Lenny
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I've been meaning to make this thread for months. And lookee, I've finally got around to doing it!
A word of warning - it's going to be long. Set aside ten or twenty minutes. Seriously.
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Walter Moers is a very successful German comic creator and author who's been writing for about twenty years. For the past six, four of his works have been available in English (translated by a fellow called John Brownjohn, a guy who must be incredibly talented at translating, if only because he's translated from the original German into English, no easy feat as you'll see if you read the books):
- A Wild Ride Through the Night
- The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear
- Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures: A Novel in Two Books
- The City of Dreaming Books.
The first one is a stand-alone book based on twelve engravings of the French artist Gustave Doré (1832-1883). Whilst I'm not particularly partial to it, it's a very good book and interprets the engravings well. What I'm going to talk about is the other three.
---
The other three books available in English all take place on the continent of Zamonia. In chronological order, I believe they go Dreaming Books, Captain Bluebear, Rumo, but it's hard to be sure. If you read them in order written (which makes a bitmore sense), then it's Captain Bluebear, Rumo, Dreaming Books. And I read them in the order Rumo, Captain Bluebear, Dreaming Books, just to be different. I'll start with Captain Bluebear.
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The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear
In Captain Bluebear Moers shows no restraint. Each 'life' is more fantastical than the last, and by the Twelfth life you think that things can't become any more imaginative, but they do. In short, Walter Moers has a stupidly unlimited imagination. He is by far the most imaginative author whose books I've read, and as a result I've read them time and time and time again.
The 700-page, brightly coloured book follows, as can be guessed by the title, 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear - a bluebear with twenty-seven lives who begins the first in a barrel in the middle of a hole in the sea. He is picked up by Minipirates - tiny pirates who are born with iron hooks instead of hands, wooden stumps instead of legs, eyepatches, moustaches and hats, and from then on the madness ensues. From being a Minipirate, to a last-minute lifesaver (saving the lives of people at the very last minute) to the Champion Congladiator (a gladiator of tall stories and lies).
It's almost impossible to convey the brilliance of the book in such a short space. The twists, the turns, the situations... to quote the blurb:
But don't be fooled - it is not a fast book, which makes it that much greater. Dialogue is very little compared to descriptions... and boy are they descriptions! Pages and pages of describing simple things. But they keep you hooked. You might think it sounds slow, but on the contrary. It's neither too slow, nor too fast.
---
Next, probably my favourite book of all time.
---
Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures: A Novel in Two Books
As I've just said - probably my favourite book of all time. And in that case, probably the most enjoyable book I've ever read, and it just so happens that I'm re-reading it at the moment for the ninth time. It really is that good.
The book follows, surprisingly, the miraculous adventures of a Wolperting called Rumo (no I won't tell you what a Wolperting is - read it and find out for yourself!), from his days as a young pup to his imprisonment on a floating island, to his escape, to civilisation, to hell and back. All in seven hundred pages. Again, it's not slow and it's not fast. Again, Moers describes the simplest of things in pages and pages. Again his imagination is completely limitless. Again it has a very colourful cover.
To me, the book contains everything a good book should - adventure, myths, stories, brilliant characters, love, loss, fighting, epic duels, a great variation of settings, rivalry, humour, seriousness... I could go on and on and on.
Basically - if you haven't read it, then you've not even begun to read what good literature is.
---
Which leads me nicely on to the only Moers book that I think members have read, or at least, three of them - Adasunshine, Gollum and Nesacat. There may be more than the three, but they've kept extremely quiet about it.
---
The City of Dreaming Books
What better thing to write about than books, and authors, and bookhunters, and a city that exists only to sell books? Paradise!
Dreaming books has to be, out of the three Zamonia books, the most restrained, yet polished. It follows the Lindworm, Optimus Yarnspinner, on his quest to find the author of a mysterious manuscript his dying authorail godfather passed into his possession. This quest takes him to Bookholm, and the catacombs below, in which the majority of the book is set. Whilst relatively short compared to Rumo and Captain Bluebear - a mere 500 pages enclosed in a third colourful cover - it is by no means the smallest. It sits comfortably with its two fatter brothers.
The catacombs of Bookholm are a dangerous place to be. The realm of the Bookhunters - vicious criminals who hunt for books. It is also the kingdom of the terrifying Shadow King, and the domain of the Fearsome Booklings. It is also filled with books. Millions upon millions of books, dating back thousands of years. Animatomes, Hazardous Books, Toxicotomes, all forms of Zamonian literature.
Once again, it is a book in which a lot happens in its own time. It doesn't rush through, nor does it plod along slowly, but rather it gives itself time. Once again, you'll find multi-page descriptions that will boggle the mind and leave you thirsting for more.
---
In each of the three cases, the story is solid. Absolutely top notch. The amazing host of characters are spectacular, and the settings are breath-taking.
You'll also find all three books mention things from the others. In Rumo alone I've noticed dozens of references to Captain Bluebear and Dreaming of Books. Granted, the references to Dreaming Books are a bit sketchy (in one part youll find it's called Betaville, and another it's Bookville, but a character, Colophonius Regenschein, is mentioned by name. The main character of Dreaming Books, Yarnspinner, goes by the name Hildegard Mythmaker in Rumo - in the German version of Dreaming Books, Yarnspinner is instead called Mythmaker).
Rumo and Captain Bluebear also overlap, with two of the characters from Rumo (Volzotan Smyke and Rumo the Wolperting) featuring in the final chapters.
One thing I mustn't forget to mention - each book is illustrated by Moers, with some brilliant pictures of the characters, objects and places described.
---
Altogether I highly recommend all three Zamonia books to everyone who reads. I don't give a fig if your idea of a night in is curled up with your carefully preserved editions of the National Geographic, or if you wouldn't touch Fantasy with your friends ten-foot bargepole, if you read then you cannot miss out on reading these three masterpieces. In my opinion, Moers is one of the greatest writers of our time, and an oppurtunity to read his Zamonia series is not to be sniffed at.
A final note - there are two more Zamonia books in German that, I hope, are being translated into English some time:
- Ensel und Krete
- Der Schrecksenmeister
The first is apparently a pardoy of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, whilst the second (published in German just last August) translates literally as "The Fright-Master" and is described on its first page as "culinary tales" - eating, drinking and cooking activities play a major role. From what I can gather from the, er, imaginatively translated Wikipedia page: the book takes place in Zamonia's unhealthiest city... and that's all I can figure out.
---
Anyway, if you've got to this point then I imagine you've read my post. No, I don't want Chris to come with his red pen and point out the errors. Instead, you should be on Amazon, or your favourite online retailer, ordering all three books... or writing down the exact names and the author so you can order them from your favourite bookstore. So what are you waiting for? Get cracking!
And if you don't enjoy them then I shall personally come and gouge out your eyes and replace them with a pair that appreciate what they read.
A word of warning - it's going to be long. Set aside ten or twenty minutes. Seriously.
---
Walter Moers is a very successful German comic creator and author who's been writing for about twenty years. For the past six, four of his works have been available in English (translated by a fellow called John Brownjohn, a guy who must be incredibly talented at translating, if only because he's translated from the original German into English, no easy feat as you'll see if you read the books):
- A Wild Ride Through the Night
- The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear
- Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures: A Novel in Two Books
- The City of Dreaming Books.
The first one is a stand-alone book based on twelve engravings of the French artist Gustave Doré (1832-1883). Whilst I'm not particularly partial to it, it's a very good book and interprets the engravings well. What I'm going to talk about is the other three.
---
The other three books available in English all take place on the continent of Zamonia. In chronological order, I believe they go Dreaming Books, Captain Bluebear, Rumo, but it's hard to be sure. If you read them in order written (which makes a bitmore sense), then it's Captain Bluebear, Rumo, Dreaming Books. And I read them in the order Rumo, Captain Bluebear, Dreaming Books, just to be different. I'll start with Captain Bluebear.
---
The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear
In Captain Bluebear Moers shows no restraint. Each 'life' is more fantastical than the last, and by the Twelfth life you think that things can't become any more imaginative, but they do. In short, Walter Moers has a stupidly unlimited imagination. He is by far the most imaginative author whose books I've read, and as a result I've read them time and time and time again.
The 700-page, brightly coloured book follows, as can be guessed by the title, 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear - a bluebear with twenty-seven lives who begins the first in a barrel in the middle of a hole in the sea. He is picked up by Minipirates - tiny pirates who are born with iron hooks instead of hands, wooden stumps instead of legs, eyepatches, moustaches and hats, and from then on the madness ensues. From being a Minipirate, to a last-minute lifesaver (saving the lives of people at the very last minute) to the Champion Congladiator (a gladiator of tall stories and lies).
It's almost impossible to convey the brilliance of the book in such a short space. The twists, the turns, the situations... to quote the blurb:
But don't be fooled - it is not a fast book, which makes it that much greater. Dialogue is very little compared to descriptions... and boy are they descriptions! Pages and pages of describing simple things. But they keep you hooked. You might think it sounds slow, but on the contrary. It's neither too slow, nor too fast.
---
Next, probably my favourite book of all time.
---
Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures: A Novel in Two Books
As I've just said - probably my favourite book of all time. And in that case, probably the most enjoyable book I've ever read, and it just so happens that I'm re-reading it at the moment for the ninth time. It really is that good.
The book follows, surprisingly, the miraculous adventures of a Wolperting called Rumo (no I won't tell you what a Wolperting is - read it and find out for yourself!), from his days as a young pup to his imprisonment on a floating island, to his escape, to civilisation, to hell and back. All in seven hundred pages. Again, it's not slow and it's not fast. Again, Moers describes the simplest of things in pages and pages. Again his imagination is completely limitless. Again it has a very colourful cover.
To me, the book contains everything a good book should - adventure, myths, stories, brilliant characters, love, loss, fighting, epic duels, a great variation of settings, rivalry, humour, seriousness... I could go on and on and on.
Basically - if you haven't read it, then you've not even begun to read what good literature is.
---
Which leads me nicely on to the only Moers book that I think members have read, or at least, three of them - Adasunshine, Gollum and Nesacat. There may be more than the three, but they've kept extremely quiet about it.
---
The City of Dreaming Books
What better thing to write about than books, and authors, and bookhunters, and a city that exists only to sell books? Paradise!
Dreaming books has to be, out of the three Zamonia books, the most restrained, yet polished. It follows the Lindworm, Optimus Yarnspinner, on his quest to find the author of a mysterious manuscript his dying authorail godfather passed into his possession. This quest takes him to Bookholm, and the catacombs below, in which the majority of the book is set. Whilst relatively short compared to Rumo and Captain Bluebear - a mere 500 pages enclosed in a third colourful cover - it is by no means the smallest. It sits comfortably with its two fatter brothers.
The catacombs of Bookholm are a dangerous place to be. The realm of the Bookhunters - vicious criminals who hunt for books. It is also the kingdom of the terrifying Shadow King, and the domain of the Fearsome Booklings. It is also filled with books. Millions upon millions of books, dating back thousands of years. Animatomes, Hazardous Books, Toxicotomes, all forms of Zamonian literature.
Once again, it is a book in which a lot happens in its own time. It doesn't rush through, nor does it plod along slowly, but rather it gives itself time. Once again, you'll find multi-page descriptions that will boggle the mind and leave you thirsting for more.
---
In each of the three cases, the story is solid. Absolutely top notch. The amazing host of characters are spectacular, and the settings are breath-taking.
You'll also find all three books mention things from the others. In Rumo alone I've noticed dozens of references to Captain Bluebear and Dreaming of Books. Granted, the references to Dreaming Books are a bit sketchy (in one part youll find it's called Betaville, and another it's Bookville, but a character, Colophonius Regenschein, is mentioned by name. The main character of Dreaming Books, Yarnspinner, goes by the name Hildegard Mythmaker in Rumo - in the German version of Dreaming Books, Yarnspinner is instead called Mythmaker).
Rumo and Captain Bluebear also overlap, with two of the characters from Rumo (Volzotan Smyke and Rumo the Wolperting) featuring in the final chapters.
One thing I mustn't forget to mention - each book is illustrated by Moers, with some brilliant pictures of the characters, objects and places described.
---
Altogether I highly recommend all three Zamonia books to everyone who reads. I don't give a fig if your idea of a night in is curled up with your carefully preserved editions of the National Geographic, or if you wouldn't touch Fantasy with your friends ten-foot bargepole, if you read then you cannot miss out on reading these three masterpieces. In my opinion, Moers is one of the greatest writers of our time, and an oppurtunity to read his Zamonia series is not to be sniffed at.
A final note - there are two more Zamonia books in German that, I hope, are being translated into English some time:
- Ensel und Krete
- Der Schrecksenmeister
The first is apparently a pardoy of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, whilst the second (published in German just last August) translates literally as "The Fright-Master" and is described on its first page as "culinary tales" - eating, drinking and cooking activities play a major role. From what I can gather from the, er, imaginatively translated Wikipedia page: the book takes place in Zamonia's unhealthiest city... and that's all I can figure out.
---
Anyway, if you've got to this point then I imagine you've read my post. No, I don't want Chris to come with his red pen and point out the errors. Instead, you should be on Amazon, or your favourite online retailer, ordering all three books... or writing down the exact names and the author so you can order them from your favourite bookstore. So what are you waiting for? Get cracking!
And if you don't enjoy them then I shall personally come and gouge out your eyes and replace them with a pair that appreciate what they read.
