ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I acknowledge with gratitude the help I have received from Peter Carson, Bob Gottlieb and John Guest, who read the book before publication and made valuable criticisms and suggestions.

The manuscript was typed by Mrs. Elizabeth Aydon, Mrs. Janice Kneale, Mrs. A.-M. Sjowall-Nilsson and Mrs. Janice Watterson. I thank them all most warmly. In addition, Mrs. Aydon gave invaluable help as a sort of "continuity girl," picking up several inconsistencies, lacunae and points for correction. She deserves special thanks on this account.

NOTE

Readers of Shardik will observe that the maps, included in this story, of the Beklan Empire and of Bekla itself differ from those in the earlier book. These maps are not, however, inconsistent with those. Certain places, e.g., Lak and Tissarn, shown on the Shardik maps have been omitted here, since they form no part of Maia's story. Conversely, other features, e.g.,LakeSerrelind , Nybril and Suba, played no part in Shardik, and accordingly were not shown on those maps.

The events in this story ante-date Shardik by a few years.

"Maia" rhymes with "higher" (not with "layer").