In Books One and Two, the reader followed Halo Jones from her depressingly life on 50th century Earth and her existence on The Hoop, a floating dumping place for the unemployed masses.  At the finale of Book one we see her take a job on the Clara Pandy, the setting of Book Two and a gigantic, interstellar cruise liner on which she meets several characters who will feature in her future.

Book Three takes the trilogy to a new, darker level as we catch up with Halo ten years later on a planet called Pwuc which the narrator describes as somewhere you end up where there’s nowhere else to go – Catsblood is the staple drink.  Her reprieve occurs when she encounters Toy Molto, her friend from the Clara Pandy, recruiting for the ongoing interstellar war.

With no options remaining, she joins up and we follow her to basic training and her first posting on the planet of Lobis Loyo.  Here we witness Halo learn about the true face of war and local guerilla resistance.  She also mets General Luiz Cannibal for the first time.

General Luiz Cannibal

Lobis Loyo is the just the warm up for the terrifying battle underway on the planet of Moab, although this doesn’t happen until she has left the army and then re-enlisted. Moab must rate as one of the most imaginative war zones in comic book history; it’s distinguishing feature is its massive gravity which results in (the possibly physically incorrect) phenomenon of time in the atmosphere running slower than time in the sealed, pressurised buildings.

This means that soldiers who head into battle in special suits may pass one day outside but will find that weeks have passed when they return to base.  Particularly spectacular is The Crush, an area of exceptionally high gravity.  Viewed from outside, one can see bullets heading towards helpless soldiers in slow motion.

On Moab

Eventually the war ends and the narrative places Halo with General Cannibal as a couple. Accused of war crimes, Cannibal faces the tribunal and Halo discovers he is guilty of using rat war, a method of warfare long outlawed.  Halo is distraught and in the final scenes we see her sending Cannibal to his death and heading out into the stars in his personal ship.

Unfortunately, this incredible series ended there and so far there is no prospect of any more…….