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First published in Great Britain
in 2009 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers

Ricardo Pinto has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 9780593050514

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2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

To my family

Ricardo Pinto
was born in Portugal but has lived in Scotland since he was a child. He is the acclaimed author of
The Chosen
and
The Standing Dead
.

To find out more, visit
www.ricardopinto.com

www.rbooks.co.uk

Also by Ricardo Pinto

THE CHOSEN
THE STANDING DEAD

Acknowledgements

In a world where it seems publishers are no longer as fastidious as they once were, Transworld have lavished upon this book the attention of many excellent professionals – from Claire Ward’s book jacket design to Elizabeth Dobson’s precise copy-editing. Neil Gower has produced another set of beautiful glyphs and Jim Burns has given me a wonderful, vibrant jacket illustration. But it is Simon Taylor who has championed the book, and whose editing has made it considerably more than it would otherwise have been. I am grateful to them all.

Victoria Hobbs has midwived this trilogy with much patience and skill. Jennifer Custer, my other agent, was the first person to read the whole trilogy in one go, and her discerning feedback and much needed enthusiasm was important to me when I was at a low ebb. I want to thank her for reading the final draft as well as Robbie, Sam Edenborough, Remco, Angeline and Simon Bolton.

My quest for completeness was aided by various experts. Of these I would particularly like to thank Ben Harte for the geology that forms the bones of my invented world – the landforms of which determine the flow of the story; David Adger, who produced for me the translations into Quya which I then wrote with glyphs; Dominic Prior, whose mathematics has brought clarity to my own inelegant calculations. Others include Tom Darling for the talk we had on muscle wastage; John Robertson for his insights into military matters; Mark Haillay for his horticultural advice and Paula Rudall for helping me with a problem concerning banyan wood.

Though I have worked in blessed isolation, the internet has allowed me to have much needed virtual work colleagues. Among these are Dean Thompson, Dave Newbert, James Worrall, Dave Scott, Colin Bell, Keith Brunton, Graham Gibson, John Robertson and Adrian Smith. Additionally there was Bob Gillies and Max Gaunt, my T’ai Chi buddies. Special mention needs to be made of Remco van Straten and Angeline Adams who have aided me in so many ways. Finally, I would like to thank those of my readers who have written to me and whose kindness and enthusiasm have been an important support to me throughout the more than ten years it has taken me to write these books.

Sharon Jacobsen helped me, over five years, to unravel the ungordian knot of my own psyche. Without her skill and empathy I doubt if the story could have reached a conclusion that is both natural and true.

Finally, I owe more than can be said to my partner Robbie who has stood by me through this long, long process, even though it often eclipsed anything else and seemed interminable.