 Numerous printed adaptations based on the Halo video games canon have been published . Larry Niven ( author of Ringworld ) was originally approached to write a Halo novelization , but declined due to unfamiliarity with the subject matter . The first novel was Halo : The Fall of Reach , a prequel to Halo : Combat Evolved . It was written by Eric Nylund in seven weeks , and published in October 2001 . William C. Dietz wrote an adaptation of Halo : Combat Evolved called Halo : The Flood , which was released in 2003 . Eric Nylund returned to write the third novel , Halo : First Strike , which takes place between Halo : Combat Evolved and Halo 2 , and was published in December 2003 . Nylund also wrote the fourth adaptation , Halo : Ghosts of Onyx , which was published on October 31 , 2006 . Bungie employee Joseph Staten wrote the fifth book , Halo : Contact Harvest , which was released on October 30 , 2007 , while Tobias S. Buckell produced the sixth , Halo : The Cole Protocol , published in November 2008 . Bungie considers the Halo novels as additions to the Halo canon . 
