--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man…" description: "\"“As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his glasses. There were fields of stars where his eyes should have been. But they weren’t reflections..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg" --- # As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his… ![“As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his glasses. There were fields of stars where his eyes should have been. But they weren’t reflections of the night sky. These stars were a glimpse of a dim and distant future where the very laws of physics had been reduced to relics of a forgotten…” quote by James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg) > ““As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his glasses. There were fields of stars where his eyes should have been. But they weren’t reflections of the night sky. These stars were a glimpse of a dim and distant future where the very laws of physics had been reduced to relics of a forgotten age. Feeble as dying embers, they were the palsied mourners at time’s wake. McMasters could hear the ultimate silence and feel the biting cold of the one true void. The promise of the eternal nothing beckoned to him. There was a sort of peace in the death it represented, not the death of mind and body but of shape and form. It was the final revelation, the casting off of life’s illusion in favor of the void’s embrace. from "Riders of the Necronomicon”” [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a character confronting the void, finding peace in the dissolution of physical laws and identity. **In simple terms:** Facing the void brings a strange peace beyond physical existence. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown to transcend ego. Themes existential cosmic death void peace Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - meditative retreat - science fiction writing - philosophical debate - personal crisis Key Concepts nihilism transcendence cosmology Questions to Reflect On - What does embracing emptiness mean for personal identity? - How can one find purpose after confronting the void? A Different Perspective The void may also represent loss of meaning, not just peace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Represented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-represented-3100876/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Laws of physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-physics/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Night sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-sky/) [Represented Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/represented-death-3100877/) [Riders Necronomicon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riders-necronomicon-3100879/) [True Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-void-2691491/) [Void Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void-embrace-3100878/) [Weird-western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird-western-204598/) ## Related quotes > [“My name is John Creedmoor, and I would like to confess my crimes. Hope you all weren't going anywhere this week...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-gilman/my-name-is-john-creedmoor-and-i-would-like-to-confess-my-crimes-hope/) [Felix Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-gilman/) > [How could one create life with someone who represented death?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/how-could-one-create-life-with-someone-who-represented-death/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“Not to own the means of production can lead to premature death, but not to own the means of representation is also a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/not-to-own-the-means-of-production-can-lead-to-premature-death-but/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/people-in-this-world-look-at-things-mistakenly-and-think-that-what/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [“What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. With your spirit settled,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/what-is-called-the-spirit-of-the-void-is-where-there-is-nothing-it-is/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/when-your-spirit-is-not-in-the-least-clouded-when-the-clouds-of/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) ## More by James Pratt > [“Is religion our alien creators' way of testing our faith in science?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/is-religion-our-alien-creators-way-of-testing-our-faith-in-science/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“I like to think of myself as a fairly rational person. I believe in cause and effect and that's about it. But sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-a-fairly-rational-person-i-believe-in/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“I have learned one lesson in all this and I will share it knowing it will do no one any good. The lesson is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/i-have-learned-one-lesson-in-all-this-and-i-will-share-it-knowing-it/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“One of the things that helps use cope with loss is the fact that while memories may remian, the emotions associated with them will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/one-of-the-things-that-helps-use-cope-with-loss-is-the-fact-that/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“If shadows are curtains, mirrors are windows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/if-shadows-are-curtains-mirrors-are-windows/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“If you attend Miskatonic University, your homework might eat your dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/if-you-attend-miskatonic-university-your-homework-might-eat-your-dog/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) > [“Time is a sculptor's knife, attacking the soft clay to reveal the hard edges beneath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/time-is-a-sculptor-s-knife-attacking-the-soft-clay-to-reveal-the-hard/) [James Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) [Explore all 8 James Pratt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his glasses. There were fields of stars where his eyes should have been. But they weren’t reflections of the night sky. These stars were a glimpse of a dim and distant future where the very laws of physics had been reduced to relics of a forgotten age. Feeble as dying embers, they were the palsied mourners at time’s wake. McMasters could hear the ultimate silence and feel the biting cold of the one true void. The promise of the eternal nothing beckoned to him. There was a sort of peace in the death it represented, not the death of mind and body but of shape and form. It was the final revelation, the casting off of life’s illusion in favor of the void’s embrace. from \"Riders of the Necronomicon”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Pratt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man-removed-his-glasses-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man-removed-his-glasses-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/james-pratt-46989_death_as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man_1942101.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As McMasters raised the shotgun, the man removed his glasses. There were fields of stars where his eyes…” — James Pratt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Pratt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-pratt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As McMasters raised the shotgun, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man-removed-his-glasses-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-pratt/as-mcmasters-raised-the-shotgun-the-man-removed-his-glasses-there/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```