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Dead Space: Catalyst prequel novel available this autumn
Traversing transmedia opportunities, Tor Books and EA are hooking up on a second Dead Space novel. Dead Space: Catalyst, written by B.K. Evenson, follows the Black Marker threat prior to the events of Dead Space.According to the PR, Catalyst takes place "three hundred years in the future," or two hundred years before the incident on the USG Ishimura in Dead Space, which occurs in 2507.This is the second Dead Space novel by Evenson, who wrote Dead Space: Martyr back in 2010 and covered the origins of the Church of Unitology and the "Black Marker." Catalyst will be available on October 2, 2012.
Sci-fi publisher announces Tor and Forge will go DRM-free with all e-book titles
Science fiction is often said to foresee the future, and today, that news couldn't ring more true. Tom Doherty Associates, a subsidiary of Macmillan and publisher of popular sci-fi and fantasy brands such as Tor and Forge, today announced that as of early July, all of its current e-books will be distributed without DRM restrictions. The company's president, Tom Doherty, revealed the shift as a long-time request of both its readers and authors -- which unsurprisingly, are a rather tech-savvy bunch. In addition to the move affecting all of Doherty's current sales channels, the move will allow the publisher to seek out independent e-book dealers that sell only DRM-free titles. While the move is unlikely to extend to the rest of Macmillan's properties anytime soon, just leave it to the sci-fi community to show others the way forward. Perhaps the future isn't gonna be so scary after all.
PSA: BioShock: Rapture novel surfaces at retail
Just a quick reminder that the new novel, BioShock: Rapture, is now available from your bookseller of choice (well, maybe not all of them). Penned by sci-fi and fantasy author John Shirley, the book tells the story of Andrew Ryan and the beginnings of his underwater metropolis. If you would (kindly) like to add it to your collection, BioShock: Rapture is available in both paperback and hardcover. In addition, Shirley will host a panel at Comic-Con this Friday. Entitled "Writing in Videogames," the panel begins at 10am in room 32AB. Shirley will also be on hand to sign copies of BioShock: Rapture at the Tor Books booth (#2707) from 12pm to 1pm.
Halo: Glasslands novel arrives this October
Announced last year, the sequel to the Halo novel Ghosts of Onyx has been given both a name and a release date. Halo: Glasslands, penned by Star Wars and Gears of War novelist Karen Traviss, will hit bookshelves later this year on October 25. Glasslands marks the first in a new trilogy -- separate from the Forerunner trilogy by Greg Bear -- and will "explore the Halo Universe in the wake of the final events of Halo 3." In addition to the release date, publisher Tor Books has also revealed the cover for Glasslands. You might have noticed that the image is dripping with subtext. It's clear there's something going on between this Spartan and Elite, but what is it? What are they thinking? We've taken a few liberties and created our own version of the cover to fill in some of the missing pieces. Find high resolution versions of both images in the gallery below. %Gallery-127510%
Get an early taste of the BioShock: Rapture novel
Announced in a partnership back in 2009, the Tor and Take-Two undertaking of BioShock: Rapture, a novel detailing the events of Rapture prior to the original game, is finally making its way to bookshelves on July 19. Tor, in anticipation of this event, has published the first excerpt of the novel to the public, taken from the book's first chapter. The prequel novel is written by John Shirley, an accomplished screen and songwriter, as well as the Bram Stoker-award winning author of Black Butterflies. He also wrote the script for The Crow, so Brandon Lee fans take note. To read the excerpt, hit up the source link below.
New Halo novels to continue Ghosts of Onyx story
Tor Books has announced that a new series of Halo novels are on the way. Not to be confused with the upcoming trilogy by Greg Bear, these will be penned by Karen Traviss, author of the Gears of War novels as well as the short story "Human Weakness" from the 2009 Halo Evolutions collection. The first new novel to be penned by Traviss will serve as a sequel to Ghosts of Onyx, and will reveal the fate of its team of Spartans. The series promises to "explore the Halo Universe in the wake of the final events of Halo 3." Presumably, the novels will also contain a heavy does of alien murder. We've contacted Tor in hopes of pinning down a release window for the new novels. Meanwhile, Bear's trilogy is set to debut this year. Find the press release after the break.
Dead Space: Martyr novel tells story prior to Dead Space
Click to necromorph image to full size Looking to bone up on your knowledge of the Church of Unitology? Tor Books, in collaboration with Visceral Games, will release Dead Space: Martyr this July -- a book that will not only explain the origins of the fanatical church, but also that of the "Black Marker," the powerful alien artifact discovered on Earth in Dead Space's fictional future universe. The book stars Michael Altman, the geophysicist who first discovers the potential for crazed-out hallucinations from alien artifacts. Steve Papoutsis, Dead Space 2 executive producer, hopes that Martyr is "the first of many books to let fans dive deeply into Dead Space's secrets and immersive lore." Dead Space: Martyr by B.K. Evenson will retail for $14.99 when it releases this July.
Halo: Evolutions story collection available now
Microsoft and Tor Books have issued a friendly reminder that the Halo: Evolutions story collection has officially hit the shelves. The collection includes tales from the Halo universe penned by series authors Eric Nylund and Thomas Buckell, as well as others by 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor, Bungie's Robt McLees, sci-fi author Karen Traviss and others. The book retails for $14.99, but it can be had for much less if you know where to look. For those who have picked it up already, any good?
Tor announces Halo: Evolutions story collection
We know what you're thinking. "Sure, I like how much of my life is devoted to keeping track of the different Halo properties, but if there were just one more, just a single other thing I could add to the pile, my life would really be complete."Tor Books answers the call today with Halo: Evolutions, featuring a number of new short stories from authors like Halo novelists Eric Nylund and Tobias Buckell, and Karen Traviss, who wrote Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant. We're assuming F.X. Nine was otherwise occupied.The book, which features "a wide variety of tales set across the span of the Halo universe," will arrive this November 24.
New EVE Online novel "The Burning Life" is on the way
There may be big things on the horizon for the lore of EVE Online with the forthcoming release of a second novel for the game, "The Burning Life". The sci-fi novel is written by Hjalti Daníelsson (aka CCP Abraxas) who has written many of the EVE Chronicles -- short, gritty tales that show readers the various facets of life in New Eden. The Chronicles have been a way of driving the game's lore forward for years, so we're wondering what to expect from The Burning Life. Could it possibly be tied in with the new directions that CCP Games wants to take with EVE's lore? At this point we don't know have much information about the novel, or whether it will be tied in with an upcoming expansion as the Empyrean Age novel by Tony Gonzales was in 2008. There are paperback release dates listed for 2009 in North America (Tor) and 2010 in Europe (Gollancz).[Via Ga'len]
