Nebula nominee and Prometheus Award finalist, Tobias Buckell has been tapped to write Halo^®: The Cole Protocol, due in Fall 2008. The new novel will be the sixth in the New York Times bestselling series based on the blockbuster Microsoft and Bungie Studios’ Halo^® video games for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.  An unabridged audiobook edition will publish simultaneously with the new novel.

Tobias S. Buckell exploded onto the science fiction scene with Crystal Rain, a debut that combined a unique mix of Caribbean culture – where Buckell was born and raised – and hard SF adventure elements. Buckell’s unique and groundbreaking work won him acclaim from peers and the literary community, who called him “a dazzling new voice.” His second novel, Ragamuffin, was a 2007 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novel; a 2008 Prometheus Award finalist for Best Novel; and a Locus “Best of 2007.”

Buckell’s blend of hard science fiction with character-based action adventure and forays into classic SF pulp won the admiration of both Tor and Microsoft. Buckell is also a big Halo fan who has played every incarnation of the game.  “I’ve been a fan of Buckell’s since Crystal Rain, and when I found out he was playing Halo^®, I was chomping at the bit to get him to try his hand at a Halo^® novel.” says Tor Editor Eric Raab. “The Cole Protocol is awesome stuff that expands the Halo universe in some really amazing ways.”

Halo^®: The Cole Protocol will unveil the location of the Spartan Gray Team, and take readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War, where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered, altering the course of the humanity’s epic struggle for survival.  The Halo^® novels, Halo^®: Ghosts of Onyx and Halo^®: Contact Harvest became instant bestsellers and they, along with the three previous novels, have helped establish Halo^® as one of today’s greatest SF franchises.

We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop with the upcoming book.