Quotes from Elizabeth Bear

Kit drew breath in an agony of anticipation, felt Mehiel's surrender in the coldness of his brands.

It was almost a clean hate, for a moment, untainted by her own failures.

Hush, puss. This wouldn't happen if you didn't fight me so.

Perceval might be light as a ghost made of twigs and wire. But she was Exalt, daughter of Engineers and the House of Conn, and there was machine strength in her blood.

Two planets of comparable size in an endless falling ballet around each other and their sun made for challenging close orbits, and Perceval was all too aware of the fragility of her old and battered world.

A quirk of a smile. From another woman, the comment might have been flirtatious. From Carel, it came with level appraisal and a touch of a frown.

It helped me to deal with the feelings, too. Talking them out. Even if it was only to a recorder.

Must do this thing in any case: wilt thou trust thy vengeance to thine Elf-Knight, love?

She hadn't understood the plan until she spoke it.

The improvised weapon in his hand, the comfort of his friend at his side were all the strength he needed.

He slapped her on the vambrace, rough affection but-for their family-an extreme display, and sealed his face plate with the other hand.

Jane stood from a plush chair beside tall arched windows and smoothed her skirt over her thighs, her tailored navy skirt contrasting with Carel's flowing velvet as if it had been chosen to do so. Carel strode toward her, soft brown boots scuffing on her marble floor, and settled on her heels a measured four feet away.

In the house of dust, roll yourself in ashes.

Had he robbed her of all joy forever? Or of all trust in her joy, which amounted to the same thing?

Every plan had its flow. But sometimes, living in the future was damned cool. Even if she couldn't get a rocket car.

The wall stood firm behind him; his hands flattened on the stones, but they gave him no purchase and less strength.

Tarnished silver-scratch it and it still gleams.

A shiver went through the shuttle's hide as it latched on the starship like a remora to a shark. Patty laid her hand against the glass, a similar shiver rippling her skin.

Boris, baby. How many lives are you on now?

She wondered how old they were, with their strange smooth faces and silken skin, and the muscled hands that didn't match their educated voices.

Jane drew herself up, chin high and shoulders back, and extended her hand. It was half the gesture of a Queen to a Queen, and half an offering to a wild animal, and Matthew bit his lips on a smile when he noticed.

stations we were near were slightly elevated. Oddly, in my experience, they all had tall chairs shaped for humans. The consoles

Claude was tall and bony, a beautiful woman with blunt-cut hair that had been white as feathers since she was in her twenties, and some of the lightest eyes Lesa had ever seen-which perhaps explained the depth of the crow's feet decorating her face. They couldn't all be from smiling, though Lesa wasn't sure she'd ever seen Claude not smiling. She had an arsenal of smiles, including a melancholy one for funerals.

He was really a striking man, with his freckles and auburn hair.