Jommy Cross is a slan, a genetically bred superhuman whose race was created to aid humanity but is now despised by normal humans. Slans are usually shot on sight, but that doesn’t stop Jommy’s mother from bringing him to see the world capital of Centropolis, the seat of power for Earth’s dictator, Kier Gray. But on their latest trip to Centropolis, the two slans are discovered, and Jommy’s mother is killed. Jommy, only nine years old, unwittingly becomes caught up in a plot to undermine Gray, who may be more sympathetic to slans than the public suspects. The nonstop action and root-for-the-underdog plot has made Slan a science fiction favorite.
A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000) was a SFWA Grand Master. Part of John W. Campbell’s stable of writers for Astounding Science-Fiction magazine, van Vogt was one of the most prolific, yet complex, writers of the genre’s mid-twentieth century golden age. He is often named, along with Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein, one of the top science fiction writers of all time.
Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 180 books, fifty-eight of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs. Anderson is the director of the graduate program in publishing at Western Colorado University, and he and his wife, Rebecca Moesta, are the publishers of WordFire Press. There are twenty-four million copies of his books in print in thirty-four languages. His most recent novels are Bats in the Belfry, Skeleton in the Closet, Persephone, and Princess of Dune (with Brian Herbert).
Oliver Wyman is an actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. He has won five Audie Awards from the Audio Publisher’s Association, fourteen Earphone Awards, and two Listen Up Awards from Publisher’s Weekly. He was named a 2008 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture by AudioFile magazine. He has appeared on stage as well as in film and television, and he is a veteran voice actor who can be heard in numerous cartoons and video games. He is one of the founders of New York City’s Collective Unconscious theater, and his performances include the award-winning “reality play” Charlie Victor Romeo and A. R. McElhinney’s cult classic film A Chronicle of Corpses.