I have to admit that I kind of look forward to seeing the new version of Shadowrun. After all, I have stuck around from the beginning of time, since anxiously awaiting the release of the Grimoire, 1st ed.

But my big question is if/when are we going to get new novels set in the Shadowrun universe? I have, of course, read all of the previously published ones, many of them several times each. I liked most of them, some more than others obviously.

Any kind of official "yes" answer will be met with glee and a fistful of cash.

Yes Please

I agree that it's time for WizKids to license out some novels. I seem to remember hearing something about them trying to save any novels until the Action Figure Clix SR game got off the ground, so that they could possibly have tie-ins between the Clix game and the novels. If that is true (I could just be mis-remembering something that might have been only a rumor anyways), WizKids needs to just accept the fact that the SR Clix game isn't going anywhere and that they have a RPG line that the novels could be supporting.

It would be nice. I've got a few ideas for a proposal waiting for the day they open the door up.

~J

You're not the only one waiting.

In Germany 2 of the SR Clix Novels are already published...

Honestly from what I understand the softbound book marketplace is not exactly chomping at the bit for more licensee fiction. As I've heard it described many editors have x number of slots that they can publish in during a given year and that they are kinda reluctant to devote those slots to licensee fiction because a) it doesn't make a huge amount of money and b) it's not a way to develop thier careers and c) it's boring for them. Granted that seemed to be the situation a few years back with some of the publishers and the circumstances might've changed but from what I understand the paradigm is pretty different in that marketplace and extremely competitive.

Not that I wouldn't like to see some more books (of good quality) but I'm not exactly holding my breath either.

I might be clix things if there were small (like...you know, minis?), so I could use them in a tabletop game.

I'm not buying a fucking Cabbage Patch doll for SR.

Novels would be a mixed bag. I really like about 2, liked a few more, and completely hated the rest.

Depends on what the novels would be like? Like the early ones, which were comparatively well-written and not too uber? Most certainly. Like Dragonheart? HELL NO!

That guy writing Forgotten Realms novels... Salvatore? Didzz DoDo Urrd.. ehh.. do you know who I mean? He´s widely popular even amongst people who do not play rpg´s. On account of goth chicks who love the Drow. So it seems it´s possible to write successful licensed fiction.

And could we please get something that is not modeled after a gaming session? Something like Nigel Findley´s novels. It´s not necessary to make the heroes of a book work in the same way as a team of player characters.

Here's a scary thought I just had. Suppose they make a novel about a Night One elf Street Samurai who's favored style is akimbo Ares Scimitar heavy pistols. Not that Areas has a heavy pistol by the name of Scimitar yet, but the thought still gives me the willies.

And a magic ally spirit in the form of a panther.

I want more books about Wolf and Raven,Zip and Zap, Fastjack's crew. Come on Fastjack is in it. How can you beat fastjack? He would totally school an AI.....

NO more TALON. No more QUICKSILVER.....

Unfortunately the best SR novel writer is sadly deceased and the likelihood of my second tier (dowd and stackpole) doing new novels is pretty much nil. Of course it could be worse we could have someone like Kevin J Anderson writing novels

That's just scary.


I don't know about new novels. I'd probably buy them, but for the moment I'm trying to find some of the old ones. Wich is a bit difficult when I live in Norway and I'm not willing to pay more for postage than for the books themselves.

What about a site like Battlecorps? That way TPTB could gage the market for new novels.

Count my people on board as wanting some quality books!

Okay while we're sitting around fantasizing over novels, who would you like to see write them? Who's your dream author in SR? Or authors?

I have a short list of people I'd like to see do various stuff, in no particular order:

• Tom Clancy. I dig long descriptions of highly tehnical stuff. I mean really dig them. I'd like to se him write a serious SR novel.
  
• Stephen King. Only one short story. That's all.
  
• Alan Miller. Same thing-one short story, no more.
  
• Stephen Hawking. I'd love to see him write some stuff for SR.
  
• John Grisham.
  
• Richard Dawkins. Give him Danchekkers!
  
• Orson Scott Card. Hey he's writing fro Iron man, why not SR?
  
• Jerry Pournelle. He owns.

And yourself?

Warren Ellis kicks ass.

Iain Banks could be fun too...

While I'd love to see some SR novels (have an idea for a couple, in fact), WizKids seems pretty set on not doing any. There are, apparently, a couple of Duels-based books out, but there seems no indication whatsoever that WK wants to do anything other than that.

Sigh.

That said, I wouldn't mind seeing some of the current freelancers take on a novel. I think Jon's got some interesting characters, as does Elissa. I'd do one or two, and I've got a couple of shorts featuring a couple of characters from some of my articles that I'd like to do something with.

I think Steven Brust would do something interesting and literary with SR, as would Emma Bull. Tom Clancy, as mentioned, might be interesting if we could rein in some of his sillier plot tendencies. Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) might be interesting, too. I'll second Stephen King, too, as long as he sticks to a short story or two, maybe a novelette (Different Seasons is one of my favorite books of all time).

I'd love to read a SR book by Ben Elton - dark British humour at its best

Or better yet, have him write a Shadowrun TV series..

*has sudden vision of "Blackadder in the 6th world"*
*starts creating NPCs like mad*

this is going to be FUN.. I have a cunning plan!!

I think it might be cool if they published a collection of short stories, rather than an outright novel, to break in SR4 -- it'd get more writers involved (always a good thing, and a good way to see who really shines and who might get a shot at their own novel), and it could very easily involve more characters, more situations, etc, etc; rather than a novel that centered around two or three character types in a specific setting, a compilation piece could have stories here, stories there, stories everywhere (and about everything). It could be a great way to cover the five years we're skipping over, have a story here or there about some of the loose ends, have stories here and there about decking changes and how they affect people IC...

It's much easier to talk to eight or ten people (with the pool of people ready and waiting and willing and wanting to write for Shadowrun) about a short story each, than to find one person and have him try to tackle a whole novel. You're also more like to have a "hit some, miss some" sort of scenario for an SR4 launch sort of initial paperback -- there'll be SOME story in there for everyone to like, instead of (for instance) a story all about a mage (or a sammie, or a decker, or just some character no one likes) that could turn a lot of potential new Shadowrun fans off.

Compilation, bay-bee. It's the way to go.

lololol

The Baby-Eating Bishop of Aztechnology!

I am Lord Melchie Melchie. You can call me, Mr. Johnson.

Black Adder is kind of a street handle already

To take the short story idea even further, I wouldn't seeing a shared world type series, much like Thieves World novels.

This subject has me thinking about something:

I'm currently working on a series of short stories starring my vampire hunter adept, Helios. The project is currently in its very early stages (I'm on at the second story right now and I'm working on this thing whenever I can get time away from my classwork), but I'd really like to look into getting it published once I'm finished.

Now as I understand things (and correct me if I'm wrong on any of this), I'd have to go through some very specific channels to get this published in the future, since SR is an established universe and I'm just making a contribution to it.

My question: does anyone know what my options are if I were to try to get this published when its finished? I have no clue how the process works, so any help would be useful.

Well, that sort of thing would be what she's known for... I suppose what I'm saying is that I would be worried the apple wouldn't fall far from the tree.

Anyway, this is all just throwing names around and nothing will ever come of it. Maybe I was really just voicing my distaste for that entire genre rather than protesting anything really SR relate. I shall reserve further comment.

Hey here is a NOVEL idea (sorry for the pun).

How about some new SR novels by the writers that did the orignal novels seeing as they do understand the world and how it works for the most part.

But hey that is just my opinion which is as always worth nada but hey I like to here myself talk I guess so whatever.

It could be a first step to translate the bunch of German novels published in the past years to English.
Of course, they are SR3* and some (not all) are set in Germany, not Seattle.

(* Some are old enough to be SR2 - but those aren't very good anyway.)

Argh. The HJ Alpers books? Don't remind me ... >_<

Anyway, I read a piece of a new book at a friend's and actually, it was fairly decent. Soem of the German ones can - and should - be translated.

Maybe something written by China Mievelle would be great. Granted Perdido Street Station might be better described as steampunk but I think the author could handle the material appropriately.

As for Stephen King I think a Roland Deschane style character over a huge number of novels would be very fitting and personally I tend to like his descriptive gun battles (particularly the one in the drawing of the three with Roland and Eddie versus the Mafia goons)

Yeah. And the main problem is that these stupid rituals just don't work! Even afte rrepeating the procedure several times, reciting every word correctly, and doing all the other thinsg by the book! Not to mention how tedious finding a blonde, good looking 16 year old virgin these days is.

personally i would like to see David Webber (Honor Harrington) and John Ringo (Hym Before Battle/ March Upcountry) take a shot at it, i agree with the votes and limitations on Stephen King, though i would like to see Rose Red make an appearance in SR unfortunately i have to agree with the problems most see with Laurell K Hamilton doing SR, but would like to see Terry Goodkind give it a shot

My problem with the Honor Harrington Books is her being fundamentally superhuman in capabilities. Part of the appeal of SR is while there are extremely capable characters they need to function in teams. Sometimes a good deal of authors make thier characters far to capable to be believable.

Who I'd like to see writing Shadowrun Novels? Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, et al), that's who!