Horde

Author’s Note

This book required extensive research on what a ground war would be like, set in conditions similar to the American Civil War. I read endless articles on provender, weapons, field medicine, survival rates, and privations unrelated to actual combat. For Tegan’s role, I learned about herbs, primitive remedies, and a vast number of ailments. I now know what a chilblain is and that it’s literally possible to walk your boots to leather tatters. Some of the data didn’t make it into the story because it didn’t fit Deuce’s point of view, but it was fascinating.

For more information, try these sites: www.civilwarhome.com/strategyandtactics.htm and www.historynet.com/civil-war-soldier. The following books are excellent too: Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James McPherson, American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War by Bruce Catton, and for military buffs, I recommend The Twentieth Maine: A Classic Story of Joshua Chamberlain and His Volunteer Regiment by John J. Pullen. War isn’t glorious, however, and I tried to convey that in Horde. There’s a reason Deuce is ready for peace.

Town names in the territories are taken from actual settlements in present-day Maine and Canada, but their locations have been shifted to suit certain catastrophic events. I chose these familiar names to lend the land a certain verisimilitude, which roots readers in reality as I created a new world for them to explore. For those who are curious, the action takes place between present-day Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec, though the topography has definitely changed over the centuries. If you use Google Maps, type in “Cabano, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, QC, Canada” to get an idea where they started out in Salvation. All the towns are arrayed from there. Marching west as they did, you’d reach Soldier’s Pond, whereas Gaspard lies to the east.

I promised you’d have all the answers about the Freaks by the end of the saga, and I think I covered everything, but if you still have questions, feel free to e-mail me.

This is how the world ends … and begins again. Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.