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''Halo: Contact Harvest'' is a military science fiction novel by Joseph Staten, based on the ''Halo'' series of video games. The book was released in October 2007 and is the fifth ''Halo'' novel, following 2006's ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'', written by Eric Nylund. Staten is a longtime employee of Bungie, the developer of the ''Halo'' video game series; he directed the cut scenes in the video games and is a major contributor to ''Halo''s storyline. He set out to write a novel that appealed to gamers, as well as those who had never read a ''Halo'' novel. Set in 2525, twenty-seven years before the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the novel tells the story of the United Nations Space Command's first encounter with the alien collective known as the Covenant on the colony world of Harvest, and the beginning of the long war that follows. The novel is an ensemble piece, with the action being narrated from both human and Covenant viewpoints. The protagonist is a young Marine, Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, who also appears in the ''Halo'' video games. Upon release, the book was generally well received and became ''The New York Times'' bestseller in its first week. Critics pointed to the novel's success as a sign of the increasing importance of story in video games. ==Background== According to Staten, Tor Books asked Bungie if they had someone suited to writing the next novel; Staten, having written much of the ''Halo'' series canon, was the obvious choice.〔 The author found that the book was the perfect way to elaborate on the ''Halo'' story without stripping it down for a video game: "''I always felt we shortchanged (player ). We don't have a lot of time to tell story while the bullets are flying.''"〔 In addition, Staten said that the novel was the perfect way to do the character of Sergeant Johnson—who had appeared somewhat one-dimensional in the games—proper justice as a well-rounded character. Replying to G4TV's question about writing action, Staten replied that he felt that writing "involves slowing things down", in comparison to a game of ''Halo''. The author also said that the work of his favorite science-fiction authors helped teach him the importance of honing a "strong, consistent voice".〔 Originally, the novel was due to ship before the September 25 release of ''Halo 3''; Staten stated that due to his involvement with both projects, the novel slipped behind. He also emphasized that he hoped ''Contact Harvest'' was a good novel, not just a good ''Halo'' novel; "... someone who isn't a ''Halo'' fan – someone who hasn't read any of the previous novels – will be able to pick up ''Contact Harvest'' and enjoy the read".〔 This focus on accuracy was a challenge for Staten, as he believes his audience is highly intelligent, willing, and able to report flaws;〔 fellow Bungie employees cross-referenced his drafts with the "''Halo'' Story Bible" to ensure canonical agreement. One example of fans taking Staten to task over the novel occurred soon after the novel's cover was revealed in July 2007. The cover depicts the protagonist, Sergeant Avery Johnson holding a weapon known as the Battle Rifle. As the weapon was first introduced in the video game ''Halo 2'' and the events of ''Contact Harvest'' take place decades before the game, fans were quick to say that Staten had made a mistake.〔 Staten later pointed out he had good reasons for including the offending weapon in the book, and justified the inclusion by stating that the weapon is a prototypical form of the version players use in the game.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Halo: Contact Harvest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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