Unelmakutoja

[Airship Ballet]

When I was a teengaer I was really into anything and everything Fantasy, regardless of its quality. I read a lot of meaningful classics for English, the stuff all English courses teach because they're too lazy to deviate from the masses of notes they and others in their community have already made. So yeah, I read Fantasy a lot to get away from all that and just enjoy a care-free adventure story with no particular agenda or message to give out other than the unavoidable didacticism of the format.

 

Just before university I wrote a huge, huge, novel-length story. I was pretty depressed at the time and I used writing as escapism, mostly. I kept myself busy with it and had a bunch of fun! I foolishly told my Fantasy-addicted fiancée about this a few months ago and she immediately insisted that I translate it from Finnish for her to read. Now obviously she's biased but she really enjoys it and I, again foolishly, let her know about another version of it. That version was written while I was in university over the first three years and was a lot more adult, a bit more visceral and grittier. The frame narrative of the first was of a main character re-telling the story to a student wanting to write their paper on him, and the narrative of the latter is just third-person FID. The former is a relatively unreliable narration as it paints a prettier picture than the real re-telling and the few years I'd grown since the first had made me really want to re-write it more maturely. So, I'm now just starting to translate the second and got the first chapter done last night. This version, the second one, starts after the prologue of the first, and so is missing a bit of context without reading that. I may upload the original's prologue or just re-write it in this style, who knows?

 

It was while re-reading Moonbo's awesome companion story to Requiem that I figured there could be an audience for it here. If there are any Fantasy fans among you--and I'm sure there are many--you're welcome to have a read! I don't expect reviews or criticism at all, I just think it could be a neat opportunity to have it put to a use other than sitting on my hard drive and being read solely by my better half.

 

I've put up a little poll as to whether or not you'd like to read more and whether or not you'd like it by the chapter or whatever. Beyond that, I'm not after praise or condemnation to the fiery pits or lofty paradise of Fantasy Heaven or Hell because they were both written about a decade ago now. Feel free to tear it apart or lap it up; there's no chance to hurt or bolster my feelings because it's a project in the past from a fairly dark time in my life. It's done and gone, but it'd be a shame to let it go to waste!

 

Download link:

 

http://puu.sh/6Tl9d.doc

http://puu.sh/6TOt1.pdf

Edited February 12, 2014 by Airship Ballet

[Sir Taffsalot]

I love fantasy. I'll add this to my reading list. It might take awhile for me to get round to this. I promise I'll read it eventually though. Thanks Merry!

[7upMan]

Can you please re-post your novel in PDF format? I am too paranoid to run other people's DOC files on my computer.

[Lux]

TLDR; hahah... j/k! I read it all, actually I was expecting it to be longer.

 

I think for the same reason that missions are beta tested, literature is edited for general consumption. That's all I will say as I know you're not interested in critiques, etc.

 

I really enjoyed it or I wouldn't have read it all. I don't know whether I would read more or whether I would read the entire story.

 

I voted for the "some awkward phrasing" in the 3rd poll. Some readers don't like how some authors phrase things and some do. I'm kind of on the fence. There are some things that vividly paint the picture for me and others that I can't visualize so I think its just down to the certain readers for certain authors thing.

 

It shows a lot of imagination though and I do want to know what happens once more of the story is fleshed out.

[Airship Ballet]

Can you please re-post your novel in PDF format? I am too paranoid to run other people's DOC files on my computer.

 

I've been sticking them into a pdf anyway, just didn't in this case because Puush has a fit. Got it to work though, updated the OP. I'm not a bad person though you can trust me.

 

I read it all, actually I was expecting it to be longer.

It's a comparatively short chapter. The whole thing is huge.

 

I know you're not interested in critiques, etc.

Oh, I'm interested, it's just not the purpose of the post. Critique away by all means.

 

I really enjoyed it or I wouldn't have read it all.

Some readers don't like how some authors phrase things and some do.

Yeah, it's all subjective really. If it kept you reading that's good enough for me!

 

It shows a lot of imagination though and I do want to know what happens once more of the story is fleshed out.

Then know you shall.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Airship Ballet

[Sotha]

I don't read fiction much nowadays. Working on a PhD thesis does that to a person... I usually read only in order to learn, rather than being entertained: textbooks, articles, journals...

 

Anyhow, if you have the finnish version around, why not post it as a pdf? It is, or course, easier to read in native tongue. No harm in checking whether your writing hooks me to the narrative or not.

 

I wonder when was the last time I read a novel/book in finnish language... maybe 5 years ago or so.