Little Pixie Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Finished The Odyssey - will write some thoughts later. Made a start on The Count of Monte Cristo today. I might finish it by Christmas I`ve either got to stop buying Big Books or start reading them. Perhaps Amazon could flash up a warning if I put something in the basket which is over 400 pages ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 I`ve either got to stop buying Big Books or start reading them. Perhaps Amazon could flash up a warning if I put something in the basket which is over 400 pages ? Perhaps they should just stop you altogether Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Perhaps they should just stop you altogether Nah, they`d have to post profit warnings if they did that. My nine new ( used ) books appeared today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 (edited) Book #50: The Odyssey - Homer, translation by Robert Fagles From Amazon: With the Trojan war finally over after many long years, Odysseus wants nothing more than a swift journey home where his throne and beloved wife, Penelope, await him. But Poseidon, the sea god, bears a grudge against him and plans to prevent his return across the wine-dark sea to Ithaca. Many tests of strength and character ensue as Odysseus's journey stretches out over the years, taking in a multitude of strange and wonderful places and creatures. That's the basic plot of the epic poem Homer told nearly 3,000 years ago, but, even now, a new English translation is a true literary event. The ancient story is told in easy-going, beautiful poetry, the characters speak naturally and the actionmoves along briskly. Even the gods come across as real people, despite the divine powers they constantly exercise. The Odyssey really is a gripping, fast-moving read. Thoughts: Everybody knows the story, right? Odysseus, departing Troy after a nine year siege and the sacking of the city in the tenth, comes unstuck when he and his crew are blown off course, land on a mysterious island and decide to try and steal food from a big one-eyed bloke called Polyphemus. Big one-eyed bloke is a Cyclops, who just happens to be the son of Poseidon. He's not very nice, and he traps Odysseus and pals in his cave and starts eating them. Odysseus is annoyed, in his self-righteous way (they were stealing, after all), and pokes out Polyphemus's eye with a big, sharp stick. As he and his crew escape, the Cyclops calls out to his father, and Poseidon decides that Odysseus is going to have one hell of a time getting back home to Ithaca. It'll take him another ten years, and there will be many trials along the way. The poem actually starts towards the end of Odysseus's journey. He's been held prisoner by the nymph Calypso, who promises him immortality if he becomes her husband. But all Odysseus wants is to get home. Meanwhile, on Ithaca, his wife Penelope - not knowing whether her husband is alive or dead - is surrounded by suitors who are proceeding to avail themselves of Odysseus's fortune. His son, Telemachus, is none too happy, and sets off to find word of his father. I chose the Fagles translation because I figured it would be good to have the continuity, as it was his translation of The Iliad that I read earlier this year. I'm glad I did, because it's an extremely readable combination of verse and prose. Purists might shudder at it, but half the battle in my enjoyment of both these works has been being able to understand it without having to stop and re-read bits every few seconds to garner the meaning. Fagles' translations have been spot on in the regard, for me. I found The Odyssey was a far simpler, more straightforward read than The Iliad, which I expected - it's more of an adventure story, after all. That's not to say it doesn't have its deeper moments but, for the most part, it's just a rollicking good story. It's pretty violent, and there were times where I didn't feel too much sympathy for Odysseus (which was interesting), and I did feel it dragged a bit in places (Odysseus feels the need to re-tell his story to each new person he meets) and the last third seems to go on for an eternity, but maybe that's because I already knew the main plot points pretty well and wanted to get on with it. I did like that it filled in some of what happened after the end of The Iliad, particularly with a view to the sacking of Troy, the wooden horse, and Odysseus's part in it. Overall, it's a difficult one to score on my normal scale. I would give the translation a 10, and the story itself an 8. So split the difference. 9/10 Edited August 24, 2013 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 My nine new ( used ) books appeared today. It's like magic or sumfink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourites. I read a cheap paperback copy, but I'd like to get a special hardcover edition. Was the one you were looking at this or this? Kylie, my mistake - I just had a closer look at the second of these links and it's the same translation (by Robin Buss) that I'm now reading, the different cover art threw me when I first looked at it I'm glad I chose this translation in the end - I'm up to chapter XVII and really enjoying it Dantès has just met Abbé Faria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 It's like magic or sumfink Can`t be anything wot I`ve done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Hi Steve. My husband isn't a big reader but happened to mention yesterday that he fancies trying some "modern sci-fi" so I said I'd consult an expert! He usually reads fast-paced thrillers so I'm loathe to suggest Replay as I don't think it will have enough action for him. Do you have any suggestions please? Ideally not a series either. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hi Steve. My husband isn't a big reader but happened to mention yesterday that he fancies trying some "modern sci-fi" so I said I'd consult an expert! Please let me know what they say, I'd really like to know! He usually reads fast-paced thrillers so I'm loathe to suggest Replay as I don't think it will have enough action for him. Do you have any suggestions please? Ideally not a series either. Thanks in advance. So a modern SF stand-alone thriller-ish type book that's full of action and preferably not too long (I'm guessing the last one)? Blimey Well a few spring to mind. The first two are most likely to appeal, I reckon - especially The Breach, if he likes Lee Child-type thrillers. Although most of them are in a 'series' they are stand-alone stories (it's only the characters that carry over from book to book), so I reckon I can get away with those A couple of these are the first books in trilogies, though, including The Breach. The Breach by Patrick Lee (first in his 'Breach Trilogy') - 384 pages Mindstar Rising by Peter F. Hamilton (stand-alone story, the first of his 'Greg Mandel' books) - 448 pages Prador Moon by Neal Asher (stand-alone story set in his 'Polity' universe) - 256 pages Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis (first in his 'Milkweed Tryptich') - 432 pages The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers - 464 pages Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds (stand-alone story set in his 'Revelation Space' universe) - 640 pages You could also have a look at Iain M. Banks (The Player of Games or Use of Weapons, perhaps - although my favourite is Feersum Endjinn). Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Great review of the Odyssey! I'd like to second Mindstar Rising, I quite liked that book. Of the other books mentioned, I have Prador Moon, The Anubis Gates and Chasm City on my TBR (as well as some of Iain M. Banks books, I loved The Player of Games in particular. I haven't yet read Feersum Endjinn). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 (edited) Book #51: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas From Amazon: Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed Edmond Dantès spends fourteen bitter years imprisoned in the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsive for his incarceration. No longer the naïve sailor who disappeared into the dungeon all those years ago, he reinvents himself as the charming, mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo. A huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s, The Count of Monte Cristo has been a fixture of western literature ever since, and the subject of countless film and TV adaptations. Thoughts: Right <<cracks knuckles>> I don't know why I suddenly got the urge to read this book. A few years ago I read The Three Musketeers and I didn't like it much, which surprised me, so taking on this one, which - at nearly 1,300 pages - is getting on for twice the length, should have felt daunting. Strangely, I didn't feel daunted when I started it, and was genuinely quite excited about reading it. I loves me a good revenge story. I loved the first third of the book, too. Edmond's plight was so extreme that I wanted to know more about it, and I was kind of sad when the story moved on so quickly (if you can call 400-odd pages 'quickly'!) - I wanted to know more about the prison and more about how he made the transition to the man he later becomes. I guess, though, that it would have taken away some of the mystery of what exactly the Count is up to further on. The story is quite uneven in terms of pacing. There are parts that I loved, others that I wasn't so excited about, and parts that dragged. I'm guessing this is due to the fact that it was originally serialised and, I believe, Dumas was paid by the word. As a result, some parts (and some conversations, in particular) seem ridiculously padded and repetitive. When I was reading these parts it was driving me mad but now, having finished it, it doesn't seem such a big deal. I do wonder, now, what the abridged version is like. The version that I read is a modern translation (by Robin Buss). It is very readable, and restores some aspects that apparently were changed in the 1846 translation so as not to upset the poor old Victorians too much, but I would imagine that long-time fans might find it quite irritating. Buss claims, in his introduction, that anyone who has read the 1846 translation has never really read the book. I don't know how true that is, but there were aspects of his translation that I liked, and others that seemed a little clunky, for want of a better word. "The constant inversions of 'said he' and 'cried he' are both irritating and antiquated", he says. These are aspects of ye olde novels which I find a bit annoying, so I agree with him on that, at least. There are some great characters in here (particularly old Noirtier - who can only communicate with his eyes, Bertuccio, Ali, Danglars), and some brilliant plot threads. It isn't quite the thrilling adventure that I thought it would be, being more of a character-driven drama, but it admirably covers and speaks about a whole range of human and societal traits. It is quite tense in places, and isn't as riddled with hand-wringing as I worried it might be. It's a shame that the final pages are a little on the predictable side, but it's not really an issue. Overall, I really enjoyed it 8/10 ETA: Oh, and when George R.R. Martin said “Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold is a bloody and relentless epic of vengeance and obsession in the grand tradition, a kind of splatterpunk sword ‘n sorcery Count of Monte Cristo" he was really doing both books a disservice. Good ol' George should stick to writing his own books, I reckon ETA2: The Kindle version was excellent, with brilliant and informative notes (love the ability to go straight to the exact note just by clicking on the number ), and a whole heap easier to carry around than the huge paperback versions I looked at Edited September 2, 2013 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Good grief, you`ve finished it already ?? One is in shock. One is also wondering if one should crack on with some mighty tomes of one`s own. And now one is wondering why one is suddenly referring to oneself as `one`. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 Good grief, you`ve finished it already ?? One is in shock. I thought it took me ages One is also wondering if one should crack on with some mighty tomes of one`s own. And now one is wondering why one is suddenly referring to oneself as `one`. Yeah, one should stop reading those pamphlets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Bravo Steve! /sigh/ I should. I could. I will! Soon(ish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 I keep meaning to go back to my plan, but I can't summon the enthusiasm to read Robert Harris's Pompeii at the moment. It was one of the first books I bought for my Kindle, so I've had it nearly three years, but some of the reviews I've read have put me off it almost completely. In the end, I decided to read another doorstopper next: The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman, about Richard III. I was umming and aahing about reading Philippa Gregory's books about the Wars of the Roses, but decided to go for this one instead. Only 950 pages long - a mere short story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Great review, glad you enjoyed it. I agree it was a bit speedy! I have CoMC on audio book, looking forward to starting it I have most of Robert Harris' books as my Wife likes them and can never be bothered to start them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 I have most of Robert Harris' books as my Wife likes them and can never be bothered to start them. I've read a couple of his books (Fatherland and Lustrum) and enjoyed both of them - particularly Lustrum, which is fantastic - but something about Pompeii is just putting me off at the moment. I think it was someone's comment on Amazon that "nothing much happens and then the volcano errupts" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Great review ! I own a paperback version of this book, I haven't read it yet. It's great to read your thoughts on it. I'll get around to reading it sometime, though I plan to read some other classics first. I'm glad you liked the book, I hope your next book will be enjoyable too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 So I read the first 40 or 50 pages of The Sunne in Splendour this morning adn was really enjoying it. Then I just looked at the comments on Amazon about the Kindle version and several people mentioned lots of errors in the second half of the book. So I investigated further and found the paperback is no longer available. Why? Because a new 30th anniversary hardback edition (which Amazon have conveniently buried in the search pages) is being published on 12th September, re-edited, Americanisms and spelling errors corrected, new cover art, and author's note etc. So I go back to the Kindle page and it's showing the new cover, and mentions that it's the 30th anniversay edition in the blurb. Oh, I think, that's good. Then I look at the version on my Kindle and it's not the same, it's the old version Cue annoyed email to Amazon Don't know whether or not to keep reading it now, or to wait until the 12th and see if I automatically get the updated version. I'll be pretty peed off to get 500 pages into it and then find a load of errors start cropping up. The alternative is to buy a used copy of the paperback, I suppose, but it's nearly £12 (incl. postage) just for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 This sounds like a dilemma . I hope you get the new version automatically, but I don't know if that will happen or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 If a Kindle book is re-issued with errors corrected then, yes, you get a free update direct to your Kindle (providing you have the option turned on under the 'manage your Kindle' tab on the Amazon site). However, what I'm not sure about with this one is that it's a brand new hardback edition, with corresponding Kindle edition. Seeing as the Kindle product page says it's the 30th anniversary edition with the new cover (even though it's not!), I'd hope for an automatic update, but they've been so sly about it I'm not sure. I've asked them anyway. I'll see if they've replied when I get home and then decide what to do. Apparently, the old paperback version is full of Americanisms too (Penman says she's corrected this in the new edition - nothing worse than Americanisms in dialogue set in 15th century England ) so I'm thinking I should wait. It's a pain, though, cos I was quite excited about reading it NOW. By the time this is sorted out, I probably won't be so interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I hope you receive a positive reply. It makes sense you wouldn't be as excited, in my view being excited for a book generally has its ups and downs, throughout time (if the book is unread). BTW, congrats on your 4000 posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 I hadn't even noticed that Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Blow it, I'm going to give Pompeii a go instead and wait and see what happens come the 12th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I keep meaning to go back to my plan, but I can't summon the enthusiasm to read Robert Harris's Pompeii at the moment. It was one of the first books I bought for my Kindle, so I've had it nearly three years, but some of the reviews I've read have put me off it almost completely. I've read two of his, Imperium, and Conspirita...the first two of the Cicero Trilogy. Of course, it's been several years since he's written those, I'm still tapping my toe for the third installment. grrrrr! I did start Pompeii, but for some reason couldn't get into it. I look forward to your review, perchance it rekindles my interest in it. I've read a couple of his books (Fatherland and Lustrum) and enjoyed both of them - particularly Lustrum, which is fantastic - but something about Pompeii is just putting me off at the moment. I think it was someone's comment on Amazon that "nothing much happens and then the volcano errupts" How did you like Fatherland? If a Kindle book is re-issued with errors corrected then, yes, you get a free update direct to your Kindle (providing you have the option turned on under the 'manage your Kindle' tab on the Amazon site). Apparently, the old paperback version is full of Americanisms too (Penman says she's corrected this in the new edition - nothing worse than Americanisms in dialogue set in 15th century England ) so I'm thinking I should wait. It's a pain, though, cos I was quite excited about reading it NOW. By the time this is sorted out, I probably won't be so interested Glad you mentioned, I must check my kindle settings for that. Yup, throws you right out of the story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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