Tor Books and the Sci Fi Channel have announced the newest titles in their continuing Sci Fi Essentials program. The program brands one Tor title a month with the Sci Fi Channels logo, and gives that book special promotion on SciFi.com and on the channel itself.
The newest books to win this mark of special approval are:
The Last Colony by John Scalzi (May 2007): “John Scalzi’s highly anticipated conclusion to the SF trilogy that began with Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades. This title features John Perry, retired from his fighting days and is now village ombudsman for a human colony on distant Huckleberry. He and his wife, former Special Forces warrior Jane, enjoy a pleasant life until their pasts pull them back into the game as leaders of a new human colony. This near-future drama develops as they are thrust into a web of interstellar politics, betrayal, and war. One of Tor’s premier authors, Scalzi yet again delivers an exciting tale that is sure to be popular with readers and critics alike.”
Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell (June 2007). Buckell’s second novel is set “in a universe run by alien tyrants, humanity faces its greatest threat; systematic extermination. The universe’s ruling group has placed a stranglehold on all technology and has sent troops to destroy any citizens who try to move beyond the universe’s limited boundaries. But one group dares to rebel, a band of Caribbean refugees from a faraway planet called Earth. Revolting against the oppressive alien regime, they may doom the entire human race to death.”
The Sons of Heaven by Kage Baker (July 2007). “As the climax of the Company series, questions will be answered and all popular characters return. The 8th novel in the series, there is one Company title yet to come from Baker, but Sons of Heaven sets the exciting scene for the conclusion. The immortal Lewis wakes to find himself blinded, crippled, and left with no tools but his voice, memory, and the friendship of one extraordinary little girl. All around him, devious characters are plotting for domination, while a few select individuals struggle to thwart these plans. This surprising tale is a true triumph of SF.”
Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (August 2007) is the conclusion to the Dune Chronicles. “Frank Herbert’s final outline for his Dune series lay hidden in safe-deposit boxes for a decade, until his son Brian and acclaimed author Anderson set out to complete the saga. Based directly on this outline, Sandworms of Dune will answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades. The direct sequel to Herbert & Anderson’s 2006 novel, Hunters of Dune, Sandworms is the seventh Dune title penned by Herbert & Anderson. This conclusion to the legendary series proves to be nothing less than breathtaking.”