Before I was reading science fiction I read Hemingway. Farewell to Arms was my first adult novel that said not everything ends well. It was one of those times where reading has meant a great deal to me in terms of my development - an insight came from that book.
Method is more important than strength when you wish to control your enemies. By dropping golden beads near a snake a crow once managed To have a passer-by kill the snake for the beads.
