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401st out of 515 books
—
1,362 voters
The Stranger (Лабиринты Ехо #1)
by
Max Frei (Goodreads Author),
Polly Gannon
The millions-selling fantasy epic of the new Russian literary icon-a freeloading freebooter who finds a new home in a magical world
Max Frei's novels have been a literary sensation in Russia since their debut in 1996, and have swept the fantasy world over. Presented here in English for the first time, The Stranger will strike a chord with readers of all stripes. Part fanta...more
Max Frei's novels have been a literary sensation in Russia since their debut in 1996, and have swept the fantasy world over. Presented here in English for the first time, The Stranger will strike a chord with readers of all stripes. Part fanta...more
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published
April 2nd 2009
by Overlook Hardcover
(first published 1996)
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I have read this book like 10 times now! I love Echo, all the characters, their funny conversations and magic without logic and explanations. The thing is, I read the series as much as they are published in Lithuanian and I found the translation really good. Maybe it is because it is Eastern Europe and kind of similar cultural background (like all the jokes, irony and etc., oh, and the author is living Vilnius, Lithuania). I found English translation a bit disappointing but unless you speak Russ...more
I read this book in Russian in 2000, when it was published under the name of "The Labyrinth". I've read it about 15 times all in all. Now I'm enjoying every second of reading the translated version of it.
Once you get accustomed to the writer's quaint manner of writing you will love it too. The first thing that meets the eye is the unique style of narration and the unusual choice of words. It's not casual, but not as pompous and epic as traditional fantasy. It's rather self-ironic and even sarcas...more
Once you get accustomed to the writer's quaint manner of writing you will love it too. The first thing that meets the eye is the unique style of narration and the unusual choice of words. It's not casual, but not as pompous and epic as traditional fantasy. It's rather self-ironic and even sarcas...more
Se trata de un libro de fantasía y lo primero que podemos decir de él es que es original y esto es algo que no veía en este genero desde hace muchos años, bueno rectifico, forma parte de una serie de novelas escritas por Max Frei (seudónimo de dos escritores rusos, Svetlana Martýnchik e Ígor Stiopin) de las que solo han sido traducidas al castellano dos, El forastero y Reclutas de la eternidad.
Este libro lo considero sencillamente genial, se inventan una sociedad que no es una copia de D&D y...more
Este libro lo considero sencillamente genial, se inventan una sociedad que no es una copia de D&D y...more
The Stranger was a very interesting book. My brother recommended it to me, but he found it very confusing. I have not read it in the original Russian, so I don't know how it compares, but I found it very enjoyable. Rather than looking at it as a whole book, I saw it as a series of short stories. Each chapter contained its own plot which was resolved before the next chapter started. My only complaint is that there wasn't more. Hopefully, the rest of this series is translated soon.
The story of The...more
The story of The...more
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I wouldn't normally review a book that I haven't finished reading, but I've (at least temporarily) given up on this in favour of other books - and I think that lack of interest is worth a note. Whatever The Stranger tells you it is on the cover, don't believe a word of it. It's not. What it is instead is a strange piece of fantasy where the author is working so hard at creating something original that he's ended up creating something fairly bonkers (and not in a good way). The intricate details...more
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-I have read it in Russian first. And was really looking forward to read it english. When I did I was very disappointed, since book heavily relies on dialogs and funny moments related to the differences of idioms in Echo in comparison to then Max is used to, a creative translation was absolutely crucial and it was not done so the final product is bellow 0 for me. Moreover after translation book turned so impersonal it is almost impossible to connect to the main character, this probably due to th...more
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What an odd book! An odd, heavy 544 page book... The book is translated from the original Russian and, to start, there is clearly something going on in the original language (there must be - millions of copies of this book have been sold) that doesn't translate so clearly into English. The writing and tone are simply... odd, reminding me at times of cheesy old fashioned movie or comic strips ("Hey, kids, let's put on a show!"), filtered through a bizarre sci fi lens. One guess is that the origin...more
I really want to like stories written in the first person, but sometimes it just seems to be a mechanism that allows even more indulgent 'Mary-Sueing' to occur than if a different perspective had been utilised. This comes across as one of those; and weird Mary-Sueing at that. Whatever charm the author may have found in writing about the protagonist, it was lost on me as a reader. I can't understand how his seemingly universal adoration, fear, admiration, and cosseting comes about. His boss/prote...more
What a complete waste of time. The idea that this is only the first in a series of volumes makes me contemplate dramatic self-injury. Seriously, given the choice of not being able to read for pleasure for a decade or reading the next installment of Frei's saga, I'd go philistine in a minute.
The premise of this book was so promising - indeed, I discovered it in the Russian section of Idlewild Books in Manhattan this summer, and later ordered a used copy on amazon. Looking back on the back cover...more
The premise of this book was so promising - indeed, I discovered it in the Russian section of Idlewild Books in Manhattan this summer, and later ordered a used copy on amazon. Looking back on the back cover...more
Max Frei is a loner in the world, a bit of a chain-smoking bum who's tried fitting in and being normal but doesn't have the heart for it. Only in his dreams is he truly alive. In his dreams, things seem so real that he acts upon them in waking life: if he meets a beautiful new woman in his dreams, he'll break up with his real-life girlfriend. He can quote from books he's read only in his dreams, and visit other places.
One such place he visits regularly is a strange city where the streets are pav...more
One such place he visits regularly is a strange city where the streets are pav...more
Das ist ein Buch, welches man entweder mag oder nicht.
I mag es nicht. Die Geschichte ist zäh und der im Klappentext vesprochene Humor ist für mich nicht vorhanden.
This is one of these books which you either like or not.
I don't like it. The story is chewy and the humor promised in the blurb didn't work for me.
I mag es nicht. Die Geschichte ist zäh und der im Klappentext vesprochene Humor ist für mich nicht vorhanden.
This is one of these books which you either like or not.
I don't like it. The story is chewy and the humor promised in the blurb didn't work for me.
"Max Frei" - ie Svetlana Martynchik - has published this mammoth series Labyrinths of Echo of which The Stranger is the opening - I think it's 10 volumes so far - to great acclaim and success in Russia and Europe from the mid 90's on, so I was very curious about this book.
Overall I was disappointed because the book just did not engage me; it's not bad but I've read too many similar but better books to waste too much time on it.
I could not care less about its main character or the rest of the...more
We read this book for my speculative fiction book club last month, but I've only now just finished it. The Stranger tells the story of "Sir Max," a layabout unable to sleep at night who finds himself recruited to a fantasy world where he is to serve as the night-time deputy for the head of the Secret Investigative Service of the Unified Kingdom (read KGB). It's a world of magic and exotic behavior. Some thoughts:
* Aside from being a dense 545 pages, the book reads really slowly. Instead of the...more
* Aside from being a dense 545 pages, the book reads really slowly. Instead of the...more
My God, this is a weird book. This usually wouldn't be a problem: my favorite sort of modern novel is usually an even mixture of strange and beautiful, but something felt a little off.
I suppose it was due entirely to it being a translation. The story (of a man being recrutited into a detective agentcy within his dreams ... sort of) is derivitive but interesting, and the characters are as fully formed as it could be, and the narrative and the world created both stay true to an intriging inner-log...more
I suppose it was due entirely to it being a translation. The story (of a man being recrutited into a detective agentcy within his dreams ... sort of) is derivitive but interesting, and the characters are as fully formed as it could be, and the narrative and the world created both stay true to an intriging inner-log...more
Omg, I can't even describe this books series properly without bursting into a loud cry :D
It's is just best story that ever read, ever!! I read the first book when I was about 12 year old and still no book or books series can out rival Max...The author is amazing, and most of all.. She lives in my country's capital city!!! Omg...
So, If you are still just considering reading this book, don't. DO IT. It is complete wonder. But the only problem is, there is only one book translated now, but all boo...more
It's is just best story that ever read, ever!! I read the first book when I was about 12 year old and still no book or books series can out rival Max...The author is amazing, and most of all.. She lives in my country's capital city!!! Omg...
So, If you are still just considering reading this book, don't. DO IT. It is complete wonder. But the only problem is, there is only one book translated now, but all boo...more
Great concepts and characters, but it didn't quite live up to what it could have been. For such a large book, I expected a lot more from it. The translation feels unnatural, and there are a lot of typos.
In some places it felt as if each chapter/adventure was meant to be a separate book, in the way it seemed to recap information from previous chapters. There was a lot about the book I liked, but I found it very difficult to finish. Each chapter has a conflict or mystery to be solved, but the conf...more
In some places it felt as if each chapter/adventure was meant to be a separate book, in the way it seemed to recap information from previous chapters. There was a lot about the book I liked, but I found it very difficult to finish. Each chapter has a conflict or mystery to be solved, but the conf...more
This is my favorite book of all time!! Hands down. I've read it at least 10 times and always find new things to love about it. Especially if I'm in a funk. Max (a pen-name for a woman who's name escapes me at the moment,) is brilliant! I fall asleep hoping I wake up in Echo all the time.
It's one of those books that no matter what I write, words will fail to do it justice.
I've also read The Stranger's Woes, and its wonderful as well, but the one really takes you away... Far far away to a place...more
It's one of those books that no matter what I write, words will fail to do it justice.
I've also read The Stranger's Woes, and its wonderful as well, but the one really takes you away... Far far away to a place...more
This book, which was originally published in Russia in 1996, introduces the main character (and pseudonymous author) to a completely new world called the Unified Kingdom. After being a complete loser on Earth, Max finds himself as the Nocturnal Representative of the Most Venerable Head of the Minor Secret Investigative Force of the city of Echo. Essentially, he investigates magical mysteries and crimes in this new world. As it turns out, he's quite good at his new job--not a loser at all.
Each ch...more
Each ch...more
Though the size of this book initially looked daunting, the content was so interesting that I was sad that the rest of the series wasn't in english yet.
The part of the story where the protagonist, Max, travels between his world and the other world isn't described until about half way in the book, and isn't dwelled on too much. It does settle that he didn't just travel through sleep to this other world, which was bugging me because I was confused as to why he didn't have to move back and forth b...more
The part of the story where the protagonist, Max, travels between his world and the other world isn't described until about half way in the book, and isn't dwelled on too much. It does settle that he didn't just travel through sleep to this other world, which was bugging me because I was confused as to why he didn't have to move back and forth b...more
Mar 27, 2012
Reginamor
added it
I read it in Russian (my native language) ... Believe me, in Russian it's really very funny and interesting book! " The Stranger" is just the first book in a series of " The Labyrinths Of Echo" But in series are 15 books! The eighth, ninth and tenth are my favorite .. But in English ... Sorry, but this is not such a good :( I hope that soon there will be more high-quality translation into English!
But take my word for it, Max Frei is really good writer, but his books are very hard to translate .....more
But take my word for it, Max Frei is really good writer, but his books are very hard to translate .....more
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Where do you shelve a book that you won't finish reading? It would be disingenuous to place it on the read shelf, and yet it does not belong on the to-read shelf since I have no intention of returning to it. Is the only other option to delete it altogether? My solution was to create a new did-not-finish shelf. I wouldn't say this book is so dreadful it deserves the ignominy of being the sole occupant of this undesirable shelf, but I don't want to accumulate books on this shelf, either.
This book...more
This book...more
Перечитала в очередной раз, неспешно, урывками.
Приключения сэра Макса уже не приводят в такой восторг, как на первом курсе, и я долго колебалась в оценке =) Как было сказано в одной из рецензий это "библия для неудачников" - как оказаться всемогущим, не прилагая для этого никаких усилий. Волшебный мир, невероятные кушанья, путешествия и другие радости гедониста сваливаются на голову и остаётся только научиться с ними жить.
И любимая цитата про "Всё будет. Рано или поздно, так или иначе" тоже отсю...more
Приключения сэра Макса уже не приводят в такой восторг, как на первом курсе, и я долго колебалась в оценке =) Как было сказано в одной из рецензий это "библия для неудачников" - как оказаться всемогущим, не прилагая для этого никаких усилий. Волшебный мир, невероятные кушанья, путешествия и другие радости гедониста сваливаются на голову и остаётся только научиться с ними жить.
И любимая цитата про "Всё будет. Рано или поздно, так или иначе" тоже отсю...more
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I read this entire series, and let me say Max Frei is a genius! The protagonist in this story is Max. Initially Max is loser, insomniac, and a glutton. Although one day Max gets lucky, he stumbles into a new world, a world filled with magic and mystery. Max ends up becoming the nocturnal representative of the secret investigative force in the city known as echo, and his job is to solve crimes involving forbidden magic. This book is highly entertaining, super fun and witty. I could not recommend...more
Take Terry Prattchet and mix his Discworld with a bit of Harry Potter's adventures and you will get the general idea of the awesomeness of this book. It is ironic and funny, but not to the extent of Discworld, where there is more ironical discourse than action.
There is only one little criticism... Frei should never be read when hungry or full, because no matter what, it makes you crave food with its mouthwashing descriptions of Chakata pie and other magical foods. The best condition for this bo...more
There is only one little criticism... Frei should never be read when hungry or full, because no matter what, it makes you crave food with its mouthwashing descriptions of Chakata pie and other magical foods. The best condition for this bo...more
A Russian writer very popular who writes a Science Fiction/ Fantasy novel that reads like a modern day Dickens with episodes. It is about a man who follows his dreams and ends up in a completely foreign world where intuition makes him a super detective in the Department of Absolute Order. And Magic is outlawed above the 30th level. If this author is a 2,000,000 book seller, then Moscow has a very strange reading public. It kind of reminds me of Gorky and the author of WE- Zapatin?
This book is not what I had hoped it would be. After reading the blurb on the back cover, I had expected a more lengthy treatment of the protagonist's dreaming. Sadly, this is not the case. I really enjoyed the whimsy of the setting, but ultimately I felt that the time I was spending on it would be better spent on other books. I confess, I traded it at the local used book store after only 150 pages. Despite my emjoyment of it, I found its lack of substance unsatisfying.
If I fall into an alternate universe I want to go here. This place is full of magic and cool detectives. I enjoyed the story but had a hard time reading because the syntax is kind of strange. I don't know if it is his style, the translation or if the character himself has a strange speaking style. Max is a strange person trying to find his way in an unreal world so maybe it is his voice.
I will look for the next one to see what happens next.
I will look for the next one to see what happens next.
It took me a while before I finally got passed the first chapter, for unknow reason it was a struggle. But when I finally did it sure didn't take long before I had finished it. You can't help to like the characters,I especially liked Max and Lookfi but have a soft heart for all of them, the surroundings, the magic, the plot and the dialouge... that's about everything... ^^ I kept thinking while reading it that it would be fun to see it all turned into a movie, for I think it would be a good one,...more
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A refreshing look at the fantasy genre by Russian wunderkind, Max Frei. far from the dragons and damsels angle, The Stranger uses the concept of modern life is rubbish, so perhaps those unusual and persistent dreams of strange lands signify a portal to a parallel yet magical world is withing reach. Wry, fast-paced and unique, it feels deprecatory to describe this as "the airport novel of the fantasy genre", but I mean so in only the most positive and accessible way.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| What's The Name o...: Looking for Mystery/Crime/Magic Book [s] | 7 | 160 | Nov 11, 2012 09:46pm |
"Max Frei" is a pen-name of Svetlana Martynchik. She has created the well-known Echo series. Svetlana Yuryevna Martynchik is a Russian writer and artist.
Martynchik studied at the philological department of Odessa State University, but dropped out without graduating. Martynchik lived in Moscow since 1993 and lives in Vilnius since 2004.
For more details see Wikipedia: Svetlana Martynchik
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“The fact is, i don't have a drop of patience. If something goes wrong in my life, I'm not able to wait for an auspicious moment to remedy the situation. I'd rather spoil everything once and for all, as long as it's today, than subject myself to anguished expectation and breathing exercises with an eye towards the future.”
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16 people liked it
“I've never really had any luck with women in my life. Well, at first I was fairly lucky. Then all of a sudden, they all thought they had to get married for some reason. And not to me. It's especially strange, because I almost always fell in love with the very smart girls. Even that didn't help matters. I don't see how any intelligent person could seriously want to get married.”
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11 people liked it
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