“Dedication: For John, who said, "You know what this book needs? More fire. And maybe some swords." This ONE time, honey, you were right. (Rachel Hawkins)”

“I’ve been thinking about that book about the boys who crash on an island,” Mary Lou said to Adina one afternoon as they rested on their elbows taking bites from the same papaya. “Lord of the Flies. What about it?” You know how you said it wasn’t a true measure of humanity because there were no girls and you wondered how it would be different if there had been girls?” “Yeah?” “Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one’s watching them so they can be who they really are.” There was something about the island that made the girls forget who they had been. All those rules and shalt nots. They were no longer waiting for some arbitrary grade. They were no longer performing. Waiting. Hoping. They were becoming. They were.”

“Ah, said Silver, it were fortunate for me that I had Hawkins here. You would have let old john be cut to bits, and never given it a thought, doctor.'Not a thought,' replied Dr. Livesey cheerily.”

“Elijah Snow: 'Who have you pissed off this time, John?'John Stone: 'Sumatran robot death sluts -- Dammit, ONE of these buttons fires the atomic death biter --”

“Relax, Salazar. I'm just messing around. Besides, I have my eye on somebody right now.""Who?" Danielle and Colt said at the same time."That's on a need-to-know basis," Oz said, "and right now neither one of you needs to know.”

“It is a child speaking," said Merlin, "not a king and not a knight, but a hurt and angry child, or you would know, my lord, that there is more to a king than a crown, and far more to a knight than a sword. You were a knight when you grappled Pellinore unarmed.""And he defeated me.""You were a knight," said Merlin. "Somewhere in the world there is defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness lives in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory.”