It starts with the nameless narrator experiencing a near-fatal car crash due to his drug and alcohol induced hallucinations. During his lengthy recovery in the burn ward, he meets a psych patient who alleges their story begins 700 years ago in a German monastery. She tells him stories about their past in Germany, including how she obtained and translated a copy of Dante's Inferno predating all known German translations. She tells other stories too, about a Japanese glass craftswoman, an Icelandic Viking, an Italian blacksmith, maybe some others, most of whom die young and tragically. She's also a talented sculptor of stone gargoyles, a skill she allegedly learned from the narrator. The narrator suspects her stories are just the delusions of a schizophrenic, but can't go back to his pre-accident life, so he agrees to go home with her to continue his recovery, and maybe learn a little more about her and why she's taken an interest in him.
I'm about 3/4 through it and impressed with how it's written. Unfortunately, I never read the Divine Comedy, so I'm pretty sure I missed some things that a better educated reader would have recognized.
As an Italian, I’m most definitely biased, but the Divine Comedy, and mostly the Inferno, are worth a read if you are willing to read the notes (all the historical references are near-impossible to understand otherwise). Some sections are romantic, some politic/religious/esoteric, some epic, a couple really fun. There is a bit for everyone. The Paradise becomes more serious, concentrating most on religion and politics, and I found it less exciting.
I walked into a random bookstore and got advised to read “Rossignol” by Audrey Pleynet. As far as I know it has only been published in French, but I hope this is going to change.
It’s a short read, but absolutely amazing. A woman is on the run, and mixes memories of her past in a futuristic space station to flashes of her escape. Only slowly do all the pieces fall together, creating a tale with many emotions, strange characters and glimpses of a lively mixed station where all are welcome, but where tensions between groups are rising.
I loved it for the deep characterization of the main character, while all others are just fast drafts. I loved it for the sci-fi and the politics and the action.
I have been working through the short stories in the 1st Thieves’ World Anthology. It’s easily been on my TBR list since the 90’s from when I read one of the follow up books about one of the characters, Shadowspawn. If I manage to get through that before the next post, I’m either going to go on to Gulliver’s Travels or start the Zelda Twilight, Princess Manga.
You did great it’s really just a spot for you to freeform discuss what you’ve been reading either just as a straight bulleted list or if you wanted to give some feedback as to how you felt about what you’ve been reading that’s OK too it’s very relaxed. It also gives other people an opportunity to ask questions if they see you read something they’re interested in.
I loved Expeditionary Force, and had no idea he was actually ending the series.
Is Azarinth any good? I like LitRPG stuff but in my experience the public ratings are pretty unreliable. Some of the things the community will find interesting veer way too sociopathic for my tastes.