Reading Wednesday
Sep. 18th, 2019 07:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbyo boi
Just finished: Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson. I wrote about it last week. I loved this one, possibly even more than the first one. The only problem is that it ends on a cliffhanger and the last part of the trilogy isn't out yet.
Currently reading: Rare for me, but two books at once because one is short stories and the other is...a thing.
Palestine + 100, edited by Basma Ghalayini. This is probably the fastest I've ever slammed "buy" on an e-book because the first story is by an old El Jay friend of mine and his first novel was one of the best books I read the year it came out, and also because it's very much up my alley. I've never read any Palestinian sci-fi before, though I'd say that Elia Suleimen's brilliant Divine Intervention is a cinematic example of the genre. The stories are all set in 2048, a century after the founding of Israel/Palestinian Nakba. The thing is, if you look at the present day, real world situation of Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza, it's pretty much Kafka and cyberpunk rolled into one, and a glimpse of the future that, unless we are very wealthy, most of us globally have to look forward to, as resources dwindle, climate change takes its toll, and walls and camps go up. In many ways, this necessitates a less dystopian brand of science fiction to differentiate from the present. Which is not to say that the stories aren't depressing, because most of them are, but they're also incredibly imaginative and humanistic so far.
Guardian (镇魂) by priest, translated by RainbowSe7en. Thanks to @umadoshi's bad influence, I have been watching this weird, life-ruining Chinese drama. And as I just finished the penultimate episode last night and am full of the sads that when I finally watch the finale, there will be no more, I started reading the novel on which it's based.
It's...something. The translator admits that this is a labour of love and that they are in no way a professional translator. I hope, one day, there is a really good translation, because this one is definitely a work in progress. It's also not done, although the book seems quite long so maybe it'll be done before I hit the end? Who knows.
There are definitely things that I prefer to the show, namely the setting. The show is very much the product of Chinese censorship laws, for better or for worse. The original Buddhist inspired fantasy setting of the novel makes far, far more sense than the sci-fi handwaving and it makes the politics a bit less uncomfortable, in that our heroes are attempting to stop hungry ghosts from escaping from Hell vs. trying to keep aliens from sneaking out of their lightless hellworld just because they want to see the sky. But the big change, of course, is that the main characters are gay af for each other in the novel and the show wasn't allowed to depict it, and much as I despise the homophobic reasons behind it, it...kindamakestheshowbetter. Essentially, the show is forced to make some very creative decisions in order to depict what the novel explicitly states, and as a result we have the truly glorious euphemism Socialist Brotherhood, and also a romance that is implicitly rather than explicitly stated is just way more narratively interesting, regardless of the sexualities of those involved. The book is still really fun, though.
Just finished: Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson. I wrote about it last week. I loved this one, possibly even more than the first one. The only problem is that it ends on a cliffhanger and the last part of the trilogy isn't out yet.
Currently reading: Rare for me, but two books at once because one is short stories and the other is...a thing.
Palestine + 100, edited by Basma Ghalayini. This is probably the fastest I've ever slammed "buy" on an e-book because the first story is by an old El Jay friend of mine and his first novel was one of the best books I read the year it came out, and also because it's very much up my alley. I've never read any Palestinian sci-fi before, though I'd say that Elia Suleimen's brilliant Divine Intervention is a cinematic example of the genre. The stories are all set in 2048, a century after the founding of Israel/Palestinian Nakba. The thing is, if you look at the present day, real world situation of Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza, it's pretty much Kafka and cyberpunk rolled into one, and a glimpse of the future that, unless we are very wealthy, most of us globally have to look forward to, as resources dwindle, climate change takes its toll, and walls and camps go up. In many ways, this necessitates a less dystopian brand of science fiction to differentiate from the present. Which is not to say that the stories aren't depressing, because most of them are, but they're also incredibly imaginative and humanistic so far.
Guardian (镇魂) by priest, translated by RainbowSe7en. Thanks to @umadoshi's bad influence, I have been watching this weird, life-ruining Chinese drama. And as I just finished the penultimate episode last night and am full of the sads that when I finally watch the finale, there will be no more, I started reading the novel on which it's based.
It's...something. The translator admits that this is a labour of love and that they are in no way a professional translator. I hope, one day, there is a really good translation, because this one is definitely a work in progress. It's also not done, although the book seems quite long so maybe it'll be done before I hit the end? Who knows.
There are definitely things that I prefer to the show, namely the setting. The show is very much the product of Chinese censorship laws, for better or for worse. The original Buddhist inspired fantasy setting of the novel makes far, far more sense than the sci-fi handwaving and it makes the politics a bit less uncomfortable, in that our heroes are attempting to stop hungry ghosts from escaping from Hell vs. trying to keep aliens from sneaking out of their lightless hellworld just because they want to see the sky. But the big change, of course, is that the main characters are gay af for each other in the novel and the show wasn't allowed to depict it, and much as I despise the homophobic reasons behind it, it...kindamakestheshowbetter. Essentially, the show is forced to make some very creative decisions in order to depict what the novel explicitly states, and as a result we have the truly glorious euphemism Socialist Brotherhood, and also a romance that is implicitly rather than explicitly stated is just way more narratively interesting, regardless of the sexualities of those involved. The book is still really fun, though.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 03:13 pm (UTC)Palestine + 100 has been on my reading list for a while. I started Iraq + 100 at one point but it just didn't hold my attention, maybe I should give it another shot too.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 08:55 pm (UTC)The only English translation I know of is here. I'd recommend watching the show first, though. The novel probably wouldn't grip me on its own simply because of the writing style.
I didn't know there was an Iraq + 100! I'll have to check it out.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-19 11:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 11:53 pm (UTC)*attempts reconstruction*
I have really strong feelings about wishing the romance were unambiguous in the Guardian drama--I want ALL THE MAKEOUTS, damn it--but in my fantasy world where that's a thing, the show would still have all the intense arguably-not-quite-sexual physical intimacy and intense closeness, which unambiguous romances so often suck at delivering. Kisses etc. are not a replacement for coziness and comfort and affectionate contact that isn't just about "and now I jump your bones", Hollywood! >.<
As for the novel translation, it's such a mixed bag for me, because it so badly needs editing and cleaning up (and fair enough! Not a professional!), but it also has a lot of moments and turns of phrase that I really enjoy.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-19 01:56 am (UTC)But all those workarounds are what levels up the show for me. Like the smoking thing. They can’t have Zhao smoke so he fellates lollipops in every scene while eyefucking Shen Wei, which is honestly much hotter.
On a much less shallow note, though, it adds a resonance to the whole “duty comes first” theme, so it’s also just way angstier.
I feel like when the translation is done, you should have a go at fixing it. :)