Newsflash:

Perfect Dark Novel Announced

Tor Books, the largest publisher of science fiction and fantasy books in the world, announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios® for the publishing rights to three novels based on the world of Perfect Dark. The first novel available in October, Perfect Dark: Initial Vector, sets up the world of secret agent Joanna Dark, as gamers worldwide eagerly await the upcoming release of Perfect Dark Zero™. As a key title in the Xbox 360™ lineup, Perfect Dark Zero is set to showcase the raw power of the console and it's already created a frenzy of anticipation among videogame fans.

"Tor's mission is to provide great books that explore human innovation and our ability to push the limits of technology. Perfect Dark Zero is the cutting edge of high-fidelity interactive games, and we think our relationship with Microsoft Game Studios is a perfect match," says Tom Doherty, President and Publisher of Tor Books.

Perfect Dark Zero is a prequel to the award-winning, best-selling first-person shooter Perfect Dark from famed game developer Rare®. The game includes not only a story-driven single-player campaign but various multiplayer options, including four-player split screen and co-operative action, plus online play via Xbox Live®.

Set in the year 2020, three years before the original Perfect Dark, the game puts you in the role of super spy Joanna Dark in a gripping story where the sci-fi thriller action centers on espionage, conspiracy, and a mysterious global conflict.

"We wanted gamers to find out more about Joanna," said one member of the Perfect Dark team. "What's her background? Where did she come from? How did she turn into this 'perfect' agent?"

The novel, Perfect Dark: Initial Vector (available in trade paperback from Tor for $12.95) will be the first in a line of three novels that will answer those questions and take fans and newcomers alike deep into the Perfect Dark universe, building on the game's rich action and intrigue in the shadowy world of the near future. The novel goes on sale October 4 and will be authored by Greg Rucka, acclaimed thriller novelist and commonly considered to be one of the "Big Three" writers at DC Comics.

"The team at Rare has done some amazing work on the Perfect Dark storyline. The life of Joanna Dark is so rich and mysterious, it only seems natural to explore it further in novels," says Tor Editor Eric Raab.

Tor Publicity Director Elena Stokes says of the anticipation for Perfect Dark Zero, "What Tor is doing with the release of Perfect Dark: Initial Vector is giving fans a chance to see inside the secretive world of Joanna Dark before the game launches."

Joanna herself couldn't have chosen a better publisher to present her story. Tor Books is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and soft cover books, founded in 1980 and committed to science fiction and fantasy literature. Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the sci-fi and fantasy fields, and for the last eighteen years in a row Tor has been named Best Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in science fiction.