Lux perpetua 1

Hussilaistrilogia #3.1

by Andrzej Sapkowski, Tapani Kärkkäinen (Translator)

Noiturin tekijän keskiaikasarja kiihtyy uusille kierroksille

Lux perpetua 1 on 1400-luvun Keski-Euroopan hussilaissotien melskeissä liikkuva eeppinen veijaritarina, joka on suoraa jatkoa Narrenturmille ja Herran sotureille.

Breslaun piispa langettaa lääkäri Reynevanille tuomion ”rikoksista ja noituudesta”. Nuori sankarimme ei kuitenkaan menetä rohkeuttaan arkkivihollisensa edessä, vaan etsii yhä sinnikkäästi Nicolettaansa, jonka piispan kätyrit ovat siepanneet. Etsinnät kuljettavat häntä pitkin poikin Sleesiaa, Böömiä ja muita mantuja, joilla verinen uskonsota raivoaa…

”Sapkowskin romaanit ovat kuin monimutkainen loitsu, varsinainen fantasian, älyllisen keskustelun ja kuivan huumorin sekametelisoppa. Vahva suositus.” – Time

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

361 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2006

About the author

Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy and science fiction writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of The Witcher, comprising three collections of short stories and five novels. This cycle and his many other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s.

The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology.

Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year.

In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success.

In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures.

Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007.

The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific.

The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009.

Reviews

[Kimmo Kuopanportti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reynevan joutuu pulaan ja pelastuu, sitten hän on liemessä ja pelastuu, ja lopulta hän päätyy kusiseen paikkaan, mutta pelastuu.

Kun on päässyt jo näin pitkälle tässä kirjasarjassa, niin olihan tämä pakko lukea, semminkin kun suomentaja on Tapani Kärkkäinen. Kirjan muut ansiot ovat hyvin vähäiset, mutta synnit sitä suuremmat, ja koska ne ovat prikulleen samat kuin sarjan aiemmin arvostelemissani kirjoissa, niin ei tuhlata niihin mustetta.

Totta kai luen viimeisenkin osan, joka toivottavasti ilmestyy ensi kesänä, mutta odotukset eivät ole korkealla.

[Jukka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suurena Noiturifanina sattuu hieman antaa tälle vain kaksi tähteä, mutta minkäs teet. Keisarilla ei ole tällä kertaa vaatteita. Tämän sarjan suurin ongelma on todella laaja hahmogalleria sekä tapahtuminen toistuvuus. Sentään muutaman kerran hymähdin joillekin tilanteille.

Tämän koko sarjan olisi voinut tiivistää ainakin puoleen sivumäärään, jolloin paketti olisi pysynyt kasassa. Aion lukea viimeisen osan kunhan se ilmestyy kun näin pitkälle olen kuitenkin päässyt.

[KarhuAnderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming back to this series after a while has only served to pronounce it's flaws. The setting of The Hussite Wars, and surrounding political intrigue, are far more interesting than Reynevan's tale of running after tail. But it's only at the latter half of this book that the focus finally shifts from him to more interesting, and better written characters.
Unfortunately, the setting is by then that of a relative peace, and historical intrigue is once more set aside.

Kärkkäinen's translation is so good, though, that I might as well read everything he's translated. Eyeing the English translation simultaneously, and this one taked the cake by a mile, almost like it was written by a more competent author.

And Muurinkainen is everything it needs to be, threatening, enigmatic and familiar. While Wallcreeper is a joke.

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I just couldn't keep my attention awake enough while reading this story. Same problems than before: crazy amount of characters and very little anything happening, just talk and talk and talk.

So sad this trilogy (6 books in Finnish translation) never really managed to improve into something amazing. Of course, after reading until this point, I'm going to read the last book aswell to see how it'll end, but don't really have big hopes left anymore.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Äkkiä se viimeinen osa tänne! 😄