The Romulus Equation (24 page)

This book is an ending of sorts, in that it marks the conclusion of my contract with The Friday Project/HarperCollins as publishers of this series. Primarily, I would like to thank Scott Pack for his support over the many years. If he hadn't had such faith, I wouldn't be writing this and you wouldn't be reading it.

Cutting a long story into perhaps an only marginally shorter one, Scott always understood what I was trying to achieve with the chronicles of Cornelius Quaint's immortal life; only a small part of which culminates within the pages of this very book. Scott also understood that this series isn't about being historically accurate, nor is it a discussion point about whether refrigerators were around in 1853 (they were, actually). Distilling it into its purest form, it is my version of mythology: a man who is given a great gift by the gods, but is then forced to do battle with monsters as punishment.

Now, in
The Romulus Equation
, Quaint has finally found the answers to the questions that have haunted him throughout his entire life, but as you can see from the last page, his troubles don't end there – in many ways, they have only just begun.

And so whereas this book marks an ending, it is also a new beginning and the start of things to come.

The Cornelius Quaint Chronicles will continue in 2013 with
The Monarch Key
, where you will get to find out what is so special about that key that Queen Victoria gave Quaint in
The Lazarus Curse
, and how it might help him find the whereabouts of his daughter, Constance. The conjuror will be going to some very dangerous places, and into conflict with some very dangerous people. Everything will be exactly the same but completely different.

I do hope you will join the journey with me, as it wouldn't be the same without you.

If you would like to find out the latest news on the further chronicles of Cornelius Quaint, please drop me a line via one of the avenues below. I would love to hear from you. There is nothing more gratifying for me as an author to hear from folk who have read (and with any luck) enjoyed my books.

Darren Craske began his career writing and illustrating comic books before his first published work,
The Equivoque Principle
in 2008. Since then he has written 3 more volumes of The Cornelius Quaint Chronicles, plus 2 short stories featuring the enigmatic conjuror, with the 5th book in the series,
The Monarch Key
, due later in 2013. He has also written several other books for adults and younger readers. Craske lives in Hampshire with his wife and two children.

The Equivoque Principle

The Eleventh Plague

The Lazarus Curse

The Quaint Christmas

The Enthusiastic Amateur

Above His Station

Before His Time

The Lantern Menace

The Argonaut's Almanac Vol 1: Mythbound (released mid-2013)

The Friday Project

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This ebook first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins
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Copyright © Darren Craske 2013

Cover design © HarperCollins
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Darren Craske asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007492008

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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