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Halo: Broken Circle (14) Paperback – November 4, 2014

by John Shirley (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,030 ratings
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The New York Times bestselling series based on the blockbuster Xbox® games!

Centuries before the Human-Covenant War would rage across the galaxy, a similar conflict erupted between the Prophets and the Elites—two alien races at odds over the sacred artifacts left by the powerful Forerunners, who disappeared eons ago. Although they would eventually form a stable alliance called the Covenant, there are those on both sides who question this fateful union. From an Elite splinter group rebelling against the Covenant during the time of its founding...to a brave Prophet caught in the machinations of the new leadership...to the root of the betrayal that would ultimately shatter the Covenant many years later, this is the untold chapter of the most unexpected heroes emerging from a realm filled with shocking treachery and ceaseless wonder.

Copyright © 2014 by Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Halo, the Halo logo, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 6
    Halo (Standalones)
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Gallery Books
  5. Publication date
    November 4, 2014
  6. Dimensions
    5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1476783594
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1476783598
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Shirley is the author of many novels, including Borderlands: The Fallen, Borderlands: Unconquered, Bioshock: Rapture, Demons, Crawlers, In Darkness Waiting, City Come A-Walkin', and Eclipse, as well as the Bram-Stoker-award winning collection Black Butterflies and Living Shadows. His newest novels are the urban fantasy Bleak History and the cyberpunk thriller Black Glass. Also a television and movie scripter, Shirley was co-screenwriter of The Crow. Most recently he has adapted Edgar Allan Poe's Ligeia for the screen. His authorized fan-created website is DarkEcho.com/JohnShirley and official blog is JohnShirley.net.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery Books (November 4, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1476783594
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476783598
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,030 ratings

About the author

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John Shirley

John Shirley

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John Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and the historical western AXLE BUST CREEK. His newest story collections are THE FEVERISH STARS and the special updated reissue of REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES. His next novel, available for pre-order, is the technothriller SUBORBITAL 7, coming Summer 2023 from Titan Books.

He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.

His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.

He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.

John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.

John Shirley's many story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, THE FEVERISH STARS and LIVING SHADOWS.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,030 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Larry S. Yaeger
5.0 out of 5 stars A true must read for Halo fans
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
If you're a fan of the Halo games, this is a must read, more than any other of the published Halo novels. Personally, I've enjoyed them all to greater and lesser degrees, but none are as vital to an understanding of the Halo mythos, in general, and, especially, the events in Halo 2 as this book. Here is the backstory that the game only implied the existence of, and it is beautifully told. Shirley is an excellent writer, and I'm incredibly grateful for the insights his book brings to the Halo universe.

The first Halo game (Combat Evolved) did an excellent job of revealing its story as the game unfolded. I've often said playing the original Halo felt like living in a science fiction novel, and, for me, is why it far surpassed even its excellent gameplay and overall design, and hooked me on the entire universe. Halo 2 again had excellent gameplay, but the story was not as well revealed. In fact, it felt a bit random on first play, albeit still a lot of fun. Replaying it again in the Master Chief Collection, after having read Shirley's book, it's clear they had much of this backstory in mind. But Shirley makes it real, filling in the details, revealing the characters, connecting the dots. Now playing the game again is a blast, specifically because I understand why certain events happen, why certain reactions are what they are, why certain comments are made, that formerly were only suggestive, at best. It's like living in a science fiction novel this time, when it really didn't feel like that the first time, for me.

Well, I'm off to finish Halo 2, 3, and 4 again (having recently replayed Halo 1) in delicious anticipation of Halo 5's arrival this Fall. And I hope John Shirley writes more Halo novels, whether they are providing more backstory or exploring new directions. Regardless, thanks John!
5 people found this helpful
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ML
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent first Halo novel for John Shirley
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Halo: Broken Circle doesn't add any groundbreaking new elements to the Halo universe. It doesn't push the overall narrative forward. It doesn't deal with established characters, instead focusing on a smaller, self-contained narrative.
And that's where this novel succeeds most. It's a wonderful breath of fresh air after Karen Traviss's atrocious Kilo-Five trilogy ended with Mortal Dictata. There are no rants about morality, no self-righteous and hypocritical sneaks plotting genocide (aside from villains), no detailed discussions of racism and insults, just two engaging and intertwining narratives of two family lines from two different species whose destinies are intertwined.

The story begins thousands of years before the main Halo narrative, right at the founding of the Covenant, and travels through the events of Halo 2 and 3, though never directly engaging in those story arcs; as I mentioned, this is a self-contained narrative which is content to tell itself without relying on other lore. Basically, the story follows a splinter Elite faction which refuses to join the Covenant, and the few Prophets who respect and ally with the Elites through all the deception and betrayal of Halo 2's events.

We get some refreshingly detailed looks into the culture of the Sangheili and San'Shyuum (Elites and Prophets) species, and explore some of the rebellion and intrigue at the beginning and end of the Covenant. The characters are never hugely explored, but the reader will probably get a feel for them and wind up caring a surprising amount for a cast without a single human character.

Halo: Broken Circle is not a monumental landmark novel, but it's a good one. If you're a Halo fan, this is a good book to buy. If you're a Halo fan who loves finding out details about the Covenant, this is a must-buy. A great read, and worth the money.
47 people found this helpful
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Ben Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid enough...but it's hard not to come away thinking about what it could have been.
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
“Halo: Broken Circle” is the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” of Halo novels: it delivers upon the basest of expectations with aplomb, without ever quite managing to become something truly new or noteworthy. That’s not a dis, so much as it is a general observation – author John Shirley does a commendable job of taking a story structure that we haven’t really seen yet in the “Halo” universe – one that spans across hundreds of years and characters – and making it feel fully realized. That the book itself ultimately decides to use its structure as a means of recycling “Halo” plot beats that we’ve already run through time and again is frustrating, if only because if felt like there was a real opportunity here to give readers something that was completely unique. Bummer. Still – as a singular story, separated from outside expectations or from what’s come before it, “Broken Circle” works well enough. Just don’t expect anything that breaks the mold.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Riley Lehouillier
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting lore of the halo universe
Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
This author did a great job of telling the story of how the elites were integrated into the covenant. Bot only that but fascinating storytelling of the rebel elites who broke away from the covenant. A very good standalone in the halo universe. Would recommend
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Jonathan Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I found this to be a very engaging and interesting read. It really provides a great insight into the formation of the Covenant and up until the events of HALO 2/3. Only thing I would say, is that I think it’s wrongly stated elsewhere to read this before playing Halo 3. It actually has a couple of minor spoilers towards the end of the book, that if you haven’t played HALO 3, may spoil it a little bit, so I would recommend completing HALO 3 first. Looking forward to reading more HALO Novels.
One person found this helpful
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jordan heidke
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on January 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great book
Love halo lore
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Philippe Desjardins
5.0 out of 5 stars Great HALO story for those interested in the Covenant side of things
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
As a fan of HALO that loved HALO 2, mainly due to the dive into the Covenant side of things, I really loved this book. Getting to know how a splinter group of Sanghelli would interact with one another was enjoyable, and getting some insight on the San’Shayuum side of things was a delightful surprise. It adds depths to species that some players think of only as cannon fodder or hateful aliens that all think the same way. The book has a very satisfying end as well, would highly recommend.
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Halo Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars A good addition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
Broken Circle is essentially the story of two Sangheili and San'Shyuum (Elites and Prophets) families from the start of the Wirt of Union up to the failure of the covenant. It functions very much as a standalone story. Whilst there are references to events and characters you will know (destruction of Halo, demon etc.) these are simply to give you historical perspectives on the events this story tells.

In conjunction with Greg Bear's Forerunner trilogy, this adds some more to our understanding of the San'Shyuum.
All in all an easy ready and good characterizations
6 people found this helpful
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