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The Old Man's War universe isn't just for men any more. A new quasi-sequel will follow the old man's daughter into more battles with claim-jumping aliens. That's just one of the many, many books that military SF maven John Scalzi is putting out in 2008 and 2009. Scalzi's newly announced pipeline also includes a sequel to his blue-sheep comedy The Android's Dream. All the dirt, below the fold.
The Old Man's War trilogy isn't becoming a tetralogy, insists Scalzi. Zoe's Tale, coming in August, is a stand-alone book featuring Zoe, the daughter of the trilogy's hero. In the OMW universe, habitable planets are rare and we have to fight aliens for them. You have to be over 75 to join the Colonial Defense Force and join the brutal, bloody conflict in space. No clue whether the story jumps ahead to Zoe's 75th birthday.
The third book in the OMW trilogy, The Last Colony, comes out in paperback around the same time as the hardcover Zoe's Tale. John Perry is living on a colony world with his wife Jane and his teenage daughter Zoe, when he and Jane are asked to govern a new colony called Roanoke.
Also coming soon in paperback: a new, updated version of Agent To The Stars, Scalzi's first (and maybe silliest) novel, about aliens who want a Hollywood agent. You can still read the original "shareware" version of Agent here. (Yes, Scalzi's a scab.)
In early 2009, Scalzi aims to put out The High Castle, a sequel to The Android's Dream with another Dickian title. The first novel followed Harry Creek, a State Department alien-wrangler who has to deliver the last genetically engineered "electric blue sheep" to an alien ceremony and avert an intergalactic war. No details on Castle, except that its first chapter is just as crazy as Dream's. So expect more chapter-long fart jokes, maybe.
Coming at some point later, but maybe still in 2009, are Untitled 2008 John Scalzi Novel, an untitled fantasy novella, and a short novella for an anthology called Godlike Machines.
Scalzi also has two nonfiction books coming out in 2008: A new edition of his astronomy book The Rough Guide To The Universe, and a collection of his online columns, Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded.
Zoe's Tale cover art from Irene Gallo. [Whatever]
Comments
Glad to see that John Scalzi tag getting a workout.
Scalzi came out of nowhere and delivered four of my favorite books of all time, the Old Man's War trilogy and The Android's Dream. These books are so fun to read and are impossible to put down.
One slight correction though about the newest book in the Old Man's War universe, you only have to be 75 to join the military if you were born on earth, if I remember correctly you don't have to be 75 to join up if you are a colonist.
I am also a big fan; I stumbled onto the Old Man's War trilogy by searching for authors like Heinlein; someone recommended this, and I was hooked.
On another note, another of my favorite series was "The War Against The Chtorr" by David Gerrold; he stopped on the fourth book in 1992 and hasn't updated information on the fifth - seventh books in a couple years. If this guy dies before finishing this series I will travel as far as necessary to piss on his grave. Just thought I would share...
@nrp211: I second that, was a good find in 2007 for me. Him and Karl Schroder!
Love me some Scalzi! Can't wait for TLC to come out in paperback -- usually, I'm too poor for hardback, and wait for the trades to come out.
I may not be able to wait that long, though...
And I STILL haven't read Android yet!
All the good stuff is worth purchasing in hardcover. However, if I get TGB, TLC, and ZT in hardcover this year, I'll be way over my entertainment budget for the fall since PAX is labor day weekend.
Plus I really want the Whatever redux book.
You have to be over 75 to join the Colonial Defense Force and join the brutal, bloody conflict in space. No clue whether the story jumps ahead to Zoe's 75th birthday.
Ghost Brigade soldiers start at year zero, actually.
this is a little late to the game, datewise... but upon reading this i picked up "the old man's war" and LOVED it. can't wait to get the nest one! thanks for letting me in on this, i do appreciate it.
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