Previously appeared in SENSE OF WONDER, the B. Dalton Science Fiction, Fantasy & Role Playing Newsletter.

A New Universe of Adventure - Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles

This January, science fiction fans will get their first glimpse into an all-new universe devised by the talented folks at Lucasfilm - a universe without humans, with a rich and complex history, where a powerful interstellar empire has held sway for generations -- the universe of Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles.

In that distant universe, numerous alien cultures have long been dominated by the cruel reptilian Viis. But if the golden-furred Aaroun slave Ampris gets her way, the end of Viis dominion may soon be at hand.... This epic adventure begins in Alien Chronicles: The Golden One, the first volume in a planned trilogy by gifted fantasist Deborah Chester. When I heard about this exciting new Lucasfilm project, I asked Ace Senior Executive Editor Ginjer Buchanan, who has been involved with Alien Chronicles from the beginning, to share her insider's perspective on the project with Sense of Wonder readers.

Ginjer Buchanan: It's very exciting to be involved with a Lucasfilm project from the ground up, especially something like Alien Chronicles which introduces readers to a whole new universe, filled entirely with never-before-seen alien characters.

The seed of the project was a book which was done some time ago, called Monsters and Aliens From George Lucas. It was an art book featuring the work of a variety of artists with text by Bob Carrau. As I understand it, Monsters and Aliens included some monster designs that weren't used in the Star Wars movies but Lucasfilm folks thought were kind of cool. They were put into the book along with commentary describing what these creatures are. Lucy Autrey Wilson, Director of Publishing at Lucasfilm, suggested doing novels about some of these creatures. Though, as it turned out, none of the aliens that were in Monsters and Aliens were in the end used in Alien Chronicles, that was the idea when it was presented and sold to Ace.

From there, Lucy and Howard Roffman (who is the Vice President of Licensing at Lucasfilm) worked with the editorial team at Ace Science Fiction to develop a basic storyline for what eventually became Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles. As you can see, from the first this project was a real team effort, and I think the results are unique and compelling.

In Alien Chronicles we have a universe without human beings, where an old empire of reptilian aliens, the Viis Empire, has basically conquered and enslaved all the other species they encountered in the course of their exploration of their part of the galaxy. After generations of absolute supremacy, this empire is beginning to fall apart. Viis society has become decadent and is almost totally dependent on the various species it has conquered. That's when the story of Alien Chronicles begins.

The series is projected as nine books, three linked trilogies that are planned as a generational saga. Ampris, the character who is the protagonist of the first trilogy will be an ancestor of the protagonist of the third trilogy.

Illustrations for three of the alien races in this series were created by Terryl Whitatch, who works for Lucasfilm designing aliens. She did for these books what they do for films, and it was fascinating to see how it's done. She came up with sketches that combined elements from Earth creatures with something alien, then Lucy Autrey Wilson and I picked our favorites. The species Ampris is part of the Aaroun, are vaguely catlike, but also vaguely wolf-like, the Viis are mostly reptilian, and, the other alien race featured in the first trilogy, the Kelth, are smaller, more coyote-like.

The Aarouns are one of the slave races. They're mammalian, covered with fur, bipedal and, since they are strong, they tend to be used as workers. At the beginning of the book Ampris is taken from her mother because she is unusual for an Aaroun. They tend to be either spotted or striped, like hyenas, and Ampris's fur is pure golden. The princess of the Viis, the overlord race, sees her and demands that she be bought as a pet, despite objections on the grounds that Aaroun are considered very violent and untrustworthy. But the princess is extremely spoiled and the emperor, her father, gives in.

So Ampris is removed from what would be the normal life of her people, and raised in the palace. That is what later makes it possible for her to unite not just the Aaroun but the slave races in general. And that's the real trick. There are a lot of races who have been subjugated by the Viis, and they don't all get along, but Ampris finds a way to unite them. The basic story arc of the first three books follows Ampris's life as she goes from being essentially a pampered pet to being a revolutionary leader.

Sense of Wonder: Since the development of the original idea, how involved have the people at Lucasfilm been in the project?

GB: Very. They are extremely hands-on with all of their book projects and the publishing licensing staff is excellent. Howard Roffman, in particular, has had a lot of input into this project. He helped to shape the proposals, and his comments on the first manuscript have been extremely constructive.

Sense of Wonder: Deborah Chester is an established author who has done a number of books for Ace. Whose decision was it to approach her about writing this trilogy?

GB: I suggested three writers I felt had the skills these books needed, and Deborah Chester was one of them. The Lucasfilm people made the final selection. They agreed that what we needed was someone with a fantasy head, someone who could create totally imaginary worlds and cultures. The three writers I picked had all written fantasy or science fantasy, which takes a different mindset than writing straight science fiction or space opera. I was thrilled when they selected Deborah. I've worked with her on a lot of projects over the years. She's a very talented writer - a full professor on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma Writing School - and she's good at bringing her imagination to bear on all different sorts of stories. I think she's done a terrific job of bringing the characters created for Alien Chronicles to life.

The cover art on this project is also spectacular. Bob Eggleton, multiple Hugo Award-winner for Best Artist, has created a very dramatic painting, featuring three views of alien landscapes. The front cover of each of the books in the first trilogy will feature one portion of this painting, and the back cover will highlight an alien portrait. The first one, the cover of The Golden One, of course features an Aaroun.

Alien Chronicles has all the right ingredients. Topnotch ideas from the magical team at Lucasfilm, a talented, inventive author, and terrific art. Together they breathe life into a vividly realized epic - a story that touches many of the same bases as the popular Star Wars saga - the mythic struggle between good and evil, heroes versus villains. And it should particularly appeal to any science fiction reader who likes to really get inside an alien mind.

For me, the most exciting thing has been having the chance to be a part of a project involving the people at Lucasfilm - some of the most creative people working in media today.

We've all had fun inventing Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles, and now it's time for readers to get the chance to explore. Enjoy.

In addition to the Alien Chronicles books, there is an audio dramatization coming from HighBridge Audio, which has done other projects in conjunction with Lucasfilm. According to Sallie Neall at HighBridge, the dramatization, due out shortly after the publication of the first book, will be available in both cassette and CD versions.

Audio fans will be pleased to hear that this will be much more than a traditional reading. This will be a full cast dramatization, like the National Public Radio versions that were done of the Star Wars Trilogy. It's planned to be as close to a movie experience as you can get with audio, including 24-track, full stereo sound, underscored throughout with newly-composed music and original sound effects.

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