Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion
Invasion is the third and final chapter of the Halo: Fall of Reach trilogy. Twenty seven years into the war with the Covenant, humanity is barely holding its own. The Office of Naval Intelligence plans to capture a Prophet - one of the ruling religious caste of the Covenant alliance - in order to attempt to negotiate a peaceful settlement. The newly-upgraded Spartans are tasked with this mission. Master Chief John 117 tests his new armour, which now has energy shielding and an in-built artificial intelligence called Cortana who provides him with technical and tactical data. He survives an intense obstacle course, proving his effectiveness. As Halsey says "Spartans make their own luck."
However, all best laid plans go out the window when over 700 Covenant ships fall out of slipspace on a heading for the planet Reach. The colony, a stronghold of the United Nations Space Command, faces annihilation. But that's not all: if the Covenant gets hold of a UNSC ship berthed at the orbital Gamma station, its computer will yield the co-ordinates of more densely populated human planets, including Earth.
The Spartans split into two groups. One descends planetside to protect the generator station for the orbital defence system. The other, led by John, heads for Gamma station to destroy the computer that contains the sensitive data. It's a thrill ride as Spartans take on the 'Jackals' and other Covenant troops, overcoming the technologically more advanced aliens usually by sheer brute determination and the odd flash of human ingenuity. It's no spoiler to reveal that they cannot save Reach, however. Retreating the zone of devastation with an (almost) random slipspace jump, John's ship finds itself in an unexplored region of space... facing a very large, very unusual megastructure.
The trilogy ends where the narrative of the original Halo: Combat Evolved game begins. John's ship Pillar of Autumn encounters the immense ring-shaped structure, an artificial world created by an unknown intelligence. In the game, the Covenant follow and attack. During the battle for survival it emerges that the giant ring (which the Covenant call a Halo) is a weapon of mass destruction. This then becomes both the arena for the battles that follow and the ultimate prize as both sides fight to gain control of the artefact.
The graphic adaptation acts as a prequel to the whole Halo story, introducing the main players and giving us glimpses of their backgrounds. There are hints that not everything may be as it first appears: the valiant Spartans - fearless warriors who follow the chain of command without question - are prone to dreams in which elements of individuality arise. Likewise Cortana, the AI fashioned to be the perfect smart guide for the supersoldiers, also has a mind of her own and is not above playing vengeful pranks. Are these weaknesses that could leave the humans vulnerable, or potential sources of strength?
Because this story starts from the very beginning the reader does not need to be familiar with the game in order to appreciate the content, but those who do know and love the game will find plenty to delight them here. The general fanbase of Halo is huge; the franchise is phenomenally successful and estimated at $6.5 billion. It has been critically acclaimed and recognised as a significant cultural influence; Variety called it "the equivalent of Star Wars".
What makes it such a hit? One factor is certainly the sheer richness of the Halo universe. The games, books and other associated media build a finely detailed tapestry with historical and cultural elements of both the human and alien societies (and there is a long list of different aliens to explore). The multiplayer function that came with the release of Halo 2 was also a major social phenomenon that enabled the growth of online communities of players. All of this adds up to a widespread loyal, invested fanbase that has kept the story going for over two decades so far, and which is still going strong.
There have been many other Halo comics but Fall of Reach is the best place to start to get a good feel for the central elements that form the core of the saga. The adventure starts here, and shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
Zak Webber
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