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Halo #35
Halo: Epitaph
An original novel set in the Halo universe—based on the New York Times bestselling video game series!
Stripped of armor, might, and memory, the legendary Forerunner warrior known as the Didact was torn from the physical world following his destructive confrontation with the Master Chief and sent reeling into the mysterious depths of a seemingly endless desert wasteland. This once powerful and terrifying figure is now a shadow of his former self—gaunt, broken, desiccated, and alone. But this wasteland is not as barren as it seems. A blue light glints from a thin spire in the far distance…
Thus begins the Didact’s great journey—the final fate of one of the galaxy’s most enigmatic and pivotal figures.
Stripped of armor, might, and memory, the legendary Forerunner warrior known as the Didact was torn from the physical world following his destructive confrontation with the Master Chief and sent reeling into the mysterious depths of a seemingly endless desert wasteland. This once powerful and terrifying figure is now a shadow of his former self—gaunt, broken, desiccated, and alone. But this wasteland is not as barren as it seems. A blue light glints from a thin spire in the far distance…
Thus begins the Didact’s great journey—the final fate of one of the galaxy’s most enigmatic and pivotal figures.
320 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
53 people are currently reading
706 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Gay
27 books743 followersKelly Gay writes the critically acclaimed 'Charlie Madigan' urban fantasy series. Her work has been nominated for a double RITA, an ARRA, a Goodreads Choice Award, and landed on SIBA's Long List Book Award Finalists. Kelly is also a recipient of North Carolina Arts Council's fellowship grant in Literature. She is published in Young Adult fiction as Kelly Keaton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
November 13, 2024
36 books in 33 weeks, what a ride
March 3, 2024
I listened to this book via Audible.
Epitaph was an unexpected return to the story of the Didact and the Forerunners after last seeing them in Halo 4 and the subsequent comics where we thought he had finally died. It also does an admirable job tying into the stories of Halo 5 and Infinite, showing certain events from an entirely new perspective.
I think the most interesting thing about Epitaph is the Didact finally becoming the protagonist - and even the hero - of the story. While he was much less evil in Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, he was still very much an antagonist. Kelly Gay has allowed him to find redemption, and as a reader you find yourself rooting for him to succeed against a very formidable and capable enemy.
As a journey of absolution, Kelly Gay does an amazing job sharing the journey of the Didact and the many challenges and struggles he has faced in his long, long life. The perspective this brings really helps open your eyes and see him in a new light.
Epitaph is an enjoyable successor to the amazing Forerunner trilogy by Greg Bear, and Kelly Gay has made another fantastic contribution to the Halo canon, bringing Shadow-of-Sundered-Star's story to a perfect close. If you enjoy the deep lore of Halo, you should definitely check out this book!
Epitaph was an unexpected return to the story of the Didact and the Forerunners after last seeing them in Halo 4 and the subsequent comics where we thought he had finally died. It also does an admirable job tying into the stories of Halo 5 and Infinite, showing certain events from an entirely new perspective.
I think the most interesting thing about Epitaph is the Didact finally becoming the protagonist - and even the hero - of the story. While he was much less evil in Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, he was still very much an antagonist. Kelly Gay has allowed him to find redemption, and as a reader you find yourself rooting for him to succeed against a very formidable and capable enemy.
As a journey of absolution, Kelly Gay does an amazing job sharing the journey of the Didact and the many challenges and struggles he has faced in his long, long life. The perspective this brings really helps open your eyes and see him in a new light.
Epitaph is an enjoyable successor to the amazing Forerunner trilogy by Greg Bear, and Kelly Gay has made another fantastic contribution to the Halo canon, bringing Shadow-of-Sundered-Star's story to a perfect close. If you enjoy the deep lore of Halo, you should definitely check out this book!
February 29, 2024
The book I didn't know I needed.
The epilogue to the Forerunner saga I didn't know I needed.
The background filling between Halo Guardians and Infinite didn't know I wanted.
Absolutely beautiful read, expanding and absolutely beautiful and underutilised character from the games.
The Didact deserved better, and this is his better.
Hoping for more, but also would not be sad if this was his end.
Stunning.
The epilogue to the Forerunner saga I didn't know I needed.
The background filling between Halo Guardians and Infinite didn't know I wanted.
Absolutely beautiful read, expanding and absolutely beautiful and underutilised character from the games.
The Didact deserved better, and this is his better.
Hoping for more, but also would not be sad if this was his end.
Stunning.
March 1, 2024
Kelly Gay has managed to do the two things I hate most hate in media, bringing a dead character back to life and turning a bad guy into a good guy, absolutely brilliantly.
I went into this with low expectations as I did not like those exact same tropes used for the character 343 Guilty Spark in previous books she’s written, but nevertheless, Epitaph is a brilliant piece of literature and I am confident will be considered among the best of the entire 30+ book series.
I went into this with low expectations as I did not like those exact same tropes used for the character 343 Guilty Spark in previous books she’s written, but nevertheless, Epitaph is a brilliant piece of literature and I am confident will be considered among the best of the entire 30+ book series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
Such an incredible story and now one of my favorite Halo books. Kelly Gay continues to impress.
February 4, 2025
An amazing end to a tragic antagonist's story. It's a shame it was relegated to a novel since 343 doesn't know what it's doing.
April 21, 2025
Kelly Gay hit it out the park again.
June 7, 2025
It was interesting seeing so many ends coming together. Following villains isn’t really my thing though.
May 29, 2025
Not the ending to the Didactic’s story we deserve, but the one we needed.
An absolutely beautiful story of love and redemption centered around probably the best character in Halo. By far my favorite halo book and worth the 13 year wait to see his redemption and conclusion.
An absolutely beautiful story of love and redemption centered around probably the best character in Halo. By far my favorite halo book and worth the 13 year wait to see his redemption and conclusion.
April 22, 2024
Absolutely fantastic ending to one of my favorite characters in Halo. Kelly Gay does a really good job of patching together a currently very messy lore.
March 7, 2024
At the end of 2012’s Halo 4, the Master Chief defeats the Didact, the last Forerunner, and throws him into The Composer where he becomes synthesized into information. Though not dead, the Didact is now within The Domain - an immaterial information plane where all Forerunner data exists. Halo Epitaph, written by Kelly Gay, details what happened to the Didact in the domain and gives us answers to a few loose narrative threads. It’s been 12 years since the Didact’s “end” but now we finally get a proper wrap up to the Forerunner’s legacy.
The Didact. The Forerunner Trilogy of Books and Halo 4 introduced a new big bad for the Halo universe. A forerunner with immense power, and a deep-seated hatred for Humanity. Throughout three books, a game, and a comic book series we saw the rise and fall of this would-be God-like figure. His end coming in an off-shoot comic book series never sat well with me. Halo: Epitaph is a fitting final chapter, adding depth, sadness, and heart to a character while simultaneously filling in the gaps of Halo 4, 5, and Infinite’s storylines.
Halo: Epitaph spans a long period, starting in the near immediate aftermath of the Didact’s death at the hands of Master Chief through the beginning of Halo Infinite. Trapped just outside of the Domain, the remnants of the Didact’s mind slowly come together in a new digital form. The first third or so of the book is about the Didact’s mind piecing itself back together. It is a strange setting, both unsettling and dour. Slowly but surely the pace quickens as the Didact reforms, leading us throughout his history in flashback and “space magic” forms.
The Domain is still recovering from the effects of the Halo rings firing some 100,000 years prior. No one can enter, including a returning character last seen in Halo 5. Getting an understanding of who The Warden Eternal is, and why he was not present in Halo Infinite is one of the many questions the book deftly answers. Epitaph is a culmination of Greg Bear’s incredible work started in the Forerunner Trilogy. I don’t think anyone was happy with Halo 5’s story after it abandoned the Forerunner-tinged weirdness of 4’s campaign. Halo Infinite moved to a more focused, grounded approach that was better received but the time skip it employed left a lot of hanging plot threads.
Epitaph uses the “hero’s journey” setup, with struggles to overcome (many of them) before success could even be dreamed of. The Didact was an unrepentant murderer in Halo 4. His anger at humanity over their ancestor’s actions drove him insane. There was a never-ending rot inside him, eating away until all he had left was rage. Walking a character like that back and turning him into something more complex is no easy task. It’s not an incredibly long book. I read it in a few sittings.
This is a different Halo novel than most - I hope that is coming across. Halo novels tend to be “objective based” whereas there is end game to the novel for the characters or a mission to resolve. Halo Epitaph is heady and wanders in the mind of a character who, as a warrior, waged war on humans (before resetting humanity with the Librarian and leaving them on Earth) but also fought for what he considered peace. The book ruminates and focuses on failures and accomplishments of The Didact. It’s not a plot-heavy book and it wanders but it’s not aimless. It’s intent on summing up the Didact’s life in the same way we would walk through our own memories. The fact that Gay was able to distill all of this expanded lore into a singular novel for fans is an incredible feat.
What Epitaph’s greatest accomplishment is how for 300 pages Kelly Gay manages to tell a compelling narrative while answering major questions that I had never thought would be. How do the Guardians function, what is Cortana’s end goal, who is the Warden Eternal, and where was he during Halo: Infinite are but a few of the things you will learn. She cleverly extends scenes from the games by showing what happened just before or shortly after them. There is no retconning, instead, more clarity is given to motivations and consequences. The biggest of them all is a satisfying reason why was Cortana so different in Halo 5 and what changed with her in Halo Infinite.
Cortana goes from feeling completely foreign in Halo 5 to becoming something I finally understand. I hope that 343 stays the course with their story arc. Halo Infinite looked ready to have the franchise’s first campaign DLC until that was canceled and the studio’s management was overhauled. Epitaph continues the extended lore’s hard work of building an overall narrative that I am desperate to see through.
The only problem with Epitaph is that it isn’t a good starting point into the Halo expanded universe. With all the references to various games and books, how easy is the plot of Epitaph follow, especially for those with limited or only basic knowledge of the Halo universe? I would say that Epitaph is a perfect book for hardcore fans of the Halo series who have enjoyed some of the books and who will appreciate all the references and discussion that occurs within. People with slightly less knowledge of the franchise may struggle during certain parts of the plot and have a hard time understanding the relevance of what is happening. Reading Halo Epitaph requires knowledge of all these things and more to have the context in which to appreciate the arc of the Didact’s story. This book is a culmination of lore laid out for over 20 years and a farewell to a complicated, intelligent, sympathetic, destructive, and infamous character. I will say out of the gate that it is a hard sell to anyone who has only played the games or just understands Halo as “big green man shoot things.” Halo Epitaph is for fans of what’s underneath the games and for fans of both Kelly and the late Greg Bear.
The end of the book is emotional. I won’t speak about specifics on how the Didact’s story wraps up but how he comes to terms with his immeasurable life is outstanding. Gay gives us a send off to the Didact that feels complete, loving, and appropriate.
All in all, The ending of the book is full of emotion, learning, and hope. Halo: Epitaph is a brilliantly written book that earns its’ major payoffs. If this is the last we see of the Didact I am satisfied as he has been given an excellent send-off by a wonderfully talented author.
The Didact. The Forerunner Trilogy of Books and Halo 4 introduced a new big bad for the Halo universe. A forerunner with immense power, and a deep-seated hatred for Humanity. Throughout three books, a game, and a comic book series we saw the rise and fall of this would-be God-like figure. His end coming in an off-shoot comic book series never sat well with me. Halo: Epitaph is a fitting final chapter, adding depth, sadness, and heart to a character while simultaneously filling in the gaps of Halo 4, 5, and Infinite’s storylines.
Halo: Epitaph spans a long period, starting in the near immediate aftermath of the Didact’s death at the hands of Master Chief through the beginning of Halo Infinite. Trapped just outside of the Domain, the remnants of the Didact’s mind slowly come together in a new digital form. The first third or so of the book is about the Didact’s mind piecing itself back together. It is a strange setting, both unsettling and dour. Slowly but surely the pace quickens as the Didact reforms, leading us throughout his history in flashback and “space magic” forms.
The Domain is still recovering from the effects of the Halo rings firing some 100,000 years prior. No one can enter, including a returning character last seen in Halo 5. Getting an understanding of who The Warden Eternal is, and why he was not present in Halo Infinite is one of the many questions the book deftly answers. Epitaph is a culmination of Greg Bear’s incredible work started in the Forerunner Trilogy. I don’t think anyone was happy with Halo 5’s story after it abandoned the Forerunner-tinged weirdness of 4’s campaign. Halo Infinite moved to a more focused, grounded approach that was better received but the time skip it employed left a lot of hanging plot threads.
Epitaph uses the “hero’s journey” setup, with struggles to overcome (many of them) before success could even be dreamed of. The Didact was an unrepentant murderer in Halo 4. His anger at humanity over their ancestor’s actions drove him insane. There was a never-ending rot inside him, eating away until all he had left was rage. Walking a character like that back and turning him into something more complex is no easy task. It’s not an incredibly long book. I read it in a few sittings.
This is a different Halo novel than most - I hope that is coming across. Halo novels tend to be “objective based” whereas there is end game to the novel for the characters or a mission to resolve. Halo Epitaph is heady and wanders in the mind of a character who, as a warrior, waged war on humans (before resetting humanity with the Librarian and leaving them on Earth) but also fought for what he considered peace. The book ruminates and focuses on failures and accomplishments of The Didact. It’s not a plot-heavy book and it wanders but it’s not aimless. It’s intent on summing up the Didact’s life in the same way we would walk through our own memories. The fact that Gay was able to distill all of this expanded lore into a singular novel for fans is an incredible feat.
What Epitaph’s greatest accomplishment is how for 300 pages Kelly Gay manages to tell a compelling narrative while answering major questions that I had never thought would be. How do the Guardians function, what is Cortana’s end goal, who is the Warden Eternal, and where was he during Halo: Infinite are but a few of the things you will learn. She cleverly extends scenes from the games by showing what happened just before or shortly after them. There is no retconning, instead, more clarity is given to motivations and consequences. The biggest of them all is a satisfying reason why was Cortana so different in Halo 5 and what changed with her in Halo Infinite.
Cortana goes from feeling completely foreign in Halo 5 to becoming something I finally understand. I hope that 343 stays the course with their story arc. Halo Infinite looked ready to have the franchise’s first campaign DLC until that was canceled and the studio’s management was overhauled. Epitaph continues the extended lore’s hard work of building an overall narrative that I am desperate to see through.
The only problem with Epitaph is that it isn’t a good starting point into the Halo expanded universe. With all the references to various games and books, how easy is the plot of Epitaph follow, especially for those with limited or only basic knowledge of the Halo universe? I would say that Epitaph is a perfect book for hardcore fans of the Halo series who have enjoyed some of the books and who will appreciate all the references and discussion that occurs within. People with slightly less knowledge of the franchise may struggle during certain parts of the plot and have a hard time understanding the relevance of what is happening. Reading Halo Epitaph requires knowledge of all these things and more to have the context in which to appreciate the arc of the Didact’s story. This book is a culmination of lore laid out for over 20 years and a farewell to a complicated, intelligent, sympathetic, destructive, and infamous character. I will say out of the gate that it is a hard sell to anyone who has only played the games or just understands Halo as “big green man shoot things.” Halo Epitaph is for fans of what’s underneath the games and for fans of both Kelly and the late Greg Bear.
The end of the book is emotional. I won’t speak about specifics on how the Didact’s story wraps up but how he comes to terms with his immeasurable life is outstanding. Gay gives us a send off to the Didact that feels complete, loving, and appropriate.
All in all, The ending of the book is full of emotion, learning, and hope. Halo: Epitaph is a brilliantly written book that earns its’ major payoffs. If this is the last we see of the Didact I am satisfied as he has been given an excellent send-off by a wonderfully talented author.
September 19, 2024
You sought the Didact, now you shall have him
I ain't gonna lie, for the past few months I had lost my habit of reading and also I am not gonna lie, I was sad that I gave up on books for a few months. And now that I am slowly rebuilding that habit, it gets difficult when you don't find a book which really grasps you and remind why you loved reading books and for me, it was shamelessly Halo. Greg Bear's Forerunner Saga stands upon this epitaph of a franchise, which Microsoft is mercilessly killing, as a shining beacon of why this universe is so special, brimming with so much potential which I am afraid, no one is exploiting sadly... until Kelly Gay started writing Halo books.
With her first foray into the universe with the brilliant and absolute fresh take on the universe, Rion Forge Saga which I believe is concluded with a loving and heartfelt tribute to late Greg Bear's vision of the franchise leading into The Rubicon Protocol which brings in harsh and harrowing realities of war to Halo serving as a prequel piece to Halo Infinite which honestly ruins the game because the game does not live up to the standards set by her and that is saying something about the game.
And now, into Epitaph concluding Didact's Saga in the broader Halo universe and boy oh boy did she just absolutely knocked this out of the park! If the Rion Forge Saga serves as an extension piece to the original Forerunner Saga, Epitaph deserves to be included in the Saga as a loving conclusion to The Didact, born by Greg Bear's hands.
Speaking of The Didact, he serves as one of the most interesting characters in the universe and one of the most complex characters ever written in my eye as such that he is neither a villain he was so ruthlessly portrayed in Halo 4 or a hero as Forerunners worshipped to be but just a product of the shitty hand his fate had dealt him and that fact is such solidified with Epitaph. Epitaph is by and large, a very indepth character study rather than an expansive story with bombastic moments. It dwells into the life of The Didact, recapping his story and depicting why is he the kind of man he his and its an emotional journey, one which genuinely made me drop tears at various parts of the book. Now Halo is a very complicated universe and Epitaph starts of with Halo 4 and leads into the events of Halo 5 and Halo Infinite and obviously the Forerunner Saga being the prequel of all stories but Kelly's superior writing makes sure the reader does not need to know everything with her superb way of blending story telling and huge summaries which resulted in a comfortable way of ingesting the book one which does not feel like its a huge infodump and one that does not feel like filler content for people who are aware of the lore.
But this type of slow burn storytelling of narrating Didact's life can be a turn off for readers but it kept me hooked through and through because it made me appreciate this character so much more! Even though The Didact is of a completely different species, his humanizing tale portrayed here: one which depicts his way of accepting the consequences of his actions, understanding his mistakes and finally plotting such a redemption arc for him that it resolved conflicts of the original Forerunner Saga. It is such a tale which is done beautifully that it heightens the original stories of Halo 4, 5 and Infinite which were mixed at best altogether.
But within Epitaph's greatest positive feats of The Didact lies the harrowing tale of The Flood and expanding upon the kind of horror they are capable of. And its so goddamn harrowing that reading certain passages sent chills down my spine and I fucking curse everyday that its CRIMINAL 343 does not bring back The Flood!! The wrath that they are capable of can be translated into a horror game so fucking impactful in the gaming industry!! Anyways, that's just another way of me releasing my frustrations of not letting this franchise die a beautiful and honorable death rather than being slow cooked to hell and beyond.
All in all, Epitaph stands tall as one of the greatest books I have ever read and it displays the potential of what this franchise is capable of!
I ain't gonna lie, for the past few months I had lost my habit of reading and also I am not gonna lie, I was sad that I gave up on books for a few months. And now that I am slowly rebuilding that habit, it gets difficult when you don't find a book which really grasps you and remind why you loved reading books and for me, it was shamelessly Halo. Greg Bear's Forerunner Saga stands upon this epitaph of a franchise, which Microsoft is mercilessly killing, as a shining beacon of why this universe is so special, brimming with so much potential which I am afraid, no one is exploiting sadly... until Kelly Gay started writing Halo books.
With her first foray into the universe with the brilliant and absolute fresh take on the universe, Rion Forge Saga which I believe is concluded with a loving and heartfelt tribute to late Greg Bear's vision of the franchise leading into The Rubicon Protocol which brings in harsh and harrowing realities of war to Halo serving as a prequel piece to Halo Infinite which honestly ruins the game because the game does not live up to the standards set by her and that is saying something about the game.
And now, into Epitaph concluding Didact's Saga in the broader Halo universe and boy oh boy did she just absolutely knocked this out of the park! If the Rion Forge Saga serves as an extension piece to the original Forerunner Saga, Epitaph deserves to be included in the Saga as a loving conclusion to The Didact, born by Greg Bear's hands.
Speaking of The Didact, he serves as one of the most interesting characters in the universe and one of the most complex characters ever written in my eye as such that he is neither a villain he was so ruthlessly portrayed in Halo 4 or a hero as Forerunners worshipped to be but just a product of the shitty hand his fate had dealt him and that fact is such solidified with Epitaph. Epitaph is by and large, a very indepth character study rather than an expansive story with bombastic moments. It dwells into the life of The Didact, recapping his story and depicting why is he the kind of man he his and its an emotional journey, one which genuinely made me drop tears at various parts of the book. Now Halo is a very complicated universe and Epitaph starts of with Halo 4 and leads into the events of Halo 5 and Halo Infinite and obviously the Forerunner Saga being the prequel of all stories but Kelly's superior writing makes sure the reader does not need to know everything with her superb way of blending story telling and huge summaries which resulted in a comfortable way of ingesting the book one which does not feel like its a huge infodump and one that does not feel like filler content for people who are aware of the lore.
But this type of slow burn storytelling of narrating Didact's life can be a turn off for readers but it kept me hooked through and through because it made me appreciate this character so much more! Even though The Didact is of a completely different species, his humanizing tale portrayed here: one which depicts his way of accepting the consequences of his actions, understanding his mistakes and finally plotting such a redemption arc for him that it resolved conflicts of the original Forerunner Saga. It is such a tale which is done beautifully that it heightens the original stories of Halo 4, 5 and Infinite which were mixed at best altogether.
But within Epitaph's greatest positive feats of The Didact lies the harrowing tale of The Flood and expanding upon the kind of horror they are capable of. And its so goddamn harrowing that reading certain passages sent chills down my spine and I fucking curse everyday that its CRIMINAL 343 does not bring back The Flood!! The wrath that they are capable of can be translated into a horror game so fucking impactful in the gaming industry!! Anyways, that's just another way of me releasing my frustrations of not letting this franchise die a beautiful and honorable death rather than being slow cooked to hell and beyond.
All in all, Epitaph stands tall as one of the greatest books I have ever read and it displays the potential of what this franchise is capable of!
July 22, 2025
Would this book work as a standalone? No, I don't think it would. But it does not stand alone, it stands on the dense shoulders of The Forerunner Saga that came before it (May Greg Bear find peace in the Domain--as his Librarian would want). As a result, there is so much depth within this novel's so few words. Together with the knowledge of what came before it (read Silentium and refresh yourself on the Halo 4 and 5 stories before reading this at a minimum), this book is perfection.
In many ways, this book is at last the story the initial Halo 5 trailer promised us (though it is the Didact, rather than John 117 roaming the wasteland):
my link text
This is just a book based on the much clowned-on videogame villain from Halo 4, correct? To be fair, I enjoyed the story of that game, because it had more heart than most videogames. In the same way, in the 305 pages of this highly readable novel, there is so much heart. This is a book about the afterlife. In many ways, this novel is an allegory about addiction: "It devours...it twists, it uses...We are all its victims. You are not so special as to come out of your encounter unscathed. Are you not on a similar path of destruction?" A book about striving to find redemption in a strange sci-fi wasteland, a book about fighting to overcome the sins of your past to get back who and what we lost. A book about fighting our own demons to at last find peace.
In the end, this book did the impossible; it made me understand Cortana's actions from her story arc in Halo 5 onward. If only the games could include a sliver of the heart found in many of these surprisingly touching books.
In many ways, this book is at last the story the initial Halo 5 trailer promised us (though it is the Didact, rather than John 117 roaming the wasteland):
my link text
This is just a book based on the much clowned-on videogame villain from Halo 4, correct? To be fair, I enjoyed the story of that game, because it had more heart than most videogames. In the same way, in the 305 pages of this highly readable novel, there is so much heart. This is a book about the afterlife. In many ways, this novel is an allegory about addiction: "It devours...it twists, it uses...We are all its victims. You are not so special as to come out of your encounter unscathed. Are you not on a similar path of destruction?" A book about striving to find redemption in a strange sci-fi wasteland, a book about fighting to overcome the sins of your past to get back who and what we lost. A book about fighting our own demons to at last find peace.
In the end, this book did the impossible; it made me understand Cortana's actions from her story arc in Halo 5 onward. If only the games could include a sliver of the heart found in many of these surprisingly touching books.
April 11, 2025
Would rate it 4.5 if half stars were allowed. But I'll gladly round up for this one.
Once again Kelly Gay proves that Halo fans are lucky to have her as a literary steward of the franchise. She's up there with the best of Halo authors (Eric Nylund and Greg Bear being the others, in my opinion). She demonstrates a thorough understanding of (and respect for) the established lore and narrative. Her ability to weave the fragments of disconnected, existing fiction together gives me bittersweet memories of early 343 Industries, before succumbing to their own managerial incompetence, or Microsoft's executive interference, whatever the case may be.
And that is where the half star would largely be taken off - the realization that this book is a product of 343 Industries' (now transitioning to Halo Studios as of this writing) inability to follow through on their own stories, abandoning things from the "main" narrative source of the games to become literary outcasts. The Didact is one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of Halo, and it's a crime that his story had to be scraped together and resolved in a book when he was set up for so much more.
I only have one very small complaint with the writing itself: there are small moments where Kelly Gay loses the "voice" of certain characters. Things like saying "come on" instead of "come along", for example. Like I said, a small gripe. And it probably only sticks out to me because the rest of her work is so immaculate. But even Michael Jordan missed the occasional jump shot.
Once again Kelly Gay proves that Halo fans are lucky to have her as a literary steward of the franchise. She's up there with the best of Halo authors (Eric Nylund and Greg Bear being the others, in my opinion). She demonstrates a thorough understanding of (and respect for) the established lore and narrative. Her ability to weave the fragments of disconnected, existing fiction together gives me bittersweet memories of early 343 Industries, before succumbing to their own managerial incompetence, or Microsoft's executive interference, whatever the case may be.
And that is where the half star would largely be taken off - the realization that this book is a product of 343 Industries' (now transitioning to Halo Studios as of this writing) inability to follow through on their own stories, abandoning things from the "main" narrative source of the games to become literary outcasts. The Didact is one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of Halo, and it's a crime that his story had to be scraped together and resolved in a book when he was set up for so much more.
I only have one very small complaint with the writing itself: there are small moments where Kelly Gay loses the "voice" of certain characters. Things like saying "come on" instead of "come along", for example. Like I said, a small gripe. And it probably only sticks out to me because the rest of her work is so immaculate. But even Michael Jordan missed the occasional jump shot.
April 3, 2024
In this unprecedented novel, the Didact returns after Halo 4's events. After being composed by the Composer at the end of the game's events, the Didact finds himself in a barren desert wasteland. Kelly Gay brings us along the Didact's journey in the Domain and explores the depths of his character, shedding light on his past and his role in shaping vital events in the Halo universe. As the Didact recovers memories from his past that have since been long forgotten, readers are drawn into a web of Forerunner political intrigue, ancient rivalries, and cosmic conflicts as the Didact navigates his way through the enigmatic Domain.
The novel's greatest strength lies in its exploration of Forerunner civilisation and the mysteries surrounding their technology, culture, and mythos. Gay brings the ancient species back to life, immersing readers in a rich tapestry of Forerunner history and mythology. The pacing of the novel is expertly crafted with tension building steadily as the plot unfolds. From epic moments within the Domain to intimate moments of reflection, 'Epitaph' offers a balanced blend of action, deep lore exploration, and character development of Humanity's most ancient foe—both the Forerunners and the Didact alike.
For longtime fans of the Halo franchise and those who love to explore the deep, hidden lore of the universe, readers are sure to be captivated by the revelatory events that unfold within the novel.
The novel's greatest strength lies in its exploration of Forerunner civilisation and the mysteries surrounding their technology, culture, and mythos. Gay brings the ancient species back to life, immersing readers in a rich tapestry of Forerunner history and mythology. The pacing of the novel is expertly crafted with tension building steadily as the plot unfolds. From epic moments within the Domain to intimate moments of reflection, 'Epitaph' offers a balanced blend of action, deep lore exploration, and character development of Humanity's most ancient foe—both the Forerunners and the Didact alike.
For longtime fans of the Halo franchise and those who love to explore the deep, hidden lore of the universe, readers are sure to be captivated by the revelatory events that unfold within the novel.
September 7, 2025
When Halo 4 came out I remember the disappointment at how such a grand tale had been squashed down into a single 6h campaign. Halo 5 was a total letdown for a litany of reasons. One of the biggest selling points of Halo Epitaph is that it no doubt fills in a lot of the empty space around Halo 5 and feels like it glues the 343 era trilogy together just a little bit more.
The Didact was definitely one of the highlights of Halo 4 but he was never really given anywhere near enough screen-time. He has plenty of presence in Greg Bear's forerunner trilogy (which this feels like a true successor to at times) but Halo 4's ending seemed to give him way too abrupt a departure from the series given his importance to the lore. His post-Halo 4 appearances in various comics have been equally rough and disappointing from what I've heard.
Finally The Didact gets a proper finale. If you've just been utterly disappointed by the treatment of this character, you've got to read this.
I'm only really marking this down for dragging somewhat, being slightly weirdly paced. I think I'd have preferred to have had more of a sense of the plot and thematic direction a little earlier so there was more of a sense of anticipation to keep me hooked.
Doesn't quite reach the heights of Halo Silentium's hard AF moments of grandiour and cosmic horror but definitely a worthy successor.
The Didact was definitely one of the highlights of Halo 4 but he was never really given anywhere near enough screen-time. He has plenty of presence in Greg Bear's forerunner trilogy (which this feels like a true successor to at times) but Halo 4's ending seemed to give him way too abrupt a departure from the series given his importance to the lore. His post-Halo 4 appearances in various comics have been equally rough and disappointing from what I've heard.
Finally The Didact gets a proper finale. If you've just been utterly disappointed by the treatment of this character, you've got to read this.
I'm only really marking this down for dragging somewhat, being slightly weirdly paced. I think I'd have preferred to have had more of a sense of the plot and thematic direction a little earlier so there was more of a sense of anticipation to keep me hooked.
Doesn't quite reach the heights of Halo Silentium's hard AF moments of grandiour and cosmic horror but definitely a worthy successor.
April 16, 2024
This was a book I didn't care for when they announced it. I thought it was unnecessary and I had had enough enough of the Didact.... It turns out I was wrong.
This book should not have been necessary, which is something different. But due to Halo 4 and mostly 5, unfortunately we did need it.
And it delivered on redeeming the Didact as a character, with motivations and development, as opposed to the bland villain we see him as in Halo 5. In that regard it succeeds superbly.
There is however much, much more than that. I will not go into what, that is for the reader to find out. All I can say is that it blends elements of Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, to which this is most of all an Epitaph. And it is truly worthy of Bearian literature.
Besides that, it also binds together elements of Halo 4, 5 and infinite, and Halo: Escalation. Basically anything that is remotely connected to the Didact, Forerunner in general or the Domain.
This book should not have been necessary, which is something different. But due to Halo 4 and mostly 5, unfortunately we did need it.
And it delivered on redeeming the Didact as a character, with motivations and development, as opposed to the bland villain we see him as in Halo 5. In that regard it succeeds superbly.
There is however much, much more than that. I will not go into what, that is for the reader to find out. All I can say is that it blends elements of Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, to which this is most of all an Epitaph. And it is truly worthy of Bearian literature.
Besides that, it also binds together elements of Halo 4, 5 and infinite, and Halo: Escalation. Basically anything that is remotely connected to the Didact, Forerunner in general or the Domain.
March 14, 2024
So after finishing Halo: Outcasts I had said that the novel space for the Halo series had become saturated with Troy Denning and Kelly Gay novels and, while that sentiment is still true, Kelly Gay has rightfully claimed her mantle (heh) as one of the greatest authors to take on the Halo mythos.
It's been a long while since we've heard from my boy the Didact and this book helped reaffirm for me that he remains one of the best characters in the entire narrative. This book is a treat for me in that we finally got a conclusion, something I never thought we'd see for him. It also tied up a lot of loose threads spanning over the last 15 years of books and games, while also telling an excellent tale of redemption, overcoming trauma, reconciliation and ending the cycle of revenge.
Excellent book, reminds me why I'm so deeply in love with this universe. Well done Kelly.
It's been a long while since we've heard from my boy the Didact and this book helped reaffirm for me that he remains one of the best characters in the entire narrative. This book is a treat for me in that we finally got a conclusion, something I never thought we'd see for him. It also tied up a lot of loose threads spanning over the last 15 years of books and games, while also telling an excellent tale of redemption, overcoming trauma, reconciliation and ending the cycle of revenge.
Excellent book, reminds me why I'm so deeply in love with this universe. Well done Kelly.
March 4, 2024
Kelly Gay needs to be stopped, she can’t keep writing my new favorite Halo book. Just like Renegades, she expertly pulls on threads in the Halo canon that have lied dormant for years and she does it in a way that feels cohesive and doesn’t just feel like fan service or random callouts.
Another review called this the epilogue they didn’t know they needed and I wholeheartedly agree.
My only complaint is that I can’t get even more of these characters in the future, but I am so exceptionally happy with their end.
Keith’s narration for the audiobook is top tier as well, I hope 343 and S&S continue to find ways to bring the game voice actors into the audiobooks where relevant. This is one of a very small few books where I would consider the audiobook to be THE way to experience it.
Another review called this the epilogue they didn’t know they needed and I wholeheartedly agree.
My only complaint is that I can’t get even more of these characters in the future, but I am so exceptionally happy with their end.
Keith’s narration for the audiobook is top tier as well, I hope 343 and S&S continue to find ways to bring the game voice actors into the audiobooks where relevant. This is one of a very small few books where I would consider the audiobook to be THE way to experience it.
November 15, 2025
All I can say is, thank you Kelly Gay! This book does so much for the Halo community.
First and foremost, it neatly and entertainingly summarizes Greg Bear's dry and dense Forerunner trilogy. Her recapping of all the key events in those three books was so good that I want to dissuade anyone from thinking they should read Bear's trilogy to get the full version. You will be sorely mistaken!
Secondly we got incredible lore on the Domain, Warden Eternal, and the Didact. The analysis of the Mantle as well as the machinations of the Gravemind was the peek take away of the book.
And finally we get a better explanation of character motivation for Cortana than Halo 5 or Infinite ever did. Through the lens of the Didact we get redemption for a beloved character.
First and foremost, it neatly and entertainingly summarizes Greg Bear's dry and dense Forerunner trilogy. Her recapping of all the key events in those three books was so good that I want to dissuade anyone from thinking they should read Bear's trilogy to get the full version. You will be sorely mistaken!
Secondly we got incredible lore on the Domain, Warden Eternal, and the Didact. The analysis of the Mantle as well as the machinations of the Gravemind was the peek take away of the book.
And finally we get a better explanation of character motivation for Cortana than Halo 5 or Infinite ever did. Through the lens of the Didact we get redemption for a beloved character.
December 31, 2024
Amazing novel. It gives exceptional closure to the character of the Diadact. While a lot of it was catching the reader up with his story so far I found it engaging enough to keep me interested as it felt new and exciting.
My criticisms aren't really with the writing, but more the direction of the Halo universe as a whole. The franchise is drifting away from its more grounded and detailed world building to a more cosmic and fantasy setting. However this is not the fault of this text. This novel does a great job giving this fantastical side of the Halo universe further depth; and if this is the direction the Halo universe is going, Kelly Gay is the one to be writing it.
My criticisms aren't really with the writing, but more the direction of the Halo universe as a whole. The franchise is drifting away from its more grounded and detailed world building to a more cosmic and fantasy setting. However this is not the fault of this text. This novel does a great job giving this fantastical side of the Halo universe further depth; and if this is the direction the Halo universe is going, Kelly Gay is the one to be writing it.
March 8, 2025
I've read the Halo books from whoa to go and I like Kelly's writing style. This book had the characters from the Forerunners, give more quirks of language and thinking that made them interesting - Ai-Yah. Halo developers like to give their main characters who move the Halo Universe, Titles, that stay in the memory.
This was a good read, to bring the story of this fascinating Forerunner's long life to a dramatic close, in the only way that the Didact's contribution to his civilization can. I gave it five stars because I'm a Halo fan and have followed every piece of info that's available about this Forerunner.
Go-on-ehea, read and be prolonged.
This was a good read, to bring the story of this fascinating Forerunner's long life to a dramatic close, in the only way that the Didact's contribution to his civilization can. I gave it five stars because I'm a Halo fan and have followed every piece of info that's available about this Forerunner.
Go-on-ehea, read and be prolonged.
November 29, 2025
this is a book 4 to the forerunner saga in all but name, it follows the didacts story after halo 4 and brings it to a satisfying close, if you havnt read the forerunner trilogy or played halo 4 this book won't make any sense it ties in who the didact was before his time spent with the grave mind, and brings his past before the forerunner trilogy in together with the state of the galaxy, this book is also a origin story for Cortana's entrance I to the domain and the origins for the warden eternal, this book does wonders in appeasing the tragedy that was halo 5 and allows the once great savior of the forerunners to do some good to make up for all of his recent wrongs
March 8, 2024
Since Halo 4 in 2012, Didact has been one of my favourite game characters. At first a villain then Greg Bears books changed him to a misunderstood antagonist. But man this book makes him even better and concludes the forerunners perfectly. A big hate i have had for Halo for a couple of years is how the forerunners were just brushed aside with the mantle and everything set up. Finally this book has put those thoughts to rest and although I'd love forerunners to return, I'm very satisfied with this conclusion and ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2024
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KELLY DONE IT AGAIN!! Do yourself a favor and read this beautiful book. I shouldn't like this book as much as I do because there's several things I've pointed out in other books that I don't like that she does in this book but she just does it in a flawless way that has me falling in love with it. I can't stop gushing about it. First book in the series I read where I didn't immediately start the next book, I had to just listen to music and digest the book as I was driving back to my terminal.
July 26, 2024
Really solid 8/10 novel from the Halo universe. Centers on the Didact, the main antagonist from Halo 4 (2012) and I never thought to see him get closure in this way.
Atoning for his sins is great character development for him and makes him a fully developed character to understand the consequences of his actions and how to rectify mistakes from his past. Great character piece albeit slightly confusing at times, but Halo has a lot of depth that can be hard to understand at times, which is why it’s not rated higher.
Atoning for his sins is great character development for him and makes him a fully developed character to understand the consequences of his actions and how to rectify mistakes from his past. Great character piece albeit slightly confusing at times, but Halo has a lot of depth that can be hard to understand at times, which is why it’s not rated higher.
December 1, 2025
A thought provoking and interesting Halo novel concluding threads from Greg Bear’s Forerunner trilogy of books as well as tying in events from Halo 4,5, and Infinite to tell the final tale of the Didact. It felt very much like a Halo version of Dante’s Inferno with the character journeying through a wasteland of memories to come to terms with and move on from his past while also trying to do right for the future. Some parts felt repetitive but it remained interesting throughout and was a satisfying conclusion for a character that’s been a loose end in this franchise for over a decade.
April 25, 2024
2.5 stars
sigh I had somewhat high hopes for this one, but, alas, it lacked any real substantial furthering of the lore. Whoever is in charge of the lore department (or whatever it's called) at 343i needs to step up their game and come up with actual good ideas for novels. I know Kelly can write one helluva Halo series given the Rion Forge trilogy, but the direction of the novels seems to just be meandering. Somewhat like the game franchise...
sigh I had somewhat high hopes for this one, but, alas, it lacked any real substantial furthering of the lore. Whoever is in charge of the lore department (or whatever it's called) at 343i needs to step up their game and come up with actual good ideas for novels. I know Kelly can write one helluva Halo series given the Rion Forge trilogy, but the direction of the novels seems to just be meandering. Somewhat like the game franchise...
April 18, 2024
This was an amazing continuation of The Didact's story from Halo 4. A beautiful story that covers the timeline from the end of Halo 4 all the way to some of the events happening in the latest Halo, it does a great job of shedding more lore on what is happening in the background of the latest conflict in the series. It left me excited for future games and books.
January 8, 2025
Excellent Halo storytelling
This is another great example of what Kelly brings to the Halo Universe. The journey and closure of this tale, weaving in elements of recent books, halo 4,5,6, along with tying up many loose ends from the forerunner saga which I thought were long gone was incredible!
This is another great example of what Kelly brings to the Halo Universe. The journey and closure of this tale, weaving in elements of recent books, halo 4,5,6, along with tying up many loose ends from the forerunner saga which I thought were long gone was incredible!
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