I got The Fury of the Gods to read before the novel is officially published thanks to John's Serbian publisher, Laguna, for whom I work as a translatoI got The Fury of the Gods to read before the novel is officially published thanks to John's Serbian publisher, Laguna, for whom I work as a translator, primarily of fantasy. This needs to be said because I've translated works by Robert Jordan (most of the Wheel of Time series, as well as some other stuff), Joe Abercrombie, Jim Butcher, Brandon Sanderson, Roger Zelazny - and these are just a few authors of fantasy that are coming to mind. I'm saying this as a way to establish my credentials, so to speak, to let you know that I know what I'm talking about.
And, my peoples, The Fury of the Gods has the most epic ending since the the Last Battle from the Wheel of Time.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll not touch upon specific details and plots and subplots, but I'll say that everything is finished, every thread is tucked away or snipped and we have some tidings of future novels, which I hope that they will be written and this beautiful world expanded to at least thirty books. :) I really wouldn't mind to spend next several decades of my life reading one Bloodsworn novel each year.
I must say that I admire John beyond words for what he has achieved here. Such strength of character is truly humbling. In his place, I would crumble and simply stop. But he didn't. Authors don't owe us anything, we give them money to entertain us, essentially, and if some story is not finished, there are always other stories. But, there is a certain unspoken promise that an author will finish his work, tell us the story to its end. And John has kept his promise. Through unimaginable pain, he finished the story. I don't know where he found the strength to do so, but this is an achievement worth of praise and respect. It is my honor to translate his words and bring this world of his to the Serbian readers.
If there was any doubt, this was a 5* book and one of this year's best reads for me. Go order it from your preferred bookseller and join me in hoping that there will be more books set in this epic, epic world....more
What a tour de force, what a majestic novel, brilliantly written and composed masterfully. I have managed to guess the ending, but nevertheless it wasWhat a tour de force, what a majestic novel, brilliantly written and composed masterfully. I have managed to guess the ending, but nevertheless it was shocking and the last few chapters were heartrending. Jay Kristoff is one cruel bastard for what he does to his readers. I can't imagine better book coming out this year....more
Treća knjiga Stautovog urban fantasy/sci-fi serijala predstavlja ga čitaocima kao vanredno zrelog pisca, kako zanatski i stilski, tako i kreativno, koTreća knjiga Stautovog urban fantasy/sci-fi serijala predstavlja ga čitaocima kao vanredno zrelog pisca, kako zanatski i stilski, tako i kreativno, kopljima ispred recimo Bučera. Straut sebi ne olakšava život smeštajući radnju na nama nepoznatu planetu, sa svojom ekologijom i istorijom i očito vanzemaljskim umesto klasičnim fantazijskim rasama - međutim, iako su to očigledne poteškoće koje čitalac treba da prevaziđe kako bi otkrio sloj po sloj piščevog pripovedanja, sve to ima svoju dobro promišljenu ulogu i suptilno nagoveštava neki širi plan, pomalo telegrafišući neke odgovore na pitanja koja su postavljena world buildingom.
Nažalost, vrlo je verovatno da je ovakva postavka pretvrd zalogaj za većinu čitalaca urbane fantastike, kojima je ovaj serijal namenjen, tako da četvrte knjige u serijalu nema ni u najavi. Srećom, sve tri se čitaju kao klasični krimići, sa sopstvenim zapletima - premda je ipak potrebno čitati ih u nizu - pa ako četvrte i ne bude, čitalac neće biti uskraćen za razrešenje misterije. Dobro, konačne misterije - da, ali to svejedno nije razlog da se ne uloži vreme u ove brilijantno spakovane tri knjige.
"Zlatne enklave" su završnica trilogije "Sholomantija" i to završnica u velikom i sasvim neočekivanom stilu, premda su već sa početkom treće knjige ne"Zlatne enklave" su završnica trilogije "Sholomantija" i to završnica u velikom i sasvim neočekivanom stilu, premda su već sa početkom treće knjige neke stvari počele da se naslućuju. Naomi Novik je u trećoj knjizi promenila podžarn i iz "magične škole" prešla u urbanu fantastiku. To je otprilike ono što može da se kaže a da se ne spojluje. Međutim, u tu promeni mizanscena uspela je da upakuje i kritiku savremenog svetskog političkog poretka, neokolonijalizma, kapitalizma, čak i obične ljudske slabosti ovaploćene kroz komformitet.
Romane Naomi Novik prati nezaslužena pretpostavka, danas bezmalo pežorativna, da su njeni romani po žanru Young Adult, odnosno namenjeni deci i omladini, uostalom slično kao u slučaju Džeja Kristofa. To svakako nije tačno i "Zlatne enklave" dokaz su toga. Tačnije, dokaz da ti romani nisu namenjeni ISKLJUČIVO deci i omladini. Nije mi jasno otkud se pojavila ta datost da ozbiljne knjige nisu za mlade ljude. Za koga su onda? To što su protagonisti nekog dela tinejdžeri, nikako ne znači da je to štivo namenjeno isključivo tinejdžerima - pa ni da su tinejdžeri (bilo u književnosti, bilo u stvarnom svetu) nezrela balavurdija. OK, svako životno doba nosi svoje breme i iz perspektive četrdesetogodišnjaka, nisam bio zrela osoba do tamo neke tridesete godine, ali to ne znači da nisam bio odrastao niti da moji problemi nisu bili duboko zasnovani u realnosti mog života. Isto je i sa šesnaest, osamnaest, osamdeset ili osam godina. "Zlatne enklave" počivaju na premisi preispitivanja stabilokratije i potrebi za promenom načina življenja, ne nužno da bi civilizacija preživela, jer će preživeti i ovako i onako, pa čak ne nužno ni da bismo živeli bolje, već da bismo sami po sebi bili bolji i lakše trpeli ne samo jedni druge već - opet - sami sebe.
Trilogija koja zaslužuje svaku preporuku, Nightflier's Seal of Approval i 5*...more
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