Ancient Appetites

Acknowledgements

I was never sure how this book was going to read, so I'd like to show my appreciation to all the people who helped me to see it from the outside. That goes particularly for my family: Mum, Kunak, Marek, Erika and Darius as well as Joe and Suzanne. I owe a special thanks to Maedhbh Rogan, for her sound advice, input and support throughout. I'm grateful to Conor Kostick, who checked over my peculiar portrayal of history – any mistakes or complete fabrications are entirely mine. Any really good ideas are mine also.

My agent, Sophie Hicks, continues to steer me through the world of international publishing with expert ease, ably assisted by Edina Imrik and the rest of the folks at Ed Victor Ltd. I'm indebted to all the book-loving people I've met on my travels, who've spoiled me rotten with their enthusiasm and educated me in so many different facets of this passionate industry.

Once again, the team at Random House made the production of this book a thoroughly enjoyable experience with their easy-going professionalism. Thanks particularly to the designer James Fraser for liking the same stuff I do and to Nicola Frame for shepherding me on the Small-Minded Giants tour. And finally, I am especially grateful to my editor, Shannon Park, for knowing what this story needed to make it into a book.

Thanks to all of you.