Monday, 16 February 2015

Shalee lhaih 2015: shiaghtin 07

Go here for English version. Note, this is rewritten from scratch, not a direct translation.

9oo-15oo Jerrey Geuree

Jerrey shiaghtoo shiaghtin ny Shalee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Mairelon the Magician (Patricia Wrede)

Shoh skeeal fansee annymoil as lane vree, mychione speeikearys as kialg. Lhaih mee eh er y fa dy vel straih Wrede Sorcery and Cecilia lane aitt, as t'ad feer chasley rish y cheilley. She skeeal strimmey-chooishagh t'ayn nish, cha nel yn eddrymid cheddin er. Cha nee karracteyryn lane noa t'ayn, agh t'ad screeuit dy mie, as by haittin lhiam troailt maroo. Ta rouyr myn-charracteyryn ayn, foddee - by ghoillee dou nish as reesht toiggal quoi v'ayn as cre'n dean v'echey - agh s'baghtal eh dy by vie lesh Wrede adsyn myrgeddin. T'ee er chur blass anaasoil ny ghaa er cagh, bunnys. Dy jarroo, er lhiam dy nee yn ard-ancharrey hene ta lhome, aght ennagh. She caillin vraew ee yn ard-charracteyr Kim; cha nel ee neuspeeideilagh, chamoo ooilley-varriaghtagh erskyn credjue. By hreih lhiam ny hooar magh shin myekione 'sy jerrey, beggan.

She skeeal anaasoil as taitnyssagh t'ayn son y chooid smoo. Ta kest ny ghaa ayn hoig mee meeiley ny ghaa ersooyl, as cha dod mee credjal er chor erbee nagh hoig ny karracteyryn cre'n firrinys v'ayn, as voir shen orrym. T'eh cochruinnaghey myr jerrey lane aitt, rere aght cadjin Sorcery and Cecilia. By haittin lhiam nagh ren Wrede croghey er baggyrt keintyssagh leodee er Kim son blass dy ghaue, ga dy nee seihll groamey t'ayn. Chammah's shen, cha ren ee siyraghey cooish ghraih eddyr ny h-ard-charracteyryn. Ta kiangley obbree taitnyssagh gaase eddyr oc, as cha nel y teks hene loayrt noi shen, ga dy vel sannish ny ghaa jeh myn-charracteyr ny ghaa. Hig y chooish ghraih ny s'anmey 'sy 'traih, s'cosoylagh, agh ta mee soiaghey mooar jeh'n eab as y smaght er hene.

Aqua y.l. 2 (こずえ 天野)

Lhaih mee y lhieggan Baarle ayns 2013. Myr screeu mee ec y traa shen: "She skeeal elley meein t'ayn, gyn monney taghyrt agh taitnyssagh dy liooar ny yei shen."

Ta furigana feer veg ayn, as shen doilleeid son y lught-ynsee Shapaanish. Chammah's shen, er fa ennagh t'ad jannoo ymmyd jeh ram focklyn noa (termeeaght whaagh bentyn rish y teihll) ta screeuit ayns kanji, agh focklit magh 'sy Vaarle! Er lhiam dy nee eie quaagh t'ayn, as cha ren eh aashagh toiggal y skeeal er chor erbee...

Ta cabdil loggyr ayns shoh nagh row 'sy lhieggan Baarle! V'eh ennaghtagh quaagh, er lhiam. Ta shin feddyn magh beggan mychione Aika, as by vie lhiam shen. Ta'n chaillin ry-akin dy mennick 'sy skeeal, agh she freggyrt meehurransagh da Akari t'ayn son y chooid smoo. S'mie lhiam fakin dy vel caa eck nish as reesht dy ve ny h-ard-charracteyr.

Aria y.l. 4 (こずえ 天野)

Contoyrtyssyn laaoil meein elley skimmee Aqua (heose). As lane whaagh, ny keayrtyn! Ta'n straih shoh ennaghtagh ny keayrtyn, as ta mee goaill ram soylley jeh ga dy nee skeeal neuchramp t'ayn. Cha nee Lettyraght t'ayn, agh she Skeealaght t'ayn kiart dy liooar.

Fockle s'jerree

Lhaih mee 3 lioaryn, va 142 aym yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie, myr shen ta 139 faagit dou nish.


English version

9th-15th February

The end of week seven of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Mairelon the Magician (Patricia Wrede)

A fun, lively fantasy tale of skullduggery and snooping. I read this after enjoying Wrede's Sorcery and Cecilia series, and it's much of the same. However, this is more serious and less frothy. The main characters aren't especially original, but were well-articulated and comfortable to be around. There are perhaps too many minor characters, and at times it's hard to keep track of them and their goals, but Wrede gives most of them a bit of love too. The protagonist, Kim, is neither hapless nor implausibly competent, though I was a little sorry about a minor revelation at the end.

For the most part, the plot is both interesting and a bit amusing. A couple of twists were so heavily telegraphed that it was simply implausible for the characters not to spot them, which is a bit annoying. It comes together in an enjoyably farcical conclusion, of a sort familiar to anyone who read Sorcery and Cecilia. I appreciated Wrede avoiding cheap reliance on sexual threat to imperil Kim, despite the setting. She was also restrained enough not to force a romance between the main characters; they establish a pleasing professional relationship, and only a couple of minor characters hint otherwise. It's probably coming later in the series, but I do appreciate the gesture.

Aqua y.l. 2 (こずえ 天野)

I read the English version some time ago. As I wrote for the English version: "It's another slow-paced and gentle story without much going on, but relaxing to read."

For Japanese learners, it's sometimes a bit hard to deciper the tiny furigana, and the decision to provide kanji words with English-based katakana readings feels rather bizarre. It certainly makes reading more of a challenge...

This contains a bonus chapter that wasn't in the English translation. I found it oddly moving, and enjoyed the insight into Aika. She gets plenty of screen time during the series, but often as an impatient foil to Akari. It's nice that she gets to be the protagonist for once.

Aria v. 4 (こずえ 天野)

More adventures of the crew from Aqua (see above). Simple, gentle, and occasionally strange. This series can be quite moving, and I enjoy it a lot despite the simple stories. It's probably not Literature, but it's certainly good stuff.

Afterword

I read 3 books, I had 142 last week, so 139 are left over.

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