Halo enthusiasts will now have an additional means of immersing themselves in the franchise’s history with Halo: Empty Throne, a prequel novel between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. Releasing on February 18, the novel seeks to bridge the gaps left behind by the games, specifically the UNSC’s fight against Cortana’s world-destroying Guardians.
By Jeremy Patenaude, former lead Halo franchise writer at 343 Industries, Halo: Empty Throne tracks prominent characters such as Lord Hood and Admiral Osman as they plot to counter Cortana’s increasing dominance of the Domain. The novel spans a pivotal yet largely unexplored era in the Halo universe, when Cortana’s AI-managed reign remade the galaxy. For those who felt that the shift from Halo 5 to Halo Infinite was abrupt, this book guarantees to reveal large-scale events hinted but not yet explored in the games.
Halo: Empty Throne is released alongside Halo Infinite’s Operation: Frontlines, a multiplayer patch that includes a 20-tier battle pass, new map, Fuel Rod SPNKr launcher, and two Bomb Assault game modes. This release, however, has served to put paid to any expectations of campaign expansion on the part of 343 Industries’ move to Unreal Engine 5, making ancillary lore in titles such as Empty Throne more significant for die-hards.
Aside from depicting the war between Cortana and the UNSC, the novel will chart the origins of The Banished, Atriox’s powerful faction. First introduced in Halo Wars 2, The Banished had their grand debut in Halo Infinite, but there is a lot more to discover in the main games about them. Because Halo: Empty Throne has more than 500 pages, the fans have plenty to look forward to regarding an in-depth tour of the galaxy prior to Master Chief’s arrival at Zeta Halo.
Fans eager to get a sneak peek can check out an early preview of the novel on Halo Waypoint ahead of its official release on February 18.
