The Battle for WondLa
Page 26
Toilers—derogatory term used to describe a group of humans who seceded from New Attica. Now living on the outskirts of the city, Toilers believe that reliance on too much technology will not help them assimilate in the natural world.
transcarrier—a typically large airship designed for carrying freight or human passengers long distances. They fly by means of water-fueled engines, and the hulls are lined with rows of small hover-thrusters, which allows the pilot exact steering capability.
treowe—a small exotic bird with three pairs of wings, introduced to Orbona by aliens during the Great Migration. A treowe releases a fine powder from its body that, when inhaled, can put a human or alien into a trance. If the bird is trained, it will alight on the tongue of that person and speak only the truth. The Vitae Virus has made the treowes of Orbona much more potent than the ancestors that were originally brought to the planet. Also known as a “truth-bird.”
trilustralis—a Latin word denoting a fifteen-year period. Cæruleans count in units of fifteen.
turnfin—an introduced species of aquatic bird that has three pairs of wings. Turnfins are quite hardy and have acclimated to many of Orbona’s varied habitats. They are resourceful omnivores that tend to live in flocks. The Halcyonus have used turnfins for fishing since ancient times. The birds are also a food source for many.
utilitunic—a garment made of climatefiber for a human. Utilitunics possess monitoring programs, such as AnatoScan, which are usually located in the shoulder patch. Utilitunics can be customized for particular uses. One example is lumen-wear, which allows light to emanate from various parts of the garment.
Vitae Virus—a genetically engineered alien virus capable of accelerating and mutating life. It can reside within living organisms for a short period of time and be transferred by bodily contact. Otherwise it primarily transfers through water ingestion and absorption.
Vitae Virus generator—a large device created by Zin and the Ojo family that disperses the Vitae Virus. It was used in terraforming the dormant planet Orbona.
vocal transcoder—a small spherical alien device that utilizes nanotechnology to translate any language into the user’s native tongue; the translation is then transmitted to the user’s ear.
voxfruit—a tasty fruit with a clear rind and green berries within. It is usually found growing in or near wet areas and is named after the microscopic algae that it resembles, volvox. This plant was created by the introduction of the Vitae virus.
Wandering Forest—a large, sprawling, densely wooded forest that encompasses the touchdown site of the Vitae Virus generator. The forest is so named because of the proliferation of wandering trees.
wandering tree—a gigantic nonflowering intelligent plant with leafy stems and lobed leaves. It has the ability to scoot about on its multitude of prehensile roots in search of fresh water. Though they will travel in a solitary fashion, most wandering trees congregate in a herd, forming temporary forests.
warbots—a tall three-legged robot manufactured for invasive warfare by Cadmus Pryde. Like the automedic robots, they operate as an artificial hive-mind and are overseen by a controller. Warbots are typically armed with an arsenal of SHOCdarts, immobilization foam, and ElectroRifles.
weeping bird-catcher—an intelligent plant indigenous to Orbona that was created by mutation caused by the introduction of the Vitae Virus. Its branches hang like a weeping willow, then snap up to catch and kill prey (usually birds), which the plant then consumes like the Venus flytrap from the Age of Man.
WondLa—the fragmented book cover of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written and published during the Age of Man. WondLa also came to represent a Shangri-La of sorts to Eva Nine.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Tony DiTerlizzi
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Book design by Tony DiTerlizzi and Lizzy Bromley
Jacket design by Tony DiTerlizzi and Lizzy Bromley
Jacket illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi
Logo design by Tom Kennedy
The text for this book is set in Adobe Garamond and Lomba.
The illustrations for this book were rendered with Staedtler Pigment Liner pens on vellum paper and were colored digitally.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DiTerlizzi, Tony.
The battle for WondLa / Tony DiTerlizzi ; with illustrations by the author. — First edition.
pages cm — (The search for WondLa ; book 3)
Summary: When all hope for a peaceful coexistence between humankind and aliens seems lost, Eva Nine, with help from an unlikely ally, must thwart the evil Loroc’s ultimate plan for both mankind and the alien life on Orbona.
ISBN 978-1-4169-8314-9 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-1-4814-0388-7 (ebook) [1. Science fiction. 2. Human-alien encounters—Fiction. 3. War—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.D629Bat 2014
[Fic]—dc23
2013035219