Today is the launch day for Legacy of Onyx, my latest novel in the universe of Halo, the bestselling science-fiction first-person shooter video games from 343 Industries (and Bungie before them) and Microsoft. This is my second novel in the setting (the first was New Blood), and my third story.
I wrote a prequel to Legacy of Onyx called “Lessons Learned.” It’s the lead-off short story in the anthology Fractures. It features a few of the characters that play large roles in Legacy of Onyx. You don’t need to read that, though, to enjoy Legacy of Onyx. Nor do you have to read any of the other Halo novels or play the Halo games – although it certainly doesn’t hurt!
As it says on the back of the book:
Molly Patel was only seven years old when the alien alliance known as the Covenant destroyed her homeworld and killed her family. As one of the few to escape the glassing of Paris IV, and despite the United Nations Space Command winning the war on behalf of humanity, Molly never forgot how much she had lost.
Nine years later, when her adoptive parents–research scientists specializing in ancient Forerunner technology–are called to the mysterious and wondrous place known as Onyx, Molly vehemently objects. It’s not so much that Molly’s concerned about relocating to inside a spherical construct the diameter of an entire solar system, but the fact that she also has to live alongside members of the same alien species that murdered her family. And when the Servants of the Abiding Truth–a violent ex-Covenant sect under the guidance of the notorious Pale Blade–somehow makes its way inside this supposedly impregnable sphere, Molly is now forced to consider if she and her new parents have made a terrible and fatal mistake in coming here….
That’s Molly there on the cover, along with Spartans Tom and Lucy. The alien is a Sangheili (one of the Elite) named Bakar, and you’ll learn all about him inside the book. Benjamin Carré provided the stunning cover, and Scott Brick once again reads the audiobook to you.
I dedicated this one to my friend Stewart Wieck, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year, far too young. He lived like a warrior-poet, always dedicated to his family, friends, and fans–in that order. And he died with a sword in his hand.
This book may have my name on the cover, but it’s the collective effort of an amazing team of people. Once again, I owe huge thanks to my editor, Ed Schlesinger, whose love for both writing and Halo shines through in the polish he lends these pages. He and his team at Gallery Books work hard to bring amazing stories into the world, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to join them on such sorties.
Believe it or not, the collective aid of the people at 343 Industries–especially Jeremy Patenaude, Tiffany O’Brien, and Jeff Easterling, as well as the rest of the writing team–was even more vital for this story than for New Blood. Exploring a place as large and wild as Onyx occasional requires a few course corrections, and they were always as patient and helpful as possible with their efforts to guide me along at every step of the way. Their passion for bringing fantastic Halo stories to fans around the world is as infectious as the Flood.
You can find it on sale at all the usual places. I put a lot of work into this one, and I hope you enjoy it.
