Special thanks to:

My Mom, for telling me I could do this in the first place;

Rick McCammon, for not laughing in 1984;

Dave Silva, for publishing (and paying me for!) my first short story;

Ann Kennedy, for a vision of what "Victory's Ode" could be;

A big possum hug to Kathy Ptacek, for giving me my first pro sale;

My Dad, not only for his technical teachings and patience, but for helping me pull things back together;

Jeff, for his endless support and encouragement when I needed it most;

Wayne, for Advanced Weapons 1.01 and just for being a buddy;

Roger Coleman, formerly of Mountain View, California, for help with the "medical stuff";

Joe Lansdale, for a turn in the right direction when I was at wit's end;

My agent, Howard Morhaim, for following his intuition;

A wonderful bunch of friends who took me into the fold with tireless advice and support and love: Beth, Brian, Dave, Mark, Peggy, Andrew, Harry, Kathleen, Amy, Kurt, Marthayn, Augie, Jeff J., and again, the Waynester;

And Tams, for her unfaltering "I never had a doubt" attitude.

Most of the quotes from Revelation in these pages have been blatantly, shamelessly, and conveniently paraphrased . . . but the real words are still frightening enough to twist your dreams.