Halo: Cryptum

Halo: Cryptum is the first novel in the upcoming Forerunner Saga by Greg Bear. It was released on January 4, 2011.

Plot Synopsis
The novel is set to explore the beginnings of the Forerunner-Flood War. It details Forerunner-Human contact within the "first dozen pages."

It is also revealed in the first chapter that humanity once had a previous interstellar empire. This original empire ended some 10,000 years before the events of the book, when they went to war with the Forerunners and were utterly defeated. As punishment, the surviving humans were devolved by the Forerunners and exiled back to their planet of origin, a world called "Erde-Tyrene" (known in the present as Earth) in the Sol system. The human species was also split into about a half dozen sub-species to reduce the chances of it once again allying and becoming strong.

Trivia

 * The working title of the novel was "Antediluvian".
 * The cover of the novel depicts two small figures, possibly Forerunners, standing on a ledge overlooking a large Forerunner structure.


 * Chapter 1 is available to read for free by registering at Tor.com or through a downloaded sample in the iBook Store.
 * Chapter 2 is available to read for free on Halo Waypoint.