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понедељак, 29. децембар 2014.

Nove knjige za Novu godinu

Ovu čitalačku godinu završavam sa preko 200 pročitanih naslova. Ima među tim naslovima i stripova, ali to su listom trejdovi, integrali, isenšeli i slična izdanja, sa kojima čovak ipak mora da se pomuči pre nego što ih prebaci sa hrpe nepročitanih naslova na gomilu pročitanih.

Enivej, prošlo je brat bratu pet godina otkad sam poslednji put pročitao preko 100 naslova za godinu dana. U svom zlatnom čitalačkom periodu čitao sam između 250 i 300 naslova godišnje, tako da mi je to čitalačko smanjenje teško palo. Doduše, tada sam živeo u roditeljskom stanu, bio student ili imao manje posla nego sada, nisam bio oženjen i imao tridesetak kilograma više nego sada. I guess everything has its price (Izreke iz Najtovog sela, tm). 

Neću postavljati spisak svega što sam pročitao - to možete da vidite posetom mom nalogu na Gudridsu - ali baviću se onim što tek nameravam da pročitam.

Januar je inače mesec kada po pravilu čitam isključivo epsku fantastiku i horor (jer ništa ne asocira na okupljanje rodbine kao "Bal vampira", but not in a good way), pa sam zato probrao nekoliko naslova kojima želim da posvetim pažnju.

Najpre, vraćam se projektu "Malazanijada", odnosno iščitavanju celokupnog serijala - uključujući i naslove koje je pisao Ijan Eslemont. U prethodnom naletu stao sam pročitavši Bonehunters, inače jedan od najboljih romana do Toll the Hounds (koji je, svojevremeno, za mene značio raskid sa Eriksonom). Između Bonehunters i Reaper's Gale - veoma se udobno smešta Return of the Crimson Guard, inače drugi Eslemontov roman. Budući da ga čitam već neko vreme, nalazim se na ravno 40% ukupnog gradiva. 

The return of the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard, could not have come at a worse time for a Malazan Empire exhausted by warfare and weakened by betrayals and rivalries. Indeed, there are those who wonder whether the Empress Laseen might not be losing her grip on power as she faces increasing unrest as conquered kingdoms and principalities sense freedom once more.
Into the seething cauldron of Quon Tali--the Empire's heartland--marches the Guard. With their return comes the memory of the Empire--and yet all is not well with the Guard itself. Elements within its elite, the Avowed, have set their sights on far greater power. There are ancient entities who also seek to further their own arcane ends. And what of the swordsman called Traveller who, with his companion Ereko, has gone in search of a confrontation from which none have ever returned?
As the Guard prepares to wage war, so Laseen's own generals and mages, the 'Old Hands', grow impatient at what they see as her mismanagement of the Empire. But could Laseen have outwitted them all? Could she be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors from the days of her illustrious predecesor, Kellanved?

Nakon Eslemonta najverovatnije ču se posvetiti ne baš novom piscu, ali ipak piscu kojeg ranije nisam čitao. Reč je o Semu Sajksu. Sajks ima novi roman, kojim počinje novi serijal. Moram da proverim, ali ako ovo delo nije ni na koji način povezano sa njegovom ranijom trilogijom, onda mi je na nišanu.

The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes

STEP UP TO THE GATES

After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world's beating heart.

The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness.
They've come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man.

And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good.
But this is no place to escape demons.


Na kraju, malo horora. Čarlija Strosa volim poodavno, najviše zbog njegove alternativne istorije (recimo da je Merchant Princes tako nešto), ali by all accounts, Stros već duže vreme piše veoma zanimljiv serijal lavkraftijanskog horora/urbane fantastike. Red je da ga konačno uzmem u šake.

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

Lovecraft's Cthulhu meets Len Deighton's spies in Stross's latest, as the Scottish author explains in his afterword to this offbeat book offering two related long novellas, "The Atrocity Archive" and "The Concrete Jungle" (the latter previously unpublished). With often hilarious results, the author mixes the occult and the mundane, the truly weird and the petty. In "Atrocity," Bob, a low-level computer fix-it guy for the Laundry, a supersecret British agency that defends the world from occult happenings, finds himself promoted to fieldwork after he bravely saves the day during a routine demonstration gone awry. With his Palm, aka his Hand of Glory (a severed hand that, when ignited, renders the holder invisible), and his smarts, he saves the world from a powerful external force seeking to enter our universe to suck it dry. In "Jungle," Bob teams up with a cop, Josephine, to save the Laundry from a powermonger who seeks to stage an internal coup by using zombies as her minions. Amid all the bizarre happenings are the everyday trappings of a British bureaucracy. Bob gets called on the carpet by his bosses because he requested backup during an emergency without first getting his supervisor's okay and filling out the requisite forms. Though the characters all tend to sound the same, and Stross resorts to lengthy summary explanations to dispel confusion, the world he creates is wonderful fun. 

понедељак, 6. јануар 2014.

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Goodreads ima nešto što se zove Reading Challenge. Igra se sastoji u tome da korisnik izazove sebe da će tokom godine pročitati određeni broj naslova, pa uz pomoć Goodreadsa prati koliko je kada pročitao.

Ovo je naročito zgodno stoga što Goodreads ne prati samo romane, već i stripove, rpg sourcebookove i svašta još nešto. Ako ima ISBN, ima ga na Goodreadsu. 

Ove godine odredio sam da ću pročitati 200 naslova. Da bih igru učinio poštenijom, odlučio sam da u neću računati sveske stripova već isključivo trejdove, integrale ili druge duže forme, kao ni priče već samo novele, romane ili antologije/zbirke priča. 

Ove godine neću ni odustajati od započetih naslova, te ću stoga pažljivije birati šta ću da čitam.

Nameće se pitanje izbora. 

Neke romane ću neizostavno čitati jer postoji mogućnost da će me neko zvati da ih prevodim. Neke ću čitati jer su nastavci meni dragih serijala. Neke ću čitati jer sam bolestan, pa želim da se podsetim starih miljenika - a neke jer je to stvar opšte kulture. 

Šta pod tim mislim?

Najznačajnije žanrovske nagrade nesumnjivo su Hugo i Nebula. Njima se može pridodati još svašta nešto, ali rešio sam da za merilo žanrovske valjanosti pored ove dve uzmem Lokusovu nagradu.

Podvukao sam crtu sa krajem dvadesetog veka i sastavio spisak romana koji su u dvadeset prvom veku dobili ove tri nagrade.

Hugo Award for Best Novel

2001    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
2002    American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2003    Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer
2004    Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
2005    Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2006    Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
2007    Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
2008    The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
2009    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2010    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi/The City & the City by China Miéville
2011    Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
2012    Among Others by Jo Walton
2013    Redshirts by John Scalzi


Nebula Award for Best Novel

2001     The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro
2002    American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2003    The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
2004    Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
2005    Camouflage by Joe Haldeman
2006    Seeker by Jack McDevitt
2007    The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
2008    Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin
2009    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2010    Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
2011    Among Others by Jo Walton
2012    2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson


Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel

2001     The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin    
2002     Passage by Connie Willis    
2003     The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson    
2004     Ilium by Dan Simmons    
2005     The Baroque Cycle (i.e. Quicksilver; The Confusion; The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson    
2006     Accelerando by Charles Stross    
2007     Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge    
2008     The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon    
2009     Anathem by Neal Stephenson    
2010     Boneshaker by Cherie Priest    
2011     Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis    
2012     Embassytown by China Miéville
2013     Redshirts by John Scalzi

Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel

2001     A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
2002     American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2003     The Scar by China Miéville
2004     Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
2005     Iron Council by China Miéville
2006     Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
2007     The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
2008     Making Money by Terry Pratchett
2009     Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
2010     The City & the City by China Miéville
2011     Kraken by China Miéville
2012     A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2013     The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross

Locus Award for Best First Novel

2001     Mars Crossing by Geoffrey A. Landis
2002     Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
2003     A Scattering of Jades by Alexander C. Irvine
2004     Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
2005     Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2006     Hammered/Scardown/Worldwired by Elizabeth Bear
2007     Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon/Throne of Jade/Black Powder War’ by Naomi Novik
2008     Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
2009     Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko
2010     The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2011     The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
2012     The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2013     Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Kao što vidite, ima dosta preklapanja. Takođe, dosta romana pripadaju nekim serijalima. Bilo kako bilo, rešio sam da pročitam sve što je dobilo neku od ovih nagrada, a ako je to nešto deo serijala, onda ću pročitati i serijal.

Rekao bih da će mi to dati dobro polazište za moj Goodreads Reading Challenge od 200 knjiga za ovu godinu.

Šta ćete vi čitati?

петак, 6. децембар 2013.

Novi naslovi - decembar 2013. (A ujedno i dopuna spiska za čitanje.)

Svašta nešto ovog meseca. Kao i svakog, preko 200 naslova raznih žanrova i podžanrova. No, ovoga puta izdvojiću samo ono što će se naći na mom spisku za čitanje.

Something More Than Night


Ian Tregillis's Something More Than Night is a Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler inspired murder mystery set in Thomas Aquinas’s vision of Heaven. It’s a noir detective story starring fallen angels, the heavenly choir, nightclub stigmatics, a priest with a dirty secret, a femme fatale, and the Voice of God.

Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making.
Because this is no mere murder. A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel—the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey.

Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos. 

The Iron Wolves: Book 1 of The Rage of Kings by Andy Remic

 Endi Remik ima dva zapažena B serijala. Jedan sam pokušao da čitam (The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles) i nije mi se dopao. Biće da je stvar do mene, pošto je Remik postao solidna zvezdica na SF&F nebu. Ako bih morao da ga poredim sa nekim ko je poznat našem čitateljstvu, rekao bih da je najsličniji Piteru Bretu, makar po kvalitetu pisanja. 

Thirty years ago, the Iron Wolves held back mud-orc hordes at the Pass of Splintered Bones, and led a brutal charge that saw the sorcerer Morkagoth slain. This ended the War of Zakora, and made the Iron Wolves heroes.

Now, a new terror stalks the realm. In hushed whispers, it is claimed the Horse Lady, Orlana the Changer, has escaped from the Chaos Halls and is building an army, twisting horses, lions and bears into terrible, bloody hunters, summoning mud-orcs from then slime and heading north to Vagandrak where, it said, the noble King Yoon has gone insane...

After hearing a prophecy from a blind seer, aged General Dalgoran searches to reunite the heroes of old for what he believes will be the final battle. But as mud-orcs and twisted beasts tear through the land, Dalgoran discovers the Iron Wolves are no longer heroes of legend... Narnok is a violent whoremaster, Kiki a honey-leaf drug peddler, and Prince Zastarte a drinker, a gambler, amoral and decadent: now he likes to hear people scream as they burn...

United in hate, the Iron Wolves travel to the Pass of Splintered Bones; and as half a million mud-orcs gather, General Dalgoran realises his grave error. Together, the Iron Wolves hold a terrible secret which has tortured them for three decades. Now, they only wish to be human again...


The Greatship by Robert Reed 

Nisam čitao Rida, ali gikovskom internetu je preskočilo srce na najavu objavljivanja zbirke njegovih priča, čija se radnja dešava na ogromnom svemirskom brodu. 

Since the beginning of the universe, the giant starship wandered the emptiest reaches of space, without crew or course, much less any clear purpose. But humans found the relic outside the Milky Way, and after taking possession, they named their prize the Great Ship and embarked on a bold voyage through the galaxy’s civilized hearts.

Larger than worlds, the Great Ship is laced with caverns and oceans, scenes of exalted beauty and corners where no creature has ever stood. Habitats can be created for every intelligent species, provided that the passengers can pay for the honor of a berth, and the human captains make the rules and dispense the justice in what soon becomes thousands of alien species joined a wild, unpredictable journey.

The first Great Ship story was “The Remoras”, published in 1994 by THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION. All but the most recent titles in the series have been included in this volume, arranged in a rough chronological order, each story partly rewritten to capture the author’s growing expertise in the starship. New material has been added to bridge the centuries, hopefully enriching the resident confusion. 

Ascension: A Tangled Axon Novel by Jacqueline Koyanagi 

Potpuno nova spisateljica, koja se pojavila niotkuda i objavija roman za ne baš veliku i prestižnu izdavačku kuću. No, siže njenog prvenca bio mi je dovoljno zanimljiv da mi ovaj naslov odma' uleti na tablet.

Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually-advanced sister Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew. But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he's a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego... and Alana can't keep her eyes off her. But there's little time for romance: Nova's in danger and someone will do anything - even destroying planets - to get their hands on her!


The Cormorant

  Ono što piše spada u urbanu fantaziju, a piše dovoljno dobro da je već stekao pristojan broj poklonika. Meni je zanimljivo to što je Vending neko vreme radio kao dizajner fantasy role play igara smeštenih u Svet tame, izdavača White Wolf. Ti su ljudi radili urbanu fantastiku i pre nego što je postojala. Jednog od narednih dana zaista ću morati da pročitam sve što je napisao.

Miriam is on the road again, having transitioned from "thief" to "killer".

Hired by a wealthy businessman, she heads down to Florida to practice the one thing she's good at, but in her vision she sees him die by another's hand and on the wall written in blood is a message just for Miriam. She's expected...




The Suicide Exhibition: The Never War by Justin Richards

Ne ide mi baš u glavu da se izdavač kalibra Del Reya odlučio da objavi nešto nalik ovome, tako da je jedino logično objašnjenje da je reč o sjajnom romanu, samo sam ja toliki duduk da mi to nije jasno na prvi pogled. Će da vidimo.

 A groundbreaking alternate history World War 2 thriller.
    
The threat is not new. The aliens have been here before -- if indeed they are aliens. Obsessed with the Occult, Hitler and other senior Nazis believed they were destined to inherit the Earth. To this end, they are determined to recover 'their' ancient artifacts -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny. When Dunkirk veteran and Foreign Office trouble-shooter Major Guy Pentecross stumbles across a seemingly unbelievable conspiracy, he, together with pilot and American spy Sarah Diamond and SOE operative Leo Davenport, enter the shadow world of Section Z. All three have major roles to play as they uncover the Nazis' insidious plot to use the alien Vril's technology to win the war... at any cost.

This is The Thirty-Nine Steps crossed with Indiana Jones and Quatermass. Justin Richards has an extremely credible grasp of the period's history and has transformed it into a groundbreaking alternate reality thriller.

Najslađe za kraj...

Fell Sword

Ovo je drugi roman Majlsa Kamerona. Prvi je objavljen krajem 2012, ali ja sam ga pročitao u 2013. Što se mene tiče, Red Knight - Kameronov prvenac - biće ozbiljan kandidat za najbolji roman kojeg sam pročitao ove godine.

Loyalty costs money. Betrayal, on the other hand, is free When the Emperor is taken hostage, the Red Knight and his men find their services in high demand - and themselves surrounded by enemies. The country is in revolt, the capital city is besieged and any victory will be hard won. But The Red Knight has a plan. The question is, can he negotiate the political, magical, real and romantic battlefields at the same time - especially when intends to be victorious on them all?

уторак, 12. новембар 2013.

Nightflier's Reading List, novembar 2013.

Na širem spisku za čitanje trenutno mi se nalazi pedesetak naslova i to je manje-više konstantna brojka. Trudim se da pratim najzanimljivije žanrovske naslove koji su trenutno u izdavačkoj ponudi, nadasve stoga što je lako moguće da ću u bližoj ili daljoj budućnosti biti u prilici da nešto od toga prevodim - ali i zbog toga što nekako doživljavam obavezom da pratim dešavanja u žanru.

Uži izbor je uvek bezmalo trostruko manji, ali je takođe uvek podložan promenama. Pojavljuju se naslovi pisaca koje volim, pa skaču na vrh spiska, a i svakog meseca se objavljuje bar dve stotine novih naslova, pa to dovodi do izvesnih pomeranja. 

U svakom slučaju, najuži spisak trenutno izgleda ovako:



Long Live the Queen (The Immortal Empire)

Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins -- wins.

Queen Victoria wants her head, Alpha wolf Vex wants her heart, and she still doesn't know the identity of the person who wanted her blood. What she does know is that a project from one of the 'secret' aristocrat labs has gotten free and she's the only one who can stop the perfect killing machine -- a sixteen year-old girl. With human zealots intent on ridding the world of anyone with plagued blood and supernatural politics taking Britain to the verge of civil war, Xandra's finding out that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be, and if she doesn't do something fast, hers will be the shortest reign in history.

The fantastic conclusion to the series that started with the spectacular undead steampunk debut, God Save the Queen and The Queen is Dead.




She Who Waits by Daniel Polansky
Low Town: the worst ghetto in the worst city in the Thirteen Lands. Good only for depravity and death. And Warden, long ago a respected agent in the formidable Black House, is now the most depraved Low Town denizen of them all. As a younger man, Warden carried out more than his fair share of terrible deeds, and never as many as when he worked for the Black House. But Warden's growing older, and the vultures are circling. Low Town is changing, faster than even he can control, and Warden knows that if he doesn't get out soon, he may never get out at all. But Warden must finally reckon with his terrible past if he can ever hope to escape it. A hospital full of lunatics, a conspiracy against the corrupt new king, and a ghetto full of thieves and murderers stand between him and his slim hope for the future. And behind them all waits the one person whose betrayal Warden never expected. The one person who left him, broken and bitter, to become the man he is today. The one woman he ever loved. She who waits behind all things.


 Raising Steam


To the consternation of the patrician, Lord Vetinari, a new invention has arrived in Ankh-Morpork - a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all of the elements: earth, air, fire and water. This being Ankh-Morpork, it's soon drawing astonished crowds, some of whom caught the zeitgeist early and arrive armed with notepads and very sensible rainwear.

Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work - as master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank his input is, of course, vital . . . but largely dependent on words, which are fortunately not very heavy and don't always need greasing. However, he does enjoy being alive, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse . . .

Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel, the man wi' t'flat cap and sliding rule who has an interesting arrangement with the sine and cosine. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a fat controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs and some very angry dwarfs if he's going to stop it all going off the rails . . .




Old Mars











In Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone, shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and Red King Consolidated has sent in Caleb Altemoc—casual gambler and professional risk manager—to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. At the scene of the crime, Caleb finds an alluring and clever cliff runner, Crazy Mal, who easily outpaces him.
But Caleb has more than the demon infestation, Mal, or job security to worry about when he discovers that his father—the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists—has broken into his home and is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply.
From the beginning, Caleb and Mal are bound by lust, Craft, and chance, as both play a dangerous game where gods and people are pawns. They sleep on water, they dance in fire...and all the while the Twin Serpents slumbering beneath the earth are stirring, and they are hungry.





Breq is both more than she seems and less than she was. Years ago, she was the Justice of Toren--a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of corpse soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

An act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with only one fragile human body. And only one purpose--to revenge herself on Anaander Mianaai, many-bodied, near-immortal Lord of the Radch.


From debut author Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice is a stunning space opera that asks what it means to be human in a universe guided by artificial intelligence.