my rubbish into something that\u2019s at least comprehensible. But I look at folks like Greg Bear, Eric Nylund and Joseph Staten enviously. I wish I had half the talent or focus those guys do.<\/p>\n

GRIM: I suppose we should probably talk about Mister Chief\u2019s development in a different interview\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>Mister Chief is the absolute zenith of human endeavor and a perfect encapsulation of human talent. So I don\u2019t think there\u2019s really much more to discuss.<\/p>\n

GRIM: How do you see the way fans experience and consume Halo fiction evolving in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>As you mentioned before, we now have the ability to create short form fiction and distribute it effectively instantly as eBooks. But I love paper too, so I think you\u2019ll see evolution in the form and function of the content, but the spirit of a book, in a period where we\u2019ve lost giants like Ian Banks and Terry Pratchett, will continue to evoke the smell of newsprint and the sensation of pages turning, regardless of delivery method.<\/p>\n

GRIM: Any cryptic final words for the fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

FRANK:\u00a0<\/strong>Everything you read this year is soil from which surprises will spring, many of them in Halo 5. I just watched a cinematic that made me tear up a little. But also made me proud of the scope of the worlds our writers and authors have helped build. And there\u2019s lots more to come.<\/p>\n

GRIM: Thanks Frank!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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FAST AND LOW<\/h2>\n

\"cfbanshee-ed756b5f5a4144fcbeeb6f7637debd0d\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ll notice, one of our new (Universe)<\/span> entries this week is the Banshee. As it\u2019s my personal favorite vehicle in the Halo fiction, I thought I\u2019d grant it the honor of helping us introduce a cool new feature we are beginning to add in to various entries in the Universe section. When you check out the Banshee entry, you\u2019ll notice a new media gallery. The Banshee is one of the best examples of visual variation in the Halo universe, though it\u2019s certainly not the only case. You wouldn\u2019t say \u201cfighter jet\u201d or \u201ctank\u201d and expect to have just one single visual aesthetic; there are different models of each built for different preferences and purposes. The same goes for many of the vehicles, weapons, armor, etc. in the Halo universe. While the UNSC\u2019s approach to design has a much more serial production-based foundation, the Covenant employed a much more coach-built philosophy to amassing its imposing armada. The media gallery in the Banshee entry shows off some of the individual variants in the Banshee family, and we plan on adding more of these galleries to several of the entries in the Universe section where it makes sense to display more distinct variants, both functional and visual.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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BAG AND TAG<\/h2>\n

Speaking of the new media galleries, we thought it might be cool to give fans a chance to be part of the action, and thanks to the\u00a0Xbox One\u2019s new ability to capture<\/a>\u00a0and share screenshots directly from gameplay, it\u2019s easier than ever. We\u2019ll be giving more details soon about different themes we\u2019ll be looking for. Maybe one week it will be Warthog variants, maybe another it will be different types of Unggoy. No matter what it is, we\u2019ll be collecting and picking out some of our favorites to be included in their respective Universe entries, and members whose images are used will be credited for all the community to see. Here\u2019s a couple of tips before you get snap-happy.<\/p>\n

-We\u2019ll be looking for shots with no UI elements, so the Blind Skull might suddenly come in much handier than normal.<\/p>\n

-Bring a buddy! Co-op play can be a big help when trying to get that perfect action shot.<\/p>\n

-Think about what aspects about a particular subject make it truly unique, and try to show off its best angles and attributes.<\/p>\n

So stay tuned for more info on how to submit and tag your screenshots, and maybe start practicing in Halo: The Master Chief Collection this week in preparation for your first assignment coming soon\u2026<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Well folks, that\u2019s it for now. We hope you enjoyed your stay. Oh, and one more thing, in case you were wondering where this week\u2019s header image comes from, it\u2019s from the cover of one of the books we just announced. If you think you like it now, wait until you start to see the bigger picture.Until next week\u2026 Live well, play Halo, and remember that the pen is mightier than the sword… if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp.<\/p>\n

-GRIM<\/p>\n

Source Link<\/a>\u00a0<–here you can also see the Universe entries Grim mentions in this articles.
\n-Sal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY\u00a0GRIMBROTHER ONE ISSUE 15 Welcome back loremongers. A few days ago, one of our community members, SaBx DARKHAVEN,\u00a0started a topic in the Universe forum\u00a0asking what the chances were that we\u2019d see another book before the release of Halo 5: Guardians. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-halo-waypoint"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20263"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20268,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20263\/revisions\/20268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}