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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Last year I saw an anime which was filled with intrigue, the interesting characters surrounding it and a fantastical world encapsulating them.
I've to say that the anime is a really good adaptation of this book. But the book is even better.
I like such stories, where there is a rivalry between two characters; a rivalry that is more or less forced upon them but being the giants that they are, neither of them is willing to recede. And in the end, both of them admire or respect each other in their own way.
Read this if you liked [b:Kane and Abel|78983|Kane and Abel (Kane and Abel, #1)|Jeffrey Archer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388965561s/78983.jpg|1084150].
Set in a distant future in space. That's all you need to know. Now go read this
I've to say that the anime is a really good adaptation of this book. But the book is even better.
I like such stories, where there is a rivalry between two characters; a rivalry that is more or less forced upon them but being the giants that they are, neither of them is willing to recede. And in the end, both of them admire or respect each other in their own way.
Read this if you liked [b:Kane and Abel|78983|Kane and Abel (Kane and Abel, #1)|Jeffrey Archer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388965561s/78983.jpg|1084150].
Set in a distant future in space. That's all you need to know. Now go read this
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God, SO MANY TYPOS. Never read such a poorly proofread book (Not a professional job, anyhow) Even in the author bio, he began his “carrier”?! And how many different ways can you spell the name “Sigfried”?! That and the falling back to Japanese-English cliches like “it can’t be helped” really made this a frustrating read for me.
My wife has read the series in the original Japanese and says that Tanaka has an odd, anachronistic, flowery turn of phrase, but the relentless usage of the passive voice in the English version and the speech structure “John entered the room. ‘Hello’. Thus spoke Sarah, sitting in a chair”, combined with about as much emotion in the text as the back of a bottle of diarrhoea medicine, made this grand space opera more like a Cliffs Notes version of a particularly boring episode of Battlestar Galactica.
I’d heard such great things about this series, and the anime, and as I say my wife devoured the whole series. But I’m really wondering if I can face the next one.
People who have read further, does it improve with the change in translator?
My wife has read the series in the original Japanese and says that Tanaka has an odd, anachronistic, flowery turn of phrase, but the relentless usage of the passive voice in the English version and the speech structure “John entered the room. ‘Hello’. Thus spoke Sarah, sitting in a chair”, combined with about as much emotion in the text as the back of a bottle of diarrhoea medicine, made this grand space opera more like a Cliffs Notes version of a particularly boring episode of Battlestar Galactica.
I’d heard such great things about this series, and the anime, and as I say my wife devoured the whole series. But I’m really wondering if I can face the next one.
People who have read further, does it improve with the change in translator?
Legend of the Galactic Heroes se ha ganado, con justa razón, la fama de ser uno de los grandes animes de todos los tiempos. No es para menos: 110 OVAs, tres películas (de las que dos son muy buenas y solo una es un aborto infecto) y dos gaiden con un total de 52 capítulos; trabajo monumental en el que el que se exploran los conflictos políticos de una galaxia. Es casi inevitable pensar que la fuente sería igual de buena, sin embargo haríamos bien en no engañarnos y aprender a juzgar los medios como lo que son: ni Tanaka Yoshiki es un muy buen escritor ni la primera entrega de la saga es, por sí misma, una novela sólida. Antes bien el libro se lee como un bosquejo en el que da la impresión de que las ideas y los planteamientos son interesantes pero que por su torpe y plano desarrollo no llegan a buen puerto. Baste mencionar el (anti)clímax de la historia: si la invasión napoleónica de la Alianza de los Planetas Libres al Imperio Galáctico, que a todas luces es una versión interplanetaria de la caída de la Grande Armée en territorio ruso, pudo ser la épica de una derrota anunciada (¡la mayor en un conflicto que lleva centurias desarrollándose!), en la pluma de Tanaka Yoshiki se vuelve la caricatura de una escaramuza que se plantea y resuelve en dos páginas, pese a que se desarrolla a lo largo de unas setenta, de manera que si procedemos a hacer la aritmética básica nos quedamos con 68 de paja que no sirven para convencernos ni de la magnitud del acontecimiento ni de la genialidad de los protagonistas. Las situaciones y los personajes en la pluma de Tanaka son tan áridos como la política de tierra arrasada con la que su Excelencia, el entonces Conde Reinhard von Lohengramm, repele a los infames demócratas: apenas insinuados, son ruido de fondo en el vacío cósmico.
After hearing all the hype surrounding the anime series, I knew I had to read the book it was based on when it came out (a 300-page book is shorter than 90 episodes of anime). The story felt brief and was rich with general world building monologues, but the stage has been set for quite the drama, and I'm looking forward to where the story might go next.
There was a lot to like. I started reading expecting the overall style to be different from what I'm used to, since the author is Japanese - and I wasn't disappointed. Half the time when someone spoke, I got two versions: what the person thought, and then what he actually said out loud. (Ok, most of the time he just stayed quiet. Or maybe there'd be a description how he'd completely lose his temper; things like "he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow slightly", or "the curve on the corner of his mouth grew even more pronounced". :D )
The narrative structure was interesting as well - there were characters from every side of an armed conflict, most of them quite relatable, so I'd often ended up cheering for both sides in an encounter.
And then it ended horribly for all of them, because although competent, they had obstinate and dumb superior officers.
All in all, I really liked it and will definitely read the next one as well.
The narrative structure was interesting as well - there were characters from every side of an armed conflict, most of them quite relatable, so I'd often ended up cheering for both sides in an encounter.
And then it ended horribly for all of them, because although competent, they had obstinate and dumb superior officers.
All in all, I really liked it and will definitely read the next one as well.
2.5. I can tell this is good and I blame myself for not liking it :/
SOLID space opera, full of military strategy and political maneuvering and economic concerns and all the logistical madness that goes along with administrating (whether "democratically" or by royal fiat) a volume that spans hundreds of light years.
Two fantastic leads, gorgeous pitched battle scenes, and sooooooo many gritty boring details about fighting centuries-long wars.
Dearth of lady characters (bleh) and the prose goes lightly purple in places, but I DON'T CARE I JUST WANT MORE SPACE WARS and for Yang to have a really nice cup of tea.
Two fantastic leads, gorgeous pitched battle scenes, and sooooooo many gritty boring details about fighting centuries-long wars.
Dearth of lady characters (bleh) and the prose goes lightly purple in places, but I DON'T CARE I JUST WANT MORE SPACE WARS and for Yang to have a really nice cup of tea.