Halo: Point of Light interview — Author Kelly Gay talks crafting character-first Halo stories

Halo: Point of Light cover Source: 343 Industries / @pixelflaregfx

A huge strength of the Halo franchise is its wealth of expanded lore that fleshes out the universe introduced by the games in the franchise. Every year, at to the lowest degree one or ii new novels are released that broaden the size and scope of the series' mythos. The latest of these novels, Halo: Indicate of Light, continues the story of the scavenger Rion Forge and the coiffure of the salvager ship Ace of Spades set upwards in Halo: Fume and Shadow and Halo: Renegades, two earlier novels. As someone who recently finished the volume, I can confidently say that it'south one of the all-time Halo novels out there, featuring a riveting plot and some of the best grapheme writing in the franchise.

I recently had the opportunity to conversation with Kelly Gay, the author of all three books besides as several honor-winning sci-fi/fantasy novels, nearly what it's like to work on Halo, the ups and downs of the character writing process, what readers can expect from Halo: Point of Light, and more.

Rion Forge'due south next run a risk

Halo: Point of Light

Halo: Bespeak of Light

A new story at your fingertips

Halo: Betoken of Light is Kelly Gay's latest work with the Halo franchise, and thanks to her splendid writing and the riveting plot, it's arguably her best.

Contributing to a universe-sized mythos

Halo Infinite Source: Microsoft Halo has grown into i of the largest science-fiction franchises of all time.

Brendan Lowry, Windows Key: As the official sequel to Halo: Smoke and Shadow and Halo: Renegades, Halo: Point of Light is your third Halo book. How does it experience to exist a long-form contributor to the franchise? What are some of the things about working on the series that stick out to you as highlights?

Kelly Gay, writer of Halo: Signal of Lite: Information technology feels great to stick with the franchise over the course of several books, and it's super squeamish to work with a franchise that is invested in their authors and the stories they tell. I feel very lucky to be able to sit down down and stay a while, to actually get comfortable with the universe and the characters, and to develop relationships with those I work with. The highlights are working with my editor and 343 — information technology's always a fun, creative process, and getting the opportunity to get to know Halo fans and Halo lore fans. I love the shared excitement we all feel for the universe, and when new books come up out and new lore details are revealed. Outpost Discovery in Anaheim, CA was an incredible feel and a real highlight.

The Halo universe is massive in its scale, and every bit fourth dimension goes on, information technology only continues to grow larger. Does the sheer size of the franchise intimidate you, or does it make yous feel like you're playing around in a massive sandbox?

No, not at all. I see it as a massive positive. Because of the sheer size of the universe, the opportunities are endless. It gives me a greater sense of freedom when I write, knowing at that place are and then many options and avenues to explore.

Halo'southward novel suite has swelled in size over the years, offering fans interested in the series' expanded universe plenty of engaging stories to dive into. Exercise these books and their authors inspire and/or influence your ain writing? Which Halo novel would you say is your favorite, or has otherwise impacted you the most?

Silentium is tops for me. That, and the others in the Forerunner Saga by Greg Bear were groovy inspirations and references to me when writing Renegades and Bespeak of Light. Considering we all bring unique stories and writing styles to the tabular array, readers accept a lot of options in finding something that appeals to them. Personally, I've very much enjoyed Troy Denning's Terminal Lite and Matt Forebeck's New Blood. Forth with Ghosts of Onyx, Kilo-Five, Hunters in the Nighttime, Shadow of Intent, the Cole Protocol… too many to mention! The comics are as well corking, and shout out to Chase the Truth audio series — so good.

A mortal perspective

Source: 343 Industries Rion Forge on the comprehend of Halo: Renegades.

Halo is often characterized by the superhuman lens that most of its stories are told through. Rion Forge, a scavenger, no doubt has a very different perspective on the Halo universe than the Master Principal does. Have yous plant it exciting to approach writing Halo characters from a more "mortal" point-of-view?

Aye, definitely. It allows me to, hopefully, show readers what it might truly be like for humans in the Halo universe, and allows for the reader to relate to some familiar struggles. Without the armor and training and enhancements of a super soldier, regular humans in infinite can be pretty fragile beings, and then there'south a certain level of danger e'er present and known, and in order to protect themselves and brand a viable life for themselves, they must possess a sure level of ingenuity, resourcefulness, stamina and drive. Only with those come up the darker traits of humanity, which are ever fun to explore and write almost.

What are some of the cadre themes that readers can expect with Halo: Point of Calorie-free?

Point of Light is really about the family you lot make, it'south near letting go, and finding your place in the universe.

From Spark to the crew of the Ace of Spades to Rion herself, Halo: Point of Light is filled with interesting characters for fans to get to know and love. Can you lot speak to some of the ups and downs of trying to weave the narratives of these characters together throughout the story?

One of the challenges is always how much time to give the characters for their own personal storylines. You really take to juggle page time and make up one's mind which stories need to be told in the time y'all have allotted for a particular book. And while certain stories must await, you nonetheless have to weave in threads that show their personal growth and story arcs. They all have paths to take, but sometimes you lot tin't show it all, and tin can just set the stage or insinuate to possibilities for that character. And sometimes I practise want to tidy everything up and give every graphic symbol the happy ending they deserve, just realistically and specially for Point of Light it'south just not the reality of the time menstruation. It'southward not tidy, things aren't always going to go correct. It's definitely a tumultuous time across the colonies!

A familiar face

Source: Windows Cardinal 343 Guilty Spark in Halo 3.

It'south been awhile since players defeated 343 Guilty Spark way back in Halo 3. Can you give some insight well-nigh what readers can expect from this new "version" of the character in Indicate of Light? How has the character grown since we Spartan Lasered him on The Ark?

After events in Halo iii, the remains of 343 Guilty Spark were recovered past the coiffure of the research vessel, Rubicon. The damage freed him from compartmentalization and memories of his human life as Chakas began resurfacing. These he told to the crew — and this became the volume Primordium past Greg Deport. Convinced the Librarian is alive, he takes over the ship to search for her. And this is where his story in Renegades begins.

The Rubicon crash landed on Gernaos-a, and in club to save himself, Spark jumped from organization to system and finally into the torso of an armiger construct, which the Rubicon crew had besides recovered from the Ark. He is the sole survivor and spends a few years on this planet repairing his memories and putting the pieces dorsum together of his man life. He grapples with this new version of himself — an AI with all the experiences and past memories and emotions of being human.

He isn't quite certain where he fits in or what his purpose in life might be at present. Rion and crew salve him from the planet and then begins a articulation effort to discover the Librarian and the Spirit of Fire, (Rion'due south father's missing send). Over the course, Spark repairs and changes his armiger class, using the machine cells within the alloy which allows form manipulation. He finds the Librarian, and she gives him a key… The key leads them on a journey — and this would be the story in Point of Light — that takes Spark dorsum to a Halo and onward to finding his place in the universe.

When working with elements of the "high science fiction" Forerunner-focused side of the Halo franchise, is it hard to attempt and craft intimate, grounded character narratives? If and then, how do yous approach that goal?

No I don't find information technology difficult considering the characters come first, earlier the science fiction, earlier the futuristic elements, and technology, and everything else. They exist start. And when they do, the other stuff exists around them. This style, they become the drivers through this futuristic universe. It's their lens that we view the globe, and this way everything becomes more intimate and human being and relatable.

Does Halo: Point of Light have whatsoever new characters that fans can look forward to meeting? If so, what can readers expect from these new faces?

Yes! But that'south all I can say because I wouldn't desire to spoil anything.

Your thoughts

What do you think of Kelly Gay'southward experiences with working on Halo, her approach to writing characters for the series, and more? I'd love to know, so make sure to get out a comment down below. Also, brand sure to follow her on Twitter and check out her blog and then you tin can stay up-to-appointment with her future piece of work, which volition no dubiety be excellent.

I highly recommend reading Halo: Point of Low-cal if yous oasis't done so, also. It's a fantastic volume that whatsoever Halo fan will dearest, even if you oasis't read Kelly Gay'due south previous Halo novels. If reading isn't your style, check out Halo: The Master Main Collection, which bundles all of the pre-Xbox One era Halo shooters for $xl and features tons of adjacent-gen upgrades, which is crawly. Information technology's one of the best Xbox shooters available, and it'south also a cracking game to play while waiting for Halo Space, which is expected to release in Autumn of 2022.

Rion Forge'due south next gamble

Halo: Point of Light

A new story at your fingertips

Halo: Point of Light is Kelly Gay'due south latest piece of work with the Halo franchise, and thanks to her fantabulous writing and the riveting plot, information technology's arguably her best.

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