Nothing he knew of, enunciated life like death.

Each soul has its appointed doom. How is it you dare to raise a mortal boy so high - high enough to flout the gods? Bring godhead where a man may reach out and take it? growls Enlil, and lightning splits a clear blue sky.

Be polite to all, friendly to none. Be professional. Be ready to kill everyone and everything.

There must be a corps that will battle for righteousness, for there are endless battalions who serve unrighteousness.

Tempus wanders eternally, bringing death to whomever loves him and being spurned by whomsoever he shall love.

Survival's the thing, isn't it?

If you want to write something completely unique, you will probably fail or at best write something without redeeming value. The mind works in certain patterns: the mind organizes facts in story form; it is your commonality with that body of human thought that makes a good book, not its estrangement from the common values that humans share.