Here's the latest Star Wars and Star Was related news from this month's issue of the Del Rey Internet Newsletter.

The DEL REY BOOKS Internet Newsletter, Number 90 (July 2000)

WHAT'S NEW IN THE STORES========

MORTALIS by R. A. Salvatore. Hardcover. (SS)

The New York Times bestselling author of the DemonWars trilogy returns to that world with his most ambitious novel to date: a tale of grief, despair, and hope, set in the magical land of Corona.

After creating the spectacular DemonWars trilogy-an imaginative tour de force hailed by critics and readers as his finest work yet-Salvatore has surpassed himself once again in Mortalis, the stunning first volume in a brilliant new DemonWars saga. Enter a world as rich in intrigue as it is in beauty, where humans, elves, centaurs, and other creatures are allies or enemies in a timeless conflict of good against evil.

At last, the demon dactyl is gone, its dark sorceries shattered by the gemstone magic wielded by the woman known as Pony. But a new horror assails the land of Corona: a deadly plague that even Pony's supreme magical abilities cannot heal. Now Pony must undertake a pilgrimage that will test her powers and her faith-as they have never been tested before. Watchful eyes follow her: the eyes of the elves, who have stolen something precious from her and keep it for their own mysterious purposes. And the eyes of the man she hates above all else-who would desire nothing more than to destroy her utterly . . .

SAMPLE CHAPTER AVAILABLE ONLINE

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STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: VECTOR PRIME by R. A. Salvatore. Paperback. (SS)

Now in paperback! From the New York Times bestselling author of the DemonWars saga, the first in an epic series of original Star Wars novels written by acclaimed science fiction and fantasy masters.

Twenty-one years have passed since the heroes of the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, breaking the power of the Emperor. Since then, the New Republic has struggled to maintain peace and prosperity among the peoples of the galaxy. But unrest has begun to spread and threatens to destroy the Republic's tenuous reign. Then a new threat surfaces from beyond the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim-an enemy bearing weapons and technology unlike anything ever seen.

Suddenly, Luke Skywalker; his wife, Mara; Han Solo; Leia Organa Solo; and Chewbacca, along with the Solo children, are thrust again into battle, to defend the freedom so many have fought and died for. But this time, the power of the Force itself may not be enough....

SAMPLE CHAPTER AVAILABLE ONLINE

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PHYLOGENESIS by Alan Dean Foster. Paperback. (CS)

The first book in the exciting new trilogy set in the author's popular human/alien world of the Commonwealth-now in paperback to coincide with the hardcover debut of the sequel, DIRGE.

In the years after first contact, humans and the intelligent insect-like Thranx agree to a tentative sharing of ideas and cultures, despite the mutual repulsion they have yet to overcome. Thus a slow, lengthy process of limited contact begins. Yet they never plan for a chance meeting between Desvendapur, a misfit Thranx poet bored with his life, and Cheelo Montoya, a small-time criminal with big dreams of making a fast buck. Together this odd pair embark upon a journey that will forever change their beliefs, their futures, and their worlds.

SAMPLE CHAPTER AVAILABLE ONLINE

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DARWIN'S RADIO by Greg Bear. Paperback. (SS)

Now in paperback! The Del Rey debut of a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning sf master with a gripping bio-thriller about mankind's uncertain future.

Ancient diseases encoded in the DNA of humans wait like sleeping dragons to wake and infect again-or so molecular biologist Kaye Lang believes. And now it looks as if her controversial theory is in fact chilling reality. Christopher Dicken, a "virus hunter" at the Epidemic Intelligence Service, has pursued an elusive flu-like disease that strikes down expectant mothers and their offspring. Then a major discovery high in the Alps-the preserved bodies of a prehistoric family-reveals a shocking link: Something that has slept in our genes for millions of years is waking up.

SAMPLE CHAPTER AVAILABLE ONLINE

DEL REY NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS=====

ATTENTION TERRY BROOKS FANS! ANNOUNCING A VERY SPECIAL ONLINE-ONLY SHANNARA EXCLUSIVE!!

If you're a Shannara fan, you've been eagerly awaiting the next exciting chapter in Terry Brooks's irresistible, New York Times bestselling fantasy series. And you know that your local bookstore is the place to be this September, when The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch arrives in hardcover.

But what you didn't know is that there's more all-new Shannara--but you won't find it in any bookstore...or in any book! Available only online--and only to Terry Brooks e-mail list subscribers--is an original, never-before-published Shannara short story by Terry Brooks! Inspired by the new novel, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch, this stand-alone tale features a classic Shannara character in an exciting adventure created exclusively by the author for online readers.

No serious Shannara fan can dare to miss out on this very special event. Sign up now at www.shannara.com, and then be on the lookout for the all-new, online only Shannara short story by Terry Brooks--sent out to the Terry Brooks e-mail list on Friday, October 6, 2000. ---------------------------------

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR R.A. SALVATORE TO WRITE NOVEL BASED ON STAR WARS: EPISODE II

New York, June 4 - New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore will write an original novel based on the upcoming new Star Wars movie, Episode II, it was announced today by Gina Centrello, President and Publisher of Ballantine Books. The publication date of the book, which will be published in both hard and softcover by Ballantine's Del Rey division, will be announced at a later date. The new Star Wars film is scheduled to open in the summer of 2002.

The new novel, which, like the Lucasfilm movie, is yet untitled, is based on the story by George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and the screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales. Set ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Episode II follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his 19-year-old Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker as dramatic events, both personal and galactic, unfold around them.

With more than four million of his novels sold in the United States alone, R.A. Salvatore has become one of the most important figures in modern epic fantasy. He is the author of more than a dozen fantasy adventures, including the New York Times bestsellers THE HALFLING'S GEM, SOJOURN, and LEGACY. His most recent novels include THE DEMON AWAKENS, THE DEMON SPIRIT, and THE DEMON APOSTLE, as well as the New York Times bestselling VECTOR PRIME, the first volume in the epic Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series (Ballantine Books, October 1999).

"Bob Salvatore, who is known for his stirring battle scenes and for the very visual, cinematic feel of his writing, is the natural choice to write this new novel in the Star Wars program," said Ms. Centrello. "He has always written great adventure stories -- and what greater adventure could there be than a new chapter in the Star Wars epic?"

Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing, expressed his enthusiasm for both the author and the project. "Bob combines the best of fantasy adventure with compelling characters to create epic stories. He is a writer well suited to translate George's filmic vision to the written page. He did an outstanding job with VECTOR PRIME, the bestselling kickoff novel for the new Star Wars spinoff series, and we are very pleased to be working with Bob again as author of the Episode II novel."

A longtime Star Wars fan, Salvatore is delighted to join forces with the Star Wars empire. "Here I am, the same kid who watched the original Star Wars movie with wide-eyed awe, getting ready to sit down with George Lucas and the other folks at Lucasfilm and help expand Mr. Lucas's vision of the next installment of the magical series into the novel format. I'm thrilled, I'm honored, I'm stunned, I'm ecstatic -- I'm all of those things and more. How could I not be?"

Ballantine's sister Random House Inc. companies abroad will publish this new Star Wars novel throughout the English-speaking world simultaneously with Ballantine's publication. The companies include Random House UK, Random House Australia, Random House New Zealand, Random House South Africa, and in Canada, Ballantine Books. The novel will also be available concurrently throughout the English-speaking world in audio format from Random House Audio Publishing.

Del Rey, a division of Ballantine Books, has been publishing the bestselling novelizations of the first three Star Wars films for over 20 years, in addition to a plethora of other Star Wars fiction and nonfiction titles. In October 1997, Ballantine Books and Lucasfilm announced a comprehensive licensing agreement under which Del Rey would publish approximately 25 books in the Star Wars program before 2006. This includes novels of the movies and movie tie-ins, novels in The New Jedi Order fiction program, "bridge" novels that take place between Episodes I, II, and III, and nonfiction books, both in the new and the classic Star Wars programs.

The first movie novel, the #1 bestselling STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE, by Terry Brooks, was published in May 1999. The New Jedi Order fiction program began with two bestsellers, STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: VECTOR PRIME by R.A. Salvatore (Hardcover, October 1999) and STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: ONSLAUGHT by Michael Stackpole (Mass Market, January 2000). Greg Bear's STAR WARS: ROGUE PLANET (May 2000), currently a fixture on bestseller lists nationwide, is the first bridge novel in the hardcover fiction program. Recently published Star Wars nonfiction titles include STAR WARS: EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE ILLUSTRATED SCRIPTS (May 1999), THE MAKING OF STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE (May 1999), THE ART OF STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE (September 1999), and THE STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA (October 1999).

Ballantine Books is a division of Random House Inc., the world's largest English-language general trade book publisher. Its imprints include Ballantine, Del Rey, Fawcett, Ivy, and One World. The publishing divisions of Random House publish more than 3,500 new adult and children's titles annually in hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, audio, and electronic formats in the U.S. Random House, Inc. is a unit of the Book Division of Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company.

Based in Marin County, California, Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the leading film and entertainment companies in the world. Lucasfilm Ltd.'s businesses include George Lucas's film and television production and distribution activities as well as the business activities of the THX Group. Lucasfilm's feature films have won 17 Oscars and received 56 Academy Award nominations, and its television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards.

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STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER:VECTOR PRIME

The paperback edition of STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: VECTOR PRIME goes onsale this month. Regretfully, there was a printing error and the author interview with R.A. Salvatore which should have appeared in the back of the book was omitted. If you are interested in reading the interview it is available online

WORKS IN PROGRESS: Changes, Additions, Updates======

SIGNINGS, READINGS, CONVENTION ATTENDANCE BY DEL REY AUTHORS===

R. A. SALVATORE will be at San Diego ComicCon July 21 to 23. DEL REY Editors will also be there. Come by and vist us at our booth.

R. A. SALVATORE will be signing MORTALIS at the following stores:
July 9: Waldenbooks in Waterford, Connecticut at 2:00PM
July 11: Barnes & Noble in Leominster, Massachusetts at 7:00PM
July 15: Waldenbooks in Detroit, Michigan at 1:00PM
July 15: Waldenbooks, 2040 S Reynolds Road in Toledo, Ohio at 6:00PM
July 16: Books & Co. in Dayton, Ohio at 1:30PM
July 17: Media Play in Salt Lake City, Utah at 7:00PM
July 18: Davis County Public Library in Salt Lake City, Utah at 7:00PM
July 19: University Books in Seattle, Washington at 7:00PM
July 20: Powell's Beaverton in Seattle, Washington at 7:00PM
July 21: San Diego ComiCon: At the Del Rey Booth San Diego, California
July 24: Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach, California at 7:00PM
July 25: Dangerous Visions in Sherman Oaks, California at 6:00PM

LATEST EXCERPTS ONLINE=============

Sample chapters of most of our books since January 1995 are available online. This month's books are MORTALIS by R. A. Salvatore, WIT'CH WAR, STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: VECTOR PRIME by R. A. Salvatore, DARWIN'S RADIO by Greg Bear, and PHYLOGENESIS by Alan Dean Foster.

A sample chapter archive is available on the Del Rey Web site. Sample chapters for our more recent titles will be in the Books@Random online catalog.

DEL REY PUBLICATION DATA============

JULY 2000:

MORTALIS by R. A. Salvatore (F) 345-43039-5 Hardcover, 406 pp; cover art by Keith Parkinson; SS, editor

STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: VECTOR PRIME by R. A. Salvatore (SF) Mass market edition of our 10/99 hardcover; 345-42845-5 Paperback, 416 pp; cover art by cover art by Cliff Nielsen; SS, editor

DARWIN'S RADIO by Greg Bear (SF) Mass market edition of our 9/99 hardcover; 345-43524-9 Paperback, 544 pp; cover design by David Stevenson; SS, editor

PHYLOGENESIS by Alan Dean Foster (SF) Mass market edition of our 6/99 hardcover; 345-41861-1 Paperback, 304 pp; cover art by Mark Harrison; CS, editor

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AUGUST 2000:

STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: AGENTS OF CHAOS I: HERO'S TRIAL by James Luceno (SF) 345-42860-9 Paperback, 416 pp; cover art by Rick Berry; SS, editor

BASTION OF DARKNESS by R. A. Salvatore (F) 345-42193-0 Paperback, 352 pp; cover art by Eric Peterson; SS, editor

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SEPTEMBER 2000:

THE VOYAGE OF THE JERLE SHANNARA: ILSE WITCH by Terry Brooks (F) 345-39654-5 Hardcover, 464 pp; cover art by Steve Stone; KYL, editor

THE ART OF STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE by Jonathan Bresman (SF) 345-43109-X Trade Paperback, 216 pp; cover art courtesy of Lucasfilm; SWS, editor

ANGEL FIRE EAST by Terry Brooks (F) 345-43525-7 Paperback, 384 pp; cover art by Brom; KYL, editor

THE FIRST KING OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F) 345-39653-7 Reissue, 448 pp; cover art by Steve Stone; KYL, editor

THE SWORD OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F) 345-31425-5 Reissue, 736 pp; cover art by Steve Stone; KYL, editor

THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F) 345-28554-9 Reissue, 576 pp; cover art by Steve Stone; KYL, editor

THE WISHSONG OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks (F) 345-35636-5 Reissue, 512 pp; cover art by Steve Stone; KYL, editor

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OCTOBER 2000:

HELL ON EARTH by Michael Reaves (F) 345-42335-6 Hardcover, 304 pp; cover design by David Stevenson; SS, editor

GUIDE TO THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE 3rd Edition by Bill Slavicsek (SF) 345-42066-7 Trade Paperback, 608 pp; cover design by Min Choi; SWS, editor

STAR WARS:THE NEW JEDI ORDER AGENTS OF CHAOS II: JEDI ECLIPSE By James Luceno (SF) 345-42859-5 Paperback, 320 pp; cover art by Rick Berry/Braid Media Arts; SS, editor

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NOVEMBER 2000:

STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: BALANCE POINT by Kathy Tyers (SF) 345-42857-9 Hardcover, 400 pp; cover design by David Stevenson and Min Choi; SS editor

KNIGHT OF THE DEMON QUEEN by Barbara Hambly (F) 345-42190-6 Paperback, 352 pp; cover illustration by Donato Giancola; SS editor

TFN Note: This is the same interview that recently appeared on the Official site, with the exception of the last question.

IN DEPTH========

Interview with Greg Bear author of STAR WARS: ROGUE PLANET (available now in hardcover):

Del Rey: How did ROGUE PLANET come about? How much of the idea behind the book is yours, and how much George Lucas's?

Greg Bear: I developed the idea and pitched it to the folks at Lucasfilm, Skywalker Ranch; with a few minor changes, the idea proceeded to book form as originally conceived. Technical corrections and some character details and limitations were imposed, of course, to make the book fit into the STAR WARS universe... but I think they were comparatively minor.

Del Rey: Professional science fiction writers have never been quite sure what to make of STAR WARS; some embrace it wholeheartedly, while others wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot Lightsaber. Why is that?

Greg Bear: Success breeds discontent, and STAR WARS is quite different from the kind of science fiction exemplified by, say, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, or DARWIN'S RADIO. But I grew up on many different kinds of SF, from Edgar Rice Burroughs to Edward E. "Doc" Smith and Jack Williamson, as well as Arthur C. Clarke. Storytelling is storytelling. Having to work to order for your main ticket (writing nothing but STAR WARS novels) would be stifling, but getting a chance to dabble in George's universe one time only, with these characters, in this timeline, is like a vacation on an exotic island.

Del Rey: Did you try to bring the same quality of scientific rigor to ROGUE PLANET that distinguishes your other novels?

Greg Bear: No. STAR WARS is as much techno-myth as SF, and while my aliens and planetscapes are feasible, up to a point, I did not feel it necessary to dot every i and cross every t on technical details. Nor would I in any space adventure novel. FTL travel is a given in the STAR WARS universe, but I feel no need to create a new rationale for it, as I did in, say, MOVING MARS; nor did I feel it necessary to work out all the tactical physics of space battle, as I did in ANVIL OF STARS. (Watching Alderaan blow up in Episode IV might have prompted me to describe what a planet would really look like, exploding, in THE FORGE OF GOD; but George Lucas would not have wanted to devote so much time to what is, after all, a minor plot element.)

Del Rey: After Episode I, some critics complained that the distance between the boy Anakin and Darth Vader, the man he grows up to be, was so great as to be unbridgeable. What insights can you offer us into the character of the two Anakins: the boy and the man?

Greg Bear: I suggest reading ROGUE PLANET, since that was obviously my task: to show, for the first time, how Anakin Skywalker could possibly grow up to become Darth Vader. The elements were there, they just needed to be fleshed out. It's regrettable that George Lucas didn't pick up Anakin's development a little farther along, but that left the opening for me, and I took it with glee. And obviously George has things planned for Episode II.

Del Rey: Let me pose the same question with regard to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Greg Bear: A tougher character to handle in some respects, because we see him at a subdued stage in his later life. Working between Dave Wolverton's Obi-Wan character and the young adult in Episode I provided a good skeleton for my version of Obi-Wan, a man in search of truth, but attached to conceptions of almost courtly dignity; a passionate man, yet seeking wisdom through restraint. He's a good foil for the young Anakin.

Del Rey: I know that writers who've had the opportunity to write STAR WARS books develop their own understanding of the Force. What's yours?

Greg Bear: No different from George's, as I understand it: the Force is like Ch'i, in the Buddhist conception, with a hint of Tao as well--both impetus and shape, as it were, metaphysical energy plus direction, which can go either way, yin or yang. As a shaper of living things, the Force acquires some more subtleties, but the oriental flavor is clear. The Force is not judgmental, not particularly personalized, and difficult to grasp even for a Jedi Master. And the Force is never a nursemaid!

Del Rey: Is there a chance you'll write more STAR WARS novels?

Greg Bear: Probably not. It's been great fun, but I've said my say, and I have far too many of my own books to write!

Del Rey: Are you working on the sequel to DARWIN'S RADIO now? What can you tell us about it?

Greg Bear: DARWIN'S CHILDREN will be written sometime in 2001, and will take Stella Nova from her thirteenth year through middle maturity, with an emphasis on the new society being shaped by this biological leap. Next up is VITALS, a novel about the search for longevity... With some really scary discursions into recent history, mind control, and modern biology.