Umbusi—A fief’s governor.
Umqondisi—A teacher, trainer, master, leader.
Wing (military unit)—Three claws operating together under a single command.
Xidda—The land the Omehi discovered after fleeing Osonte.
Xiddeen—The name the aboriginals of Xidda use for themselves.
GRATITUDE
I want to say thanks.
I want to say it to Joey for being this book’s first reader. His encouragement gave me the confidence to believe in my work. I want to say it to Malik for never being too busy to read a few more pages. He helped me realize this could be special. I want to say it to Anthony for making sure I never forgot the fundamentals of storytelling. He made me better.
Most of all, I want to say thanks to Helen Zdriluk, my high school drama teacher and friend. She taught me to believe in the value of creativity, gave me a chance to prove I could say something worthwhile, and pointed out the path that has determined my life.
Mrs. Z, one of the last times I saw you, we were at a friend’s wedding. I had just landed an executive job and was very proud of myself. I told you about it. You nodded, looked me in the eye, and said, “Yes, but what about the writing?”
I miss you, Mrs. Z. I miss you very much. I’m still writing. Thank you for believing I should.
THE SCALE
This story would not exist in its current form and, in all likelihood, would not have reached you without the efforts of many incredible people. Here are a few of them:
Brit Hvide Busse—my remarkable editor, whose sense of story, character, and world leave me breathless. Brit found this story, swore she’d bring it to the world, and she did.
Emily Byron and Nivia Evans—the editors working alongside Brit to make sure we never settled for anything less than our best.
Tim Holman—Orbit’s publisher, one of this book’s fiercest champions, and a fiery intellect whose work and life are nothing less than awe-inspiring.
Erin Malone—my literary agent, whose tireless work and dedication allows me to spend my days writing tall tales. Her industry knowledge and ability to translate it into something digestible is a magic trick unlike any other.
Caitlin Mahony—my foreign rights agent, who travels the world looking for new places where my words might find welcome.
Eric Reid—My film/TV agent, with the power to captivate you with the spoken word and a personality that makes every phone call an event to look forward to and to be remembered.
Alex Lencicki—Orbit’s marketing and publicity director and the kind of person with whom it’s a thrill to talk deep data and go-to-market plans. Alex makes marketing as exciting as any climatic battle scene.
Ellen Wright—Orbit’s associate publicity director, whose marvelous work draws readers’ attention to the fact that this story exists at all.
Lauren Panepinto—Orbit’s creative director, responsible for this book’s gorgeous cover design and, due to her amazing work, the look and feel of much of Orbit’s oeuvre.
Karla Ortiz—illustrative genius, the hands and mind behind the cover image itself, and a lightning bolt of positive energy and verve.
Eileen Chetti—Copyeditor extraordinaire, she removed my extra commas, put in the ones I left out, and made the story stronger by keeping character wounds consistent, geography sensible, and universe terms comprehensible.
Dear Reader,
Evan Winter here to say a heartfelt thanks. Life is the spans we’re given and the choices we make in how to spend them. Thank you for sharing a few of yours with me. And, if you’d like to be the first to learn more about the rest of my work or hear a little about what I’m reading or doing, you’ll find that and more at www.evanwinter.com.
Wishing you and yours happiness, health, love,
Evan Winter
extras
meet the author
Photo Credit: Vivian Hui
Born in England to South American parents, EVAN WINTER was raised in Africa near the historical territory of his Xhosa ancestors. Evan has always loved fantasy novels, but when his son was born, he realized that there weren’t many epic fantasy novels featuring characters who looked like him. So before he ran out of time, he started writing them.
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A Q&A with Evan Winter
Tau is a very brash character and often makes choices the reader might disagree with or find frustrating. What were you thinking about as you wrote him? And how do his choices reflect the stubborn, single-mindedness of the people in power around him?
You’re very right. Tau is brash, frustrating, and too often he leads with his emotions, but he is that way because of his society. He is that way not because he’s special or different or particularly angry. He is that way because he’s normal and average, and the most typical result of being a normal and average human being who is the target of systemic oppression, stigmatization, and dehumanization is that you move through life having little or no control over your life. The only thing you can definitively control is each individual moment. The reactions or actions people in these positions take may seem unnecessarily aggressive, foolish, violent, or short-sighted, but they’re not any of those things because, like anyone deeply oppressed, Tau doesn’t have the luxury to make long-term plans. He has the moment in front of him and that’s all he can control, because it’s the only thing he’s been promised.
Besides Tau, who was your favorite character to write? Why?
It was Queen Taifa Omehia, the Dragon Queen. She leapt off the page for me, and the time I spent with her was gripping. I didn’t have to work out what she was saying and then put it into terms that would make for a decent read. She existed fully formed in all her love, passion, and rage.
The Omehi society is defined by its rigid caste structure. Where did the idea for this come from?
I adapted the caste structure from researched history and presented its outcomes as quarter-turn exaggerations of what I see from the world today.
You’ve said before that your work is inspired by your childhood in Africa. Could you tell us a little more about that? What other influences went into this amazing world?
I spent over a decade of my most formative years growing up in Zambia. It was an experience I can only look back on with fondness, and as I raise my own son I often wish I could give him more of my experience. Zambia was very safe, the weather was warm and sunny almost every day, and my world was filled with wanderings, adventures, and play. I grew up with pets, a pool, and a massive backyard with enough fruit trees to provide my daily lunch. I lived outside and in my imagination, and there was something so special about the large open spaces, feeling of total safety, and the freedom to explore and experience everything around me. Zambia provides the secondary world in which the story takes place, while the rest of Earth offers the basis for Uhmlaba’s conflicts and their inevitable fallout.