The Stars Like Gods Quotes

“Dashiel’s jacket slid off his shoulders to land on the floor as he headed straight to the kitchen, fumbled in the cabinet for a glass and poured sake into it until the liquid spilt over the brim onto the counter.

His hand shook as he picked up the glass, spilling more of the sake to trickle between his knuckles as he brought it to his lips.
A single droplet sloshed onto his tongue. The sweet nectar of oblivion. The harbinger of a fog rolling in to sweep away the pain in favor of blissful stupor—

—he hurled the glass across the room. It shattered on impact with the far sturdier window glass, and a hundred tiny shards joined the sake in decorating the floor.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“Nika’s eyes jerked open, but all she saw was the blinding flame of violet light imprinted on her retinas.

She bolted upright and flailed wildly for anything solid to grasp onto as her mind swam through overlapping realities and an endless parade of death. Pain, searing into her bones even as she ran straight off the edge of the universe and tumbled—

“Hey, hey, Nika. Breathe.”

The voice echoed down a long, dark hallway that twisted and morphed and became Rasu. She knew she should run toward the voice, but she could only run away, hyperventilating until the last of her oxygen abandoned her and she was falling once more, falling forever….”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“Do you know what an Asterion is?”

“Do you?”

Nika caught herself before she flinched, frowned, gasped or gave any other outward sign of surprise, but it was definitely not the response she’d anticipated.

“Explain your answer.”

“If you were capable of comprehending my explanation, my answer would no longer be needed. I will instead give you the answer you were expecting: Asterions are a species of hybrid synthetic-organic beings of moderate sapience who practice self-directed evolution.”

Moderate sapience? She bit back a tart retort; a diplomat never got offended or angry unless they intended to do so.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“A shout from the other side of the hole echoed through the destroyed room. “Hello? Are there injured up here?”

Nika smiled. “Sounds like a response team is already here.”

“Oh, thank gods.” Maggie slouched against the wall. “You know, waking up out of the blue and being told you’d died weeks earlier, your home’s been destroyed, the government’s been overthrown and a horrible alien species is on their way here to make your death permanent? It’s not as easy to recover from as it sounds.”

Nika reached out and hugged her. “I know it’s not. But we are going to survive this. I promise you.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“You’ve got the new barriers I developed in place, right? I want you to feel safe.”

Safe. The word held no subjective meaning for Nika. She’d never sought its peaceful embrace, and it had certainly never sought hers.

She recognized that he was going out of his way to assuage her concerns, but it wasn’t working. What she felt was on edge. Frayed, as if too much power flowed through her veins. For the last five years, her mind had been sacrosanct. Fractured and lacking crucial pieces as it might be, it was the only thing she could cling to in order to prove that she was, that she existed as an independent, living soul.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“I admit you’ve all proved me wrong, thus far. But remember, at the time we were barely two centuries away from the SAI Rebellion, and the bloodbath we fled still burned bitterly in our souls.

“The Anadens? They were not a peaceful people. Oh, they loved to climb up on their pillars and proclaim their evolutionary superiority. But when you got down to it, they took what they wanted, by force if necessary. They crushed dissent when it became inconvenient, as we learned the hard way. They were bullies and tyrants, and they were us.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“Scorching, desiccated air blasted Nika as she stepped off the transport and peeled layers of moist tissue off her throat as she inhaled. She pivoted, yanked her heavy tactical shirt up over her head and tossed it inside the transport. The material was designed to protect her from blows and glancing cuts and would be less than useless against a Rasu attack—

—a scorpion-like creature sporting a tail six centimeters long scurried past her feet in the sand, and she promptly retrieved the shirt and pulled it back on with a groan. The planet had defenses of its own, and the Rasu weren’t the only threat here.”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods

“The full force of the sun’s rays broke through the tree canopy, and the man squinted up at the sky. “I always assumed Asterions would figure it out when they were ready for the knowledge. When they were ready to take the next step. By my count, you’re a little early.”

“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for the next evolutionary leap to mosey through on its own. To put it bluntly, we are dead in two weeks unless we can find a way to stop the Rasu. Dead. As a species. Do you understand me? Am I getting through to you?”

“Calm yourself, Mr. Ridani. I hear you fine.”

“Good. Then will you come with me?”
― G.S. Jennsen, The Stars Like Gods