1GaryMcGath
Walter Moers writes in German, so he isn't so well known to English-speaking audiences. A lot of his works have English translations, but he uses so much wordplay that reading the translated book just isn't the same. His latest is Qwert, which I'm currently reading. I've read most of his published novels. My favorite is Der Schrecksenmeister, largely because it features a mad alchemist and a talking cat.
Moers has a certain similarity to Terry Pratchett, but his work is darker. Most of his stories are set in the continent of Zamonia, and many are ostensibly told by Hildegunst von Mythenmetz, a famous author in Zamonia. Oh, by the way, he's a dinosaur, and sometimes he's the main character. The stories are heavily interconnected, with characters from one book turning up in another. Inhabitants of his world include gnomes, dragons, Schrecksen (an untranslatable word that suggests "scary witch" though they're often helpful), Kratzen (talking cats), crystal scorpions, and many other species.
Wordplay, as I've said, plays a big part in the book. Names are sometimes anagrams of real-life literary figures. In Qwert, portmanteau words (called Kofferwörter or "suitcase words") play a big part and have an almost magical power.
Not having read the books in English, I can't say whether it's worth getting the translations. If nothing else, Moers serves as a reminder that a lot of speculative and fantasy fiction is found in other languages.
Moers has a certain similarity to Terry Pratchett, but his work is darker. Most of his stories are set in the continent of Zamonia, and many are ostensibly told by Hildegunst von Mythenmetz, a famous author in Zamonia. Oh, by the way, he's a dinosaur, and sometimes he's the main character. The stories are heavily interconnected, with characters from one book turning up in another. Inhabitants of his world include gnomes, dragons, Schrecksen (an untranslatable word that suggests "scary witch" though they're often helpful), Kratzen (talking cats), crystal scorpions, and many other species.
Wordplay, as I've said, plays a big part in the book. Names are sometimes anagrams of real-life literary figures. In Qwert, portmanteau words (called Kofferwörter or "suitcase words") play a big part and have an almost magical power.
Not having read the books in English, I can't say whether it's worth getting the translations. If nothing else, Moers serves as a reminder that a lot of speculative and fantasy fiction is found in other languages.
2hfglen
I've read and enjoyed The City of dreaming Books in English, and would recommend it.
3amberwitch
Great point! The only Moers I’ve read is Kaptajn Blåbjørns 13 1/2 liv. I would love more recommendations for non-english written science fiction and fantasy!
Unfortunately very little gets translated to Danish, so I’d probably have to read in English regardless.
Recently I’ve read and enjoyed But not too Bold (Portuguese), En svindende verden (Japanese) and The unworthy (Spanish)
Unfortunately very little gets translated to Danish, so I’d probably have to read in English regardless.
Recently I’ve read and enjoyed But not too Bold (Portuguese), En svindende verden (Japanese) and The unworthy (Spanish)
4ludmillalotaria
I listened to English language audiobooks for The City of Dreaming Books and The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear and thought they were fun. Have always meant to read more of the Zamonia books. I believe print and ebook versions have illustrations.
5Sakerfalcon
>4 ludmillalotaria: I enjoyed these two as well, although I read them in print. I have The alchemist's cat on my TBR pile.
A German friend recommended Markus Heitz's books to me. The Dwarves is available in English. I enjoyed it but got a bit distracted so didn't look for anything else by him.
A German friend recommended Markus Heitz's books to me. The Dwarves is available in English. I enjoyed it but got a bit distracted so didn't look for anything else by him.
6GaryMcGath
While The City of Dreaming Books was the one that got me hooked, the sequel The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books was a disappointment. I'd suggest that anyone who started with that look at one of his other works next, perhaps Blaubär.
