And it's an impressive lineup this month: that dashing chap Indiana Jones has two new books out, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—the novelization of the movie that releases May 22—and an enormous, full-color compendium on the making of all four Indiana Jones movies. The incredible conclusion to the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series, Invincible, is on sale now as is David Gunn's new Death's Head: Maximum Offense, which delivers a galaxy-spanning showdown. In The Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy, the intrigue and power plays of courtly life collide with magic in a rousing adventure. And last but by no means least, Ellen Datlow has edited the first Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy, a fantastical collection of original stories from all angles of the speculative fiction world. No doubt the traffic warden will have a delightful time.

Read well and be merry,

Sir Kaitlin
kheller@randomhouse.com

From Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The man with the hat is back-in the definitive behind-the-scenes look at the Indiana Jones epic action saga.

When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg put their heads together to create a no-holds-barred action-adventure movie, bigger-than-life hero Indiana Jones was born. The rest is breathtaking, record-breaking box-office history. Now comes an all-new Indiana Jones feature film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Here's your chance to go on location for an up-close, all-access tour of the year's most eagerly anticipated blockbuster, as well as the classics. The Complete Making of Indiana Jones is a crash course in movie magic-making-showcasing the masters of the craft and served up by veteran entertainment chroniclers J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau.

Based on the story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson and the screenplay by David Koepp

Only one man can find a kingdom forgotten by time, salvage a treasure more precious than riches, and protect the ultimate secret from the most dangerous evil...The hardest-working hero in action: Indiana Jones!

No war can last forever. Now, in the long and punishing battle between the defiant champions of the New Jedi Order and the juggernaut that is the Galactic Alliance, the endgame is finally at hand. Having gained the support of the Imperial Remnant and its ruthlessly efficient forces, the Galactic Alliance, with the extraordinary power and dark brilliance of newly ascendant Sith Lord Darth Caedus at its helm, may be unstoppable. Now it seems that the last, best hope lies in mobilizing the scattered Jedi for one decisive search-and-destroy mission. The objective: eliminate Darth Caedus. It's a plan that will be as difficult and dangerous to execute as it is daring. For Caedus is a scion of both the Skywalker and Solo bloodlines whose command of the Force surpasses even that of his grandfather Darth Vader. There is only one who is bound by destiny to stand against him in what will surely be a duel to the death... only one with an outside chance of bringing down the dark lord who was once Jacen Solo.

With Death's Head, David Gunn rocketed onto the scene in the most explosive and entertaining science fiction debut since Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon. Now Gunn is back—and so is Sven Tveskoeg: antisocial, antihero, anti-you-name-it, a one-man killing spree whose best friend is an intelligent handgun with a bad attitude and whose worst enemy is, well, just about everybody else. Sven works for emperor OctoV—a tyrant who is part machine, part boy, part god, and all evil—serving as a lieutenant in the Death's Head, an elite corps of assassins and enforcers. Sven's new assignment? Lead his ragtag band of Death's Head rejects—the Aux, short for auxiliaries—to the artificial world of Hekati, and rescue a missing citizen of the United Free, an empire not only vaster than OctoV's but far more technologically advanced. But Hekati turns out to be a vicious den of backstabbing and betrayal, where nothing and no one can be trusted, least of all the greenhorn colonel put in charge of the mission at the last moment. It looks like somebody wants Sven Tveskoeg dead. So what else is new?

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Civil war rages as the Galactic Alliance—led by Cal Omas and the Jedi forces of Luke Skywalker—battles a confederation of breakaway planets that rally to the side of rebellious Corellia. Han and Leia Solo are on the run, hunted by none other than their own son, Jacen. But even as Jacen's own family sees in him the chilling legacy of his Sith grandfather, Darth Vader, many of the frontline troops adore him, and countless citizens see him as a savior. All Jacen wants is safety and stability for all—and he's prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. For there is one final test that Jacen must pass before he can gain the awesome power of a true Sith Lord: He must bring about the death of someone he values dearly. And to end the bloodshed and suffering, what sacrifice could be too great?

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Desperate to thwart unrelenting aliens and their quest to obliterate humankind, The Confederation has beefed up its defenses. But to the citizens on the outer edges of Human Space around Ravenette—unaware that a deadly enemy even exists—the government's move seems oppressive, and ten planets have responded with a war of secession. Should Ensign Charlie Bass and his Marines somehow survive the nightmarishly difficult amphibious landing, they can expect to be outmanned, outgunned, and out-armored in a fierce duel against fresh soldiers. But like any Marine worth his salt, Bass knows there's only one way to go when facing impossible odds: on the offense with all guns firing.

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