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Feynman
AuthorGreg Bear
IllustratorLeland Myrick
LanguageEnglish
Publication date
August 30, 2011
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint Paperback
Pages272 pp
ISBN978-1596432598

The Forerunner Saga is a series of three science fiction novels by Greg Bear, set in the Halo universe.

Background

Greg Bear is the author of Cryptum and its two sequels.

Greg Bear was 343 Industries' first choice to write a trilogy of books based on the history of the Forerunners and another mysterious race known as the Precursors.[1][2][3] Bear had been writing a book entitled Hull Zero Three when he was approached to be the trilogy's author.[4] At the first meeting with Bear regarding the book, he was told that it should be a "classic Greg Bear giant – in the vein of Eon, Anvil of the Stars and so on", but inspired by Halo and its extended universe.[5] The book and author were announced on April 6, 2009.[1] 343 Industries' General Manager, Bonnie Ross, stated that the back and forth with Bear made "the whole experience better", and was preferable to assigning the author his task with no feedback.[6] Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor stated, "The enigma of the Forerunners is really at the heart of the drama and mystery of the Halo universe ... in all the games and the books so far we've only scratched the surface of the terrible events that engulfed the Forerunners and the Galaxy they protected 100,000 years ago".[7] Although nothing was forced upon Bear in terms of story templates, he had numerous and comprehensive discussions about the history of the Halo universe and the major events of the Forerunner history had already been established through the information hidden in Halo 3.[3][5] O'Connor said that the book is meant to have a "hard sci-fi" feel with a "hint of space opera, in the mold of Banks, Reynolds and Bear himself."[5]

The book's cover was designed by Sparth, an artist at 343 Industries known for his "futuristic vistas".[5] The artwork was taken directly from art made for Halo 4.[8] O'Connor explained that the cover was intended to "capture the essence and scope of the book and more importantly, the Forerunner universe."[5] The art is supposed to convey "the sense of wonder that all our main protagonists feel at the scale and scope of Forerunner technology."[5]


Bear was given a notebook weighing 10 pounds (4.5 kg) filled with story materials; each page was colored and coded so that any leaks could be traced back to him.[9]

Microsoft and Bear revealed he was working on an untitled book series dealing with the Forerunners in 2009;[10] Tor revealed the name, cover, and release date for Cryptum on October 8, 2010.[11]

Synopses

Cryptum

Primordium

Silentium

Marketing

Reception

Release and reception

In the weeks before release, Tor Books released Chapter One for free, and Chapter Two was made available on the Halo Waypoint website. Tor also ran seven giveaways of the other Halo novels and action figures.[12][13][14][15] An unabridged audio book, narrated by Holter Graham, was released alongside the print edition on January 4, 2011.[16] Upon release Greg Bear did book signings attended by Frank O'Connor.[17] Following its release, Cryptum reached number 22 in the New York Times Best Seller List in the Hardcover Fiction category.[18] It also spent five weeks on the Los Angeles Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list, reaching number 17.[19] Publishers Weekly noted that the book was a bestseller in the hardcovers category in early September 2011 at Borders.[20]

Cryptum was met with varying reviews. Dr. Nigel Seel of sciencefiction.com called it tired, unoriginal and boring, saying, "It's hard to care about the flimsy characters, the plot is wearily over familiar, the hero is passive throughout and overall, not enough happens."[21] He criticised the characters as stereotypical and the plot being far too slow, concluding, "This is one for the die-hard Halo fans."[21] Hilary Williamson of Book Loons also considered Cryptum appealing only to Halo fans, but praised Graham's narration.[22] The author of Artistic Gaming's review of Cryptum found it difficult to like the book's characters due to the condescending tone of Bornstellar, also concluding that it is only suited to diehard fans.[23] Portland Book Review's Missy Wadkins felt differently. She thought the characters complex and found it comparable to an interesting history lesson.[24] Her review further contrasted Dr. Seel's by recommending it to all science fiction readers, not just Halo fans.[24] Jason Hamilton of Story Hobby also praised the novel; he complimented Bear's creation of a completely different culture to humanity and his balance of providing the reader with enough information to maintain interest without letting on too much and ruining the suspense.[25]

[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Greg Bear writing new Halo Forerunner trilogy". joystiq. April 6, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ David Hinkle (January 4, 2011). "PSA: Greg Bear's Halo: Cryptum novel out now". joystiq. Retrieved March 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b O'Connor, Frank. "Greg Bear and Frank O'Connor Discuss Halo: Cryptum at a Recent Book Signing" (Silverlight). 343 Industries. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  4. ^ Greg Bear (November 5, 2010). "How Video Games Changed Our Science Fiction Fantasy". Kotaku. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Charlie Jane Anders (October 26, 2010). "Behold the cover to Greg Bear's first Halo novel in its full glory". io9. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  6. ^ Blaine Kyllo (November 1, 2012). "No Pressure, Guys, It's Just Halo". The Escapist. Retrieved March 25, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Mike Snider (October 9, 2010). "Title of new 'Halo' book unveiled". USA Today. Retrieved March 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Matt Miller (August 29, 2011). "What's Coming In Halo 4?". Game Informer. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  9. ^ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_36/b4193032898394.htm
  10. ^ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-10-05-halo-spins-off-products_N.htm
  11. ^ Staff (2010-10-08). "Science Fiction Legend Greg Bear Set to Explore the Time of the Forerunners". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2010-10-12.
  12. ^ Nick Chester (January 5, 2011). "Get your read on: Halo Cryptum novel out now". Destructoid. Retrieved March 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Halo: Cryptum Giveaway #1: Halo Book Set". Tor Books. January 4, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  14. ^ "Halo: Cryptum Giveaway #7: Greg Bear Book Set". Tor Books. January 4, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  15. ^ Louise Buckley (April 12, 2013). "HALO COMPETITION!". Tor Books Blog. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  16. ^ Alexander Sliwinski (October 11, 2010). "Halo: Cryptum novel by Greg Bear launching in Jan. 2011". joystiq. Retrieved March 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Catch Halo: Cryptum Author Greg Bear in Seattle". Tor Books. December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  18. ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction". New York Times. January 30, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Liesl Bradner, Carolyn Kellogg, Michelle Minkoff. "L.A. Times Bestsellers > Titles Halo: Cryptum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Summer's Over, How Did Bookstores Do?". Publishers Weekly. September 9, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  21. ^ a b Dr. Nigel Seel (February 7, 2011). "Book Review: 'Halo: Cryptum' By Greg Bear". Science Fiction.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  22. ^ Williamson, Hilary. "Halo Cryptum: Book One of the Forerunner Saga". Book Loons. Retrieved March 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "Halo: Cryptum Review". Artistic Gaming. December 10, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ a b Missy Wadkins (June 26, 2011). "Halo: Cryptum: The Forerunner Saga". Portland Book Review. Retrieved March 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Jason Hamilton. "Book Review: Halo: Cryptum (2011) by Greg Bear". Story Hobby. Retrieved March 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

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