Fleet of Knives (Embers of War, #2)

by Gareth L. Powell

“She considered people stupid,” I continued. “She said they talked of high-minded ideals, of peace, fairness and equality, but for all their supposed ingenuity, the only things they were really good at inventing were new ways to exploit and kill each other. That’s the reason she thought so many of them yearned to believe in gods and saviours: deep down, they knew that left to their own devices, they’d never be mature enough to solve their own problems or cleave to the ideals they claimed to champion.”