"A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path; for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down."
~ Kipling. The Jungle Book.
I came across this quote today and it reminded me of the high quality of the phrasing in Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. I'm not done reading it yet, but I'll still recommend it. I'm already sorry that's it isn't thousands of pages longer. I should probably read some criticism of it before I go off on a gush here.
