Sunday 22 February 2015

Shalee lhaih 2015: shiaghtin 08

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

16oo-22h Toshiaght Arree

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

Morlock Night (KW Jeter)

Shoh eiyrtyssagh lane yindys as schlei da skeeal ard-ghooagh HG Wells, The Time Machine. Cre haghyragh dy yioghe ny Morlockyn canniblagh fo-hallooin greim er y jeshaght hraa shen, as çheet dys Lunnin Victorianagh? Ta Jeter er screeu skeeal anaasoil as cleaynagh dy liooar. By haittin lhiam fakin nagh vel eh cur monney traa da cloie mygeayrt marish troailt traa; t'eh shaghney roudaght Hom Holt 'sy chooish shen. By vie lhiam yn ard-charracteyr Hocker - ta cree braew as daanys dy liooar echey, as shen caghlaa mie ny yei feniagh aggleydagh as groamagh ny skeealyn elley ta mee er lhiah liorish Jeter. Ghow mee ram soylley jeh, as ga dy hoig mee y cassey veagh 'sy skeeal beggan leah, cha ren shen boirey orrym - she cassey mie t'ayn. As ta jerrey noa as neuyerkit aym nagh vel mee son molley eh dhyt.

Recipes for the Dead: Dark Delights with Cranberries (Vera Greentea and Ein Lee)

Ayrn aalin jeh noaskeeal caslyssagh. Shegin dou goaill rish, va mee jerkal dy beagh eh ny s'liurey. Er lhiam dy nee Lioar 1 v'ayn, agh she "Earroo" 1 - cadbil, gow rish - as hug shen yindys orrym. Agh ghow mee taitnys jeh ny yei shen. Cha nel y cabdil shoh soilshaghey magh monney: cha nel rieughid seihll y skeeal ry-hoiggal foast, chamoo ta fys ain er yn ard-charracteyr ny eer cre'n genre t'ayn. S'baghtal dooin dy vel reddyn neughooghyssagh agh, agh vel fys ec cagh er shen? Nee skeeal eddrym-sy-chree t'ayn, ny fer strimmey-chooishagh? Ta'n coontey-ergooyl gra "steampunk" agh cha nel shin fakin agh Shenn Thie Groamey Americaanagh (lane chlassicagh) as cummal-rea cadjin. S'treisht lhiam dy nee Greentea soilshaghey ny smoo dy leah.

Chammah's shen, my ta ard-charracteyr goaill toshiaght 'sy skeeal gaccan er currymyn sheshoil as eisht geid jeh naboon kenjal, ta obbyr ry-yannoo ecksh my by vie lhiat dy mie lhiam ee. Foddee oo jannoo y lheid - s'mie lhiam ard-charracteyryn ta nyn roosteyryn, aght ennagh - agh my she peiagh cadjin t'ayn, s'doillee cur ry-cheilley "peiagh so-choennaghtyn" as "geid dy baghtal jeh shenn ven". Er y laue elley, by vie lhiam y naboon buitçhagh (dy baghtal) as y dooinney poosht braew sassey eck, ga nagh row mee shickyr my she fer beggan quaagh t'ayn, ny jus focklaght neuschlei ennagh. Wahll, ta mee sullyraignagh. As she ellyn aalin t'ayn.

Recipes for the Dead: Apricot Asylum (Vera Greentea and Allison Strom)

Eh... s'doillee eh briwnys er cabdil lomarcan y yannoo, fys ayd. Cha nel shin feddyn magh monney 'sy chabdil shoh. Ta Veronica coagyrey brishtagyn pishagagh (gyn yss) as goll dys giense, as... shen eh. Ta cummey braew er y chabdil as she jallooghyn mie t'ayn - agh shegin dou gra bare lhiam ellyn hickyr cabdil #1 na'n aght s'boggey kayagh shoh. Ta shin feddyn magh kuse beg jeh'n roie-skeeal neughooghyssagh, as by vie lhiam shen. Oh, as ta blass quaagh ennagh tra ta oijys meenagh y skeeal dhyt...

Recipes for the Dead: Steam Minted Meringue (Vera Greentea and Allison Strom)

Ta mee fud-y-cheilley hoshiaght. Scuirr cabdil 2 rish fer joarree neughooghyssagh brishtey stiagh 'sy yiense, as nish... ta'n ard-charracteyr shooyl dy kiune 'sy 'traid moghrey fliugh ennagh. Dy firrinagh, cha nel eie erbee aym er cre'n kiangley t'ayn. Fy-yerrey, ta mee goaill rish nagh vel kiangley ayn - t'ad er caghlaa dys traa elley 'sy skeeal gyn gra shen, er lhiam (ren yn ughtar hene shickyraghey shen dou ny s'anmey!). Cha nel eh molley yn cabdil shoh, agh hug eh builley dou.

Share lhiam yn ellyn na'n lioar roee. Ta Strom er gaghlaa yn aght eck, linnaghyn ny stroshey as daaghyn ny s'çhenney. Er lhiam dy vel shen ny s'cooie da lheid y skeeal. T'eh gra dy nee steampunk t'ayn (ny smoo far-Victorianagh na steampunk, er lhiam) as ta shen yeearree ellyn yl-chast as lane dy vynphoyntyn. Ta coireeaghey coagyrey aalin ass towse ayn, un cherrin flaaoil lane dy vioys niartal - verrym eh er y woalley aym gyn leaystey erbee. Ta jallooyn yindyssagh neughooghyssagh elley ayn ny s'anmey, tra ta'n Bankeyr çheet rish.

Ta'n ayrn shoh rooishtey reddyn neughooghyssagh da'n toilshey dy jeean, as cur er Veronica shassoo eddin ry eddin rish reddyn quaagh (dy lettyragh). By vie lhiam shen, as s'treisht lhiam dy bee ny smoo RFTD ayn dy leah. Atreih, s'baghtal dy vel eh goll er cur magh beggan er veggan (kyndagh rish yn ellyn aalin mea, er lhiam) as er lhiam dy nee shen boirey orrym... Shen anraah noaskeealyn caslyssagh: t'eh ceau ram traa rish croo ayrn beg jeh skeeal, agh foddee lhaihder lhaih y lane obbyr shen rish minnid ny ghaa. S'doillee da'n ughtar cur magh dy skeeal tappee dy liooar da'n lhaihder.

Tales from the Mechanical Bard (ymmodee)

Çhaglym anaasoil dy skeealyn beggey quaaghey ayns seihll Numenera. V'ad ooilley feeu, agh ta kuse ny smoo anaasoil na kuse elley. She The Garden y skeeal s'quaaghey baghtal, as lane doo er lhiam. Ta blass skeeal ferrish er Elza D, as er lhiam dy noddagh oo cur eh mastey skeealyn ny Braaraghyn Grimm gyn agh caghlaa eaghtyragh. Er y laue elley, ta The Angel Stone gollrish y 'fluff' (clooie) ta screeudeyryn gamman cur stiagh mastey ny reillaghyn - ta blass mie echey, agh cha nel monney skeeal 'sy chooish.

She Liora's Call ynrican ta gollrish red ennagh haghyragh ayns gamman Numenera erbee, er lhiam. Ta blass 70yn-80yn ec Hilfolk er lhiam - lessoonyn moralagh as caghlaa reayrtyssyn. Voir eh orrym nagh ren yn ard-charracteyr eer smooinaghtyn dy yannoo ymmyd jeh'n phooar ooilley-niartal echey dy hauail e charrey jeh braggartagh raghtal nagh by vie leshyn er chor erbee, ga dy vel traa dy liooar echey dy smooinaghtyn er - er lhiam nagh row shen rere dooghys deiney. Cha nel eh ersyn sauail eh, agh lhisagh yn eie çheet er, er lhiam! Resonance... cha s'aym, dy jarroo. She skeeal mie dy liooar t'ayn, as eie ny ghaa anaasoil aynsyn. Foddee nagh row niart dy liooar aynsyn? As shegin dou gra, ta mee er lhaih Tom Holt dy liooar nagh vel monney cree aym foast son skeealyn bentyn rish sou-cheeayll troailtys traa.

ドラえもん y.l. 2 (藤子・F・不二雄)

Contoyrtyssyn ommidjagh elley lesh gliggyryn quaagh, as ta drogh yerrey ayn dy cadjin. S'doillee dou toiggal ad ny keayrtyn, agh she cooid eddrym aitt t'ayn.

らんま1/2 y.l. 23 (高橋 留美子)

Taitnys noa marish Ranma, Akane as ny "caarjyn" oc. Er lhiam dy nee toshiaght woal v'ayn - cha nel monney anaase aym er Taro. T'eh neughortagh, myr shen cha nel monney aitt ayns ny streppaghyn, as t'eh dy kinjagh kianglt rish Hokkosai ta dree dy liooar myrgeddin (jus geid fo-eaddagh). Agh va cooid elley y lioar fondagh dy liooar. Va yn skeeal neuchrogheydagh ayn as Ramna jannoo foayr kenjal as neuhondagh - s'mie lhiam fakin yn ard-charracteyr myr fer mie nish as reesht!

らんま1/2 y.l. 24 (高橋 留美子)

As ny smoo. Va skeeal liauyr 'sy lioar shoh, as v'eh cleaynagh dy liooar dy row eh orrym goaill toshiaght er y nah lioar myrgeddin as feddyn magh cre'n jerrey veagh ayn! Ta 高橋 留美子 garral skeeal lane ommidjagh bentyn rish sleih jeh fuillaght veiyn, as wheesh daaney v'eh orrym cur yindys er ny share na craidey mysh.

The Hill of Dreams (Arthur Machen)

Lioar whaagh as druightagh. Cha nel mee lhaih noaskeealyn lettyragh jeh yioin, agh cha row fys aym dy nee y lheid v'ayn! As dy jarroo, ghow mee taitnys jee. Va mee jerkal rish skeeal quaagh neughooghyssagh - skeeal ferrish noa, foddee? - as cha doig mee dy leah dy nee skeeal mychione aigney fer v'ayn. Ta Machen smooinaghtyn er as soilshaghey magh aigney as bea fer ta currit da ashlishyn, smooinaghtyn as screeu. T'eh lane dy choontaghyn mea as cramp, jeh reayrtyssyn as staydyn aigney, as ta kiangley lajer eddyr y jees. T'eh scrutaghey anreiltyssyn aigney dy lhome, agh ayns aght so-chredjal, as gha dy vel groamid ayn, cha nel eh jannoo groamey y lioar hene. Er lhiam dy row aght smooinnee y dooinney so-hoiggal as so-chredjal rere ny taghyrtyn as cummaghtyn ta Machen soilshaghey magh. Atreih, ny keayrtyn ta sheer-chrampys liauyr y aght screeuee geddyn laue yn eaghtyr orrym, as aachooinaghtyn y cabdil s'jerree erskyn ooilley. Shen foill. Agh b'eeu ee, gyn ourys.

Fockle s'jerree

Lhaih mee 9 lioaryn (owatta!), va 139 aym yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie, myr shen ta 130 faagit dou nish.


English version

16th-22nd February

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

Morlock Night (KW Jeter)

This is an imaginative and skillful follow-on to HG Wells' classic The Time Machine. Jeter doesn't bother with trying to write an actual sequel, although the back notes suggest that several people have made that particular attempt. Instead, he grabs a couple of core elements and runs with them. To whit: what would happen if the cannibalistic, subterranean Morlocks of that story got their claws on the time machine and travelled back to Victorian London? Jeter thankfully avoids playing around too much with time travel weirdness, shunning the worse excesses of Tom Holt and his ilk. I liked the protagonist, Hocker, a brave and right-thinking hero, who made a nice change from the bitter, prudish, self-centred protagonist of the previous Jeter books I've read (I should add, said protagonist was written that way on purpose, and the text does not approve of him). I really enjoyed this story, and although I saw the twist coming a little bit early, it didn't bother me - it's a good twist. The ending was also unexpected and creative, and I won't spoil that.

Recipes for the Dead: Dark Delights with Cranberries (Vera Greentea and Ein Lee)

A short, beautifully-illustrated slice of graphic novel. I was expecting it to be longer, to be honest - I thought this was Book 1, not Chapter 1, and am a bit taken aback. That being said, it was pretty cheap, so hey.

By the end of the first chapter, plot is underway, but I have little idea of the setting. Does everyone know about magic, or is it something be discovered along the way? And how serious will this story be? The description says "steampunk" but so far we've only seen a very classic Creepy American House and part of an apartment block, not a gear in sight. I don't mind a bit of uncertainty, but hope Greentea will take some time next chapter to clarify things.

Also, if a protagonist's first appearance has them griping about minor social obligations and then stealing from a stranger, she's got some uphill climbing to do if I'm supposed to like her. It's perfectly possible - I'm a big fan of actual thief protagonists, for some reason - but if she's supposed to be a normal likeable type, that's hard to reconcile.

So far, we haven't seen enough of anyone for me to have opinions about the characters or plot. I did like the witchy neighbour with her handsome younger husband, although I can't tell whether he's supposed to be mildly odd, or there's simply a bit of slightly clunky dialogue. I remain positive for now. And the art is lovely.

Recipes for the Dead: Apricot Asylum (Vera Greentea and Allison Strom)

It's really hard to know how to rate and review single chapters. Very little else is revealed this time. Veronica bakes some cookies which are, clearly, magical, and goes to a party, where the chapter ends. It's stylish and nicely-illustrated, although I personally preferred the crisper artwork of Dark Delights With Cranberries to this softer style, glowing style. What we do learn is a tiny bit of what is going on on the supernatural side, and I do appreciate that. On the downside, there's just something a bit... odd?... about getting exposition from a recipe.

Recipes for the Dead: Steam Minted Meringue (Vera Greentea and Allison Strom)

I'm confused by the opening, because we left off in the middle of a dramatic supernatural stranger bursting into a party, and now our protagonist is calmly walking down a street in the rain one morning. I genuinely have no idea how issues #2 and #3 are supposed to connect. It seems there is some flashback-forwarding going on. It doesn't detract from *this* chapter, but it's still very jarring. I wanted to know what happened. I wonder if the separate issue format makes these kinds of transitions less clear.

I like the artwork better than last time. It seems like Strom has switched her style around a bit, and I find this more detailed take is better suited to the frills and flourishes this story asks for (it wants to be steampunk? or I'd say, semi-Victoriana? that needs detail). There's a really beautiful cooking montage in a single flowing panel that just bursts with life - I would cheerfully put that on my wall. There's other fantastic, supernatural scenes later on with the Banker.

This story cracks the lid off the supernatural, with V forced to confront the weirdness that's going on in fairly dramatic fashion. I liked that very much, and hope more RFTD will be along soon. Unfortunately, they seem to come out at a fairly slow pace (probably not least because of the lush artwork) and I suspect that following this series may be frustrating. The problem with graphic novels is that it takes ages to publish a fairly short quantity of story which can be read in minutes - it's hard for authors to keep up a pace that satisfies the reader.

Tales from the Mechanical Bard (various)

An interesting collection of short, weird tales set in the Numenera world. All were interesting, some more striking than others. The Garden was probably the most strikingly weird, and very dark. Elza D has a fairytale quality - with just a cosmetic tweak or two it could be in the Brothers Grimm. The Angel Stone feels rather more like a bit of in-game fluff than a story, as there's not much structure to it.

Of all the stories here, Liora's Call is the only one at all like the Numenera game. Hilfolk has a sort of 70s-80s vibe with a touch of moral lessons and changing perspectives, although it grated on me severely that the protagonist didn't even think of using his unlimited power to save his friend from a brutish bully he already dislikes despite having plenty of time to do so - seemed unrealistic. Resonance, eh... I don't really know what to say. It's a reasonable story, with some interesting ideas. Maybe I just felt like there wasn't quite enough umph to it? I'm also a bit tired of stories that play with time paradoxes - I've read enough Tom Holt for that stuff to last a lifetime.

ドラえもん vol. 2 (藤子・F・不二雄)

More wacky (I feel comfortable using that word here, because the book's dated as well as the word) adventures with bizarre gadgets, usually ending in disaster. Sometimes a little hard to follow, but fun light-hearted stuff.

らんま1/2 y.l. 23 (高橋 留美子)

More silly fun with Ranma, Akane and the gang. Starts weakly with another appearance from Taro (the underwear-stealing stuff and his invulnerability are a bit dull to me) but the rest was pretty solid. A nice one-shot piece too, with Ranma genuinely doing something nice and unselfish, which is rare enough to be refreshing.

らんま1/2 y.l. 24 (高橋 留美子)

More of the above, basically. This also features a longish arc that was compelling enough I just had to start the next volume to get the resolution. 高橋 留美子 pulls some truly ridiculous plot with part-animal people, so brazen I have to admire rather than scorn it.

The Hill of Dreams (Arthur Machen)

A weird and compelling book, and one of a very few literary novels I actually enjoyed. I initially expected this to be a supernatural weird tale, perhaps a novel fairy tale, and it took a long while to realise otherwise. Machen explores the life of an introverted dreamer and writer. It's full of rich description, both of landscapes and of states of mind, and these are thematically linked. Mental peculiarities are depicted in unflinching but convincing detail, but despite some grimness, they don't make this a miserable read. On the downside, the sheer amount of purple prose is sometimes overwhelming, especially the long reminiscences of the final chapter.

Afterword

I read 9 books (woo!) , I had 139 last week, so 130 are left over.

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