We are rapidly approaching the end.
No, I’m not talking about the “imminent destruction of the world as we know it” kind of end. I mean “the end” of another adventure. (Though I’m not making any promises about the possibility of world-destruction.)
I’m particularly excited about wrapping up the SYLO Chronicles because, well, I’ve been getting grief from a lot of readers. Seems as though the endings of SYLO and STORM were, shall we say, a big tease. Guilty. I admit it. As much as each of those books had a definite conclusion, both times I added one of those pesky last chapters that throw you over that proverbial cliff and give you a maddeningly slender thread to hang on to. I know, I know, the more I revealed about the plight of Tucker and friends, the deeper the mystery became. Again, guilty. What can I say? I love that stuff.
So that’s why I am very happy to submit for your approval, the conclusion of the SYLO Chronicles. There are no more cliffhangers. No more unanswered questions. No more “To be continued . . . ” And yes, it WAS freakin’ Uncle Press who gave Bobby Pendragon his journals in that last chapter of The Soldiers of Halla. There! I said it. How could you not have gotten that? It was so obvious! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s okay. We won’t hold it against you. Much.)
Okay, I feel better now. Moving on.
We’re here to talk about SYLO and learn the fate of our brave refugees from Pemberwick Island. But before heading back into the sky, as tradition dictates, I’d like to offer some acknowledgements. I sound a bit like a broken record with these but, as you might imagine, it takes a number of people to bring a book to publication and ultimately into your hands. An author is the beneficiary of a lot of hard work and support from many people. That doesn’t change from book to book and I want them all to know how much they are appreciated each and every time.
Thank you to all of my friends at Razorbill, especially Ben Schrank and Caroline Donofrio. Caroline took up the SYLO reins and did a wonderful job editing STRIKE with Ben’s wise guidance. Thanks to both of you for making this a grand conclusion.
Richard Curtis, Peter Nelson, and Mark Wetzstein have been in my corner looking out for my best interests for many years now. Thank you guys.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with many school and public librarians from all over the country. You all hold the keys to an incredible kingdom and I thank you for encouraging us all to enter.
One of the great joys in travelling the country to talk about my books is getting the chance to meet booksellers. Whether they are from tiny “mom and pop” shops or giant mega-stores, they all have one thing in common: they love books, and they encour-age readers. Getting the right book into the hands of the right reader is an art, and these guys are the best. We all thank you for that.
I have to give a big thanks to the guys who have been helping me with my DJMACHALEBOOKS.COM website . . . especially Jason and Geoff. You have no idea how much easier you make my life by keeping a watchful eye on things for me.
My two girls are the most important people in the world to me. I’m often asked where I draw inspiration from, and that’s never an easy answer because inspiration comes from everywhere. But if I were to narrow it down, I would have to say that most everything I write about comes from real life, and my girls are my real life. I love you guys.
Of course I can’t name each and every one of the hundreds of other people who had a hand in bringing this book to you, though I’d like to. Please know that I am grateful to all of them for their talent, support, and dedication.
The final “thank you” has to go to you, the person holding this book. Yes, you. Don’t look over your shoulder, I’m talking to you. Whether you’ve read every last one of my novels (and seen all of my TV shows) or if you just so happened to have picked this book up because you thought the cover looked cool, thank you. (BTW . . . if you DID randomly pick this book up, close it, put it down, and pick up SYLO first. Seriously. Go. Hurry.)
Okay, is that it? I think so.
Time to launch.
Where were we? Oh yeah, the cliffhanger.
We left Tucker and his friends hovering in a SYLO helicopter over the mysterious dome in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Below them were the wrecks of hundreds of SYLO planes that had been shot out of the sky while trying to destroy that structure. Tucker and Tori believed they had finally defeated the Air Force by blowing away their entire fleet of marauding drones, but while flying over the dome they discovered plenty more of those nasty little planes were still around . . . and they were taking off to attack.
Oops.
Turned out “the end” of that story was really just the beginning of this one.
At least their cliffhanger is about to be resolved.
And so is yours.
Turn the page and brace for the boom.
Hobey ho,
D.J. MACHALE