Halo: The Beginning: Book One of The Halo Trilogy

Halo: The Beginning is book one of a three book series.  While it is science fiction, it is rich in character development and delves into the depths of human thought and behavior under extraordinary circumstances, and as seen through a core group of central characters.  It starts out only a little over one hundred years in the future, and so, the technology described, for the most part, is neither out of the bounds of possibility, nor of our present reality.  

The story starts out in a one kilometer in diameter space station in geostationary orbit above Earth, called Halo.  A simultaneously run plot line also takes place on Earth, where a highly intelligent but psychopathic genetisist attempts to set up a dangerous theocracy by first eliminating all on Earth but his faithful followers.

The story then continues aboard Halo as the crew must make their way towards another planet to start humankind anew, and the challenges faced to overcome various technical and moral dilemmas.   

Book one not only provides a rich story in and of itself, but also provides all the character and story development necessary to catapult the reader into books two and three.