Quotes from Richard Paul Russo

Mysteries we did find, and they were many. But I learned that something can be too mysterious, too alien - so mysterious or alien as to approach being meaningless:

Pär grinned. "What's so funny?" "You are, Bartolomeo." "Everything you've said is true," Nikos added, "but it's not that simple. Your choices, your decisions, were not necessarily the wrong choices. Sometimes, they were the right choices, the moral choices. They just didn't work out." "That's an understatement." "I'm

Steam rose from the river, from the building rooftops, from the mud, from the trees surrounding the town—antediluvian jungle. I

Nikos looked at me with concern. "We're in deep trouble, Bartolomeo.

What else are we going to do? An alien starship, Bartolomeo. As far as we know, this is the first and only time in human history that we have had any contact, any evidence of an intelligent alien civilization. We can't just stop now, leave it all behind as if it didn't exist." That

I drifted just outside, contemplating the dark interior.

Ten minutes later, after we had gathered everyone in the main cabin, I had nine volunteers to stay in the alien ship while the shuttle took the old woman back to the Argonos; ten, including me. That was everyone. We would all stay.   "I

FATHER Veronica finally came to see me again. She was distraught, and apologized for not coming sooner. "I was denied access to you," she explained. "Why?" "I still don't know. Perhaps because of what we talked about when I was here; I was probably unwisely indiscreet. I have been permitted to visit any of the prisoners except you. It's taken all this time for me to work out permission for one last visit." One

Aguilera is a man who has provided wise counsel over the years, has demonstrated an acute mind and an ability to view things from a perspective different from that of most people. And I think that a different perspective is exactly what we need in this situation." "I

Before that, there was no official ship History. The only official records were the ship's logs." He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "But they were all destroyed. Which is why the History was begun, to provide an alternate

I had my own skeptic's thoughts about God and free will, but that was a discussion for another time. The idea of human beings in power acting out of anything except self-interest, however, was absurd to me. "Are you being naive?" I asked her. "No

and sometimes we have to take it on faith that we are actually making progress, getting closer to our destination. Faith. Four months

Cantus astronomicus, domine astronomy . . ." She was chanting what seemed to be a mix of ersatz Latin and Standard. I knelt

No idea is too strange or ridiculous. An unworkable idea may inspire in someone else an idea that will work.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Father Veronica, not looking at me but gazing at the monitor with fear and wonder. "Bartolomeo