Another SFBC month is in the mail -- the June magazine started being addressed on Monday, so some of you may have it already -- and, as usual, I have a few notes about new books from their authors. First up is the author of our first selection, the irrepressible John Scalzi, who has horrible secret to reveal about The Last Colony:

I must ask your forgiveness, because, you see, because with The Last Colony, I have committed the gravest of science fictional sins.

Yes, dear readers: I have committed trilogy.

It wasn’t my intent, you know. The first book, Old Man’s War, was a stand-alone. But then I was told to write a sequel, and out came Ghost Brigades. And then my editor said “Well, you can’t just end it there. Here’s some shiny pennies! Write another one!” And I did. The pennies were very shiny, you see, and I’m all about the shiny objects.

But I said to myself: Well, if I’m going to commit trilogy, I’m going to do it right. With this last book, I’m going to challenge some of the expectations readers might have from the previous books. I’m going to test the characters in ways they weren’t necessarily tested before. And most of all I’m going to make sure this book has its own story to tell – it’s not just about wrapping up this universe with a bow, it’s about giving the book its own character and life and making it worth reading for itself.

It’s up to you to decide if I pulled it off, but I will say this: Yes, I have committed trilogy, but I am not sorry, because I got this book out of it. And I like it a lot. I hope you will too.