HALO: Cryptum

HALO, Book 7

By: Greg Bear

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first novel in the Forerunner Saga trilogy by science-fiction legend Greg Bear - set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times best-selling video game series!

One hundred thousand years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species - eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge - achieved dominance.

They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness. They were the Forerunners - the keepers of the Mantle of Responsibility, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time.

And then they vanished.

This is their story.

©2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (P)2011 Macmillan Audio. All rights reserved.

Interesting take to the unwritten history.

I really enjoyed the book so many questions I've always wanted answered. The book is well written and keeps you engaged.

Best Halo book I've "read"!

I love Halo and have since Halo 2, but I had never read any of the books. When I heard a series was releasing about the fall of the forerunners, I had actually listened to this book right after it came out, marking it as my first. this book is phenomenally thought out, presenting a whole new living universe never truly explored before. I recommend this to all who love Halo, though it is hard to understand it's true scope without at least playing the first 3 games. Get this book, and its sequels; Primordium and Silentium. You won't be disappointed!

Hold on, it gets better.

The beginning or first half I struggled with, there were no answers and continuously produced mysteries that made no sense. Suddenly a chapter began and I couldn’t get enough, answers poured in and deep lore was like rapid fire. In the end I very much enjoyed the novel and recommend it to any Halo fan who wants to know more about the Forerunners, Promethians, Flood, or in general some backstory to the 4th game.

look, it... well it gets better.

This is a slow listen. But it fills out some information on "Why's and How's" of the Forerunners. The performance of the narrator is good, and the story stays mysterious till the end. Maybe?

Halo Ethnography

My love of Halo franchise carried me through this. But my distaste of ethnographies... 3/5

I have no idea why it took me so long

as a self-proclaimed Halo Lore addict, I have no idea why it took me so long to finally start reading/listening to the Halo Novels. I see them referenced just about everytime I dig into some rabbit hole of lore, yet its taken me nearly a decade to actually come around to reading them. The story was incredibly well written, the narration was precisely the style and flow that a book as lore-heavy as these trilogies deserved. I can't recommend these books enough! I still have many more to go but I've enjoyed every one so far! (for reference, this review was made after I completed the trilogy)

Great book

This is a great book, I enjoyed listening to the story, and learning more about the lore of the Forerunners, and it's very entertaining

I love this look into forerunner history

This story is different from previous halo books. The other books tend to follow multiple characters through their own specific story. The other books also cover stories from the timeline that the games took place in. This gave those books familiar characters, worlds, technology and battles. Cryptum is told from the perspective of one individual character and it allows the reader/ listener to focus on the massive amount of unexplored forerunner history. As the book progresses and you find yourself imagining what these characters, worlds, technology and battles might look like. I personally loved this story and can’t wait to start Primordium! Thank you Greg Bear and 343 industries for taking the time to tell such an amazing story!

Not what i was expecting, but in a good way!

Had a good time listening to this. I no idea how much a first person prospective from a Forerunner could be this engaging. Lots of deep lore that shape even Halo Infinite

lore heaven

Loved the story, the narration was great, clear and easy to follow. would recommend for anyone who's a fan of the halo series.

A nice start chronologically speaking

Well read and voice acted but story jumps at times into odd areas which add nothing to the lore or story. Overall if you like Halo you will enjoy this.

fantastic book,

I really enjoyed these books. I need more forerunner stories with deep dives into the lore.

brilliant book!

amazing story! couldn't stop listening! cant wait to hear more! set in the greatest universe of all time!

Lore Porn Mk. 2

I read a review of Halo: Glasslands a little while back that simply said “lore porn” and I agreed with that statement though a lot more could be said about that series of novels. But I would state that this trilogy (especially that of Cryptum) is also “lore porn”. If you’re a fan of the Halo series and you want to learn about the mysterious Forerunners then this trilogy is for you. But it’s also a fantastic listen for anyone from outside of the Halo fandom. It’s definitely worth your time if you like exciting and bizarre science fiction.

forerunner brilliance

A fantastic brilliant book which has opened so many doors, answered some questions and left me with more, cannot wait to listen to the reat of the forerunner trilogy

Amazing

No need to be a halo fan enjoy this book. It is very well written and very well old