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JUNE 2007
Dear Readers,
 I don't know how much you follow astronomical developments, but there have been some new, reportedly interesting observations regarding dark matter and a certain galaxy cluster, CL0024+17. Truthfully, I have no idea how they came up with that number, but it surely holds up to rational evaluation. And as long as I'm revealing my ignorance on the subject, I might as well admit I have no idea what dark matter is. I do, however, really like they way it sounds. Dark matter is perhaps the most romantic and elusive substance since the aether.
In a way, I like the idea of aether better; an all-pervasive propagating medium which is necessary for the passage of light, as well as the determining factor for the magnetic and electrical properties of a given entity. But then again, I am prone to nostalgia. Dark matter, however, does have its merits: an invisible matter of unknown composition, its presence hypothetical, its existence inferred. I almost wish I could be described in those terms. And be sure that if that were the case, I would use my advantages to menace humanity.
I have always had a soft spot for villains and antiheroes. I guess that is why I like Maledicte so much, a debut fantasy novel we have this month. I won't bother too much with explanations here— you can read more about it below— but it is a dark and beautifully written fantasy with an antihero I adore, not to mention a full complement of rogues and vengeful aristocrats. We've also got a really outstanding novel from science fiction master Brian W. Aldiss, called HARM. I urge you to read more below and to check out Aldiss's Q & A in the feature section. It is truly an important addition to the science fiction canon, and one I hope you won't miss.
And as if that weren't enough, we've got a debut paperback military sf series called Starstrike which details the deep-space ops of future Navy SEALS (Sea, Air, Land, and Space). Coauthor and noted military historian Kevin Dockery has literally written the book on SEALs, and he knows the military inside out. His storytelling partner, Douglas Niles, is a veteran alternate history writer who brings the savvy and chops to deliver a real crash-bang-boom interstellar military adventure. June is a good month for reading, and we've got a little something for everyone. Hope you enjoy it.
Read on,
Fleetwood
frobbins@randomhouse.com
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DEL REY NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
AWARD WINNER
Congratulations to Naomi Novik and His Majesty’s Dragon, winner of the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel! Naomi received the award last weekend at Balticon 41, the annual convention sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.
SIDEWISE AWARD SHORTLIST
Robert Conroy's 1862 is among the final nominees for the 2006 Sidewise Awards for Best Long-form Alternate History. This is Conroy's first nomination to the awards. Also among the finalists is Del Rey author Harry Turtledove. The winner will be announced in early August at Archon 31 in St. Louis.
FREE BOOKS
For the month of June, we will give away 15 copies of Maledicte, a debut fantasy novel by Lane Robins. Garnering some nice early reviews, Robins was labeled “a fantasist with a future” by Publishers Weekly, and Locus called the book "a genuine page turner with some tricks up its sleeve." Readers who would like a chance at a free copy should send an email with Maledicte in the subject line to delrey@randomhouse.com by Friday, June 18.
TRANSFORMERS TRAILER
If you are at all excited about the forthcoming Transformers movie (and there is no reason you shouldn’t be “estatic” a la Mike Tyson), then you have probably seen the new trailer. But if you haven’t, you can link to it via the official movie site, www.transformersmovie.com. You might also want to check out Alan Dean Foster’s prequel novel, Ghosts of Yesterday, which was released in March, and of course we have the official novelization of Transformers, also by Alan Dean Foster, new this month.
COMMAND & CONQUER
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, our official tie-in novel to the best-selling strategy game of the same name, is available now. You can learn more about the game, which is available for both the Xbox 360 and PC platforms, through the official site at www.commandandconquer.com.
STAFF ADDITION
Del Rey bids a warm welcome to our new senior editor, Liz Scheier. Liz joins us via NAL/Roc.
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with Brian W. Aldiss
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 A conversation with HARM author Brian W. Aldiss
Question: Science fiction has a tradition of dystopian novels that comment on current political events, Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 being two of the most famous. Do you see HARM as being in that tradition?
Brian W. Aldiss: It never occurred to me. HARM is the sort of book I have been writing over the last half-century. Non-Stop, Greybeard, Forgotten Life, Super-State . . . all protest against something, generally against the shortcomings of human life itself.
Of course I have read More, Brave New World, and all the rest of the famous utopias.
Q: Why choose science fiction as the genre in which to critique the way that governments have responded to 9/11? Doesn't that risk diluting your message in ways that a realistic novel would not? For example, couldn't critics dismiss your arguments by saying that HARM is a fantasy, its main character a man with a personality disorder?
BA: I take your point. I have nothing against the realistic novel, but I am more practiced at science fiction. If people read HARM as SF, they may dismiss it as "mere SF," as they so often do. I don't feel like that about SF—and some of the truths of my story may linger, even with the scoffers. To be made uneasy is the beginning of enlightenment.
Q: Why did you choose to give your character this mental illness—was it simply a technical move, to better facilitate the translation back and forth between the two main realities of the novel: Earth and the insect-dominated world of Stygia?
BA: My character Paul's divided personality suffers another division: trouble is that he "presumes" to write a Wodehousian kind of novel. I believe that in the end he perceives he would have been better to accept the fact that he could be both British and Muslim (a question radiating some unease on both sides just now).
Read more. . .
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To bring peace and order to a galaxy at war, Jacen Solo will sacrifice anything—or anyone. Now the moment of choice is at hand.
Read the New York Times bestselling
Star Wars® Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
Also, the winning Sith Lord name will be revealed in the Star Wars® Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice, as voted on by fans.
Read an excerpt
The Alchemyst
by Michael Scott
He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.
Visit secretsofnicholasflamel.com and play the Codex Master game!
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