For my wife and children, who put up with far
too many weekend absences and sleepless nights.
For the members of BuNine, without whom
none of this would have been possible.
. . . and for David, who invited us inside
to play in his sandbox.
Thank you all.
—Thomas Pope
Fans are a storyteller’s
greatest reward, and his greatest blessing.
Sometimes they become even more than that.
They become friends and collaborators as well,
as involved in the storytelling as the author himself.
I’ve been lucky enough to havethat happen in my case,
and this book is the result of endless hours of work on
the part of some very special people. I can’t possibly
thank them enough . . . and I hope those who read it
will realize how extraordinarily fortunate I’ve been.
Thanks, guys. You really pulled it off.
—David Weber