Reading roundup: Cordelia book, Witcher + Jurassic World

[hamsterwoman]

67. Lois McMaster Bujold, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen -- so, Cordelia book. I bought the ARC the day it became available, and then it took me like a month to finish it, pausing for several other books in-between, which is totally unprecedented for me and Vorkosigan (or any other LMB, though Hallowed Hunt did drag on a bit for me, IIRC). Like,

Comments

[asthenie_vd]

Oooh, exciting! I don't think I know anyone who read the novels before the short stories. This could be interesting. I mean, the short stories are a mixed bag, I tend to like the novels a lot more, but there's one I'd have recommended to read before the novels - or at least before the final novel - but if I explained why and how and which it is that'd be a hefty spoiler. But I can't deny that I'm curious what effect that bit in the last novel would have on a reader who hasn't read the short story...

Regarding the Elder language I believe it's just a stylistic choice. You're going to meet a couple of Nilfgaardian characters later if you keep reading whose language is supposed to be closer to the Elder tongue and they're pretty Welsh in terms of names. I guess part of why I like this choice is because it implies a relation between the different languages that's more visible to the reader this way as if they'd all been fantasy languages. I actually prefer that to fantasy languages that are completely made up. Of course it also makes things easier for the author. ;)

The English translations aren't even all done yet as far as I can tell. I think there's at least two novels and one of the short story volumes still untranslated. So I guess Russian is the more reasonable choice if you intend to read the entire series. But it'd certainly be interesting if you ever ended up reading both and could compare your impressions.

The bard is named Jaskier in the Polish original.

[hamsterwoman]

Thank you for weighing in -- I knew you were a fan, though I wasn't sure what language you'd read them in :D

Google translate tells me Jaskier = buttercup, so I guess the Russian translation was faithful and English had just decided to go with a manlier flower :P

And I think you're right about the English translation still being in progress -- I saw something about 2017 for the last book. (I always want to read different translations and compare, because the couple of times I've done it (well, reading translation and original, I don't think I've ever compared two translations in different languages), there's always interesting stuff lurking in there, but I'm just not enough of a re-reader to ever follow through just for the sake of curiosity.)

I guess part of why I like this choice is because it implies a relation between the different languages that's more visible to the reader this way as if they'd all been fantasy languages. I actually prefer that to fantasy languages that are completely made up.

That is interesting, and I can see what you mean. I guess at this point I've read enough post-apocalyptic or wandered-through-a-portal set epic fantasy that when I see languages I recognize in an epic fantasy setting that's definitely not our world, I start wondering if it's one of those scenarios. Sounds like in this case it's not? Although I was looking up the titles of subsequent books in English and apparently there's like Arthuriana-with-portals towards the end?

[asthenie_vd]

I actually read them all in German. I'd started learning Polish to eventually be able to read in the original language but in three semesters we never got around to learning a single past tense form of a verb. Ah, perhaps later I'll get around to learn the language all over again. It'd be nice to be able to be fluent enough to compare things (and also for being all touristy in Polish cities of course *g*)

Well, it's not "wandered through a portal"-kind of fantasy, but there's going to be elements later that are not of this world, so to speak. But it's all going to get explained. If you read on it'll all be satisfying and make sense in the end. ^^

[hamsterwoman]

Ah, I see, re: the not-of-this-world elements.

And I totally get the desire to learn a language to read something one loves in the original -- and the frustration of getting to a level of fluency where that's actually possible! :P

[aletheiafelinea]

May I take a liberty to push in? :3 I happily offer my services in case you ever need any help with the language or anything Polish. Especially I approve your mention about being all touristy, I can totally relate to this attitude. :)

a single past tense form of a verb.
Since it's gendered and has two forms on the top of that, perfective vs imperfective, it could be quite puzzling when without any explanations available, indeed.

Myself, I keep wishing to get back my rudiments of French I've lost over years, and hopefully make it fluent enough to not be dependant anymore on translations of Franco-Belgian comics... *longing sigh*

[asthenie_vd]

Ooh, that's a super nice offer, thank you! Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to take you up on it one day. :)

[ikel89]

Hello!:) Sorry for butting in, but which short story do you mean? *curious* I am aware of what kind of turn the last book takes, even if I'm pretty sure I haven't read the book itself (if you scroll a bit up you'll see my relationship with the books is affectionate but VERY messy), and my memory of the short stories is hazy at best, but I'm not above looking up the story again to see what it implied for Владычица Озера. Oh - and which language did you read them in?

[asthenie_vd]

Let me quickly look up the original title, it's "Kwestia ceny". I read them all in German years ago and then reread the entire series last year (plus the newest novel that's actually a prequel earlier this year :) ). I do know some Polish but not enough to read an entire book, sadly. Gotta work on that.

[ikel89]

Got it, thank you!:) Finding the Russian version is of course very easy after that :P And as I expected, I don't really recall the story, but rereading it is, then! How's that newest novel, is it good?

[asthenie_vd]

I liked the newest novel, but then I'm biased because I'm a huge of Geralt & Jaskier's friendship (I'm just going to use the Polish character name to avoid confusion XD) and there's some wonderful bits of that. But really, it's just another adventure. There's barely any connection to the novel (takes place right before Geralt takes the contract on the cursed princess in the first short story collection). The book actually feels like one of the short stories expanded to novel length. The plot is not as complex as in the other novels, it's just good fantasy fun with Geralt taking a contract, getting roped in by sorceresses in their political game, and being confronted with a couple of moral choices. Pretty standard for the saga. It takes place during one of the many periods that Geralt and Yennefer have broken up, but she appears towards the end of the book and her scenes are spectacular if short.

[ikel89]

Huh, that sounds like a fun romp, actually! I like the bard a lot myself, so if it's just gratuitous long-suffering swordswinging in his company, doesn't sound like a bad idea to me :'D Thanks for letting me know!

Oh,and have you seen the live-action series for Geralt, btw? I think it was one of my first subbed experienced with a series, and I used to have random dreams in Polish afterwards - thought I don't think it was because I was impressed with the visuals, but mostly all the talking :D

[asthenie_vd]

Well, Geralt still does a lot of his stuff alone in that book (or with new side characters), but Jaskier is certainly around for most of the good bits. ;) And when is Geralt ever not long-suffering? ;)

Yes! I have that show on DVD actually. The visual effects are atrocious (especially the dragons!) and I won't ever believe that the Jaskier they cast could be mistaken for an elf, but it has it's very own type of charm, and their Ciri is extremely cute.

I've recently heard there's going to be a new movie, partly based upon one of the short stories (of all of them they apparently chose the one that is a Snow white + 7 dwarves pastiche!), but that's all I know about it.

[ikel89]

Ahaha, good point re:Geralt XD
Oh, I definitely hand't heard about the upcoming movie. I think I'll be checking it out for the Polish and their general life choices, heh (and I so shall not miss the awful dragons XD)

[aletheiafelinea]

See my reply to asthenie_vd if you want more about the new movie. :)

[aletheiafelinea]

*groan* Ye gods, you want to tell me people watch this... thing ...abroad? Jaskier's actor, Zbigniew Zamachowski, is one of my most favorite actors ever, but yeah, not exactly the elvish type. *g* (I love him singing, though! He's quite a figure in the sung poetry.) Witcher the movie & show is usually the first answer on Polish forums when someone asks "Hey, what's on your Worst Movies Ever list?". It's like the generation's trauma, we all have PTSD after this. I still think the creators owe me back for my cinema ticket. Yeah, Yennefer hugging the rubber dragon hatchling cannot be unseen... *twitch* Actually, the rubber everything, especially monsters, and the wooden acting (in spite of good actors casted), and debris in place of decorations. Also, elves looking like Apaches from European western films, only less cool. Also, Geralt in the aikido hakama. Also, nuns of the Melitele temple running and screaming "Jesus!" while assaulted. And so on, and so on...

As for the new one, rumors has it that Tomasz Bagiński is going to make it. He's a digital animation artist, who got an Oscar nomination in 2003 for his short movie The Cathedral, and later he worked also on Witcher in the game's team. The Polish fantasy fandom is highly excited, and the general opinion is that this is at last "our man" who actually gets the genre, unlike the 2001 movie's authors.

[asthenie_vd]

It was a direct to DVD release over here. I can understand why Sapkowski wanted to quit the country over it, but to me it's got this "so bad it's good - or at least hella entertaining" charme to it. XD There's one bit in which Geralt is hacking a rubber-- thing to pieces and it doesn't even look like it's fighting back. It's just flopping on the ground while the actor hacks at it with a sword and has bits of it thrown into his face and it's the most amazingly hilarious scenes ever. ♥ The baby rubber dragon is the stuff nightmares are made of. I was not prepared when it showed up. With its one, fixed, glaring eye, staring at you, deep into your soul...

Thank you for the link, it's gorgeous.