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The
Inter*Stellars
The Inter*Stellars, which first debuted in February of 2001, allowed
the Starman Team to release information regarding the Starman books to
their audience. The team had gathered a great deal of interesting
background material concerning the series: how the books are written,
where the science in the series originated, information about the
background to our stories, short stories regarding events pertaining to
the Starman Series, and much more. Thanks to the Inter*Stellars, this
information could be released for the enjoyment of our readers.
Some of the regular features of the 48-page Inter*Stellars are:
Starlight
Comments from Michael D. Cooper about the series. In the first issue, we
talk about how the three members of the team write the books and what our
“message” is. A summary of this statement is at the end of this
letter.
Stardust
Tidbits of information we hope will be of interest to fans and customers
of the Starman series. Included in the first issue is information on how
Mike Dodd built a real land-sailer, used it, and described it minutely
before it appeared in Assault On Mars; and how David Baumann stages the
series’ fight scenes in a karate class he teaches before writing about
them in the books.
From the Starman Appendix
Excerpts from Michael D. Cooper’s working files. We have many working
files from which we draw when drafting the stories. In the first issue, we
describe how buildings are constructed on Mars.
StellarGrams
Letters and other correspondence.
Short Stories
There are several Starman episodes that can be put into roughly 20-page
short stories. They will appear in the Inter*Stellars. In the first issue,
there is a story called, “The Flight of the Olympia.”
Current Issues Available
 Issue #1 (Feb. 2001): This issue discusses the Starman message,
details the finances of the Starman series, explains how the Starman team
writes the Starman books, and more! The story in this issue is the Flight
of the Olympia, which takes place in Richard Starlight's childhood and
centers around an ill-fated voyage to Mars.
Issue #1 is currently available, and costs $7 postpaid.
All money raised from its sales will go toward the expenses involved in
producing the Starman books.
 Issue #2 (July 2001): This issue discusses real people
incorporated into the Starman Series, reveals what it takes to bind the Assault
on Mars books, explains how current science is worked into the Starman
Series, and more! The story in this issue is The City of Dust,
which focuses on the origin of the Wind
People of Mars and takes place during the great Collapse of the 2060's.
Issue #2 is currently available, and costs $7 postpaid.
All money raised from its sales will go toward the expenses involved in
producing the Starman books.
 Issue #3 (March 2002): This issue discusses
all sorts of things, including: a discussion of real people and places in
the Starman Series, excerpts from our correspondence that shows the development of the series,
Starman Appendix entries, and a complete timeline for the first four Starman
books! The story in this issue is SETI, which focuses on the discovery of
intelligent life on
Titan and takes place shortly after the turn of the 22nd century.
Issue #3 is currently available, and costs $7 postpaid.
All money raised from its sales will go toward the expenses involved in
producing the Starman books.
 Issue #4 (September 2002): This issue includes a review of the first Starman book: The Starmen, by Leigh Brackett, first published in Great Britain in 1954. Although there is no connection between this book and the current Starman series, the term common to both--Starmen--is intriguing. The first review of Descent Into Europa
is shared and there is a lengthy article that discusses the process of
writing a Starman book. A number of interesting tidbits of Starman
information are shared (one of which is the redesigned cover art for
Starman #3), as well as the Starman short story A Matter of Time, set in
2150!
Issue #4 is currently available, and costs $7 postpaid.
All money raised from its sales will go toward the expenses involved in
producing the Starman books.
 Issue #5 (October 2002): This
issue, which at 68 pages is roughly 50% longer than the previous four, is
packed with everything from sales figures for the Starman Series to the
lengthy short story Return to Europa (which is the first short
story to feature the Starman!) to timelines of the short stories and the
fifth Starman book and much, much more! Want to know the background of Joe
Taylor or take a peek at the discussion the authors had regarding the
Starmen's salary? It's all right here. The short story is a must for
readers of the fifth Starman book, The Lost Race of Mars: in many
ways it is a sequel to that book and could have been the book's last few
chapters.
Issue #5 is currently available, and costs $7 postpaid.
All money raised from its sales will go toward the expenses involved in
producing the Starman books.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these issues, please
check out our purchasing page for payment
details! You can also view our printable order form
which you can simply print out, fill out, and mail to us.
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