Frank Schatzing - The Swarm

Today, a year after the vessel sank; I open the newspaper and read: 'The yrr have changed the world forever.'

Have they?

They played a decisive role in our fate, yet we know virtually nothing about them. We think that we understand their biochemical make-up, but is that really knowledge? We haven't seen them since. Their signals still echo through the oceans, although we can't understand them as they're not meant for human ears. How does a mass of jelly create noise? How does it receive it? Just two among millions of futile questions. Only we can provide the answers. The onus lies with us.

Perhaps it's time for humanity to enter a new phase of evolution and finally reconcile our primordial genetic inheritance with our development as a civilised race. If we want to prove ourselves worthy of the gift that is the Earth, it isn't the yrr we should be studying but ourselves. Amid our skyscrapers and computers we've learned to disavow our nature, but the path to a better future lies in knowing our origins.

No, the yrr haven't changed the world. They've shown us how it really is.

Nothing is as it was. Although, come to think of it, I haven't stopped smoking.

We all need continuity of some kind, don't you think?

Most books numbering over 800 pages, crammed full of scientific fact and learning, draw on the wisdom of a host of clever people, and this book is no exception. I would especially like to thank:

Prof Uwe A. O. Heinlein, Miltenyi Biotec for lessons about the yrr and thinking genes, and for drops of enlightenment found at the bottom of a good glass of wine.

Dr Manfred Reitz, Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, Jena, for insights into extraterrestrial life and for inspirational yrr-sense.

Hans-Jurgen Wischnewski, former cabinet minister, for packing half a century of experience into three hours, and for a thoroughly sociable meeting with poppy-seed cake.

Clive Roberts, Managing Director, Seaboard Shipping Co. Vancouver, for the advice of an expert/father-in-law and simply for being himself!

Bruce Webster, Seaboard, for his time and patience and for painstakingly answering twenty-six rambling questions.

Prof Gerhard Bohrmann, GEOMAR Kiel and the University of Bremen, for adding his own special fizz to the hydrates and for playing a leading role in methane fact and fiction.

Dr Heiko Sahling, University of Bremen, for providing dissected, fixed and all other manner of worms, and for taking part.

Prof Erwin Suess, GEOMAR, for a sun-lit lunch in the depths of the ocean and for his literary presence.

Prof Christopher Bridges, University of Düsseldorf, for assorted moments of illumination in the lightless depths.

Prof Wolfgang Fricke, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, for two incredibly constructive days spent working on destruction.

Prof Stefan Krüger, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, for tirelessly filtering out the errors on board the sinking ships.

Dr Bernard Richter, Germanischer Lloyd, for contributing via telephone to the productive disaster-based summit with Dr Fricke.

Prof Giselher Gust, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, for her incisive thoughts and for a veritable Circumpolar Current of ideas.

Tobias Haack,Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, for labouring intellectually inside the various boats.

Stefan Endresfor whale-watching, real Indians and large mammals leaping over small planes.

Torsten Fischer, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Bremerhaven, for authorizing a last-minute research trip to a research vessel.

Holger Falleifor a dry-dock Polarstern expedition that was anything but dry.

Dr Dieter Fiege, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfort, for a day in which the worm turned – in the most constructive possible way.

Bjorn Weyer, defender of the fleet, for his readiness to collaborate with the enemy – on a purely fictional level.

Peter Nassefor providing invaluable contacts, for always being willing to help, and for the pleasure of one day seeing him on screen.

Ingo Haberkorn, Federal Criminal Police Office Berlin, for his in-depth crisis management of non-human atrocities and crimes.

Uwe Steen, PR division of the Cologne police force, for his help in answering the question as to who and what would respond when and how in the time of the yrr.

Dieter Pittermannfor opening up the route to oil platforms and to the scientific side of Trondheim, and generally for helper det er til hjelp .

Tina Pittermannfor establishing the line of communication to her father, for her grandma's books, and for waiting patiently for the return of said books.

Tina's grandmafor the books.

Paul Schmitzfor photos, beard transplants, two years of doing without music and the faultless recommendation: never get old !

Jürgen Muthmannfor his insights into Peruvian fishing, for being patient with writers who don't like to fly, and for always being close in spite of the distance.

Olaf Petersenn, my trusty editor at Kiepenheuer Witsch, for finally adding the word cut to my vocabulary.

Helge Mai chow, publisher, for engaging in a leap of faith and for publishing the longest book in the history of Kiepenheuer Witsch.

Yvonne Eiserfey, who cast her expert eye over the original German edition for spelling mistakes and typos.

Jürgen Milz,my friend and business partner, for all his understanding and for his ability to keep a small ship afloat despite the hefty swell.

My gratitude as well to everyone at Hodder Stoughton, especially my editor Nick Sayers, his assistant Anne Clarke and my publicist Henry Jeffreys. An extra thank you is due to Sally-Ann Spencer, who did more than 'just' translating The Swarm fabulously, to Loma Slater, for proofreading, and to Hazel Orme, for copyediting.

My sincere thanks also to Cologne's long-serving mayor Norbert Burger for putting me in touch with Hans-Jürgon Wischnewski, to Hans-Peter Buschheuer for writing to Ben Wisch, to Claudia Dambowy for medical advice, to Jürgen Streich for supplying reading material on Greenpeace, to Hejo Emons for the loan of thrilling and informative deep-sea films, Forjochen Cerhak for more of the same, and especially to Wahida Hammond for all the many kindnesses – it was about time that was said!

A special thank-you is due to my parents Brigitte and Rolf Schiitzing, who can take the credit for any good points I may have, and who are always there for me, and have steered me through calm and troubled waters, always choosing the right course, even in the fog.

In the great cycle of life on Earth the end is always also the beginning. And following the same neat logic, my biggest thank-you is saved until last. In the same way as I start and end each day of my life with the most wonderful thing I could wish for, I end and begin these acknowledgements with the love of my life. According to some people, Sabina is my secret editor; others see her as my great good fortune. Both interpretations are right. This book, my love, was written for you.

In addition to the international bestseller Der Schwarm, Frank Schatzing is also the author of several novels, including the recent political and historical thrillers Lautlos and Keine Angst. Before becoming Germany's most successful thriller writer in decades, Schatzing was an advertising executive. He lives in Cologne, Germany.