Look what I found (Vol.05)
Some more cool/funny/amazing or otherwise noteworthy deviations and deviants, that I recently stumbled upon.
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I love this gallery. One image more striking than the other, very difficult to chose examples. Do have a closer look. Stunning photography.
by *asmodeus42
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New to dA, but a veteran when it comes to illustration. Lot's of book-cover and movie-poster artwork to be found in his gallery.
by ~charlie45
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Another newcomer to dA, but already a very big and varied gallery. Just chosing three thumbs doesn't do it justice, have a closer look yourself.
by ~scratchmark
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Interesting, often minimalistic works.
by ~ReignRebuilder
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A small but very nice gallery of traditional works.
by *tmaric
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This is a bit different, since it's not about the two linked thumbs itself, but instead about the book "Ruggine". A novel by Stefano Massaron (*Doublecrash).
If you can read Italian or German, and if you like horror/crime novels, you might like this.
It's a novel about growing up, buried memories, rape, scrapmetal, graphic violence, bitter irony, courage, summerheat, first love, murder, innocence lost, and much more... and not necessarily in that order.
There are three interwoven layers to the story, one is set in the past (1977), one in the present (2003) and one in the mind of the monster. It's a very cleverly constructed tale, a riveting read.
The book is available in German as "Die toten Kinder" or in it's original Italian as "Ruggine" (meaning "rust" and that's the *much* better title).
a novel by *Doublecrash
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Sculpting a classic character
by ~chrisgabrish
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Speaking of sculpting... found this gallery today and was completely blown away.
by *JeffMargolin
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And to finish.... cats again^^.
can't get much cuter than this.
by ~loganexe
And where is your cat, when you sleep at night?
by ~Relamz
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That's all folks, tune in next time, blah, blah...
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More interesting stuff in older installments:
Look what I found (Vol. 04): [link]
Look what I found (Vol. 03): [link]
Look what I found (Vol. 02): [link]
Look what I found (Vol. 01): [link]
Devious Comments
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Click here to read the comic strip "My Life in Flux"!
It's a very nice selection again. I'm familiar with charlie45's work, the reignrebuiler and the asmodeus42 are just
It's a very nice selection again. I'm familiar with charlie45's work, the reignrebuiler and the asmodeus42 are just
My watchlist is hitting the 300 soon, and no end in sight (although I really only "watch" most of them, it would be impossible to comment on everything
I had wanted to feature you sooner, but I simply forgot it last time (shame on me
So you liked it, at the end!
Many, many thanks for your words and for the "unusual" spot you carved for it. Whee... a novel featured on DA... I'm keeping this link.
Thanks again!
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*My stock account: ~Doublecrash-stock
“Oh Lord please don't burn us don't kill or toast your flock. Don't put us on the barbecue or simmer us in stock. Don't bake or baste or boil us or stir-fry us in a wok.” [Monty Python]
If I had to rate it from 1-10, 10 being best, I'd put it somewhere between 7 and 8 (and I can't remember a novel I'd have given a 10 for).
I'd class it as a "horror" rather than a "crime" novel, even though there's nothing supernatural in it. The use of children as heroes did of course remind me of the many other books that do that^^. King's "Stand by me" or "It" come to mind, as does "Boys life" (by Robert R. McCammon who is one of my favourite authors^^). I've also been reminded of "The Count of Eleven" by Ramsey Campbell.
That scrapyard setting is really classy. And you made it come alive on the pages. I really love the rust/blood leitmotif.
The insights into the monster are of course very strong stuff (I wonder that you didn't get into trouble for them^^). The really frightening thing is the similarity between the healthy and normal "natural" urges like love and lust, that we all know and have experienced, and the completely perverted and out-of-control variety, that the monster experiences. And the real horror is of course, that we all know that these monsters actually exist.
By the way, I haven't actually read your novel, but rather an interpretation of it by Karin Rother, who translated it into German. So it's difficult to judge how you use language. I feel like some subtle (and maybe not so subtle) things might have been lost in translation (no fault of the translator, some things just can't be "translated").
For instance the characterisation of the children by the way they speak (things like correct/incorrect use of grammar, the swear words, the dialect stuff, etc.) There's actually one sentence left untranslated at first (Carmine says that one to Cosimo without thought, and Cosimo doesn't understand it).
Or for instance the "melody" and "rythm" of the key-sentences that get repeated so often in the novel in the minds of the protagonists (the "suck it" thing from Cí to Sandro for instance).
That's why I hesitate to say "I like your style", as I can't really judge your style (choices of words for instance) from the translation. So let me put it this way: I suspect that I like your style
Anyway, I'm so glad, that you let Cí and Sandro have that moment on the last page
The use of children as heroes did of course remind me of the many other books that do that^^. King's "Stand by me" or "It" come to mind, as does "Boys life" (by Robert R. McCammon who is one of my favourite authors^^). I've also been reminded of "The Count of Eleven" by Ramsey Campbell.
You just made my day. Really. In the interviews or at readings, when they ask me what's the whole point of the novel, I answer (rather unexpectedly, from the reactions I get) "nostalgia". For the "last summer of childhood". And it's the same feeling I got, so powerfully, when I read "Stand By Me" (that, IMO, is maybe the best fiction King wrote in his wonderful career). And... gee, McCammon! We agree on him, completely. As for the Ramsey Campbell's title, I don't know it. Too bad, since I really like that guy. Ought to remedy that.
I really love the rust/blood leitmotif.
Thanks. Now I think you understand better the reason why I almost killed the Italian publisher when they said they wanted to change the title...
The insights into the monster are of course very strong stuff (I wonder that you didn't get into trouble for them^^).
I had troubles for those sections. Double-trouble, in fact. First (and most troublesome) when I was writing them down. To write them in first person meant a lot of necessary "identification" (quotes mandatory), and this gave me lots of problems. After those long writing sessions I couldn't sleep without nightmares. I hated them so much that, at the end, out of sheer desperation, I decided that I would write them all at once, thus disrupting my inner schedule, just to get rid of him forever. Second, during the editing. I stayed on those sections for a month, examining every single word in order to avoid *completely* any indulgence and any possible accuse of writing unnecessary things. It was difficult, but at the end I think it worked... everything that's in there is necessary.
I feel like some subtle (and maybe not so subtle) things might have been lost in translation (no fault of the translator, some things just can't be "translated").
I know. Or, better, I suspect it
For instance the characterisation of the children by the way they speak (things like correct/incorrect use of grammar, the swear words, the dialect stuff, etc.) There's actually one sentence left untranslated at first (Carmine says that one to Cosimo without thought, and Cosimo doesn't understand it).
Exactly. I grew up in a neighborhood very similar to that one (even if not so "dilapidated"). And my friend used dialect. Southern Italy, mostly: Sicily, Calabria, Puglia and so on. The phrase you're referring to is "u sticchiu 'i tta soro" that is simply *impossible* to translate. It didn't work in Italian, let alone in German. Literally, means "the cunt of your sister", and it's Sicilian. And there are a handful of others around... not too much, but I used the dialects when I felt it was "mandatory". (Italian readers don't like much these things).
Anyway, I'm so glad, that you let Cí and Sandro have that moment on the last page
This made my day 2 - the revenge.
Thanks, really, for your insights and your analysis.
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*My stock account: ~Doublecrash-stock
“Oh Lord please don't burn us don't kill or toast your flock. Don't put us on the barbecue or simmer us in stock. Don't bake or baste or boil us or stir-fry us in a wok.” [Monty Python]
And you made my day by knowing McCammon. I guess you are the only person I know, who does^^.
In the "last summer of childhood" section I completely forgot to mention Bradbury's Dandelion Wine
And I was reminded of The Count of Eleven not because it uses kids (it doesn't), but because it's also a "horror" novel without supernatural elements. It's about a (looser-type) guy who becomes obsessed with the idea that his bad luck is caused by people who didn't forward a chainletter he sent them. He then proceeds to kill them, at first rather accidentally. I was reminded of it because of the way the madness is described that descendes on him.
(Ramsey Campbells books are fairly difficult to get for some reason. I could only get some of them in the German translation. Haven't been looking for ages though. Btw, There's at least a couple of spanish movies that are based on his novels^^)
I can fully understand how difficult those "monster" sections must have been. But I do consider them one of the most important factors of the book. They really bring home the horror of the whole situation.
Those sections were written in present tense (a good choice I think). But at first that led me to believe that they were happening in 2003. And as a consequence for some time I misread Sandros distressed state as "fear". Was that intentional or only a "side effect"?
May have been my fault, I usually tend to be in not-too-observational/analytical"-mode when reading novels. I don't think too much about what I read at the time I read it. I don't want to guess at the plot in advance, and I do like to be surprised by "twists" (which I might have been able to foresee, if I had tried).
I tried to find out a bit more about your novels and storys, but not much luck^^. I found:
Città Violenta, where you seem to have had a story in? But fabula.it seems to be down.
Il rumore in Gioventù cannibale (also using children?)
Lezioni notturne
Residui-L'avvento dei nuovi umani (seems to be about the rift between the new-rich and the not-so-lucky people?)
Graffiti
King of Kings (hm.. short stories about love? pain?)
(I do wish I could read (and fully understand) Italian, I'd love to appreciate the novel (and your other works) in the original version^^)
Well, at least I found out that you're 3 years younger than me^^.
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