THIS novel was a long time in the making. It was originally intended to be a hard science fiction novel, set in Waxahachie and about people doing high energy physics, that would take advantage of the publicity and interest surrounding the construction of the world’s largest particle accelerator, the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to go into operation in about 2000. The SSC was about 80% complete when the U. S. Congress canceled the project in 1993. I was unable to even look at the unfinished manuscript for about a year after that event. Ultimately, it was rewritten from scratch. Needless to say, the present form of this novel was shaped as much by the cancellation as by the original writing project.
This book was originally published in hardcover and trade paperback editions in June 1997 by Avon Books and as an AvoNova mass market paperback at the same time. This eBook edition has been produced in 2012 and 2013, using Adobe InDesign.
I am deeply indebted to many people for their help and advice during the approximately 5 year period that this work was in progress. I particularly want to thank my wife Pauline for all her help and encouragement.
I’d like to thank the following people (listed alphabetically) for valuable scientific and technical discussions contributing to this novel: Gordon Baker, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Clements, Robert Forward, Anthony Garrett, Geoff Landis, Henry Lubatti, Vonda McIntyre, Mike Morris, Grazyna Odyniec, Ken Young, and Matt Visser.
I’d like to thank the following people (listed alphabetically) for taking the time to talk with Pauline and me during our visit to Waxahachie: Wendell Bigham, Wendell Chen, Helen Edwards, Les Faciane, Gil Gilchrise, Ronnie and Sylvia Hastings, Richard Holleyfield, Buck Jordan, Jim Owens, Stephen and Claire Ann Pierce, Ken Reed, Wil Reuter, and Barnie Taylor.
I would like to thank the following people (listed alphabetically) for reading various versions of the manuscript and making valuable suggestions: Amanda Baker, Jennifer Brehl, David Clements, Karen Cramer, Kathryn Cramer, Pauline Cramer, John Douglas, Geoff Harries, Mark Howe, Henry Lubatti, Susan Protter, Karen Savage, Janet Seyboth, and Richard Seymour. I also want to thank Vonda McIntyre and and Dave Smeds for help with the eBook edition.
John Cramer
Seattle, Washington