The Sagan Diary

Hey, looks like I'll be getting a present in the mail this week! John Scalzi's "The Sagan Diary" is in the mail, or will be shortly.

I've been reading Scalzi's blog "Whatever" for a few years, and although I'm not really the target audience for science fiction I've really enjoyed his writing. Old Man's War, his debut novel, and its sequel The Ghost Brigades are both excellent--both fairly quick reads, so well-plotted that I found myself flying through them, but with a lot of thought-provoking content to mull over as well. I may just re-read both of them before The Sagan Diary to refresh my memory. I like a book that can teach me something new about the universe and make me think harder about my place in it, without bogging down into plotless exposition.

Huh, come to think of it, maybe I *am* part of the target audience for science fiction.

Anyway, when Scalzi announced that folks who preordered the limited edition of "The Sagan Diary" would be able to play a tiny role in the book, I couldn't resist. So Mr. Thel, who has also enjoyed Scalzi's books, has his name "added into the book itself on a special "In Memoriam" page as a member of 3rd Platoon, Company D, whose fate will play a role "The Sagan Diary." Mr. Thel, at last consenting to be immortalized in print by an author he likes? Well, yes, technically. Let's not start worrying about the paparazzi yet, though.