He is more worth to you, perhaps. But the stranger is someone else's friend and brother. So which life is more important?

As an author, one of the most important things I think you can do once you've written a novel is step back. When the book is out, it belongs to the readers and you can't stand there breathing over their shoulders.

My mind is filled with cataclysm and apocalypse. I wish for earthquakes, eruptions, flood.

We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.

He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.

She wants you to be a god," I told him. "I know." His face twisted with embarrassment, and in spite of itself my heart lightened. It was such a boyish response. And so human. Parents, everywhere.

Life for women in ancient Greece was hard - you had to fight for every inch of ground you got. Both Thetis and Briseis are strong, passionate women and in another time and place their lives would have been very different. Part of the tragedy of their characters is how much they have to offer - and how little of that they get to realize. Thetis spends the whole novel fighting the limitations placed on her, desperately trying to eke out the best she can from a bad situation. This makes her fierce and terrifying.