Halo: Legacy of Onyx by Marr Forbeck is a young adult science fiction novel set in the Halo universe. It is related to Halo 5: Guardians, but it is not necessary to play Halo to enjoy the novels set in the Halo universe.

Molly Patel is a surviving on the glassing of Paris IV. She was seven years old when the Covenant destroyed her home planet. She is one of the very few survivors and is adopted by good friends of her parents. She grows up on Earth but harbors the pain, anger, and grief any survivor would have suffered from after witnessing such a horrific event. Her new parents, she literally calls them Newparents throughout the book, decide to accept positions on the planet Onyx. As Molly quickly discovers, Onyx is no longer a planet but rather something built by the Forerunners and could hold billions of Earth size planets within its sphere.

I very rarely read young adult novels and honestly, had I known that going in I most likely would have bypassed this novel. I am glad I didn’t. Far too often science fiction novels are told from the perspective of adults, it was refreshing to read a novel told from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl. There is some hard science contained in the book, well more theoretical science than hard, but real-life science concepts are discussed. Not having a science brain, the science wasn’t overly complicated or hard that it turned me off.

I enjoyed the book. I understand that this book is poorly received by the fan boys over on Reddit but that’s on them. The book itself is a fun read for young adults and features a strong, young female lead. Sure, there is less of the Covenant races, no Master Chief, and only the briefest glimpse of Cortana. Rather this is science fiction story telling designed to highlight to possibility of peaceful cooperation and communication between alien species is possible, even under the most stressful of circumstances.

I loved Molly and her journey from angry teenager determined to have her own way, to a young woman who has made peace with her past and the alien species she was determined to hate. This wasn’t a case of girl meets alien, girl forgives alien, and now girl and alien are the best of friends. Rather, this was a nuanced story that took the reader on Molly’s journey from anger to grudging acceptance, and finally to the startling realization that those aliens she hated, with reason, had actually grown to be her friends.

This is a space opera at its finest. Yes, there are no space battles, but it is a wonderful character story. And a character study of a young woman coming into her own, willing to learn, adapt, and follow her dreams.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Strong, young female lead in a male dominated gaming universe was refreshing. I would happily welcome Molly and her friends into the pub.