John Ringo: Hell's Faire

The few novels that had approached this problem I found unsatisfactory. So, to address this, I developed the Posleen. Starting from certain premises I traced the logic back and as I did many things derived from the logic rather than forcing the logic. Tom Clancy says that the two parts to a successful novel are “what if” and “what’s next”?

What if… there was a species that… (but that would be telling). And what next?

I originally had intended for them to be able to destroy artillery, for example, but the logic of their origins militated against it. Likewise their enormously resistant physiologies. Yes, any oxygen breather will have trouble with cyanide. But at what concentration? And for what duration? But is it possible to design a species that would be highly resistant to truly weird environmental conditions? Planets where most of the atmosphere is gaseous sulphur, planets with semi-sentient and aggressive biospheres? Take every horror planet ever conceived in science fiction and design a race to survive them, and even thrive on them. And, if so, wouldn’t they be resistant to any chemical attack?

And so, with some logic in hand and a vague series of images I set out to write a book. It was not intended to be published (indeed, until about three months before I sent Hymn Before Battle off to Baen Books I had never considered becoming a published author), but rather it was a book for me , something that I wanted to read, an alien invasion where the “good guys” (that’s us) got to really sink their teeth into the bad guys (that’s the Posleen). No gray areas, no ambiguity. Victory or death. Vive le morte! Once more unto the breach! Take that bunker or die trying!

I mean, if it isn’t victory or death, what’s the point? (Oh, Art? Excuse me while I laugh. Go read some of the reviews of Dickens.)

At some point in the future there will be stories that expand upon the logic and reveal all the strings behind the curtains. And books in which the focus slides completely off of the Posleen as the enemy and onto newer, more silvery, pastures. And, yes, books that are “grayer.”

But, alas, the writing of those books will be some time. I’ve sort of “burnt out” on the Posleen and I’m going to be writing some other stuff for a few years. I don’t think that there will be anything in them that will cause any of my current readers to go astray and I hope that they are more “approachable” to some of the readers who, let us say, don’t care for piles of yellow, leaking corpses.

Rest assured, though, Mike O’Neal, Papa and of course Cally (as if I was going to kill her ) will be back. In the meantime just imagine them out there. Mike is retaking planets from the Posleen and Papa and Cally are covering his back. Kickin’ ass and not even bothering to take names.

Whether he knows it or not.

Take care and just remember; the good guys always win in the end.

John Ringo

Commerce, GA

October 6, 2002

I’d like to thank a bunch of people for help with this book and all the other books.

I’d like to thank Sandra Hearn. Yes, Sandy, I did kill you, finally and permanently. I’d like to thank Doug Miller for giving me hours of good copy. And I’d like to thank Bob Hollingsworth, Tony Trimble and John Mullins for some really great stories. Writing is about taking the world and synthesizing it. Without the input of experience it is very difficult to write well. All of these people have made my life a richer and fuller experience, each in their own inimitable way.

As noted in the dedication, thanks to all the Barflies. Baen Publishing maintains a very active webboard community called Baen’s Bar. We, and I consider myself a Barfly of long and serious standing, refer to ourselves as the Barflies. (The group is a “buzz” as in “A Buzz of Barflies” and a Buzz of Barflies can be found around almost any collection of good books.)

The Barflies have been out there rooting and pushing for me from my very first book, A Hymn Before Battle . I was a Barfly before it was accepted for publication and the rest of the gang got out there and promoted it without even being asked. It was like having two thousand sales reps and I’m personally certain that the Barflies, more than any other single factor, have led to the notable success that I’ve enjoyed with my books.

I’d like to thank a few of them in particular and in no particular order, dangit :

Morgen, for being one of the first friendly faces. Deann, despite DaGiN Ball. Genghis Kratman, newest author Barfly, who’s like a brother. Katie/Inga for always being up for a round of groupieness. Wyman for always being out there helping. skippy (sic) for not always being around.

I’d like to thank the technical crew, Conrad, Phil, Doug and Ken Burnside for making some vague sense of my technical inanities.

I’d like to thank Russ Isler and Darius Garsys for turning my descriptions into real, breathing, living objects.

Most especially I’d like to thank Joe Buckley and Glennis LeBlanc for being two of the best First Readers in the business and putting up with my various pranks.

Oh, and I’d like to thank Karin my wife for, once again, putting up with me when I was under deadline.

Naturally, I’m going to forget some people, some of whom have made important contributions. To anyone who was left out, I’m sorry I missed you and I’ll try to make it up in some other books.