John DeChancie

"The silence was deep, yet it was the sort of restful, contemplative silence befitting and peculiar to a library."

"The truth lay on him like the rubble of a landslide."

"This look into the far future has lightened my heart. Simply to know that there is a future is somehow reassuring."

"The desire to rule, to dictate, is born of nothing but contempt."

"“You’ve been planning moves in advance.” “As necessary in life as in chess.”"

"“Deems, this new pastime of yours may prove your undoing.” “Eh?” “Thinking. You’ve done so little of it in your life. This much exertion all at once…Well, it can’t be healthy.”"

"Silence hung like a boulder precariously balanced."

"Chico’s was busy that night, the dance floor a scrummage of writhing humanity. Snowclaw couldn’t get over the noise in the place. It had taken some getting used to. He didn’t quite understand what all the thumping and screeching was about, though he knew it had something to do with music. And the dancing was completely incomprehensible. Snowy took it to be some complex courting ritual. But what did the flashing lights have to do with anything?"

"Things are going to change around here. I realize that taboos are hard to overcome, but it simply has to be done if your people are going to have any future."

"Jeremy shook his head. “I used to dream about women like you. Hell, every guy does. You’re like a centerfold.” “Why, thank you.” “I mean it. You’re beautiful. But I just can’t believe that you’re real.” “But I am.” “You’re a computer program, for pete’s sake.” “What difference does that make?” “What difference? Well, I mean, you don’t just go around making out with computer programs. A program is just a…” “Just a pattern of information.” “Yeah. Just a pattern.” “So are you.” “What do you mean?” “You’re just a pattern of information, too. What makes you you is the configuration of data that’s in your brain. Your brain is just holding the information, just like a storage device. No difference. Your pattern is stored in a body, mine in a computer.” Jeremy was silent. Then he said, “I never thought of it that way.” “We’re both software, Jeremy. Why can’t we interface?” “I guess…well, maybe. But where did your body come from?” She shrugged. “I guess you could say that my body is just a pattern of information, too. Everything is merely a configuration of data.” “I don’t get it. But I’ll tell you one thing. I like your configuration a lot.” She smiled and kissed him."

"Fate, eh? Bloody bad luck, I call it."

"Tell my doppelgänger not to do anything I wouldn’t do."

"“It might have something to do with quantum uncertainty. ‘Quantum uncertainty’ is good for explaining just about anything that doesn’t make sense.”"

"So far, so good, the man said as he fell thirty-nine of forty stories."

"The sixteenth hole wouldn’t have gone well even if the herd of wyverns hadn’t showed up."

"Look, we’re not getting anywhere. Why don’t we all return to our respective…whatever you call them. Continua, quantum glitches, Erewhons, reflections of reflections—"

"Nobody ever gained anything by playing chess with himself."