Exclusive Halo Excerpt Brings The Master Chief's First Meeting With Cortana To Life

Published Nov 10, 2026, 9:27 AM EST

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage, Tom's career began as a fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and his love of major franchises has ultimately led to a decade-long career. He'd had the privilege of interviewing writers, authors, directors, actors, stunt coordinators, and VFX artists on a staggering number of his favorite franchises, including Star Wars, the MCU, Stranger Things, Halo, Foundation, and more. He's conducted set visits in the UK, attending major comic cons in New York and London, and reported at Star Wars Celebration 2023 as press. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

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Halo has always been far more than just a massive game franchise. While I was hooked with the games from the start—Halo literally led to my picking up the Xbox back in 2001—I was slow to realize there were tie-in novels. But Eric Nylund's excellent book The Fall of Reach was published in October that year, exploring the Master Chief's history and helping to flesh out his world. It became the foundation of a transmedia franchise that continues to this day. That book even (loosely) influenced the sadly-canceled Halo TV series.

Now, in celebration of Halo's 25th anniversary, Simon & Schuster is re-releasing The Fall of Reach in a full-cast audiodrama that reunites Steve Downes as the Master Chief and Jen Taylor as Dr. Halsey and Cortana. It's now available from retailers like Amazon, or directly from Simon & Schuster. ScreenRant is proud to reveal an exclusive excerpt, the first ever meeting between the Master Chief and Cortana, alongside an exclusive interview with Steve Downes himself.

Copyright © 2001 by Microsoft Corporation. Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from the audiobook HALO: THE FALL OF REACH (Full-Cast Dramatized Adaptation) by Eric Nylund, read by Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, and Tim Dadabo, published by Simon & Schuster Audio, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Used with permission from Simon & Schuster, LLC.

The Fall Of Reach Is Steve Downes' Favorite Halo Story

ScreenRant: How has the role of the Master Chief evolved and changed for you?

To say it's been one helluva ride for 25 years would be an understatement. Playing the Chief has changed my life exponentially. One of the joys of being involved with this character is that over time, I've watched Spartan 117 evolve in the eyes of the fans. When we started in 2001, the role of the Master Chief was relatively one dimensional. Mostly he barked at Cortana and smashed aliens! The fans saw something deeper. Something aspirational and wanted more.

ScreenRant: Which is your favorite Halo story?

It has always been The Fall of Reach. I read it after recording "Combat Evolved" and in addition to being a great read, it was incredibly informative for me as an actor. It fleshed out the character in so many ways, and changed how I approached all future recording sessions for later games. I had such a deeper understanding of not only who the Chief was, but of the entire Halo universe.

ScreenRant: How different an experience was it recording for an audiobook compared to a game?

The word that comes to mind is liberating. I had recorded a chapter or two of other Halo books in the past that served as promotional vehicles. My first real chance to sink my teeth into recording the Chief for an audio book was for Kelly Gay's Halo: Edge of Dawn in 2025. That story was a continuation of Halo: Infinite;. It was great to expand that story. Not long after, when word came down about an enhanced audio version of The Fall of Reach, complete with original cast members, music and sound effects, I was over the moon. We had recently completed work on re-recording the first game, now called Campaign Evolved;. So in a way, doing The Fall of Reach completed the circle of the origin story of the Master Chief and Halo in general, with the hindsight of 25 years.

ScreenRant: What do you think The Fall of Reach adds to in terms of understanding the Master Chief?

How John became Spartan 117 is to me the most illuminating. My initial inspiration in finding a voice for the Master Chief was Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name protagonist in Sergi Leone's Spaghetti westerns "Fistfull of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly;" But in those films, it was never made clear why Clint's character was the way he was. In The Fall of Reach, we begin to understand what shaped John. We learn at the very least that his story is more complicated than it appears at first blush.

ScreenRant: What was your favorite part of The Fall of Reach?

First of all, I love the overall story arc that paints the UNSC as not necessarily "straight shooters" metaphorically speaking. After all, the Spartan program was originally developed to put down rebellions led by fellow human beings. To subjugate, and if necessary, kill their own species. What were they rebelling against and why? That story takes a back seat once the Covenant arrives, but it already creates the beginning of a moral conflict in John, even as a teenager. I'm also fascinated by the story arc of Jacob Keyes.

ScreenRant: The Fall of Reach had a massive influence on the Halo TV show. What did you think of that adaptation, and what would you hope to see for any future revivals?

In my opinion, Reach should have been much more of an influence on the Paramount series. It was practically nonexistent in season one and only began to reveal itself somewhat in the second half of the second season. The show runners admitted that they wanted to develop a separate timeline for Halo, apart from the games and the books. Why? Couldn't find enough material?

I thought the acting and the visuals were great, but a real opportunity was missed to create a top flight log running TV series that would appeal to hard core fans as well as viewers who were not gamers.

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