A great many of the epic fantasies, from The Lord of the Rings onward, are about war, but to my mind, a lot of it doesn't really deal honestly with the consequences of war, what war does to us, as a society, what war does to us, as individuals, and the struggle for power, in the same way, and what we're fighting for.

When treating with liars, even an honest man must lie.

When you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him.

The air smelled of paper and dust and years.

The eunuch had looked death in the face, so near he might have kissed her on the lips.

You've got a bold tongue, little man. One day, someone is like to cut it out and make you eat it.

All my life men like you've sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust.