The Court of Broken Knives Quotes

“A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“The war drums pound out a beat like that of the human heart. The terrible, awful sound of living, that one first learns to love and tremble at when floating in the womb.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“He bared his teeth, his voice an angry hiss. "I do what the hell I like."

The dramatic effect was spoiled slightly when he slumped sideways and was violently sick all over his lovely new coat.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“He killed and killed and killed and killed. Death! Death! Death!”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“You want a profound and total lack of people violently dying on you, try dairy farming instead.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Soldiers do not believe in gods until they do something to offend them.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Alxine carved them all portions, serving them elegantly on beds of thin oat porridge flavoured with rotten onion. It tasted debatably worse than the beer. ‘Gods, imagine living out here, drinking donkey piss and eating rancid goat’s dick every day of your life,’ he said cheerfully. ‘At least we’ve got violent death to look forward to in a few days’ time.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Seserenthelae aus perhalish,” murmured Marith. “Night comes. We survive.” Carin used to say it sometimes,”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“His heart sang with killing. His mind was empty, dancing light. Pure and utterly perfect joy. Saleiot: to shine, to sparkle, to dance like the sunlight on fast-flowing water.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“The center and symbol of an empire of dreaming, where men live in the dry desert and count their meaning only in gold. An absurdity. Of course an absurdity. An Emperor who rules forever, in a palace built on sand. A thing sacred to eternity, dead and rotted, encrusted with dust. A hive of insects crawling to achieve divinity, the sublime pointlessness of absolute rule. No one cares. No one wonders. Time ceases. Dust settles.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Gods, this was wondrous! Everything, even the joyful slaughter in the palace of Sorlost, everything in his life was as nothing compared to this! Power. Such power flowing through him. They died at his asking. All of them. He'd kill them all. So futile, their little lives. The thin fine skin of life, suspended over the eternity of emptiness. They all deserved to die, surely? Death and death and death! The one true thing! The only true thing!”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Big as a cart horse. Deep fetid marsh rot snot shit filth green. Traced out in scar tissue like embroidered cloth. Wings black and white and silver, heavy and vicious as blades. The Stink of it came choking. Fire and ash. Hot metal. Fear. Joy. Pain. There are dragons in the desert, said the old maps of the empire, and they had laughed and said no, no, not that close to great cities, if there ever were dragons there they are gone like the memory of a dream. Its teeth closed ripping on Gulius's arm, huge, jagged; its eyes were like knives as it twisted away with the arm hanging bloody in its mouth. It spat blood and slime and roared out flame again, reared up beating its wings. Men fell back screaming, armor scorched and molten, melted into burned melted flesh. The smell of roasting meat surrounded them. Better than steak. Gulius was lying somehow still alive, staring at the hole where his right arm had been. The dragons front legs came down smash onto his body. Plume of blood. Gulius disappeared. Little smudge of red on the green. A grating shriek as its claws scrabbled over hot stones. Screaming. Screaming. Beating wings. The stream rose up boiling. Two men were in the stream trying to douse burning flesh and the boiling water was in their faces and they were screaming too. Everything hot and boiling and burning, dry wind and dry earth and dry fire and dry hot scales, the whole great lizard body scorching like a furnace, roaring hot burning killing demon death thing.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Blood! Oh blood! Oh blood and killing! He struck his sword out with his sword and a man fell before him, cut open, gutted like a fish. A stink of shit.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Amrath! Amrath! Amrath and the Altrersyr! Death and all demons! Death! Death! Death!”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“The world is a good place. Even with pain in it. Even with death.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Why we march and why we die,
And what life means...it's all a lie.
Death! Death! Death!”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Not sure I really feel like fucking someone who’s part god and part suicidal drunk, you know?”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Your family swims in gold. You've got a face so pretty, you're considerably better looking than most women I've met. You're clever, and can just about use a sword. You killed a bloody dragon, for gods sake. And yet last night I had to drag you unconscious and covered in vomit out of the most depressing hole I've ever had the misfortune to set foot in, after near drowning yourself in something that burned holes in the table-top. You're serving as a foot soldier in a rough mercenary troop a month's wages away from being brigands, on what's probably a suicide mission. You're about to be whipped for misconduct after stealing Company money. From the smell of you, at some point last night you pissed yourself. As far as I can see, you've fucked your life up more thoroughly and absolutely than anyone I've ever met.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“He bent down, gathered a handful of Carlan’s blood, poured two cups of brandy, divided the frozen drops between them, gave one to Deneth. “Death and all demons, Lord Relast. You agreed to back me.” The shadows clawed at the walls. He smiled. Deneth drank slowly. Bent and knelt at his feet.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“They danced for hours, not the descendant of Amrath and the High Priestess of Great Tanis but only a man and a woman enjoying themselves, swirling and stamping and jumping to the music’s roar.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“Absurd how young the boy seemed. Fragile. Weak. Hair like red-black velvet. Eyes like pale gray silk. Skin like new milk and a face like a high-class whore.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives

“A wise man who’s ignored is about as effective as an idiot who’s listened to.”
― Anna Smith Spark, The Court of Broken Knives