Dear Artificer, I’ve blown my quanta and gone to the Good Place!

But even in your world it’s a byword. Men will fight bravely and be heroes, but for last-ditch defense against any odds… get a Mother.

But the trouble with sainthood these days is the robe-and-halo imagery that gets stuck onto it." Carl got that brooding look again. "People forget that robes were street clothes once... and still are, in a lot of places. And halos are to that fierce air of innocence what speech balloons in comics are to the sound of the voice itself. Shorthand. But most people just see an old symbol and don't bother looking behind it for the meaning. Sainthood starts to look old-fashioned, unattainable... even repellent. Actually, you can see it all around, once you learn to spot it.

I may have one more 'Star Trek' novel in me, but it would be in the old universe, not the new one.

All the drawing lacks is the final touch: To add eyes to the dragon

Sometimes we do not hear the Whisperer even at her loudest because she speaks in our own voice, the one we most often discount.

A little science. A little magic. A little chicken soup.