Knowledge is simply a terrible ocean we must cross, and hope that wisdom lies on the other side.

The surfeit of bad trends pushes me to set my stories in worlds which are often diminished versions of our own present.

A desert's a stupid place to put a river.

Knowledge is always two-edged. For every benefit, there is hazard. For every good, evil.

Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to respect but never yield to. Pain was simply a message, telling him which limbs he could still use to slaughter his enemies, how far he could still run, and what his chances were in the next battle.

When I read, I'm either reading to learn, or I'm reading to switch off.

Men are loyal when you lead from the front.