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The surgeon tells me that you're a sorcerer," Pym said…

“The surgeon tells me that you're a sorcerer," Pym said. "Is that so?" Jaki looked to the captain with the glare of the masts in his eyes. "Yes." Pym weighed this disclosure. "You speak with the dead?" "Yes." The captain's eyes screwed up intently. "What do they say to you?" "They don't talk back."…” quote by A.A. Attanasio
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““The surgeon tells me that you're a sorcerer," Pym said. "Is that so?" Jaki looked to the captain with the glare of the masts in his eyes. "Yes." Pym weighed this disclosure. "You speak with the dead?" "Yes." The captain's eyes screwed up intently. "What do they say to you?" "They don't talk back." Pym and Mister Blackheart laughed in unison...The captain said, "Mister Blackheart wants to know what kind of sorcerer you are." Jaki pondered a response and finally said, "I was learning to catch souls before my teacher was killed." "Souls, eh? And what do you do with them after you catch them?" "I put them back in their bodies." "Ah, then you're telling us you're a surgeon.””

A.A. Attanasio

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character reveals he can communicate with the dead and restore souls, blurring lines between sorcery and medicine.

In simple terms: He can talk to dead and return souls to bodies.

Key Takeaway

Question how knowledge can heal or harm.

Themes

identity knowledge ethics power life death

Mood

mysterious thoughtful dark

Type

dialogue fantasy philosophical

When to use this quote

  • medical practice
  • spiritual counseling
  • afterlife research
  • ethical debates
  • fantasy storytelling

Key Concepts

metaphysics restoration dualism

Questions to Reflect On

  • What responsibilities arise from such power?
  • How does this affect the character’s identity?
A Different Perspective

The claim may be metaphorical, not literal.

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