Gravity was something you could beat; all it took was hydrogen, hot air, or even a bit of rope. But being a girl was a miserable, never-ending struggle.

Around the outskirts of the city, cut off from town by the black oval of the river, everything was in darkness. Everyone ugly was in bed by now.

It's amazing how quickly nature consumes human places after we turn our backs on them. Life is a hungry thing.

Dare to ask, "Where is my novel too simple?"

That's how things were out here in the wild, she was learning. Dangerous or beautiful. Or both.

You young things are too easily persuaded by the touch of lips.

Left alone, human beings are a plague. They multiply relentlessly, consuming every resource, destroying everything they touch.