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When he had them aboard the Eagle and Carter was methodically going through his sequence of pre-liftoff checks, Koenig had a moment of self-doubt. He was hazarding six of the most experienced personnel of his base. If the mission ran into the ground and they failed to return from the planet, it would knock a hole in the command structure. But he told himself that nobody was indispensable. Kano’s face on the small screen reassured him. It would take a lot to throw that same one. He had shifted to take Paul Morrow’s control desk and given his own computer slot to Tanya. Bill Fraser was in at the Eagle command desk. He was young, but his skills were surpassed only by Carter’s or perhaps Tony Cellini’s. There was no real problem; it was just his ego out for a prowl.
Of course this is very intriguing. My sensors tell me it is an excerpt from A Cry in the Wilderness by Shane Johnson–chronology: after Testament Of Arkadia.
I hope Bill Fraser gets some good development in this novel, whichever it really is.
Since Cellini is referred to, it must be prior to Dragon’s Domain actually…
I’m intrigued, A season one story? Introducing some season 2 characters. It was amazing how easily the imagery formed in my head of the scene unfolding. Damn you Powys, I want this book now! 😉
Thanks for the teaser…
It’s not Shane Johnson’s story (though that is coming too) and for the reasons Spacefan noticed (Cellini’s around, so it’s prior ot Dragon’s Domain). Not referenced, but it’s also post-Infernal Machine (to give you an idea when it takes place).
I just thought people might enjoy a little sample, something to chew on for a while. We are in the final editing stages. Correcting typos, etc. And the novel has ALREADY BEEN APPROVED! (though we haven’t submitted a cover yet)
[b]Zack wrote:[/b]
[quote]Damn you Powys, I want this book now![/quote]It’s good to know we can continue to count on you, Zack, as one of our most reliable customers. 🙂
Oh, and we’ve lined up someone to write the foreword, but it’s not written yet.
I know…this is a tease. 😉
You guys are verrrry aggravating. I supply books to three other people, I pass on the news to them and they are tearing their hair out in anticipation of these books. At least I get to pass on some of the frustration I feel to my customers… :laugh:
I know how difficult it is to get a book from author to book shop and I know how hard you guys work to get as many books to us as possible. If I had one wish it would be have a 1999 book of the month club, but I know that isn’t going to happen. I’m just happy that you guys have brought back my favourite series. Thanks again guys, great job! 🙂You are welcome. Sorry to keep you waiting and to keep you in the dark about things sometimes. We may be the only publisher that sets up puzzles for its readers to figure out to learn about upcoming titles.
[spoiler]
We chose a very “Force of Life” blue star image for Resurrection and kept Balor’s appearance a complete secret. Even the reader doesn’t know what is making its way to Alpha until about page 40 or so! 😉We kept the fate of Victor Bergman, and his reappearance, a secret from Survival to Shepherd Moon–something like six years!! :whistle:
Poor William Latham, writing the Omega diaries, exploring the development of the novel(s), while making sure to not give any secret plot points away–including the existence of a second half!!
The existence of Alpha was revealed via a link printed in the back of the book! No mention of it on the site. The link led you to the image of a hand, but we disabled the little “hand” that shows up to show you there’s an embedded link, so that only if someone tried clicking on it would it take them to the Alpha ordering page. 👿
The contribution of a foreword and afterword to the Omega/Alpha novels–somebody should come up with a name for this mini-series–from Christopher Penfold was kept secret until the cover image was posted. :woohoo:
We snuck in an afterword from Catherine Schell in Born for Adversity without referencing it on the cover–a little added surprise! :cheer:
A small excerpt was posted from the next book in the series with no title, no author reference. B)
Not to mention LOTS and LOTS of little references forshadowing events in future books that may take place in future (or PAST) time!
Hey, we’re just trying to keep it interesting. 😛
[/spoiler]
You think it was easy keeping all these secrets? Think we didn’t want to blab about them to anyone who would listen? Oh, yeah, we LOVE to blab! 😛
Thank goodness we have discreet fans! Little do you know but there are fans who get to read the books at their early and advanced stages and give us feedback. People with a good story sense or knowledge of the series. Sadly, they don’t get to enjoy the surprises like everyone else.
And yes, we still have a few surprises up our sleeves…
I don’t know if I’d like to read the books before they’re finished. I can see the sense of it though. I’d be afraid all of my favourite parts would be cut out 🙁
Besides, reading with a deadline can’t be fun. If I had to do that it would be too much like work… :unsure:I must admit though, all of the stuff you’ve posted on your web site has given away every story. I’ve managed to figure out just about all of them so far. Mostly which characters would be showcased not the nitty gritty of the plot. B)
We’ve been trying to give all the major characters their due, within the parameters of the story being told. Not every book can prominently feature every character.
Born for Adversity is certainly a character driven story, and the back cover text clearly tells you who. As well, The Forsaken is clearly a Paul Morrow book, and Survival a Victor Bergman book.
Omega and Alpha are more ensemble books featuring the whole cast, probably one of the truest to the characters while being the most radical books we’ve ever published.
Ultimately though, we don’t make decisions based on how to showcase a character. We come up with an interesting story to be told, then certain characters take center stage.
One thing I like about Frieberger’s Year Two is that he allowed episodes that focus on characters other than Commander Koenig and Dr. Russell. The Beta Cloud is a Tony/Maya episode. Dorzak is a Alan/Tony/Maya story. And then you have the Tony/Helena stories, the Koenig/Maya stories. The Mark of Archanon is a rare Alan story.
Too bad there wasn’t a good Mathias-centered story. But then I am not a fan of ultra-violence. 😛
IMHO, the prose in that excerpt reads like it could use a bit of a polish. Still, good to know that the revived series still has a lot in store for us.
[b]Zack wrote:[/b]
[quote] Damn you Powys, I want this book now! 😉
[/quote]you probably already have it … … as it’s from Rankine’s Android Planet – although slightly modifiedI knew that quote seemed very familiar in style somehow – and sure enough, there it is on page 35 of the US copy, page 31 of the UK copy
Thanks Ultra, you must have a much better memory than me to be able to remember such a general piece of story. I must admit I haven’t read that particular book in a few years and, the older I get, the more of each book I find I’ve forgotten with each re-read. I did think that the piece was so general that it could have come from any particular book and Mateo’s changes made it a little more mysterious…
Fun, isn’t it? To get back that feeling we had when were were kids. As we get older and the pressures upon us build: economic, family, political and health. It’s nice to be able to dive into a new book that takes us back to a simpler time in our lives, when we looked up at every full moon and more than half-believed that one day there’d be a base up there. And beyond, a universe of mystery and awe.
We get as much fun hearing your comments (it really makes our day) as we do dreaming up the stories. We hope you get as much joy from reading them, fresh–not knowing what will happen next. That is something we can never do. But it’s worth it!
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