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SFReader Forums > SF Fiction and Art > Right Now I'm Reading.... > King Vikram and the Vampire

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erazmus
Master

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 4474

Posted 5/11/2006 4:00 PM (GMT -4)

as translated by Captain Sir Richard F. Burton.
Burton's translaton of the Baital-Pachisi is an incredible find. The stories, related to a prince who is trying to apprehend a Batal, a vampiric Bat-spirit that can inhabit and animate dead bodies, are gripping action/adventure fantasy that Burton brings alive. This is the prototype or kernal from which sprang the Arabian Nights (which Burton also performed the siminal translation into english on) and read like the very best S&S fantasy from masters like Howard and C A Smith.
I've not enjoyed a book so much in years.

Michael D. Turner
"Psyched Up" in _Turn the other Chick_-ed. E. Friesner-Baen books
www.baen.com
"Two Ravens" in Amazing Journeys Magazine #9 Sept. 05
"An Incident at Black Tongue Tavern" in _Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy_ from Fantasist Enterprises

MichaelEhart
Sage

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 2314

Posted 5/12/2006 12:35 AM (GMT -4)

Love it. Used to collect Burton first and rares, had a great 1920's reprint. The story is great fun, and Burton's willingness to make up a word where needed gives it a very fresh feel--- "he snorted and snarged" is an example.

"The Death of Number 23" Dark Krypt, coming July 2006

"Servant of the Manthycore" Sword Review, right now!

"Voice of the Spoiler" Better Fiction, right now!
"Dancing with the Elder Gods"-- Thirteen Magazine, October 2005
"It's a Living" Byzarium---November 2005

"An Exorcism Straight, Hold the Elvis" The Sword Review, October 2005
Host, 2005 Nebula Awards Live Chat, sff.net
http://mehart.blogspot.com/

erazmus
Master

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 4474

Posted 5/12/2006 12:35 PM (GMT -4)

Burton is a marvellous teller of tales. There is a technical term for making up a word based on how it sounds, but I forget what it is. Modern writers don't seem to do it much, though Victorian writers were fond of it.
Mike

gwthomas21
Adept

Date Joined Sep 2004
Total Posts : 936

Posted 6/25/2006 11:24 AM (GMT -4)

Burton's version of the ARABIAN NIGHTS is famous for its "unreadability". He translates directly resulting in rather awkward stuff. It was a best seller because his footnotes were full of sexual perversions (by Victorian standards.) He was familiar with the Kama Sutra before most people in the English-speaking world were. "Vikram" is more readable and interesting in its own right. Many vampire fans are disappointed when they realize that it isn't a horror piece.

GW

G. W. Thomas is editor/publisher of RAGE m a c h i n e Books at www.lulu.com/ragemachinebooks His website is www.gwthomas.org

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