Synopsis
In Book One, the readers are introduced to the 18-year-old Halo Jones, who lives in a floating ring-shaped conurbation or housing estate called "The Hoop" that is moored in the Atlantic Ocean off the East coast of America. The story takes place over one day, and follows Halo's violent, though also partly comical misadventures on a shopping trip. When Halo firstly discovers a good friend has become a "Different Drummer", a youth cult numbed by the beat of a drum in their ears, then returns to her apartment to find her flatmate and best friend Brinna murdered, she decides to leave Earth, never to return.
Book Two depicts Halo's life as a stewardess on a year-long space voyage. Halo discovers that it was her robot dog Toby who was responsible for her flatmate's death and is forced to destroy him. It is also revealed, in a framing sequence, that Halo becomes a legendary historical figure in centuries to come.
In Book Three, the darkest part of the saga, ten years have elapsed and Halo has become a soldier serving in a Vietnam-style guerrilla interstellar war which has appeared as back-story in the previous two books, and is courted by a famous, fearsome-looking general, Luiz Cannibal. The series ends with the cessation of hostilities, after which Halo commandeers a spaceship and deserts, determined to take charge of her own fate.
Read more about this topic: The Ballad Of Halo Jones