Late breaking news (9 am): Tourist Trap not only took first place in science fiction in the Reader Views literary awards, it received the Garcia Award for the best fiction book of the year! I’m in shock!

The first six quotes this week were again from Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey.

“It walls you in as well as other people out.” Darkwing is trying to explain to Tremayne about the barrier around Iftel, and how it has affected the people within it.

“I would rather have a bloodless victory than any other kind.” Tremayne, on realizing that the gryphons will probably fight by dropping object through thatched roofs.

“No one has ever dared to claim…that the cause of warfare was rational.” Firesong to Karral, discussing how Karal feels about Vanyel. Firesong is thinking about adding Vanyel’s ghost to their company. The complete quote included prejudice as well as warfare, and the whole thing refers to the fact that Vanyel was considered a demon in Karse, due to his being the premier fighter on the Valdemar side in a war centuries earlier.

“No side is always in the right.” Firesong approving Karal’s answer to his question about Vanyel.

“The sword is saying that we need an edge. How appropriate.” Firesong is being a bit sarcastic about Need’s advice, Need being a talking sword.

“Gossip and rumor, opiates of the dull, can for the clever be the stuff that dreams are made of.” Melles has been talking with his tame poet and propagandist, and the poet makes this remark.

“Some of the mammals here think they are going to eat me!” Sue Ann Bowling, Jarn’s Journal. Jarn is just beginning to explore his site of stranding, in Pleistocene Africa.