First published 2009
Humanity thought the stars would bring new worlds and fresh hope. Instead, they found the Covenant, an alien alliance that declared humanity's existence a blasphemy requiring total extinction. The war that followed consumed millions of lives across countless worlds. These eleven tales reveal the untold stories from that conflict. Human soldiers fight impossible odds on distant planets. Covenant warriors struggle with their own doubts about the holy war. Marines make final stands in burning cities. Alien commanders question orders that demand genocide. Each story captures a different moment in the vast war, from desperate last battles to quiet acts of courage that history forgot. The collection shows how ordinary people, human and alien alike, faced choices that would define not just their own fates but the future of entire species. Some fought to save humanity from annihilation. Others fought to complete it.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, action, aliens
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Covenant, Halo Universe
Period: Humanity
528 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books
Content warnings: violence, war