I express preference for a chronological sequence of events which precludes a violence.

Sometimes it is better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.

If the government ever imposes a tax on books - and I wouldn't put it past them - I'm in dead trouble.

Taxation, gentlemen, is very much like dairy farming. The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum amount of moo.

You were safe on a troll. Anyone wanting to mug a troll would have to use a building on a stick.

What's the orbital velocity of the moon?

It's a guilty secret of a lot of writers, as you get older you don't read as much fiction as you used to, mainly because it's like you are deconstructing it all the time.