The Serpent's Curse (42 page)

I
've always been fascinated by the layering of imagined story and factual research in a novel and how the two finally become (or should become) indistinguishable.

The Serpent's Curse
is of course a piece of fiction, though behind (and above and in between) that fiction was woven a good deal of reading, travel, conversation, code making and breaking, artwork, and a host of other oddments.

Of the books that have seeped into the present story, there are a good number; here are some of the main ones: Arthur Koestler's brilliant novel about a man's fight against inhumanity,
Darkness at Noon
, was a constant, not least for supplying me with the name
Rubashov
, but also for a certain sparkling bleakness of tone. Oh, and for the bit about pacing back and forth in a small cell that more than one character does here.
Gulag: A History
, by Anne Applebaum, and
The Gulag Archipelago: 1918–1956
, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, along with
In Siberia
, by Colin Thubron, were the prime sources for the setting of the Siberian work camp. James H. Billington's
The Icon and the Axe
was useful as a starting place for study of the late-medieval period in Russia. Masha Gessen's
Words Will Break Cement
and
The Snowden Files
, by Luke Harding, were helpful with background color and because they recount current events. On the lighter side, I have to mention Daniel Silva's
Moscow Rules
and
The English Girl,
both delightful nightstand companions during the writing of this book.

M
y thanks go first to my family. They are the foundation upon which I am blessed to be able to write at all. Heartfelt gratitude also goes to Andrew Freeburg for his close reading of the story's Russian pages, for his suggestions, and for correcting my more obvious mistakes in language and setting. Thanks to Patti Woods for her careful reading of the Venice episode; I do not, however, apologize for her subsequent desire to return there. To Kathryn Silsand and Karen Sherman, my copy editors, countless thanks (or rather, six hundred sixty thanks, based on the latest revision). To Karen, especially, who somehow read the story as deeply and fully as I wrote it, I send my best wishes and kindest thoughts and apologies for the length of the book. You are the best. As before and always, to Claudia Gabel, Melissa Miller, and Katherine Tegen, my good companions on this relic quest, my thanks beyond all thanks.

Photo by Thomas Sayers Ellis

TONY ABBOTT
is the author of nearly a hundred books for young readers, including the bestselling series The Secrets of Droon. Tony has worked in libraries, in bookstores, and in a publishing company and currently teaches college English. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. You can visit him online at www.tonyabbottbooks.com.

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“I had to keep reminding myself
The Copernicus Legacy
was intended for a young audience. Full of mystery and
intrigue, this book had me completely transfixed.”

—Ridley Pearson,
New York Times
bestselling author
of the Kingdom Keepers series

“
The Copernicus Legacy
takes you on a fantastical journey that
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behind secrets coded in riddle, this book is like a Dan
Brown thriller for young readers. The further
you get, the more you must read!”

—Angie Sage,
New York Times
bestselling author
of the Septimus Heap series

“
The Copernicus Legacy
has it all: A secret code, priceless relics,
murderous knights, a five-hundred-year-old mystery, and
a story full of friendship, family, humor, and intelligence.”

—Wendy Mass,
New York Times
bestselling author
of
The Candymakers
and
Every Soul a Star

“With engaging characters, a globe-trotting plot, and dangerous villains,
it is hard to find something not to like. Equal parts edge-of-your-seat
suspense and heartfelt coming-of-age.”

—
Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)

“Fast-paced and clever, the novel reads like a mash-up of the National
Treasure films and
The Da Vinci Code
.”

—
Publishers Weekly

The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone

The Copernicus Archives #1: Wade and the Scorpion's Claw

Cover art © 2014 by Bill Perkins
Logo design by Jason Cook/Début Art
Cover design by Tom Forget

Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

THE COPERNICUS LEGACY: THE SERPENT'S CURSE
. Text copyright © 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Bill Perkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014937634

ISBN 978-0-06-219446-6 (trade bdg.)

ISBN 978-0-06-235159-3 (int.)

EPub Edition August 2014 ISBN 9780062194503

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