Noted science fiction author Greg Bear takes a stab at the earliest days of the Halo universe with The Forerunner Trilogy, traveling 100,000 years into the series' past.
A mysterious ancient race worshiped by the Covenant as gods, the Forerunners wiped themselves off the face of the universe to help stem the tide of the Flood, for all the good that did. Announced this weekend by Bungie's Frank O'Connor at the Emerald City Comic Con (thanks Colin!), the Forerunner Trilogy will explore this ancient race and their ties to humanity, as revealed in Halo 3.
If you've ever even skimmed the science fiction section of your local bookstore you've probably seen Greg Bear's name. He's more of a hard science fiction writer, dealing with technical accuracy and detail, attempting to make the more fantastic elements of the genre seem more plausible. It should be interesting to see how his approach fits in with the Halo Universe.
The first book in the Forerunner Trilogy is due in 2010 from Tor Books.