Sean Guynes's Blog, page 9

Haiku Review: Civilizations by Laurent Binet

Under Review Laurent Binet. Civilizations. Translated by Sam Taylor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021. Genre tags: alternate history, colonization, Inca empire, early modern Europe Atahualpa charts an alternate history; Inca take the West. French writer Laurent Binet’s newest novel, Civilizations, is the rare attempt to write alternate history as it happens, meticulously, day by day. … Continue reading Haiku Review: Civilizations by Laurent Binet →

Reading Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty (Ace, 2018). All readers come to novels with a purpose. One of the key values of franchise novels, whether film or game adaptations or continuations of those stories (as in the hundreds of Star Wars and Star Trek novels), is that they provide a new look at the world, … Continue reading Reading Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty →

ReAding Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty (Ace, 2018). All readers come to novels with a purpose. One of the key values of franchise novels, whether film or game adaptations or continuations of those stories (as in the hundreds of Star Wars and Star Trek novels), is that they provide a new look at the world, … Continue reading ReAding Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty →

Short Review: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty

Gordon Doherty. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Ace, 2018. All readers come to novels with a purpose. One of the key values of franchise novels, whether film or game adaptations or continuations of those stories (as in the hundreds of Star Wars and Star Trek novels), is that they provide a new look at the world, characters, … Continue reading Short Review: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty →

Haiku Review: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty

Under Review Gordon Doherty. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Ace, 2018. Genre tags: historical fantasy, ancient Greece, franchise novel Why did I read this? A novel of the worst kind; play the game instead. All readers come to novels with a purpose. One of the key values of franchise novels, whether film or game adaptations or continuations … Continue reading Haiku Review: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty →

Reading The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1)

The Captive by Skomantas, translated by Mara Almenas (Tvermė, 1998). Tales from the Baltic 1. Baltic fiction—literature from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—is not incredibly common in English translation. In fact, the Baltics have long been a “mystery” in the European world, like Albania: close to the major centers of power, and yet largely unknown outside … Continue reading Reading The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1) →

Short Review: The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1)

Skomantas. The Captive. Translated by Mara Almenas. Tvermė, 1998. Tales from the Baltic 1. Baltic fiction—literature from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—is not incredibly common in English translation. In fact, the Baltics have long been a “mystery” in the European world, like Albania: close to the major centers of power, and yet largely unknown outside of … Continue reading Short Review: The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1) →

Haiku Review: The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1)

Under Review Skomantas. The Captive. Translated by Mara Almenas. Tvermė, 1998. Tales from the Baltic 1. Genre tags: historical fiction, medieval, Baltic (Lithuania and Latvia), Northern Crusades A pagan prince—caught by Teutonic crusaders. Enslaved in Riga. Baltic fiction—literature from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—is not incredibly common in English translation. In fact, the Baltics have long … Continue reading Haiku Review: The Captive by Skomantas (Tales from the Baltic 1) →

Reading The Blue Fox by Sjón

The Blue Fox by Sjón, translated by Victoria Cribb (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2013). Sjón is Iceland’s best known contemporary author, widely read in English translation and celebrated for his weird, fairy-tale-esque, and often experimental fiction that blends the concerns of global society with Icelandic history and folk culture. The Blue Fox (Farrar, Strauss & … Continue reading Reading The Blue Fox by Sjón →

Short Review: The Blue Fox by Sjón

Sjón. The Blue Fox. Translated by Victoria Cribb. Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2013. Sjón is Iceland’s best known contemporary author, widely read in English translation and celebrated for his weird, fairy-tale-esque, and often experimental fiction that blends the concerns of global society with Icelandic history and folk culture. The Blue Fox (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, … Continue reading Short Review: The Blue Fox by Sjón →