What Are You Reading, Part 2

[aneonfoxtribute]

Finished Fires of Heaven FINALLY. Gonna take a break from Wheel of Time, and hit my backlog. I'm probably gonna read Tower of Nero next, maybe focus on that, and then jump back into Golden Compass, Hobbit, and Name of the WInd

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Finished The Great Hunt and The Tempest!  Next up will probably be Shadow and Bone.

I think I like Wheel of Time more now that I've read the second book.  I'm properly hooked.

[urrutiap]

reading a couple of books this month

 

Dune Messiah

Hyperion

Star Wars Courtship of Princess Leia.

 

books that i bought a day ago while i was out of town

 

Stephen King's new crime novel Later

Dragon Reborn from the Barnes and Noble. Been looking for the book for awhile recently this year

one of the newer/recent Jack Ryan Jr novels.  What  Id like to know is how is Jack Ryan Sr still President? 

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

5 hours ago, urrutiap said:

reading a couple of books this month

 

Dune Messiah

Hyperion

Star Wars Courtship of Princess Leia.

 

books that i bought a day ago while i was out of town

 

Stephen King's new crime novel Later

Dragon Reborn from the Barnes and Noble. Been looking for the book for awhile recently this year

one of the newer/recent Jack Ryan Jr novels.  What  Id like to know is how is Jack Ryan Sr still President? 

Which one is Dune Messiah?  Is it the sixth?

[Orlion Blight he/him]

59 minutes ago, Spren of Kindness said:

Which one is Dune Messiah?  Is it the sixth?

Second, if I recall correctly

[Dunkum he/him]

10 hours ago, Orlionra said:

Second, if I recall correctly

second is correct

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

I am currently rereading the Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I'm planning on reading the Realm of the Elderlings in chronological order this time. After I finish Royal Assassin I'm going to either the Soldier's Son trilogy book two also by Robin Hobb or Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.

[Shard of Reading he/him]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:53 PM, Orlionra said:

Second, if I recall correctly

I know for a fact that it's the second because I just started reading Dune, and I've been looking into the sequals a bit preemptively because that's just what I do.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

Currently reading The Poppy War by R F Kuang.

Not to be confused with The Puppy War.

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

I finished Shadow and Bone.  So now it's a long wait for Siege and Storm.  And I also read The Stolen Moon, a middle-grade sci-fi.  It's the sequel to The Lost Planet, and gosh, I hope that one day the third one comes out.

[DuckOfMysteriousProportion he/him]

On 4/5/2021 at 7:13 PM, Orlionra said:

Currently reading The Poppy War by R F Kuang.

Not to be confused with The Puppy War.

I might prefer to read a book called the Puppy War. 

The title has merit, depending on the author.

[Eluvianii he/him]

58 minutes ago, DuckOfMysteriousProportion said:

I might prefer to read a book called the Puppy War. 

The title has merit, depending on the author.

I was thinking about how silly that sounded, perfect for fiction, when I remembered that we have a real event called the Cake War, so who knows, maybe it's even a real thing. 

[DuckOfMysteriousProportion he/him]

4 minutes ago, Eluvianii said:

I was thinking about how silly that sounded, perfect for fiction, when I remembered that we have a real event called the Cake War, so who knows, maybe it's even a real thing. 

Just looked it up.

It's a book by Allen Zadoff, though I had never heard of him before this.

[urrutiap]

bought couple more stuff from the Barnes and Noble store since Im out of town right now since yesterday.

 

two Dune books. Paul of Dune and one of the Prequel books  Corrin something  I think its called

Wheel of Time books 3 and 4

recent issue of Rue Morgue magazine

 

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Partials by Dan Wells.  I'm enjoying it quite a bit, considering that YA of this particular subgenre is about 50/50 hit or miss for me.

[Use the Falchion]

Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey and Demon Slayer - I bought the first three volumes this week, and after a few false starts over the years, I think I'm in it for good. 

[Ammanas]

@Use the Falchion Have you read the Fangles translation of the Odyssey and if so could you please compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the two translations?

[Use the Falchion]

43 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

@Use the Falchion Have you read the Fangles translation of the Odyssey and if so could you please compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the two translations?

I think that's the version high schoolers read or used to read at least...or at least did so when I was in high school... Yeah, I've read it...or at least parts of it...I wasn't the best reader in High School...

Wilson's is definitely better for pleasure reading. Wilson's poetry is crisp and reads much more like prose than anything else. She uses modern phrases that keep the spirit of the translation, making it far easier to understand what on earth is going on. I'm hoping Wilson eventually comes out with a version of the Iliad like that, since while I read Fagles' translation in 2018 for fun, I'd rather read it again and not have to wade through the poetry and styling to experience the story in that way. Wilson's is great for the story. It feels like one of those "No Fear Shakespeare" sort of guides, where the story is the same, but the language has been updated for modern times. The original poem used a type of hexameter beat IIRC, and I'm not sure what Fagle uses, if anything. Wilson is using iambic pentameter, since she wanted to keep the poetic reading while also giving her English readers what they'd be accustomed to.

I'm going back to certain parts, and now after reading the Wilson version, I'm finding Fagles' translation easier to read. 

Just for fun, here's the first paragraph of both translations (which is actually a poor representation since Fagles' version is pretty straightforward): 

Fagles

Quote

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns

driven by time and again off course, once he had plundered 

the hallowed heights of Troy.

Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, 

many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, 

fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. 

Bu he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove - 

the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,

the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun

and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return. 

Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,

star from where you will - sing for our time too. 

 

Wilson

Quote

Tell me about a complicated man. 

Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost

when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy,

and where he went, and who he met, the pain

he suffered on the sea, and how he worked

to save his life and bring his men back home.

He failed, and for their mistakes, they died. 

They ate the Sun God's cattle, and the god

kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus,

tell the old story for our modern times. 

Find the beginning. 

 

Here's part of a speech at Menelaus' feast (which is referring to the events in the tragedy Oresteia) 

Fagles

Quote

But while I roamed those lands, amassing a fortune, a stranger killed my brother, blind to the danger, duped blind - 

thanks to the cunning of his cursed, murderous queen! 

So I rule all this wealth with no great joy.

You must have heard my story from your fathers, 

whoever they are - what hardships I endured,

how I lost this handsome palace built for the ages, 

filled to the depths with hoards of gorgeous things. 

Well, would to god I'd stayed right here in my own house 

with a third of all that wealth and they were still alive,

all who died on the wide plain of Troy those years ago,

far from the stallion-land of Argos.

 

Wilson

Quote

... But while I wandered there

accumulating wealth, someone crept in

and killed my brother; his own scheming wife

betrayed him. I can take no joy in all

my wealth. Whoever they may be, your fathers

have surely told you how much I have suffered!

I lost my lovely home, and I was parted 

for many years from all my splendid riches.

I wish I had stayed here, with just a third 

of all the treasure I have now acquired,

if those who died at Troy, so far away

from Argive pastures, were alive and well. 

 

I'm not that far (halfway through Book 4 out of 24), but I definitely like Wilson's translation better in terms of pure enjoyment. I'm not sure which I'd give high schoolers to read, however. Fagles' version is what's known, but Wilson's reads better. And maybe the fact that it's translated by a woman may help? (Some of the reviews talked about the woman's perspective in relation to this story and its translation. I'm a dude, and I'm typically blind to these things, but maybe it'd foster some good conversation.) And the Iambic Pentameter could be good to introduce here, so that when the students read Shakespeare later on they're not blind-sided by the styling. But again, I'm not that far, and I'm not an English-Lit or History teacher. 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Use the Falchion

[Ammanas]

@Use the Falchion Thank you for that very detailed answer. The new translation definitely seems leaner and that would seem to build momentum faster. I’ll definitely have to check it. Fangles or Wilson we have come a long way from the Pope translation and it’s nice to see new life breathed into such a old work.

The question of translation has been on my mind recently. After spending most of my life trying occasionally to read the King James Bible I finally admitted to myself that I could hardly understand a word of it. It was basically gibberish to me. Perhaps I’m just not smart enough *shrugs*. So I have been reading/comparing  the ESV and CSB and sometimes to really dumb thing down for me I consult the NLT. Everything became clear to me and I finally was able to see the power and the beauty of this book. It’s kind of like (I imagine) of suddenly being cured of really bad dyslexia. But I digress...thanks again for the response.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

I honestly figuratively vomited a little on reading those Wilson selections. 

Look, I get that poetry can't ever truly be translated. And I get that sometimes people want to recreate how a listener of the original would feel without somehow imparting the various experiences and environment those listeners would be in and how that's impossible...

And I also get that liking the Samuel Butler translation kinda disqualifies me from having an opinion..but...um...well... kinda lost my train of thought there. 

Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is

Spoiler

I...HATE...SAUERKRAUT! 

That's all I'm really trying to say...

[Use the Falchion]

3 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

@Use the Falchion Thank you for that very detailed answer. The new translation definitely seems leaner and that would seem to build momentum faster. I’ll definitely have to check it. Fangles or Wilson we have come a long way from the Pope translation and it’s nice to see new life breathed into such a old work.

The question of translation has been on my mind recently. After spending most of my life trying occasionally to read the King James Bible I finally admitted to myself that I could hardly understand a word of it. It was basically gibberish to me. Perhaps I’m just not smart enough *shrugs*. So I have been reading/comparing  the ESV and CSB and sometimes to really dumb thing down for me I consult the NLT. Everything became clear to me and I finally was able to see the power and the beauty of this book. It’s kind of like (I imagine) of suddenly being cured of really bad dyslexia. But I digress...thanks again for the response.

No problem! I definitely understand the feelings! (The few times I had to read the King James Bible it gave me a headache too!)

Edited April 12, 2021 by Use the Falchion

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine he/him]

@Use the Falchion and @Ammanas, just wanted to let you guys know that I think one of the best ways to experience the Odyssey is the Fagles translation in audiobook form read by Ian McKellen, it's phenomenal!

Audible also has the Wilson translation read by Clair Danes, but I like the rhythm and phrasing of the Fagle translation better, and Ian McKellen (one of the finest actors ever) does a great job of pulling out the through line of meaning from the sometimes complicated and hard to follow passages.

@Orlionra, if you are ever in Tacoma Washington, go to the Antique Sandwich Shop, which is just a bit south of Point Defiance Zoo. Order their reuben which is served on warm marbled rye, and features a smear of mayo, some delightful low key swiss cheese, perfect pastrami, and a liberal portion of sauerkraut. Also get a chocolate shake, and only after trying this can you truly say that you hate sauerkraut, to know that you truly can't stand it you must first experience it in it's most exalted form, that my friend is the true test.

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Finished Partials and read it's sequel Fragments.  Definitely going to read the third book.  I also read Sylo.  Not bad.  The concept is very interesting, and I'm glad I have the next book already.

[Snakenaps she/her]

Just finished the first four books (novellas?) of The Murderbot Diaries by Maggie Wells. Highly, highly recommend. Each are about 150-200 pages, so very short compared to *hem* Sanderson. 

It's about an anxious, socially awkward, sarcastic security robot who (rather accurately) nicknamed itself Murderbot after it hacked its governor module and became independent. Except, what does Murderbot do with all this new found freedom? Well, it isn't really sure. All it knows is that it keeps having to save the dumb, fragile humans when all it wants to do is watch soap operas. 

Never thought I'd connect so deeply to a robot.  

Fantastic, witty thrillers that are so easy to inhale. I read the four my library had in four days and am now waiting for the fifth one on hold. 

[+Cyprian Wiley]

So I am currently reading a Book called "The dark side of the moon" by the Swiss author Martin Suter.
It is not fantasy but I can still recommend it, especially to every German native speaker. 
The Protagonist is a rich lawyer and has some kind of spiritual awakening.