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Post by JD on Oct 21, 2019 4:00:55 GMT
Just finished Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews, the latest in her Meg Langslow mystery series.
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Post by Stormwatcher on Oct 28, 2019 1:34:52 GMT
In keeping with the owl theme, I just hit the part in the vintage Shore Road Mystery where the boys have stayed up late, trying to lure the auto thieves, and Joe remarks,
"I feel like a stewed owl."
"Never ate stewed owl," his brother replied promptly. "How does it taste?"
"I said I feel like, I didn't say I ate."
To which I have to wonder: Fine, but then what does a stewed owl feel like, Joe? You're loopy, boy, get you some sleep.
Currently reading the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, all 21 books... and falling back into Napoleonic English phrasing as a result. My dad is also into this, so we share some laughs at the jewel-like bits of humor that O'Brian sneaks in there among all the serious business of guiding various Royal Navy ships through their various wartime engagements.
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Post by Shane on Oct 28, 2019 9:47:36 GMT
Been reading the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Witchers are travelling monster hunters who are subjected to mutations in their youth to grant them enhanced abilities. The series consists of two short story collections and five novels. A sixth novel was published much later, but it's a standalone prequel.
The series focuses on the Witcher called Geralt of Rivia. The first two books concentrate on world-building, and give the reader a look at the bounty hunter-like life of a Witcher. In the novels, Geralt does less monster hunting. He's caught up in a lot of political intrigue and power plays, the seeds of which were planted in a story in the first book.
The series features the usual fantasy suspects such as elves and dwarves, and is aimed at older readers.
Oh, and in keeping with the owl theme, one of the henchmen of a key political figure is nicknamed Tawny Owl.
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Post by mamabear on Oct 28, 2019 20:41:37 GMT
Been reading the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Witchers are travelling monster hunters who are subjected to mutations in their youth to grant them enhanced abilities. The series consists of two short story collections and five novels. A sixth novel was published much later, but it's a standalone prequel. The series focuses on the Witcher called Geralt of Rivia. The first two books concentrate on world-building, and give the reader a look at the bounty hunter-like life of a Witcher. In the novels, Geralt does less monster hunting. He's caught up in a lot of political intrigue and power plays, the seeds of which were planted in a story in the first book. The series features the usual fantasy suspects such as elves and dwarves, and is aimed at older readers. Oh, and in keeping with the owl theme, one of the henchmen of a key political figure is nicknamed Tawny Owl. Sounds like an interesting series. I'd heard of them before but never read any. |
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Post by Shane on Oct 29, 2019 9:08:03 GMT
Sounds like an interesting series. I'd heard of them before but never read any. Like many others outside of eastern Europe, I first heard of the series because of the video game franchise which is based on it. I played the second one, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, a few years back. Still have to get around to the third one. I hadn't read any of the books at that point, so I was unfamiliar with the backstory. I wasn't the only one. Geralt didn't know either. In the first two games he's suffering from memory loss, making him something along the lines of a medieval fantasy version of Jason Bourne. Being familiar with the characters would have cast a whole new light on things. One of Geralt's friends is a poet and minstrel called Dandelion. In that world, he's a bit of a rock star. Well, in TW2 you meet him when he's on a gallows, and you have to stop the execution. At the time, my response was, "Who's that?" If I'd read the books, my response would have been, "Dandelion! Why am I not surprised?" Getting towards the end of the third novel (fifth book), Baptism of Fire, at the moment. |
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Post by mamabear on Oct 30, 2019 10:45:58 GMT
Sounds like an interesting series. I'd heard of them before but never read any. Like many others outside of eastern Europe, I first heard of the series because of the video game franchise which is based on it. I played the second one, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, a few years back. Still have to get around to the third one. I hadn't read any of the books at that point, so I was unfamiliar with the backstory. I wasn't the only one. Geralt didn't know either. In the first two games he's suffering from memory loss, making him something along the lines of a medieval fantasy version of Jason Bourne. Being familiar with the characters would have cast a whole new light on things. One of Geralt's friends is a poet and minstrel called Dandelion. In that world, he's a bit of a rock star. Well, in TW2 you meet him when he's on a gallows, and you have to stop the execution. At the time, my response was, "Who's that?" If I'd read the books, my response would have been, "Dandelion! Why am I not surprised?" Getting towards the end of the third novel (fifth book), Baptism of Fire, at the moment. I guess, like with movies, it's best to read the book first! |
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Post by Shane on Oct 30, 2019 14:38:31 GMT
I guess, like with movies, it's best to read the book first! That would be possible now, but it wasn't when I played TW2. The first short story collection, The Last Wish, was only published in English around the time the first game was released. As the game franchise became more popular, translations of the later books followed, but it took years to publish them all. The fifth novel's translation was only published about 3 years ago, well after the release of the third game. Fortunately, each game has a codex that brings you up to speed on the most important details of the lore. Still helps to have the more detailed knowledge that comes from reading the books though. Plus, the books are good in their own right. |
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Post by mamabear on Oct 31, 2019 4:51:25 GMT
I guess, like with movies, it's best to read the book first! That would be possible now, but it wasn't when I played TW2. The first short story collection, The Last Wish, was only published in English around the time the first game was released. As the game franchise became more popular, translations of the later books followed, but it took years to publish them all. The fifth novel's translation was only published about 3 years ago, well after the release of the third game. Fortunately, each game has a codex that brings you up to speed on the most important details of the lore. Still helps to have the more detailed knowledge that comes from reading the books though. Plus, the books are good in their own right. So...the game came before the books? |
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Post by Shane on Oct 31, 2019 14:03:35 GMT
So...the game came before the books? No, the books came first. All the books had been published in Poland by 2000, with the exception of the prequel novel, which only came along years later. The English translations were another story. The first one was published in 2007, the same year that the first game was released. The first novel was translated a year later, and then things stalled until a couple of years after the release of the second game. Before these official translations were published, the only real option for English speakers who weren't fluent in Polish was fan-made translations. These often left a bit to be desired. One odd thing about the order of translation, was the fact that the second short story collection ( Sword of Destiny) wasn't published in English until after the third novel. Unusual, given that one of the most important characters in the novels makes her first appearance towards the end of that book. |
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Post by mamabear on Oct 31, 2019 18:15:06 GMT
So...the game came before the books? No, the books came first. All the books had been published in Poland by 2000, with the exception of the prequel novel, which only came along years later. The English translations were another story. The first one was published in 2007, the same year that the first game was released. The first novel was translated a year later, and then things stalled until a couple of years after the release of the second game. Before these official translations were published, the only real option for English speakers who weren't fluent in Polish was fan-made translations. These often left a bit to be desired. One odd thing about the order of translation, was the fact that the second short story collection ( Sword of Destiny) wasn't published in English until after the third novel. Unusual, given that one of the most important characters in the novels makes her first appearance towards the end of that book. Ah, I see. Well that makes sense then. Though if they were popular enough to make a game out of, you'd think they'd have been translated sooner. |
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