erupt from the sea on a pillar of plasma energies. From
a blasted crater in the waters, superheated steam flew up
and swirled outwards in pale shells of vapour while
webs and curtains of water were drawn up after the
ascending craft. Some on board the lugger had been
scalded by the steam and all had flattened themselves
on the deck, craning their heads to stare fearfully as
the strange thing roared up into the night sky and was
gone.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As most writers would surely know, a true and compre-
hensive page of acknowledgements would require tips of
the hat going out to manifold persons far and wide. But
in the interests of brevity, clarity, maybe even hilarity, I'll
have to leave out half the human race (y'all know who
you are) and direct thankees to those whose own works
have inspired me to launch myself full-bodied upon the
mighty task of space opera, them being Eric Brown, Bill
King, David Brin, Dave Wingrove, Iain Banks, Ken
Macleod, Gary Gibson, Ian Mcdonald, Vernor Vinge,
Dan Simmons, the Big Three - Asimov, Heinlein and
Clarke - Ian Watson, Neal Asher, Jack Vance, Andre
Norton, and, undoubtedly, a host of others that my fee-
bletastic brain has failed to bring to mind. Checksum
failed, assuredly.
In addition, mention must be made of those stalwart
pioneers of Scottish spec-fic, the Glasgow SF Writers
Circle, as well as our Edinburgh counterparts, and the
redoubtable Andrew J Wilson. Munificent thanks
should also be extended to John Parker at MBA Literary
Agency, and by no means least to my editor, Darren
Nash, whose critical eagle-eye (some kind of editorial
special perception) and amiable, enthusiastic persistence
kept me and the book on track. Encouragement and
rethink-jogging came from other quarters at various
points along the book's timeline, from the likes of John
Jarrold, Joshua Bilmes, Stewart Robinson, John Marks,
Eddie Black and the copy editors at Orbit.
Musical accompaniment was provided by the likes
of Pallas, Fish, Eisbrecher, Colony5, Robert Schroeder,
Klaus Schulze, Racer X, Ozric Tentacles, Opeth, the
amazing Mustasch, as well as such doomlords as
Penance, Novembre, Candlemass, Paradise Lost, and
Krux, as well as Paisley's preacher of prog, Graeme
Fleming, and Sheffield's missionary of metal, Ian Sales.
KDI!
about the author
Michael Cobley was born in Leicester,
England, and has lived in Glasgow, Scotland,
for most of his life. He has studied
engineering, been a DJ and has an abiding
interest in democratic politics. His previous
books include the Shadowkings dark fantasy
trilogy, and Iron Mosaic, a short story
collection. Seeds of Earth, book one of the
Humanity's Fire sequence, is his first full-
length foray into space opera.
Find out more about Michael Cobley and
other Orbit authors by registering for the free
monthly newsletter at www.orbitbooks.net
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