The Spring/Summer 2009 Blockbuster Movie Edition

Past the break, find out about what Star Wars authors’ Timothy Zahn and Alan Dean Foster are doing and how it ties into novels based on this spring and summer’s biggest blockbuster movies.

This new semi-regular column for NJOE is going to focus mostly on Star Wars authors’ non-Star Wars books, with a little ‘media tie-in fiction’ for good measure. I’m going to bring you previews, new titles and release dates, with the plan of tackling these much the same way we do the entire Star Wars line of novels. I’ll give you links to places where you can find free downloads of fiction by these novelists, and I intend to review novels that fit into this category right here in this column. It is my hope that with all of this you’ll get excited about reading more books from the authors you’ve discovered through Star Wars.

So without further ado, let’s start volume 1 with…

MEDIA TIE-INS

One of the many big movies coming soon is Terminator Salvation, and I was pleased to find not one, but two Star Wars authors doing the tie-in novels for this film. First there’s the book I’m most excited about, Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes: The Official Prequel Novelization by Timothy Zahn (which was released on Mar 17, 2009 at $7.99). A small quote to whet your appetite:

In post-Judgment Day LA, two lost kids named Kyle and Star keep watch for Terminators; a jaded Marine struggles to keep his rag-tag community together in the face of unrelenting danger; and John and Kate Connor assemble their Resistance team for a brutal assault on a deadly enemy.

The second is the Terminator Salvation: The Official Movie Novelization by Alan Dean Foster (April 28, 2009 pb $7.99).

The eagerly awaited fourth Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation, starring Christian Bale and directed by McG, reaches cinemas on 22 May 2009.

In a brand-new chapter in the Terminator chronicles, Judgment Day has come to pass and Skynet has destroyed much of the world’s population. In this post-apocalyptic world, the resistance, led by John Connor, continues its brutal fight for survival.

The official novelisation will provide readers with the full story of this much-anticipated movie – a must for all Terminator fans!

Alan Dean Foster has been busy, he’s also done the novelization of the upcoming Star Trek film. There will also be an audio version of this book, read by Zachary Quinto who plays Spock in the upcoming film. Quoting the back blurb:

“Are you willing to settle for an ordinary life? Or do you think you were meant for something better? Something special?”

One grew up in the cornfields of Iowa, fighting for his independence, for a way out of a life that promised only indifference, aimlessness and obscurity.

“You will forever be a child of two worlds, capable of choosing your own destiny. The only question you face is, which path will you chose?”

The other grew up on the jagged cliffs of the harsh Vulcan desert, fighting for acceptance, for a way to reconcile the logic he was taught with the emotions he felt.

In the far reaches of the galaxy, a machine of war bursts into existence in a place and time it was never meant to be. On a mission of retribution for the destruction of his planet, its half-mad captain seeks the death of every intelligent being, and the annihilation of every civilized world.

Kirk and Spock, two completely different and unyielding personalities must find a way to lead the only crew, aboard the only ship, that can stop him.

“The wait is over.”

Both the novelization and the audio book above will be available May 12^th, Star Trek the movie will be released to theaters on May 8^th, 2009.

He’s also doing the Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen novelization coming May 26th, as well as a prequel/bridge novel between the original film and the sequel, called Transformers: The Veiled Threat coming April 28^th. According to Alan Dean Foster‘s blog, The Veiled Threat was originally titled Infiltration (which may have been changed since there’s already a Transformers comic series with that name):

Turned in TRANSFORMERS: Infiltration to Del Rey. I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Lots of action, humor, plenty of opportunities for interaction between the Transformers themselves as well as Transformers and humans. It’s a true bridge novel in that it refers to incidents from the first film as well as the second. I also took pains to do my best to ensure that it does not contradict the storyline in the five-part comic series. Not easy juggling so many different components. Kind of like having four separate jigsaw puzzles that when thrown together also make up a single larger puzzle.

The movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is going to be released to theaters June 24^th, 2009.

STAR WARS AUTHORS’ NON STAR WARS BOOKS

Going back to Timothy Zahn for a moment, apparently a fourth novel in his Quadrail series is due out sometime in 2009 (called The Domino Murders). The other novels in this series include; Night Train to Rigel, The Third Lynx, and Odd Girl Out. I’ve been meaning to check out Night Train for some time.

Attached to some future volumn of this column, you’ll a poll on the main page where you can vote to determine the next book I’ll read for future review in this column. That poll will include Night Train to Rigel as well as a few others books by Star Wars authors.

A QUESTION FOR YOU

What do you like about this column – what would you like to see more of, less of, etc?