Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War, #1)

by Mark Lawrence

Enjoy the world while you can, I say. A shallow enough philosophy by which to live, but shallow is what I’ve got. Besides, deep is apt to drown you.

We all practise self-deception to a degree: no man can handle complete honesty without being cut at each turn. There’s not enough room in a man’s head for sanity alongside each grief, each worry, each terror that he owns.

Part of the art of survival as a coward is not letting things get to the point where that cowardice is exposed.

With Snorri troubles were always put front and centre and dealt with. My style was more to shove them under the rug until the floor got too uneven to navigate, and then to move house.

Whatever you do in dangerous situations the main thing is to do it quickly.

I’ve always maintained just because it’s given to you to be a coward doesn’t mean it’s something you can’t strive to do well.

‘I try to be a fair man, to live with honour, but come against me armed and looking to take my life, and you will not walk away again.’