Clash of Empires (37 page)
Authors: Brian Falkner
“A true magician will never say,” Cosette says.
“Let us just say that we had a little help from my father, and an old friend,” Willem says.
Frost loses his smile. “How is Sofie?”
“She mourns her son,” Willem says. “As many mothers have mourned many sons over the many months of this war. But she has great spirit, and she is enjoying London.”
“What of Héloïse?” Frost asks. “I heard you had sent people to look for her.”
Willem smiles.
“They did not find her,” he says. “But I did not need them to. I know where she is.”
“And where is that?” Frost asks.
“She is home,” he says.
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Unlike
Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo
, this book is pure fiction.
Rampage at Waterloo
was as historically accurate as I could make it, right up to the actual Battle of Waterloo. However, this alternative history diverged significantly from real history at that point.
Even so, I have again tried to accurately portray the times and locations: the forts in Ireland and France, the streets of London, and the peculiar and terrifying world that was the Bedlam Lunatic Asylum.
I again owe a great debt to some excellent books:
Bedlam: London and Its Mad
, by Catharine Arnold
Ten Days in a Mad-House
, by Nellie Bly
The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon
, by Gunther E. Rothenberg
Many of the characters in this story are real historical figures. I have tried to depict them as accurately as possible in this alternative version of our history. My apologies for any inaccuracies.
Some of the fictional characters are named after real people. These are the grand-prize winners of my school competitions. Congratulations to:
â¢Â    Ethan Arbuckle
â¢Â    Hunter Frost
â¢Â    Joe Hoyes
â¢Â    Sam Roberts
â¢Â    Jack Sullivan
â¢Â    Dylan Townshend
â¢Â    Harry Wacker
â¢Â    Dylan Wenzel-Halls
â¢Â    Ben Wood
â¢Â    Lewis Wood
And a special thanks to:
Sofie Thielemans, Somerset College, Gold Coast, Australia
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Brian Falkner
was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, and now lives in Australia. He is the award-winning, best-selling author of several action-adventure novels, including the Recon Team Angel series and
Brainjack
. You can sign up for email updates
here
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CONTENTS
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Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
175 Fifth Avenue, New York 10010
Text copyright © 2016 by Brian Falkner
All rights reserved
First hardcover edition, 2016
eBook edition, July 2016
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Falkner, Brian, author.
Title: Battlesaurus: clash of empires / Brian Falkner.
Description: First edition.|New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016.|Series: Battlesaurus; 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2015047553|ISBN 9780374300777 (hardback)
Subjects:|CYAC: WarâFiction.|DinosaursâFiction.|Science fiction.|EuropeâHistoryâ1789â1815âFiction.|BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures.|JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Military & Wars.|JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General.|JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Europe.
Classification: LCC PZ7.F1947 Bap 2016|DDC [Fic]âdc23
LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2015047553
eISBN 9780374300791