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SF-LOVERS Digest          Wednesday, 10 Feb 1993       Volume 18 : Issue 92

Today's Topics:

                    Books - Del Rey Internet Newsletter

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Date: 6 Feb 93 17:03:48 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Ellen Key Harris)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Del Rey Internet Newsletter (long)

|DEL|  NAME GOES HERE
|REY|  The DEL REY BOOKS On-Line Newsletter

Number 1 (February 1993)

IMHO (or, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?)

   Welcome to the new Del Rey Internet newsletter!  We're going to be
posting an issue every month to let you know about the books that are
coming out soon, tell you what authors you're interested in are up to, and
explain a little of what goes on behind the scenes in the halls of Del Rey.
(That shouldn't be too hard, because our combined hall space is only about
23 feet.)  Since this is our first issue, I thought I'd run through the
sections we're starting out with:
   WHAT'S NEW IN THE STORES: Descriptions of our latest titles.  Since
bookstores receive our books about a month before the official publication
date, the February issue's latest titles are March books but, they're out
there now (or they will be very soon - stockroom speed varies from store to
store).
   DEL REY DATA: Our most recent and soon-to-come titles, with page lengths
and cover artists.  Intermittently, we'll let you know here about books
we've acquired, projects we've just begun, and manuscripts that have just
been turned in.
   BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE MONTH: Most months we'll be including a
bibliography/biography of one of our authors, either one who has been being
discussed on the Net, or one whose books are relevant to a currently
popular discussion subject.  This month's author is Canadian Dave Duncan,
author of THE CUTTING EDGE and the _A Man of His Word_ series - the kind of
fantasy writer I like best: one with a sense of humor!  (Unfortunately,
this asset doesn't really show very well in a bibliography.)
   IN DEPTH: This is our authors' chance to show you what goes on _behind_
the books you read: why they wrote them, how they wrote them, and what they
think about science fiction, fantasy, the writing life, publishing, and
almost anything else of interest.  This month Nicola Griffith, author of
February's Del Rey Discovery title AMMONITE, explains how her first novel
flies in the face of the stereotypes she sees, and despairs of, in a lot of
sf and fantasy.
   Q & A: Obviously, a question-and-answer section.  Send questions to me,
[e-mail]; questions of general interest will be addressed each month.
   IMHO: The Del Rey newsletter's version of an editorial.  Despite its
title, though, I don't intend to use this space to put forth my opinions
(humble or not) as if they're newsworthy - I'd rather keep my opinions
incidental and spend my time explaining some "insider" details of the
publishing world.  Have you ever wondered how a manuscript becomes a
finished book?  Who writes the copy on the front and back covers, and how?
What really goes on in the slushpile?  And cover art is chosen and
developed?  If so, this is the space to watch.
   Usually, you'll find IMHO at the end of the newsletter, not the
beginning; but for this inaugural issue, I wanted to start off by
explaining what we're doing and how we'll be doing it.  And _why_ we're
doing it: we're doing it because of you.  The Internet is a great way to
make contact with readers like you - people who read sf and fantasy and
think about it, too.  Sure, we want you to know about our books and our
authors, but we also we want to give you a way to ask questions about
publishing and get the real story.  If all we wanted was to sell more
books, it would be easy to post a message every once in a while about when
the next David Eddings, Terry Brooks, or Anne McCaffrey hardcover was
coming out.  But what we're trying to do, and this may be too ambitious,
but you never know until you try, is open up a channel of easy, inexpensive
communication between you, the readers, and us, the publisher.  We know
from experience that it's frustrating to be a reader if you don't know
what's going on.  Why aren't books in a series published all at once?  Why
do book prices keep going up?  Why do books become unavailable a year or
two after they're published?  So we'll do our best to answer questions like
these and give you a real look behind the scenes.
   Let us know what you think.  Especially if you have any good ideas for a
name...

Ellen Key Harris
Associate Editor
Del Rey Books
[e-mail]

WHAT'S NEW IN THE STORES

THE TALISMANS OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks. Hardcover.
   The descendants of the Elven house of Shannara had all completed their
quests.  Walker Boh, using the power of the Black Elfstone, had restored
the lost Druid's keep, Paranor, and had become the last Druid himself.
Wren had found the missing Elves and brought them back from the island of
Morrowindl to the Four Lands.  Now she was Queen of the Elves.  And Par had
found what quite possibly was the legendary Sword of Shannara.
   But their work was not yet done - the Shadowen still swarmed over the
Four Lands, poisoning all with their dark magic.  And the leader of the
Shadowen, Rimmer Dall, was determined that the scions of Shannara would not
share with each other the knowledge that would end the sickness.  Against
Walker Boh, then, he would dispatch the Four Horsemen.  To Wren Elessedil,
he would send a friend who would betray her.  And for Par Ohmsford, whose
wishsong was growing steadily more uncontrollable, he had the most evil
plan of all . . .
   The charges given by the shade of the Druid Allanon were doomed to
fail unless the Shannara children could escape the traps being laid for
them, and Par could find a way to use the Sword of Shannara...

ELF QUEEN OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks.  Paperback.
   "Find the Elves and return them to the lands of men!" the shade of the
Druid Allanon had ordered Wren.
   It was clearly an impossible task.  The Elves had been gone from the
Westlands for more than a hundred years.  There was not even a trace of
their former city of Arborlon left to mark their passing.  No one in the
Westlands knew of them - except, finally, the Addershag.
   The blind old woman had given instructions to find a place on the coast
of the Blue Divide, build a fire, and keep it burning for three days.  "One
will come for you."
   Tiger Ty, the Wing Rider, had come on his giant Roc to carry her and her
friend Garth to the only clear landing site on the island of Morrowindl,
where, he said, the Elves _might_ still exist, somewhere in the
demon-haunted jungle.
   Now she stood within that jungle, remembering the warning of the
Addershag: "Beware, Elf-girl! I see danger ahead for you...and evil beyond
imagining."  It had proved all too true.  Wren stood with her single weapon
of magic, listening as demons evil beyond all imagining gathered for
attack.  How long could she resist?
   And if, by some miracle, she reached the Elves and could convince them
to return, how could they possibly retrace her perilous path to reach the
one safe place on the coast?

EMPIRE'S END
by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch.  Paperback.

AT LAST!  THE EXPLOSIVE FINALE OF STEN'S ADVENTURES AS THE ETERNAL
EMPEROR'S MOST TRUSTED FRIEND, BODYGUARD, TROUBLESHOOTER...AND ASSASSIN!

   SEE Sten undertake the ultimate treasure hunt, as he and his comrades
seek out the source of the Eternal Emperor's power: Anti- Matter Two.
   LEARN the secret of the Eternal Emperor's past: Who is he?  Where did he
come from?  And how did he become immortal?
   WATCH as the loyal Sten turns traitor at last, turning on the Eternal
Emperor to save his own skin...and the Empire itself!

ETERNITY IS DOOMED TO END.  AND IF STEN HAS HIS WAY, IT WILL END SOONER
THAN LATER!

DANCER OF THE SIXTH by Michelle Shirey Crean.  Paperback.
   Dancer, second in command of the military intelligence unit called the
Sixth Service, was a hotshot fighter pilot known for her utter
fearlessness.  But there were things in Dancer's past she could not face,
and much she could not even remember.  For her own good, or for their
purposes, the Sixth Service had long ago conditioned her to forget.
   But then Dancer came face-to-face with her past.  A military stunt
fighter crashed on an outpost planet where the Sixth was stationed, and the
rescued pilot, a member of the crack Aerial Demonstration Team, claimed
Dancer's own name and wore the same face.  The woman was flying drugged -
unheard of for a member of the Team.  And the Team had been flying where it
had no reason to be, especially during peacetime.
   Something was definitely not right.  So when the Team demanded its pilot
back, the Sixth kept her.  In her place went Dancer, disguised as
herself unaware that her past was to play a crucial role in her immediate
future...

DEL REY DISCOVERY
Experience the wonder of discovery with Del Rey's newest authors!

TAKING FLIGHT by Lawrence Watt-Evans.  Paperback.
   Kelder had always dreamed of a life more exciting than what waited for
him on the family farm.  So when a fortune teller predicted a glorious
future, that he'd roam free and unfettered and be a champion of the lost
and forlorn, he immediately set out on the fabled Great Highway to Shan in
search of adventure.
   But once he was on the road, life was hardly as exciting as he'd hoped,
until he met Irith.  She was the most beautiful girl, and the only girl
with wings, that Kelder had ever seen.  They teamed up to see the world,
and then Kelder found adventures aplenty: There were bandits and demons and
there were curses to lift, wizards to seek spells from, orphans to
champion, and legendary cities to visit.  For the young and carefree, life
on the Great Highway was filled with fun, action, and magic.
   But Kelder began to wonder about his beautiful companion.  Irith
certainly had seen a lot of the world for one so young and everyone along
the highway seemed to know her... Soon discovering Irith's secrets became
Kelder's greatest adventure of all ...

DEL REY DATA

February books:
THE OATHBOUND WIZARD by Christopher Stasheff (F)
   Hardcover, 400 pp; cover art by Darrell K. Sweet
DARK PRINCE by David Gemmell (F)
   Trade paperback, 576 pp; cover art by Tom Stimpson
THE CALIFORNIA VOODOO GAME by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes (SF)
   A _Dream Park_ Novel
   Paperback, 352 pp; cover art by Dorian Vallejo
DOG WIZARD by Barbara Hambly (F)
   Paperback, 448 pp; cover art by Michael Herring
DEL REY DISCOVERY:  AMMONITE by Nicola Griffith (SF)
   Paperback, 368 pp; cover art by Bruce Jensen
SKY ROAD by Ann Tonsor Zeddies (SF)
   Paperback, 448 pp; cover art by David Mattingly

March books:
THE TALISMANS OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F)
   Hardcover, 464 pp; cover art by Keith Parkinson
THE ELF QUEEN OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F)
   Paperback, 368 pp; cover art by Keith Parkinson
EMPIRE'S END by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch (SF)
   Paperback, 448 pp; cover art by Bruce Jensen
DEL REY DISCOVERY:  DANCER OF THE SIXTH by Michelle Crean (SF)
   Paperback, 320 pp; cover art by Michael Hescox
TAKING FLIGHT by Lawrence Watt-Evans (F)
   Paperback, 288 pp; cover art by Tim Hildebrandt
THE STAR WARS TRILOGY by Lucas, Glut, & Kahn (SF)
   Paperback, 480 pp; cover art from the Star Wars movie poster

April books:
THE SPOILS OF WAR by Alan Dean Foster (SF)
   Book Three of _The Damned_
   Hardcover, 288 pp; cover art by Barclay Shaw
THE CUTTING EDGE by Dave Duncan (F)
   Book One of _A Handful of Men_
   Paperback, 320 pp; cover art by Jim Burns
TRANSCENDENCE by Charles Sheffield (SF)
   _The Heritage Universe,_ Book Three
   Paperback, 304 pp; cover art by Bruce Jensen
THE NAPOLEON WAGER by William R. Forstchen (SF)
   _The Gamester Wars,_ Book Three
   Paperback, 320 pp; cover art by David Mattingly
DEL REY DISCOVERY:  THE DRYLANDS by Mary Rosenblum (SF)
   Paperback, 288 pp; cover art by Peter Peebles

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE MONTH:  Dave Duncan

People have been wondering about Duncan's latest hardcover, THE CUTTING
EDGE, whether it's related to his _A Man of His Word_ series (it is - the
new series takes up with the same characters many years down the road),and
what else he's written, so...
   Books are listed in chronological order, and are fantasy unless noted
(SF).

A ROSE-RED CITY
SHADOW (SF)
The Seventh Sword:
   THE RELUCTANT SWORDSMAN
   THE COMING OF WISDOM
   THE DESTINY OF THE SWORD
WEST OF JANUARY (SF)
STRINGS (SF)
HERO! (SF)
THE REAVER ROAD
A Man of His Word:
   MAGIC CASEMENT
   FAERY LANDS FORLORN
   PERILOUS SEAS
   EMPEROR AND CLOWN
A Handful of Men:
   THE CUTTING EDGE
   UPLAND OUTLAWS (forthcoming)
   THE STRICKEN FIELD (forthcoming)
   THE LIVING GOD (forthcoming)

Dave Duncan was born in Scotland in 1933 and educated at Dundee High School
and the University of St. Andrews.  He moved to Canada in 1955 and has
lived in Calgary ever since.  He is married and has three grown children.
   After a thirty-year career as a petroleum geologist, he discovered that
it was much easier (and more fun) to invent his own worlds than try to make
sense of the real one.

IN DEPTH

Ursula K. Le Guin called AMMONITE, February's Del Rey Discovery, "a
knockout first novel, with strong, likeable characters, a compelling story,
and a very interesting take on gender."  A fiercely humane first novel by
Nicola Griffith, AMMONITE propels the reader on a parallel journey of
internal and external exploration into a world of challenge, ritual, and
confrontation both with the self and the alien without.  It is the story of
Marguerite Angelica Taishan, Marghe, a woman who has lost everything once
before and who now, by going to the planet Jeep at the behest of the
Durallium Company, may be about to lose everything once again.
   Here Nicola Griffith talks about writing AMMONITE:

"Are women human?"  That question forms the subtext of more speculative
fiction novels - fantasy, SF, horror, utopia and dystopia - than I can
count.  I intended AMMONITE as a body blow to those who feel the question
has any relevance in today's world.
   I am tired of token women being strong in a man's world by taking on
male attributes: strutting around in black leather, spike heels and
wraparound shades, killing people; or riding a horse, swearing a lot,
carrying a big sword, and killing people; or piloting a ship through
hyperspace, drinking whatever pours, slapping boys on the back, and killing
people.  I am equally tired of women-only worlds where all the characters
are wise, kind, beautiful, stern seven-feet-tall vegetarian amazons who
would never dream of killing anyone.  I am tired or reading about aliens
who are really women, or women who are really aliens.
   Women are not aliens.  Take away men and we do not automatically lose
our fire and intelligence and sex drive; we do not form hierarchical,
static, insect-like societies that are dreadfully inefficient.  We do not
turn into a homogenous Thought Police culture where meat-eating is banned
and men are burned in effigy every full moon.  Women are not inherently
passive or dominant, maternal or vicious.  We are all different.  We are
all people.
   A women-only world, it seems to me, would shine with the entire spectrum
of human behavior: there would be capitalists and collectivists, hermits
and clan members, sailors and cooks, idealists and tyrants; they would be
generous and mean, smart and stupid, strong and weak; they would approach
life bravely, fearfully, and thoughtlessly.  Some might still engage in
fights, wars, and territorial squabbles; individuals and cultures would
still display insanity and greed and indifference.  And they would change
and grow, just like anyone else.  Because women are anyone else.  We are
more than half humanity.  We are not imitation people, or chameleons taking
on protective male coloration, longing for the day when men go away and we
can return to being our true, insect-like, static, vacuous selves.  We are
here, now.  We are just like you.
   But AMMONITE is more than an attempt to redress the balance.  It's a
novel.  One about people - how they look at the world and how the world
makes them change; one that attempts to look at biology and wonder "what
if..."; one that shows readers different ways to be; one that takes them to
other places, where the air and the temperature and the myths are not the
same.  If, a week after reading AMMONITE, you pause over lunch, fork
halfway to your mouth, and remember the scent of Jeep's night air, or on
your way to work daydream about the endless snow of Tehuantepec, or wonder
for a moment as you climb into bed whether or not a virus _could_ enhance
our senses, then I've done my job.

   Nicola Griffith

Q & A
No questions this month.  For "why are we doing this?" see IMHO.

Ellen Key Harris
Associate Editor
Del Rey Books
201 E. 50th St., NY, NY   10022
[e-mail]

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End of SF-LOVERS Digest
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