The third book of Greg Bear’s enigmatic Forerunner Saga is coming soon, and 343 Industries is offering XP to those willing to do some decryption.

Greg Bear’s Halo: Cryptum and Halo: Primordium stand apart within the expanded universe of Halo fiction. Unlike most comic books and novels within the setting, The Forerunner Saga leaps 100,000 years back in time to detail the final days of the mysterious Forerunner civilization. Filled with unusual technology and hard science fiction tropes, the novels challenge readers to think outside their normal boundaries, and grasp ideas like genetically transferred memories, artificial intelligence, and forced species evolution.

The third book of the series, Halo: Silentium, is targeting release on March 19th. Publisher Tor and developer 343 Industries have teamed up to help hype the release. Starting today, gamers (and readers) can head to Halo Waypoint to try and track down “encrypted communications” via bulletins and forums on the site. In addition, the actual book of Halo: Silentium will have embedded data within the text of the e-book and paperback editions that presumably also unlocks additional content.

It’s all very mysterious.

Have you read any of the Greg Bear Halo novels? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.