Halo: The Rubicon Protocol

Adds some much needed depth to Zeta Halo, fleshes out the world whilst giving us a good story following an interesting group of Spartans & UNSC survivors.

A great read for fans of the series. I really enjoyed how this book adds more context to the setting of Halo Infinite's campaign, fleshing out the characters you hear about in the audio logs scattered about the world. Kelly Gay does a wonderful job illustrating a hopeless situation and the toll it has on the cast of characters as they grow and adapt to survive in an unrelenting world. I really ended up caring about the survivors, but I was slightly disappointed with how some of the storylines never really felt like they were properly resolved by the end, although I understand it needs to tie into the game's narrative. Another somewhat spoilery frustration I have, which may not necessarily be the author's fault as this bothers me in the game too, is how we are supposed to believe the Harbinger is a terrifying villain who sunders the hearts of men, yet we never really see her do much outside of the odd ominous warning. It's a little hard to believe. A really enjoyable read regardless!

Kelly is a great author. I've read and enjoyed many of her Halo novels. Parts of this story were a struggle for me. A bit too dark and horrific. Some tragic losses although I understand they illustrate courage and dedication. Overall I'm happy with this contribution to the Halo universe.