Acknowledgments
Laurie Anderson, one of my favorite musicians, wrote a song titled “Language Is a Virus.” If she is correct, then any book must be a vector for transmission. For this novel, the language contained herein was made all the more potent via a group of first readers who helped me engineer and polish this story to its most infectious form: Chris Crowe, Lee Garrett, Matt Bishop, Matt Orr, Leonard Little, Judy Prey, Caroline Williams, Sadie Davenport, Sally Ann Barnes, Denny Grayson, and Lisa Goldkuhl. And a special thanks to Steve Prey for the Congo regional map. But I also have to single out David Sylvian for all his hard work and dedication in the digital sphere. And Cherei McCarter, who has shared with me a bevy of intriguing concepts and curiosities, several of which are found in these pages. And a special acknowledgment to moukies for his most helpful read regarding the authenticity on subject matters raised in this novel. Of course, none of this would happen without an astounding team of industry professionals who I defy anyone to surpass. To everyone at William Morrow, thank you for always having my back, especially Liate Stehlik, Heidi Richter, Kaitlin Harri, Josh Marwell, Richard Aquan, Caitlin Garing, Andrea Molitor, and Ryan Shepherd. Last, of course, a special acknowledgment to the people instrumental to all levels of production: my esteemed editor, Lyssa Keusch, and her industrious colleague Mireya Chiriboga; and for all their hard work, my agents, Russ Galen and Danny Baror (along with his daughter Heather Baror). And as always, I must stress that any and all errors of fact or detail in this book, of which hopefully there are not too many, fall squarely on my own shoulders.
About the Author
JAMES ROLLINS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada.
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