Caveat, and Warning for Travelers
This is a work of fiction, not a guidebook. While the geography of the United States of
America in this tale is not entirely imaginary-many of the landmarks in this book can be
visited, paths can be followed, ways can be mapped-I have taken liberties. Fewer liberties
than you might imagine, but liberties nonetheless.
Permission has neither been asked nor given for the use of real places in this story when they
appears, I expect that the owners of Rock City or the House on the Rock, and the hunters
who own the motel in the center of America, are as perplexed as anyone would be to find
their properties in here.
I have obscured the location of several of the places in this book: the town of Lakeside, for
example, and the farm with the ash tree an hour south of Blacksburg. You may look for
them if you wish. You might even find them.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise in this
story are fictional or used in a fictional context. Only the gods are real.