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Some more books read. This time, as I promised to some certain person, the list is 100% vampire-free!
#20
Author: Володимир Аренєв (Volodymyr - or Vladimir - Arenyev)
Title: Магус (Magus)
Genre: fantasy, mystery
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 7/10
Ukrainian - or, better to say, Ukrainian-language, for many authors prefer to write in Russian - fantasy is very, very scanty. So I was really happy to discover this book which I've heard much about before. The plot intrigued me prety much: it takes place in alternative Renaissance Italy, 'pre-da Vinci'. In this Italy sorcery exists, though not in a usual way. There's an order of monks who do kind of necromancy: they return deceased people to this world, but only as ghosts. There exists another order - the one of Magi - its members are kind of magicians according to their abilities, but their occupation is extra class investigators. Finally, there exists 'the little people', pueruli - they vary much, but in general remind of Shakespeare's Puck.
The story centers around Oberto, a magus who came to the town Aliasso to investigate the theft of nine family rings of some VIP aristocrat. And around Fantin, a rather prosperous thief (a villa robber, to be exact) whom the magus hires to help him. The case appears much more complicated than it seemed, for the aristocrat wants to supress the case and send the magus away, which he would have done, if not the ghost of his determined ancestor.
Well, it was rather worse than I had expected. The detective line is, IMO, too complicated; the reader knows too little and is too bewildered with everything. Surely, in the end we are told and shown everything, but reading the novel is not so captivating as it should be.
The book is availiable in Russian as well. I can advise it to most people because its subject is fresh, and its language rich. There are also ve-ery nice 'literature and historical jokes' sscattered througout the text (a combination of don Vito Corleone and the Pinocchio's father in one person... apart from the fact that this awesome mafia leader is but a ghost...)
#21
Author: Володимир Аренєв (Volodymyr - or Vladimir - Arenyev)
Title: Бісова душа, або заклятий скарб (The Devilish Soul, or the Cursed Treasure)
Genre: fantasy, horrors (kinda)
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 8/10
This novel takes place in pre-Khmelnitskyy Cossack Ukraine. The main character, kharakternyk Andriy ('kharakternyk' is a term for a cossack warlock - and physician as well) decides to become a monk. That's very natural - not to say typical for many old warriors of those times. Still, a strange person 'whose cloak resembled broken wings' reminds him of a debt. Once that very person saved him from the Plain of Pre-Death, where Andriy followed an agonizing patient. Now he wants our hero to bury a strange chest in some strange place. Andriy starts a terrifying journey, travelling in our world and in Vyriy - that's the term for an eerie world between our one and the world of the dead. (By the way, in Ukrainian language we also use this word for the place birds fly to for winter;) Here Arenyev successfully combines Ukrainian myths and legends with those of his own invention. Werewolves are only the most habitual of them, one being the hero's companion during a great deal of his quest.
What do I think? Great. Really captivating. Really worthy translating to any language). I don't know whether it is availiable in Russian - but, alas, I am sure it's never been translated in English(( Though it should. Definitely)
#22
Author: Марина и Сергей Дяченко(Marina and Sergey Dyachenko)
Title: Армагед-дом (Armaged-Home)
Genre: social science-fiction
Language: Russian
Rating: 9/10
Another novel by my favourite authors. Imagine a world where every 20 years a real apocalypse occurs. However, most people survive - if they enter one of the 'Portals' - mysterious constructions which appear only for several minutes in the moment of greatest need. The book describes different periods of the female heroine's life and the society she lives in. Surely, the novel is more social and psychological than sci-fi - quite a usual thing for all Dyachenko's books.
My thoughts? Pretty powerful. 'Not the best book in the world' (c) - but a very decent one. At least surely a book to make one think. And they did manage to write a happy-end which looks like a happy-end from any angles! (at least one can be sure about the situation in the end).
#23
Author: Jane Austen
Title: Sense and Sensibility
Language: English, for sure)
Genre: classic, romance
Rating: 10/10
This was a reread, however, this time in original. The previous time was long ago, so I didn't even remember with whom Marianne will finally stay. As brilliant as all Austen novels. A must read for anyone, at least for anyone belonging to the fair sex)
#20
Author: Володимир Аренєв (Volodymyr - or Vladimir - Arenyev)
Title: Магус (Magus)
Genre: fantasy, mystery
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 7/10
Ukrainian - or, better to say, Ukrainian-language, for many authors prefer to write in Russian - fantasy is very, very scanty. So I was really happy to discover this book which I've heard much about before. The plot intrigued me prety much: it takes place in alternative Renaissance Italy, 'pre-da Vinci'. In this Italy sorcery exists, though not in a usual way. There's an order of monks who do kind of necromancy: they return deceased people to this world, but only as ghosts. There exists another order - the one of Magi - its members are kind of magicians according to their abilities, but their occupation is extra class investigators. Finally, there exists 'the little people', pueruli - they vary much, but in general remind of Shakespeare's Puck.
The story centers around Oberto, a magus who came to the town Aliasso to investigate the theft of nine family rings of some VIP aristocrat. And around Fantin, a rather prosperous thief (a villa robber, to be exact) whom the magus hires to help him. The case appears much more complicated than it seemed, for the aristocrat wants to supress the case and send the magus away, which he would have done, if not the ghost of his determined ancestor.
Well, it was rather worse than I had expected. The detective line is, IMO, too complicated; the reader knows too little and is too bewildered with everything. Surely, in the end we are told and shown everything, but reading the novel is not so captivating as it should be.
The book is availiable in Russian as well. I can advise it to most people because its subject is fresh, and its language rich. There are also ve-ery nice 'literature and historical jokes' sscattered througout the text (a combination of don Vito Corleone and the Pinocchio's father in one person... apart from the fact that this awesome mafia leader is but a ghost...)
#21
Author: Володимир Аренєв (Volodymyr - or Vladimir - Arenyev)
Title: Бісова душа, або заклятий скарб (The Devilish Soul, or the Cursed Treasure)
Genre: fantasy, horrors (kinda)
Language: Ukrainian
Rating: 8/10
This novel takes place in pre-Khmelnitskyy Cossack Ukraine. The main character, kharakternyk Andriy ('kharakternyk' is a term for a cossack warlock - and physician as well) decides to become a monk. That's very natural - not to say typical for many old warriors of those times. Still, a strange person 'whose cloak resembled broken wings' reminds him of a debt. Once that very person saved him from the Plain of Pre-Death, where Andriy followed an agonizing patient. Now he wants our hero to bury a strange chest in some strange place. Andriy starts a terrifying journey, travelling in our world and in Vyriy - that's the term for an eerie world between our one and the world of the dead. (By the way, in Ukrainian language we also use this word for the place birds fly to for winter;) Here Arenyev successfully combines Ukrainian myths and legends with those of his own invention. Werewolves are only the most habitual of them, one being the hero's companion during a great deal of his quest.
What do I think? Great. Really captivating. Really worthy translating to any language). I don't know whether it is availiable in Russian - but, alas, I am sure it's never been translated in English(( Though it should. Definitely)
#22
Author: Марина и Сергей Дяченко(Marina and Sergey Dyachenko)
Title: Армагед-дом (Armaged-Home)
Genre: social science-fiction
Language: Russian
Rating: 9/10
Another novel by my favourite authors. Imagine a world where every 20 years a real apocalypse occurs. However, most people survive - if they enter one of the 'Portals' - mysterious constructions which appear only for several minutes in the moment of greatest need. The book describes different periods of the female heroine's life and the society she lives in. Surely, the novel is more social and psychological than sci-fi - quite a usual thing for all Dyachenko's books.
My thoughts? Pretty powerful. 'Not the best book in the world' (c) - but a very decent one. At least surely a book to make one think. And they did manage to write a happy-end which looks like a happy-end from any angles! (at least one can be sure about the situation in the end).
#23
Author: Jane Austen
Title: Sense and Sensibility
Language: English, for sure)
Genre: classic, romance
Rating: 10/10
This was a reread, however, this time in original. The previous time was long ago, so I didn't even remember with whom Marianne will finally stay. As brilliant as all Austen novels. A must read for anyone, at least for anyone belonging to the fair sex)