Ventus
May 14, 2009
Russian update
Sun of Suns (Солнце Солнц) is now available, and you can still get Ventus (Вентус)
I've had two books translated into Russian so far: Ventus, and Sun of Suns. Both are published by AST in Moscow, and are available online through the Ozon bookstore. (For instance, here's the link to Sun of Suns, and here's where to find Ventus.)
The summary for Sun of Suns describes the book this way:
История Хайдена Гриффина - обычного мальчишки из искусственной галактике Вирга - огромного наполненного воздухом шара, в центре которого сияет Солнце Солнц, гигантский ядерный реактор - сад, где растут, как цисты, зародыши солнц поменьше.
История его родного мира, уничтоженного флотом "кочевой" планеты Слипстрим.
История его похищения и его странствий с космическими пиратами. История его опасных приключений - поисков легендарных сокровищ древнего капитана Анетина и смертельной борьбы с представителями цивилизации Искусственных сущностей, захватившей уже едва не все планеты за пределами Вирги...
And here's their description of Ventus:
...Вентус. Планета, на которой люди, веками остававшиеся рабами ИскИнов, поднимают наконец восстание против `хозяев`.
Вентус. Планета, на которой людям-повстанцам просто нечего терять!
Здесь сражаются до последнего.
До последнего вздоха. До последней пули.
Здесь цена выживания человечества проста: `Свобода - или смерть!`
I don't read Russian very well, but this seems to be a really over-the-top description--"here, they battle to the last breath!" But hey. If it sells books, go for it.
But now I'm curious. If anybody has read either or both of these translations, I'd love to know what you thought of them. It's always really cool to find out, once the translation to a language is complete, how ideas and characters--and, well, just story--translate to other cultures.
Mar 31, 2009
Jo Walton weighs in on Ventus
A nicely balanced review, and a good explanation of 'thalience'
Over at Tor.com, Jo Walton speaks about her recent discovery of my first novel, Ventus. It's a nice review and a good introduction to some of the ideas in the book. Ventus, mind, is the sequel-of-sorts to Lady of Mazes, and moreover is available from this website as a free ebook if you're interested in checking out my work with no commitment cost. If you're at all interested, check out Jo's review, then come back and grab a copy of the novel.
Aug 04, 2008
Ventus downloads continue strong
I'm delighted that so many readers are getting to know me through this, my first and in some ways, favourite novel
Oh, it's terrible to play favourites. It's just that I lived with Ventus for so long--it took seven years to write--and it was my first published solo novel. I've offered it as a free download for nearly a year now, and it's still in high demand: for instance, last month, in July 2008, I recorded 1300 downloads from this site alone. Since it's also available now from many public ebook sites, I have no idea what the actual numbers are like.
Thanks to everybody who's enjoying the book, I'm gratified I've been able to share this world and these characters with you.

