Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

August 25th.

Previous buddy reads: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

In!

In.

In!

Mostly cuz I'm working on the last book and can't remember what happens.

Michael wrote: "In!

Mostly cuz I'm working on the last book and can't remember what happens."

LOL.

Michael wrote: "In!

Mostly cuz I'm working on the last book and can't remember what happens."

Hahaha! 🤣

And I'm in of course!

I did tranlations again:

I put it into a spoiler so you don't have to scroll through an endless post all the time:

(view spoiler)[
Characters:
Arg Groß – very big/tall (arg literally means bad but in this case „very big“ would be the correct meaning ->“er ist aber arg groß“ would be translated as something like „oh, he’s (a bit to) tall“)
Ärgerlich – annoying
Bedeckt Imblut – covered in blood
Blöd – stupid
Blutiger Affekt – bloody affect/emotion
Bulle – bull
Dieb Schmutzig – dirty thief
Drache – dragon
Eleve – old word for apprentice or student (also Wikipedia told me that it can be used for acting or ballett students)
Erdbehüter – earth protector
Fassbar Einfach – comprehensibly simple (literally, so meaning is probably easy to understand)
Faulfett – lazy fat
Fluch Lügner – curse liar
Gehirn Schlechtes – bad brain
Geil – it’s a slangword that usually means „cool“ but it can also mean horny
General Misserfolg – general failure (General means the general, not the adjective general)
Geschichts Verdreher – story/history twister
GrassGott – grass god
Halber Tod – half death
Im Spiegel – in the mirror/inside of the mirror
Kleriker – clergyman
Kriegsgetier – war animal
Langsam Brechen – strictly literally translated it is an imperative: break slowly! A bit more freely translated: slow to break (I think that’s would it’s supposed to mean)
Launisch – capricious, moody
Lebendig Durchdachter - reasoned alive/ well thought out alive/living well thouth out (this one is a bit tricky since „Durchdachter“ is gramatically a noun, but doesn’t exist like that, „durchdacht“ however means (well) thought out)
Morgen – morning, tomorrow
Opferlamm – sacrificial lamb
Opportun – opportune
Pfeilmacher – fletcher (literally arrow maker) -> a crazy author. LOL
Prächtig – splendid, gorgeous
Reinigen – to clean
Richter Kritik – judge criticism
Ross – horse (it’s an old word, though, the more common word for horse is „Pferd“)
Rückkehr – return
Säufer – drunkard
Schnitter – mower, but it can also mean the reaper
Schwermut – melancholy
Schwert-Poesi (Poesie) – sword poetry
Stehlen Siealles (stehlen sie alles) – steal everything!
Sturm – storm
Umtrieb – there is no noun that I can think oft that makes sense here but the verb would be umtreiben which means to bother somebody (or also to worry somebody)
Ungeist – I didn’t even know this word existed haha but apparently it means destructive ideology and I’ve seen it used in military or fascistic context
Vergangene – something or somebody that’s gone or past
Verwirrung – confusion
Vornig – it’s not a german word but „vorne“ means ahead or in front
Vorstellung – idea, image
Wichtig Lügner – important liar
Zerfall Seele – decay soul (literally)
Zukunft – future

Geisteskranken:

Befallen – infested
Gefahrgeist – danger spirit
Geisteskranken – people who are insane (btw. „geisteskrank“ is an old word for mentally ill but it is no longer used in a psychological context and it would actually be insulting to call a mentally ill person „geisteskrank“)
Getrennt – separated, disconnected
Hassebrand – burn of hatred (that’s probably what it’s supposed to mean)
Körperidentität – body identity
Krankheit – illness
Mehrere – several
Unwirklichkeit – insubstantiality, unreality
Wahnist – Wahn means delusion
Wütend - angry

Glossary:

Abgeleitete Leute – inferred people (literally, meaning is probably people who were lead away)
Albtraum – nightmare
Aufenthalt – stay (in a certain place)
Auseinander – apart
Fehlerhafte Turm – flawed tower
Flussrand – edge of a river
Folgen Sienie (folgen sie nie) – never follow
Geborene Damonen (Dämonen) – born demons
Ausgebrochene – people who are loose/broke out
Geld - money
Geldangelegenheiten – financial matters
Geldwechsler – money changer
Gottlos – godless/unholy
Grenzstadt – border city
Kälte – coldness
Krieger – warrior
Leichtes Haus – light house (leicht means light in the sense of something does not weight much)
Menschheit Letzte Imperium – humankind’s last empire
Mitteldirne – middle whore (literally)
Müll Loch – rubbish hole
Rand – edge
Reichweite – reach
Ruchlos – nefarious
Salbei – sage
Salzwasser – salt water
Schatten Mörder – shadow murderer
Schlammstamm – mud bole
Schlangenbeschwörer – snake charmer
Schwarze Beerdigung – black funeral
Selbsthass – self-hate
Sinnlos – futile
Sumpfstamm – bog bole
Täuschung - deception
Tiergeist – animal spirit
Traurig – sad
Unbedeutend – inconsequential
Unbrauchbar – useless
Verrottung Loch – rotting hole
Verschlinger – somebody who devours
Verteidigung – defense
Verzweiflung – despair
Wahnvor Stellung (Wahnvorstellung) – delusion, hallucination
Glücklich - happy

(hide spoiler)]

This is awesome. Hopefully the German was a little better in TMT than BR. I had an actual German help translate for me. The words from the first book, having already been set in stone, as it were, I couldn't fix.

In the first draft there was actually a scene where Stehlen and Lebendig met Pfeilmacher. He went on and on about how all reality was just his bad dream. Stehlen killed him for being annoying. Alas it slowed the pace and served no purpose and had to die.

Mind if I share these again? If you'd like proper credit, I'm happy to link to a blog/facebook page/whatever.

I'm glad you like it!

Yes, the grammar was definitely better! Btw it is very hard for non native speakers to get german declensions and articles right even if you have been learning german for many years (for example important liar should be wichtiger Lügner instead of wichtig Lügner. I found that things like that didn't bother me anymore after a while during my read of BR but it's probably what makes some german readers stumble).

That's funny, I would have liked to read that Pfeilmacher scene!

Sure, feel free to share it!
It's ok if you just mention me, you don't have to link me (I like to stay more "private" on the internet anyways)

I enjoyed the scene, but it really was gratuitous. I suspect a writer should never insert themselves into their books. Though it did make a certain twisted sense in this case.

Thanks again!

Cheers!

Going to star this later today.

Btw. I just read the synopsis for Swarm and Steel and wanted to ask if this series is a trilogy or a duology + a standalone set in the same world.

Swarm and Steel is a standalone set in the same world. Timing-wise it takes place not long after The Mirror's Truth.

There will be a third novel to finish off the story started with Beyond Redemption. I'm currently writing it, though it keeps getting set aside due to other projects and deadlines. The working title is 'A War to End All' and I'm hoping to release it in late 2019. Though that might get stalled a bit depending on what happens with the other stuff.

Thanks for the info!

I hope to be able to start on this tomorrow. Thanks for the great added info, Michael. And amazing work on the translations, Bea! I didn't read through them on the first book until I was done, and I'll do the same here, but it is helpful, and fun too.

Terry wrote: "I hope to be able to start on this tomorrow. Thanks for the great added info, Michael. And amazing work on the translations, Bea! I didn't read through them on the first book until I was done, and ..."

I'm glad it's been helpful to you, Terry!

I'm in chapter 13 and so far it has been as amazing as the first book!

Man, this book definitely makes you feel compassionate. Even though basically all of the characters are bad in varying degrees I keep thinking that they deserve better than to live under such horrible conditions. Have I mentioned yet how much I like Bedeckt as a character?
Also there are so many scenes that are weirdly relatable, especially the quotes at the beginning of each chapter so often make me think "yes, this is so true!!" It's often easy to forget how shitty and f*cked up our own world can be.

I'm in chapter 37 btw.
(view spoiler)[I was sooo sure Schnitter was going to castrate Wichtig! So when she didn't I was like "Really?? She didn't do it??
I can't really imagine Bedeckt is going to make it with his gut wound. I mean he's pretty tough to not be dead yet but surely he has to die of infection quite soon? But then again, death is pretty relative in this series anyways. (hide spoiler)]

I was bicycling yesterday and came across a house that had a sign with "Seelenbrand" (which means soul burn) written on it at its fence. My first thought was "That would be a perfect name for a Manifest Delusions novel!"
I should continue with my textbook now but I'm lazy...

Starting today

Finished. It was amazing!

I am late to the party as I got caught up with no reading activities these past few weeks. I will try to start it this week. :)

Bea wrote: "Man, this book definitely makes you feel compassionate. Even though basically all of the characters are bad in varying degrees I keep thinking that they deserve better than to live under such horri..."

I thought that was one of the best things about the series, and something the second book really nailed - how emotionally invested you get with these characters, Wichtig especially!

Great to hear some updates from yourself Michael :) Hope the writing's going well and you keep doing your thing!

Miche wrote: "I am late to the party as I got caught up with no reading activities these past few weeks. I will try to start it this week. :)"

You're not too late! I haven't had much reading time (and am slow anyway) so I'm still reading, just a little bit short of half way. Very good so far, too!

I am in a book hangover at this moment, so I need a change of genre for a bit. I will skip this book for the moment and come back to it later this year.

Miche wrote: "I am in a book hangover at this moment, so I need a change of genre for a bit. I will skip this book for the moment and come back to it later this year."

Hehe, Malazan is taking it's toll xD
Don't force yourself to read it when you're not feeling it atm :)

I know I'm behind, but I just finished. This series certainly keeps me questioning what sanity and delusion even mean. Is there really a difference after all? Good stuff, and a fun read.

I did catch one minor discontinuity that I wondered if anyone else noticed. It was very minor, and had absolutely no impact on the story at all. It was in ch43 and 44. (view spoiler)[ It was the part when Stehlen and Wichtig were fighting. From Stehlen's POV in ch43, Wichtig pulls his sword out of her almost immediately after he stabs her, before he or she says anything. However, in ch44 from Wichtig's POV, he agonized over whether to remove his sword from her and doesn't do so until after they speak, dies and is laying on the floor. (hide spoiler)] Was this a part of their delusions, or was it part of mine while reading?? Either way, it had zero impact for me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!

Terry wrote: "I did catch one minor discontinuity that I wondered if anyone else noticed. It was very minor, and had absolutely no impact on the story at all. It was in ch43 and 44. [spoilers removed] Was this a..."

Well, now youve done it. I've dispatched the Doppels to eradicate all witnesses. Please let me know if you've read the spoiler and your home address.

Cheers!

Michael wrote: "Terry wrote: "I did catch one minor discontinuity that I wondered if anyone else noticed. It was very minor, and had absolutely no impact on the story at all. It was in ch43 and 44. [spoilers remov..."

Haha, I debated whether to mention it Michael, but figured it didn't hurt anything since it's so minor. I've enjoyed your books immensely, so please ask the doppels to go gently with me...

Terry wrote: "Michael wrote: "Terry wrote: "I did catch one minor discontinuity that I wondered if anyone else noticed. It was very minor, and had absolutely no impact on the story at all. It was in ch43 and 44...."

No worries. I fully admit my fablibility. Fublubility. Flubla...fabulousness.

Glad you enjoyed them! There's one more Manifest Delusions novel in the works, and two new series I hope will see the light starting next year.

So...what was that address?

Michael wrote: "Terry wrote: "Michael wrote: "Terry wrote: "I did catch one minor discontinuity that I wondered if anyone else noticed. It was very minor, and had absolutely no impact on the story at all. It was i..."

Awesome! I look forward to seeing what more could possibly happen with this storyline. Couldn't even guess. And my address at the moment is...somewhere along the clean streets of Selbsthass...