340 pages
English language
Published Nov. 7, 2003 by Ballantine Books.
Featuring author Eric Nylund at the helm, this tale bridges the events that take place in the game Halo: Combat Evolved (as novelized in The Flood) and its blockbuster follow-up, Halo 2.
After destroying the first Halo, Master Chief and Cortana attempt to voyage back home among a myriad of deadly Covenant attacks. With a battle weary squad, that includes the last of the Spartan-II survivors and the program's creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey, First Strike delivers an action-packed space opera told against the backdrop of one of the richest and most complex Science Fiction franchises of our time.
This was an amazing read. The comradery and trust between the Spartans, the subterfuge by Halsey, and the constant, but not overdone or overwhelming, threat from the massed Covenant makes for a fun story.
