The Arabian Nights - Tales of 1001 Nights v.1

Title: The Arabian Nights v.1 - Nights 1 - 294
Author: Malcolm C. Lyons (trans)
Published: 2008 (current ed)
Genre: fiction - Classic Lore

started: Sept.7/11
finished: Nov. 13/11

Initial Thoughts
I have been trying to get my hands on a complete set of the 1001 Nights. This may be the first set of volumes (3 in total) that include all the stories rather than just some of them, typically the best known. Like finding a copy of the complete original Grimms' Fairy Tales I am looking forward to reading these. The question is how much I will enjoy them. I have read other volumes in which the translation was tedious and not very exciting. This is a penguin edition which I tend to find is the best publisher of the classics so I have high hopes. Let's hope they wont' be crushed. ;)

((327 pages in, Night 50))
So far I find this translation of the stories to be more complete than an earlier smaller compilation of the Nights also by Penguin and to be far easier to read than one of the early translations (by Richard Burton) which I have also read and found more difficult to make my way through especially considering that it didnt' have breaks in the stories themselves while this collection is broken up into the actual Nights so that they act like chapters in a way. I find this a much easier way to read the stories and the like so that if I need to put the book down I dont' have to try and find an appropriate place to stop.

((Final thoughts))
It took me longer to read this than I would have liked (or would have thought). It was a bit of a challenge, not really a slog but the text was denser than I was expecting. Some of the stories are quite long and complicated and many are written a bit more like a history rather than the more supernatural/fairy-tale type tales that are better known.

The one thing that stood out was that in some stories, one in particular, that really showed the extreme prejudice that was directed toward the Christian world when the stories were written. I will not go into any detail but for me it was startling just some of the claims that were made though I'm sure if one were to look at Christian texts from the same time one would find that there is similar venom directed toward the Muslims of that time. I was expecting the Nights to be in a similar realm to the Grimm's Fairy tales (which are not free of extreme violence and racism either).

Many of the stories are pretty good though there are some that were quite long and were a bit of a slog to get through. At the same time many of the stories show an interesting perspective on what was going on at the time these stories were recorded and what was going on at the time.

There were only a few stories that I recognized in this volume and maybe only one or two that others would recognize were they not very familiar with the Nights. The stories I recognize are listed below.


List of common or well known stories found in this volume:
* The Fisherman and the Ifrit
* The Porter and the 3 ladies
   * 1st Dervish
   * 2nd Dervish                                          -- I've found this set of stories in all versions of the Nights I've
   * 3rd Dervish                                              looked at even if it isn't as well known as Aladdin or Alibaba
   * Story of the Lady of the House
   * Story of the doorkeeper
* Nur al-Din and Shams al-Din                   -- see above comment on Porter stories
* King Shariman & his son, Qamar al-Zaman

    --> or "The Ifrits' Beauty Contest"          -- Like the above stories, I've seen this in more than one version

                                                                    of the Nights as well as references in one or two 

                                                                    novels I've read...in one of these novels the second title is what

                                                                    is given.

* Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves

Would I recommend this book? i would but it would certainly depend on the individual

Who Would I recommend it to?

Anyone who is interested in stories from the middle east, who are interested in collecting "fairy-tales" or similar tales that include a mix of history and supernatural would probably like to check this version of the Nights out.  Anyone intersted in the fiction and legends of the period in the Islamic world might find this interesting and people who are familiar with the crusades and what was going on in relation to that might also find interest in these stories as they give a different perspective that may be found in history books.

Who Would I not recommend this to?

I would not recommend this to children at all. Like the original fairy tales, these stories have their share of violence and racism as well as sex at other material not really meant for children to read. Anyone who is idiologically sensitive would not like this either I imagine. One has to take it at face value, keep in mind that it is a series of stories from around the 10th Century AD or before and that, like fairy tales, they aren't typically factual.

Fool Moon

Title: Fool moon
Author: Jim Butcher
Published: 2001
Genre: fiction - urban fantasy

started: Sept.4/11
finished: Sept.7/11

Books before this:
Storm Front

Initial thoughts
I am still trying to decide how I feel about Harry Dresden. He is very...chivalrous in a way that is on occasion somewhat boastful and occasionally has a slight feeling of misogyny (which he himself calls it at one point in Fool Moon.) I do like some of the ways he treated the realm of the supernatural (or the Nevernever as he calls it) and puts his own interpretation on many of the aspects found in urban fantasy. So far what I've read of this story I've enjoyed.



Final thoughts
Well I have to say that this book was an enjoyable read. Jim Butcher doesn't seem to stray too far into the graphic violence while describing gore enough that it gives the horrible a sense of...well horror. He is not like, say, Laurel K. Hamilton, that seems to revel in describing everything down to the minutest detail be it decor, clothing or graphic violence. He also has an interesting take, as I said above, on the Supernatural and approaches it in a way that both acknowledges the traditions (on occasion many versions as he actually did with this book) while also giving the tradition his own twist as I have found the best Urban fantasy authors (in my opinion anyway) tend to do. Seeing how they chose to present their own take is one of the best parts of reading urban fantasy. The authors I found I've gotten tired of are the ones that stick to the tradition with little variation.

In this book Butcher presented various takes on werewolves, drawing from different traditions and in the end had them all come out to play. that was a great approach to take with this. I haven't really come across other authors that have approached the traditions in that way. Usually they just give a nod to the known traditions and then state which are incorrect. I thought this was an interesting way to go.

I did find his relationship with some of the characters annoying though I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Perhaps it is the simple dynamic of it which adds drama and throws conflict into the mix but in this case it was a way that I found irritating though I can't really put words to what exactly it was about it. I will keep reading because I'd like to see what other aspects of the supernatural he plays with and how he defines them. It will be a while before I get around to reading the next book but I will be looking forward to it when I do.

Would I recommend this books: Yes

Who would I recommend it to:

this is a great series for someone who is interested in delving into the realm of urban fantasy but doesn't know where to start. The writing is decent and there is a feeling of plot and that he thought it out. (We shall see as I go if he uses a formula though). It has it's moments of graphic violence but it is not so much that it makes a squeamish person (like myself say) feel that they need to put the book down for a while. The approach is mystery mixed with the supernatural so there is more at stake in the story than one might find in others that say, draw from romance. It is for these reasons that I would recommend the series to someone starting out with urban fantasy, especially if they are a fan of mystery.

There isn't really anyone i wouldn't recommend this series too except maybe people who are looking for those series that are closer to the realm of supernatural romance. There isn't as much of that in this but it does have strong female characters even though the main character (and narrator) is male.

Who would I not recommend this to:

If you are looking for romantic urban fantasy/supernatural romance then this is not what you are looking for. The romance is hinted at but the story is a mystery and that is what the main focus is. this is not a piece of fluff, though there are aspects of fluffy writing in it. it is a more serious type of a plot with violence and death involved. It is something like a supernatural horror/thriller in book form. Still...there are few people I can think of that I would say should absolutely not read it.