Extra long dedicationThis book is dedicated to four groups of special people:
First, to the old friends who sat with me in that darkened theater in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 25, 1977: Mindy Wallgren-Holte, Janine (Plunkett) McCuster, Kevin O'Neill, and Daniel W. Bergman. I miss you all and wish you well.
Second, to the nieces and nephews who, as children, helped me experience the excitement anew: Tim Rusch, Priscilla Wolfe, Kathy McNally, Kristine Hofsommer, Knute Hofsommer, and Aaron J. Reynolds.
Third, to the friends of the heart who have never lost their sense of wonder: Keven J. Anderson, Paul B. Higgenbotham, and Dean Wesley Smith.
And finally, to George Lucas, for giving me so many hours of enjoyment, and to John Williams, whose exceptional score still makes me shiver with delight.