04UndatedWe're not freaks, Tally. We're normal. We may not be gorgeous, but at least we're not hyped-up Barbie dolls.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
05UndatedYour father always suspected that being pretty-minded is simply the natural state for most people. They want to be vapid and lazy and vain—Maddy glanced at Tally—and selfish. It only takes a twist to lock in that part of their personalities. He always thought that some people could think their way out of it.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
06UndatedSome mornings when I wake up, it takes a long time to remember who I am. Like, it takes a while for everything that's happened in last month to download into my brain. It's nice, not knowing. Even if it's just for five minutes.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
07UndatedThat's the worst thing they do to you, to any of you. Whatever those brain lesions are all about, the worst damage is done before they even pick up the knife: You're all brainwashed into believing you're ugly.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
08UndatedSure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28 Days. Or racial politics or fear of contagion or even the consumer unconscious (Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead). We could play this game all night.But really, zombies are not “supposed to be metaphors.” They’re supposed to be friggin’ zombies. They follow the Zombie Rules: they rise from death to eat the flesh of the living, they shuffle in slow pursuit (or should, anyway), and most important, they multiply exponentially. They bring civilization down, taking all but the most resourceful, lucky and well-armed among us, whom they save for last. They make us the hunted; all of us.That’s the stuff zombies are supposed to do. Yes, they make excellent symbols, and metaphors, and have kick-ass mythopoeic resonance to boot. But their main job is to follow genre conventions, to play with and expand the Zombie Rules, to make us begin to see the world as a place colored by our own zombie contingency plans.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
10UndatedI'm not the one going for a biology degree. I'm just a philosophy major who eats people.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
11UndatedThe Shrink always warned me that carriers stay wracked with lifelong guilt. It's not an uplifting thing having turned lovers into monsters. We feel bad that we haven't turned into monsters ourselves--survivor's guilt, that's called. And we feel a bit stupid that we didn't notice our own symptoms earlier. I mean, I'd been sort of wondering why the Atkins diet was giving me night vision. But that hadn't seemed like something to worry about...Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
13UndatedShe couldn't disappoint the whole village. There were no wallscreens here, no newsfeeds or satellites bands, and touring soccer teams were no doubt few and far between. (...), that made stories a valuable commodity, and it probably wasn't very often that a stranger dropped in from the sky.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
14UndatedAs Melissa got closer, the taste of school began to foul her mouth.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
15UndatedYou don't look very happy."Tally tried to smile. David had shared his biggest secret with her; she should tell him hers. But she wasn't brave enough to say the words. "It's been a long night. That's all."He smiled back. "Don't worry, it won't last forever.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
16UndatedAssisted him? Dylan made the repairs. I only fell and hit my head, from what I can recall. Yes, I make excellent deadweight.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
17UndatedLeft alone, human beings are a plague. They multiply relentlessly, consuming every resource, destroying everything they touch.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
18UndatedThe early summer sky was the color of cat vomit. Of course, Tally thought, you’d have to feed your cat only salmon-flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
20UndatedTally wondered if you could talk somebody out of their brain damage.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
21UndatedOnce we turn, it’s new pretty, middle pretty, late pretty.” Shay dropped her arms, and her board stopped drifting. “Then dead pretty.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
24UndatedHistory would indicate that the majority of people have always been sheep.Scott Westerfeld / quote ↗
