37. When his mortal sought understanding, the Master offered ideas, spoken through coincidence, in the language of events and in the adventures of life... 41. Every test, most of them, the Master designed to be a more advanced challenge for his dear mortal, eac ... uthor Richard Bach was listed in critical condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center ... Bach's plane struck high-tension wires, crashed inverted, leaving the pilot unconscious in the cockpit, near fires from broken wires. The author remains in a coma to date.