Jack Mann
Jack Mann is a medical doctor (consultant dermatologist) in the UK, working in London and Essex.
He always wanted to write a novel since his parents told him about how great Lord of the Rings was, when he was six. After numerous failed attempts he finally finished this one, after years of planning, in 2010. It took another 9 years of editing to reach its current form.
Further acknowledgements
Inevitably, after publishing, it has become apparent that some others very definitely should have been acknowledged.
Dr Carby, consultant in Respiratory Medicine, at Harefield hospital, is partly responsible for this, by suggesting I use the two months between core medical training post and my dermatology post to do something fun or interesting, as opposed to locum doctor work. It was during those two months that the first (very rough) draft of the novel was born.
Richard George gave very helpful advice about physics and space while the universe and its rules were being planned and designed.
Professor Hugh Montgomery was also encouraging and recommended various useful resources for developing the universe this novel is based in. His recent novel Control was brilliant! We all know hospital politics are messed up, but how did it get so bad that an excellent, well known surgeon winds up forced into a tortuous ‘locked in’ state?
Ramon Marett has produced the front cover I feel so much pride for, (even though he painted it) and the mountain escape, star port city and the excavation site arrival images. He and his brother published The Star Protocol - a great fun Delta Force vs aliens adventure.
And Andrew Prentice, author of the excellent Black Arts series, provided enthusiastic encouragement for the project in general, and very useful feedback and suggestions for the first chapter, many of which were wholeheartedly embraced.
And of course a big thanks to Fantastic Books for all their help and support, and excellent editing advice and feedback.