The Age of Scorpio

Epilogue

The Walker


One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. Under a bloody sky the walker moved through a blackened living landscape of ghosts and remnants. The last city was just over the horizon.



Acknowledgements


Thank you to Dr David Luke for taking some time out to answer questions on DMT, altered states and the ‘Machine Elves of Hyperspace’.

And thanks to Jo Luke for typing those notes up.

To Kath Anderton who took the time to comment on early parts of the novel despite having a great deal going on in her own life at the time.

Thank you to Nicola and Simon Bates for their hospitality whilst researching Portsmouth and thanks to Fay Brown for her company and help in doing the same.

Thank you very much to everyone who took part in Other Great Uses for Gavin Smith Novels.

Thank you to Chloe Isherwood of Chloe Isherwood Photography, not only for organising the Other Great Uses for Gavin Smith Novels but also for the Age of Scorpio photo shoot, or Three Hysterical Days in Wales as I’ve come to think of it.

Also for the photo shoot, thank you to Rachel Nicholson (makeup), Matt Karma Bryant (editing), Yvonne Cunningham (location and AD), Stephanie Lindley (Tangwen), Kiera Gould (Cliodna) and Gabriella Howson (Britha).

And thanks to Evenlode Studio and Number 15 Leather and Costume for providing props and costumes for the shoot.

To my fellow authors for support and advice: Stephen and Michaela Deas, MD Lachlan, Chris Wooding and Anthony Jones.

Thanks again to the gaming community for their support, particularly to Namon, the Charioteers and the Lords of Barry.

Thank you to my agent Sam Copeland at RCW Ltd.

Thanks to my editor Simon Spanton and to Jon Weir, Charlie Panayiotou, Gillian Redfearn and Marcus Gipps at Gollancz. And to Hugh Davis for the copy edit.

To my family and friends for their patience, support and enthusiasm (and particularly my dad this time for an amusing afternoon of wondering around the Angus countryside failing miserably to find the ruins of a Broch).

And to Yvonne for her evil brand of patience.

Finally I’m thankful to everyone who buys a copy of anything I write and I would particularly like to thank those who take the time to comment on websites, Facebook, Twitter and/or write reviews, good or bad, your interest is greatly appreciated.

Gavin G. Smith, Leicester, 2012

www.gavingsmith.com