Halo Fans Should Know About This New Cookbook

A new franchise cookbook has been announced. As of writing, you can pre-order "Halo: The Official Cookbook" by Victoria Rosenthal on Amazon, IndieBound, and more before its publication on August 16, 2022.

According to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, the book will contain over 70 recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts and beyond with details suitable for both the beginner and the seasoned kitchen person. Or, as they put it, "With step-by-step instructions and beautiful photography, this book gives you everything you need to go from Master Chief to Master Chef." The actual dishes contained within are not detailed however. That said, the cover does boast pictures that include a punchy-looking drink of unknown alcohol content, churros, and what could be deep fried fish with tartar sauce.

Victoria Rosenthal, the book's author, has made a career of writing recipe books for video game franchises with her Amazon page listing previous projects like "Fallout: The Vault Dweller's Official Cookbook," "Destiny: The Official Cookbook," and "The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook: The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn." When talking to Indiependent, Rosenthal explained how the game features heavily in the recipes she produces. Using her book about the post-apocalyptic "Fallout" as an example, she said "The concept of the book is that it's written pre-war and then it is found in the future by the Vault Dweller who makes notes and changes, so if it says 'you need beef' it'll say 'brahmin works here' instead."

All that might sound exciting for most "Halo" fans. But when the official Twitter account for "Halo" made an announcement about the book, a few responded with criticism. "$40 for a cookbook?!?!" one incredulous person asked. "Y'all price gouging at this point just for things to say 'Halo.'" However, the bigger complaint was lodged at the very existence of the cookbook. "So let me get this straight," another asked. "Your game is in a horrible state — Many features missing — Player base dwindling — And you get a cookbook?" 

Not all were so harsh about the cookbook though. To the idea that maybe "Halo" should delay the cookbook until there is new game content, one sarky individual said, "Sorry, we're not going to put out the book you've been working on because some people on the internet are mad about something unrelated to it." That said, even the people who are understanding about how Victoria Rosenthal has nothing to do with the game itself did not express overt interest in the book.