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Copyright © 2009 by Stephen Zimmer
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be copied or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise, without express written consent of the publisher or author.
Cover art and illustrations: Matthew Perry
Cover art and illustrations in this book, © 2009 Matthew Perry & Seventh Star Press, LLC.
Editor: Amanda DeBord
Published by Seventh Star Press, LLC.
ISBN Number 9780982565612
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009910166
Seventh Star Press
www.seventhstarpress.com
info@seventhstarpress.com
Publisher’s Note:
Crown of Vengeance is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are the product of the author’s imagination, used in fictitious manner.
Any resemblances to actual persons, places, locales, events, etc.
is purely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
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DEDICATION
Book One in the Fires in Eden Series, and the series itself, is dedicated to my father, Dr. Stephen Zimmer, a brilliant scientist and incredible father, who continued to be generous and good to others despite having to endure true injustice over many very difficult years. I hope that he has walked in Eden, and what lies beyond it, where the many lives that he touched, the many people that he helped all throughout his life, and the dedicated, innovative research that he undertook to help those suffering with cancer, are the enduring treasures in a place where money and worldly status have no worth.
I also dedicate this series to everyone who suffers the kind of pain that comes with the loss of someone that you love dearly, something that time cannot heal in this world. It takes a lot of courage to get up and continue forward in the face of the unknown, and to take the risk of harboring hope in a world that increasingly embraces oblivion. May the destination of this story be similar to your own, so that everyone who has dared to love will find the fulfillment of true healing, in a place where life truly flourishes
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Amanda Debord, my wondrous editor who has valiantly endured yet another step forward on my literary adventure. I hope that I have perhaps cut down the workload a little in advance, on this second project together. Thanks for being so wonderful to work with, and for not being inhibited in telling me what needs to be improved, where I’ve become too fascinated with historical details, and all the things that you’ve pointed out that have made the work better. I think the world of you, and will always work incredibly hard to make you proud that you chose to work with me!
Matthew Perry, illustrator and artist extraordinaire, and a loyal friend. I cannot say enough about how glad I am that you were willing to continue on this road, and that we were able to work together once again. I don’t take anything for granted. This stage of the journey is far from easy, and your support during this time means more than you know. I will do my best to see all of this through, and I am very proud to have your considerable talents displayed on the cover of my book.
I can never express enough gratitude to my mother, Connie, who is definitely at fault for my great love of fantasy literature. As I often mention, it was she who read me The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy aloud as a child, and got me hooked onto C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series. Always supportive of my dreams, I could never have found better encouragement to persevere on a very arduous road. As I can never say enough, I love you, mom!
My unceasing respect and gratitude each and every one of the readers who joined me on the journey following the release of The Exodus Gate, the first step on the road, and to those who have joined with me since. An author is nothing without readers, and I could not move forward without you. I will always give you my utmost effort to bring you the best work that I possibly can, and I will always be looking for ways to improve in order to bring you exciting and thought-provoking stories, and satisfying series. My readers deserve that kind of respect and consideration at all times, something that I take very, very seriously.
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“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it, ALWAYS.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
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“The spread of evil is the symptom of a vacuum. Whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles.”
-Ayn Rand
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“There is no death, only a change between worlds.”
-Seattle, Suquamish chief.