First of three Gears novels for October release

Ballantine Books is to release a set of three Gears of War novels, the publisher's announced, the first of which will hit the US in October.

Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields, written by New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss, will go on sale on October 28.

“After finishing the first Gears of War game, players were left wanting to know more about Delta Squad and the events leading up to Emergence Day,” said Epic Games’ boss Michael Capps.

“This trilogy of novels opens up whole new worlds of storytelling opportunities, and will add even more context to the upcoming comic book series, game sequel and motion picture. We loved Karen Traviss’ work on the Republic Commando series, and we can’t wait to get her Gears book to our fans.”