The Edge of the World (70 page)

As Erik wrote music for the lyrics Rebecca and I submitted, Lana sang the demo tracks and we all listened and tweaked. As
the “Queen of Symphonic Rock,” Lana was perfect to sing the female vocals as the character Adrea, and Michael Sadler from
the band Saga would sing the male lead as Criston Vora. James LaBrie, lead singer for Dream Theater, signed aboard as Omra
(with such enthusiasm that he even read the full 700-page manuscript to get into character). The vocals for Captain Andon
Shay, the last character, were provided by John Payne from the band Asia Featuring John Payne. David Ragsdale, the violinist
from Kansas, also joined the project, as well as Gary Wehrkamp from Shadow Gallery on electric guitars (Gary had already corresponded
with me, a fan of my novels), Chris Quirarte from Prymary on drums, Chris Brown from Ghost Circus on guitars, and Mike Alvarez
on cello.

The resulting CD—
Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon
by Roswell Six—is truly a dream come true for me. It expands and enhances the novel, so I hope you will all give it a listen,
just as I hope that fans of the music will check out the book.
www.wordfire.com
.

Fred Ogden generously read the manuscript with an eye to weeding out any egregious nautical mistakes. Patrick Simmons created
the wonderful maps, helping to shape the world of Terra Incognita and bring it to life. Lee Gibbons produced an exceptional
cover, which captures precisely the feel I wanted to convey in the book. I would also like to thank Stephen Dedman for taking
us to the fabulous Shipwreck Museum in Freemantle, West Australia, which provided great story detail for this novel.

Darren Nash tackled the editorial duties; he was closely involved in this project from proposal, to the 100-page chapter outline,
through several drafts of the manuscript. Tim Holman, Alex Lencicki, and Jennifer Flax at Orbit Books gave Terra Incognita
their full support and have pulled many strings to help get attention for the novel. Mary Thomson typed the stream of chapters
as fast as I could dictate them, and also added her own expertise on the most esoteric details. My ever-helpful cadre of test
readers—Deb Ray, Diane Jones, Louis Moesta, and of course my wife, Rebecca Moesta—went through several iterations of the manuscript,
giving me plenty of insight and suggestions.

For musical inspiration and their general enthusiasm, I’d like to thank my fellow members of Roswell Six—Shawn Gordon, Erik
Norlander, Kurt Barabas, and Lana Lane—who took the lyrics written by Rebecca Moesta and me and produced an incredible rock
CD,
Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon.
Erik wrote the wonderful music. Special applause also to the performers on the CD, James LaBrie, Michael Sadler, John Payne,
Gary Wehrkamp, Chris Quirarte, Chris Brown, Mike Alvarez, and David Ragsdale.

Steven L. Sears

K
EVIN
J. A
NDERSON
has written forty-six national and international bestsellers and has over twenty million books in print worldwide in thirty
languages. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Readers’ Choice Award. He is best
known for his highly popular
Dune
novels, written with Brian Herbert, his numerous
Star Wars
and
X-Files
novels, and his original science fiction epic, The Saga of the Seven Seas. Find out more about Kevin Anderson at
www.wordfire.com
.

You’re a very prolific author, primarily known for writing big science fiction epics, such as the Saga of Seven Suns, the
Dune
novels with Brian Herbert, and even
Star Wars.
How does it feel to be writing fantasy instead of SF?

My mind works in terms of stories rather than genres. I have indeed done historical fantasy before—
Captain Nemo,
and
The Martian War
—and even wrote a traditional quest fantasy, the
Gamearth
Trilogy, early in my career, but readers do tend to think of me as an SF guy.

However, I don’t see Terra Incognita as being fundamentally different from the Saga of Seven Suns—it’s got a sprawling scope
with many story lines, exotic lands (instead of planets), sailing ships instead of starships, sea serpents instead of aliens,
a hint of magic instead of exotic technology, continents and religions clashing rather than planets and galactic empires.
But although the “stage dressing” is different, in a world that looks like our Age of Discovery rather than a far-future interstellar
society, the characters and politics and dramas that make a grand story are the same.

How is Terra Incognita different from other fantasies on the market?

For one thing, you won’t find bearded wizards with pyrotechnic spells or dragons or elves or dwarves. You won’t find any enchanted
swords or a monolithic evil force that threatens to destroy all Good in the world. Though my novels take place in a world
of my own imagining, Terra Incognita is more mainstream than outright fantasy, with only a hint of magic. Yes, I have mysterious
unexplored lands and amazing legends that may or may not be true, but at its core, these books are about sailing ships and
brave explorers, along with a terrible religious war like our Crusades. And while I may have a sea monster or two, they are
natural creatures, not magical monsters.

So, more of a millennial, religious-based grand conflict than a traditional fantasy quest?

Some parts of
The Edge of the World
are very dark and tragic, as well as very passionate. I’m dealing with clashes of civilizations, intolerance, and fanaticism—as
well as genuine faith. The story is certainly something that occurs all too often in real history: a series of stupid actions
on both sides that have grave consequences, ratcheting up the violence and hatred beyond any possibility of a peaceful resolution.

But the story also parallels our Age of Discovery, a time of hope and wonder, when people had a sense that there were marvelous
things Out There just waiting to be found if only a sea captain sailed far enough and survived enough perils.

As I did thoroughly in the Seven Suns novels, I turn the spotlight on all sides of the conflict and really get into the heads
of people representing diametrically opposed points of view. There are three major religions in the Terra Incognita universe,
and I have explored the attitudes of characters ranging from the everyday man on the street to the most powerful leaders.

It sounds unique. What was your inspiration for the series?

These books have lived in my imagination for more than fifteen years, when I first stumbled upon the European legend of Prester
John, who ruled a mythical Christian kingdom on a distant, unexplored area of the map. The quest to find Prester John (and
to seek an alliance with him against the invading Moorish armies) provided the real impetus for Portugal’s Prince Henry the
Navigator to launch some of history’s greatest voyages of discovery in the fifteenth century.

Now, after completing a series of successful epic projects—ranging from the colorful universes of
Star Wars, Dune,
and my own Saga of Seven Suns—I finally have the opportunity to write the story that has been whispering in my ear for so
long.
The Edge of the World
sets the idea of Prester John in a fantasy universe where sea serpents are real, where a little bit of magic works, where
the unexplored areas on the map are larger than the known areas.

And though this is a fantasy series, it’s got a direct connection to rock music. Tell us about that.

I’ve always been inspired by the music I listen to, the lyrics of Rush, Kansas, Styx, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Lana Lane,
Rocket Scientists, Shadow Gallery, and many other progressive rock artists. There’s a clear link between the readers of SF/F
and the fans of that kind of music.

For
The Edge of the World,
we put together a unique synthesis—a new rock CD, where my wife and I wrote the lyrics based on a story line in the novel,
while accomplished keyboardist-composer Erik Norlander (Rocket Scientists) wrote the music, and Shawn Gordon produced the
CD for his label ProgRock Records. Some of my favorite vocalists and musicians performed on the album: Lana Lane provided
the female vocals for the character of Adrea; Michael Sadler (formerly of Saga) sang the part of Criston Vora; James LaBrie
(Dream Theater) sang Omra; John Payne (Asia Featuring John Payne) sang Captain Shay. Kurt Barabas (Under the Sun), one of
the founding members of our group, played bass, Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) played guitar, David Ragsdale (Kansas) played
violins, Chris Quirarte (Prymary) laid down the drum tracks, Chris Brown (Ghost Circus) provided both acoustic and electric
guitar, and Mike Alvarez played cello. Under the band name Roswell Six the CD is
Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon
and it works in perfect synergy with the novel.

Now that you have finished the seven volumes in the Saga of Seven Suns, will you ever return to that universe?

I planned Seven Suns from start to finish as seven volumes, with a very clear story arc that genuinely ended. I wanted to
do something practically unheard of in the genre: write a big epic series where I reliably turned in every volume on time,
year after year, and finished the story where it ended, rather than dragging it on and on. I did that, and I’m very pleased
with the result.

After spending seven years of my life in that universe, I am thrilled to dive into something completely different but just
as fascinating, the fantasy world of Terra Incognita, which I plan as a trilogy. That’s what I need to focus on right now.
Once I finish those books, however, my “science fiction batteries” will have recharged and I’m thinking of returning to the
Seven Suns universe. It’s a big landscape with plenty of opportunities for other stories; however, I would do an independent
story with some new characters and a few familiar ones, set a decade or two later.

Right now, though, I’m sailing off in the Terra Incognita books, already writing book two. Bring on the sea monsters!

Introducing

If you enjoyed
THE EDGE OF THE WORLD,
look out for

Book Two of the Terra Incognita Trilogy

by Kevin J. Anderson

The great wall across Ishalem would be completed soon, blocking off the isthmus from the Aidenist enemy. With such a mammoth
barrier in place, Soldan-Shah Omra knew the Holy City would at last be safe—safe in Urecari hands.

From the high hill in the center of Ishalem, where once had rested the ancient wreck of a huge wooden Arkship, Urec’s ship,
Omra watched the flurry of construction workers. The sweating, muscular men—some of them slaves taken from Tierran villages—used
log rollers and slick lubricating mud to pull blocks into place and extend the wall across the strip of land, seven miles
long, stone after stone after stone.

Omra thought of it as “God’s Barricade.” Once the wall cut off Tierra, the other half of the world would wither and die like
a branch broken from a tree… as they deserved.

Soldiers patrolled north of the boundary line to guard against Aidenist forays, as the evil men had done several times previously.
As the wall neared completion after five years, their enemies grew increasingly desperate—and the soldan-shah felt increasingly
secure.

Kel Unwar, one of the commanders who had swept through the squalid pilgrim settlements on the site of Ishalem, guided the
immense construction project. Though a military leader, Unwar was more gifted as an engineer, commanding work teams through
impossible tasks rather than guiding armies through impossible odds. When Omra had first challenged him to build the wall,
Unwar had stared off into the distance, thoughts turning in his mind, his brow furrowed. “It is a task such as no man has
ever attempted, Soldan-Shah. Such an undertaking… it will be magnificent!”