Tom Doherty, my publisher; Beth Meacham, my editor; and Barbara Bova, my agent, for responding so positively to the idea of this book when I proposed it as a collaborative project and then realized I wanted to write it entirely myself. And if I still think Urchin was the better title for this book, it doesn't mean that I don't agree that my second title, Ender's Shadow, is the more marketable one;
My assistants, Scott Allen and Kathleen Bellamy, who at various times defy gravity and perform other useful miracles;
My son Geoff, who, though he is no longer the five-year-old he was when I wrote the novel Ender's Game, is still the model for Ender Wiggin;
My wife, Kristine, and the children who were home during the writing of this book: Emily, Charlie Ben, and Zina. Their patience with me when I was struggling to figure out the right approach to this novel was surpassed only by their patience when I finally found it and became possessed by the story. When I brought Bean home to a loving family I knew what it should look like, because I see it every day.
Ender's Shadow Page 43
