Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pikes, Muskets and Flouncy Shirts => Topic started by: Phil Robinson on August 12, 2006, 09:18:33 PM
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Just bought the above book today, set in Spain in the 1620's during
the reign of King Philip the Fourth.
"in this political hotbed of hired assassins, court players, smugglers
and pirates, Captain Alatriste hires out his skills as a dashing
swordsman with a mind as sharp as his blade"
Not far into it yet, but is likely to be a mine of ideas for
scenarios, first in a series apparently.
Available from Amazon.
Phil
:P
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Hum!
Being spanish, I have read the 5 books in their original version... I'd like to know if your version (english?) has the poetry translated. One of the friends of Captain Alatriste (Sadwing, BTW) is Don Francisco de Quevedo, one of the most famous poets of the Spanish Golden Century, and the books are full of poems of Quevedo (and his rival, Lope de Vega) which normally have a lot to do with what is happening in the plot.
A really good lot of books. Hope the translation is Ok...
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Yes it is an English translation and there are passages in the text and four poems at the end of the book, I look forward to translations of the other books.
Phil
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Checked this out of the library on your recommendation and I am quite pleased!
Very solid, just what I need to gear up for Gloire!
Scott
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Haven't this just been made into forthcoming film with Viggo Mortensen, or am I thinking of something else?
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Yes, the film aired on Spain on September...
It is some kind of a "new" story mixing thing from the actual five books and the last forthcoming two.
Viggo is incredible... He *is* Alatriste, indeed...
The film is marvellous regarding dressing, scenarios and so on... But, if you are not familiar with the books and the story of Spain in that years, the plot can be very confusing...
In essence, the film show how the Spanish empire collapsed under the eyes of a Spanish soldier: Alatriste.
The sword scenes are very realistic: no more Burt Lancaster jumps or Star Wars choreographies... The fights are short, brutal and dirty... as they were.
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I'm hoping the movie comes to the US, but not in some terribly mangled US-market version. If not, I guess there's always hope for a region-free DVD with decent subtitles.
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Just bought and read the first book in the series. I liked it. However, it seemed to have less romance than I was expecting. Also, the plot was a little more straightforward than I was expecting, not much mystery to it after the initial mystery was cleared up. The fighting and verbal sparing was fine. I suppose that a series was intended from the first and that the initial book was intended primarily to introduce the main characters. Hopefully plots will be more convoluted in future books, and hopefully there will be more romance.
Warren
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Joey loaned me the book on Wednesday night--I finished reading it the next day and could barely put it down. I had to read the English translation because I'm American. :?
I loved it--absolutely loved it, and I'm sure it's better in the original Spanish. Captain Alatriste is a a great character--almost the opposite of the ever-fortunate and ever-lucky D'Artagnan. I can't wait to read "Purity of Blood" next. The story is pretty basic, but the picture of Madrid of the Golden Age is done to perfection. You could feel the sunlight in the chilly air.
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I've used the books to keep my Spanish near working level (not too near, I'm afraid), and enjoyed them tremendously. There are two further on in the series, 'El sol de Breda' and 'El oro del rey' which simply cry out to be transferred to the tabletop, the last one in particular. It covers a boarding action under cover of night, where Alatriste et Cie. are trying to take a Dutch galleon and run it aground to be plundered.
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For those who didn't see the trailer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vAcrIr84OdQ
Olivier
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I've used the books to keep my Spanish near working level (not too near, I'm afraid), and enjoyed them tremendously. There are two further on in the series, 'El sol de Breda' and 'El oro del rey' which simply cry out to be transferred to the tabletop, the last one in particular. It covers a boarding action under cover of night, where Alatriste et Cie. are trying to take a Dutch galleon and run it aground to be plundered.
The last book is "Corsarios de Levante"... The story doesn't advance too much (like it happened in "El Sol de Breda") and it is a collection of battles between spanish and turkish ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Very inspiring, anyway...
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For those who didn't see the trailer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vAcrIr84OdQ
Olivier
Oh ho! I going to have to see that! :love: :D
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I really tried to resist, but at 12 € for the first three books and judging by what I read about Alatriste and about Arturo Pérez-Reverte... the order is out and the movie is marked as a definite must-see. :lol:
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The last book is "Corsarios de Levante"... The story doesn't advance too much (like it happened in "El Sol de Breda") and it is a collection of battles between spanish and turkish ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Very inspiring, anyway...
Oooo, now if that doesn't sound like the mutt's nuts... :love:
Muchas gracias for the hint, I'll see if amazon can't cough up that one for me.
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Resurrecting the Auldatristthread with the notice to all of us non-Spanish speakers (or, in this case, readers) who could not enjoy the last book ("Corsarios de Levante") in its original language when it came out back in 2006 - rejoice, for at last, the English version - "Pirates of the
Carib Levant" - is out.
Since my Spanish is not that good (read: Non-existant), I cannot comment on the quality of it as a translation, but I like the book very much in its own right; it is a fluid, lively and fascinating read. Definitely recommended for all ye fellow connaisseurs of fine Moor-slitting, Lutheran-sticking, English-stabbing galley swine literature.
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I dunno...
Having read a few other of his books in English, I was not that impressed with his writing style...
I'll check out the movie though.
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I saw that the other day and immediatelle added it to my list. I love the other books in the series.
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RichardDMB, be warned, the movie packs a lot of scenes in with very little story to connect them - it is more like an homage to the books than a stand alone film.
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Patiently hoping the DVD will one day make it to the "World Cinema" shelf at HMV - but every time I've asked they have never heard of it.
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Patiently hoping the DVD will one day make it to the "World Cinema" shelf at HMV - but every time I've asked they have never heard of it.
It's on Amazon if your patience runs out and you wanted to order it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=captain+alatriste&sprefix=captain+ala (http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=captain+alatriste&sprefix=captain+ala)
www.gallopingmajorwargames.com
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I have read and enjoyed the first two. Need to pick up the next in the series.