" 'But if I am simply a deluded ape who took a lot of old folktales far too seriously then I brought all this on myself and my companions. The problem with atheism, I find, under these circumstances, is that I have no one to despise but myself. If, however, I choose to believe that God is vicious, then at least I have the solace of hating God.'" Prelude, p. 5

"She leaned forward and spoke with conviction and urgency, believing that at long last she had found someone who could see that the Runa need not collude in their own subjugation. 'You are more than meat. You have the right to stand up and say, Never again! They have claws and custom on their side. You have numbers and—' Justice, she'd meant to say, but there was no word in Ruanja for justice, or for fairness...