To my Illustrious Teachers-Paul Meredith, who told me to read Vonnegut; Don Scott, who introduced me to Captain Marvel serials; Dr. Ellsworth Welch, who taught me to dip my hands in titanium tetrachloride; Joseph Glasner, who taught me to project!; Barnaby Conrad, who introduced me to The Big Guns. And to Avram Davidson, whose telephone call answered the first questions of a young writer.

To Samuel Edward Konkin III, for the constant courses in clear thinking and the adventures in Little Tokyo at 3 A.M.

To J. Neil Schulman, award-winning author and impresario of SoftServ Publishing, through which you are reading these bytes, for the late nights poring over each other's manuscripts and commiserating about damesyou're good conversation, pal. And to Kate O'Neal-singer, composer, associate SysOp-for helping Neil get this crazy concept up and running!

To Brad Linaweaver, F. Paul Wilson, and the other members of the Libertarian Science Fiction Writers' Mafia.

To Joel Gotler, for all his support over the years.

To Wolfgang Jeschke, who risked publishing a foreigner's book when no one in the U.S. dared to touch it. To Charles Platt-a cultured Englishmanwho bought the novel when American editors were still too timid. To Ed Breslin, who fought for it up the corporate ladder. And to John Douglas, who also had to fight to bringto the paperback world.

To Charles Curley, Andy Thornton, Steve Tymon, Sheila Wymer, Ernest Sewell, Chris Schaefer, and all denizens of the AnarchoVillage past and present-thanks for the ambiance!

To Sondra Hendrick, who was the original inspiration for this novel.

To Laurel Blechman, who gave me an air-conditioned dining room in which to write Dell Ammo's acid trip during the Nova of 1978, and most of all for being a friend, loyal and true.

To Cindee Grace, for drawing me to L.A. in 1974. To Teny Zuber, with thanks for the printout and the patient ear. To Bernie Zuber, wherever you are. To Marggy Garron, for the psychic vibes. To Kathleen McGuinness, for the striking image.

To Sandy McIntosh-another patient listener-for her insights into preChristianity and the Art. To George Smith and Wendy McElroy, erstwhile proprietors of Lysander's Books, for George's superb book Atheism-The Case Against God, and for yet another sympathetic writer's ear (Wendy's).

To Estelle and The Weirz, for the music. To Bob Segar and to the Commodores for two seminal (or should that be oval?) tunes-"Still the Same" and "Three Times a Lady".

To James Phillip Nobel, who introduced me to real-life Adventure, screwing up my mind-and conning me into following my dreams.

To Andrew J. Offutt, for letting me write a couple of books that kept the wolves from the door.

To Claire Simler, who dragged me back to work so that I could meet the woman in my dreams. Thank you. Veronica and I are sorry you had to leave us so soon. Vanessa will know your name.

And most important, to Veronica, whom I met and liked and thought I'd never see again and whom I met a second time and fell in love with. And to our beautiful daughter, Vanessa.

Umm, does that cover most everyone?

1 September, 1989 Los Angeles, USA