tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post9108183403924385860..comments2024-03-27T22:25:42.129-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: Book review: The Settlers of Catan, by Rebecca GabléSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-29388217829203416322020-02-01T15:29:05.715-06:002020-02-01T15:29:05.715-06:00It would be interesting to read it if you're a...It would be interesting to read it if you're already familiar with Catan. Hope you'll enjoy it if you get the chance!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-5669809816651764292020-02-01T15:12:46.795-06:002020-02-01T15:12:46.795-06:00WOW! This sounds like an amazing book. For someone...WOW! This sounds like an amazing book. For someone who loves the board game Catan I think it would be a fascinating book and reading how the author pictures what happens during a game of Catan. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-62024106646262494712015-12-10T10:32:44.506-06:002015-12-10T10:32:44.506-06:00I would love to see that novel in English since th...I would love to see that novel in English since there are very few written (in that language) about the reign of King Otto. Thanks for the information!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-36690073424106177112015-12-10T04:01:06.898-06:002015-12-10T04:01:06.898-06:00Hi, I read all books from Rebecca. (in german of c...Hi, I read all books from Rebecca. (in german of course). <br />My last One, I read was "Das Haupt der Welt". It takes place in the 10th-c and is telling the story about King Otto. Its well written and very good reserched. I hope you guys can order the books soon in english. For those who speak spanish, it is published now in spanish too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05178517880045678249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-45223307187991076162012-02-13T18:33:35.958-06:002012-02-13T18:33:35.958-06:00Melissa - yes, I thought it was!
Danielle - this ...Melissa - yes, I thought it was!<br /><br />Danielle - this is a title that defies not only easy but more complex categorization. It's not straight historical fiction, nor is it completely fantasy since it moves from one to the other. I can understand why you'd call romances of that type "fairytale," although for me that would make it sound as if the novels took place purely in an imaginary realm a la Tolkien. The "with historical elements" works somewhat better for me :)<br /><br />Kim - per a German poster on the Historical Fiction Online bulletin board, Rebecca Gablé has said that her next historical novel to be translated into English would be the 14th-c Das Lächeln der Fortuna (Lady Fortune's Smile) which would be out in 2013, with the next two in the series following in the next two years. To which I'd add: and hopefully after that, the Norman books!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-12056471029414969912012-02-13T15:47:31.285-06:002012-02-13T15:47:31.285-06:00It's nice that she had this book translated in...It's nice that she had this book translated into English. The funny thing is that her (5 star!) German blockbusters are about medieval England! According to her bio she read German and English literature at Duesseldorf's Heinrich-Heine-University. On the (English language) Translations page of her website Ms. Gable' has listed the languages her books have been translated in and the books available in those languages--with Settlers of Caton being the only one available in English. One is about a merchant during the Hundred Years' War, two others are about the Norman Conquest and life after, and another about the White Ship incident and anarchy following. I haven't seen much recently written about medieval England during Norman times, and Ms. Gable' might be similar to Sharon Kay Penman in that her books are thick and seem to be dramatic sagas. I hope she would consider translating her other titles into English. I would love to read them and I think other historical fiction lovers would too. I personally think that they would do well in English-speaking countries.KimHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07603177166825769666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-58806588439486180242012-02-12T13:10:57.841-06:002012-02-12T13:10:57.841-06:00Thank you very much for your detailed explanation ...Thank you very much for your detailed explanation and the link, Sarah! That helps me put the novel in a different context and see where you are coming from. (The HNS mention of pseudo-histories and historical fantasies is why I often find the label historical fiction confusing or troublesome. It is why I sometimes employ the term straight historical fiction as a distinguisher.)<br /><br />The type of historical romances you mention are ones which I unhesitatingly classify as fairytale romance and dearly wish would be marketed as such by publishers. However, it would seem the historical romance label sells better because through the years I have seen no moves from either publishers or most romance readers to change this misleading classification. Perhaps there is also an element of snobbery – or “snubbery” – involved? Romances are already so denigrated that an association with “history” is perhaps seen to confer more legitimacy than “fairytale”. Likewise, based on what I have read about Michelle Cooper's books I personally would call the first YA fairytale fiction and the second (which appears to move the action to England) YA fiction with historical elements, not historical fiction.Daniellehttp://romanticarmchairtraveller.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-7858659545675154552012-02-12T09:55:02.405-06:002012-02-12T09:55:02.405-06:00Thanks for this review, Sarah. I've had my ey...Thanks for this review, Sarah. I've had my eye on this one but was unsure if it would be worth reading. Now I know it is.Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03320886752332455903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-36943525439745945192012-02-11T23:05:57.707-06:002012-02-11T23:05:57.707-06:00To add: According to the Catan blog, its location ...To add: According to the Catan blog, its location is meant to be in the area of the Azores. Although I'm not that familiar with the game (one reason I can say the book stands independently of it!) I'm given to understand that the novel has more of an anchor in the "real world" than the game does.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-87196779844604859922012-02-11T22:37:35.879-06:002012-02-11T22:37:35.879-06:00Part of my reasoning is that I consider historical...Part of my reasoning is that I consider historical fantasy to fall under the larger umbrella of historical fiction. I tend to use the <a href="http://historicalnovelsociety.org/definition.htm" rel="nofollow">HNS definition</a> of the genre, which is pretty inclusive. If I were to see the two as distinct entities, though, this novel would bridge the gap between them. It has elements of both.<br /><br />What separates this book from Arbonne and other novels of its type: The world in which it takes place is Europe, on Earth. The warring beliefs are the Norse religion (with Odin as principal deity) and Christianity. Specific countries are named. The Viking culture and process of settlement are portrayed with care and accuracy. Although no year is given in the novel proper, the back cover lists the date as 850 AD, and the re-creation of the Viking lifestyle reflects this. (The author's afterword is enlightening in this respect.) Aside from the fictional characters, the one imaginary aspect is Catan itself.<br /><br />There are no supernatural phenomena, either, unless you count Odin's ravens, which are part of the Norse belief system and which wouldn't be out of place in a more straightforward historical novel.<br /><br />You bring up an interesting question about how much invention is possible with regard to the setting. Historical romances abound in which the hero/heroine comes from a fictional European kingdom (which may be based on some real place, or not, and which is vividly described). How about Michelle Cooper's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Montmaray-Journals/dp/0375851542" rel="nofollow">Kingdom of Montmaray</a> and its royal family? I don't hear these novels referred to as historical fantasy. Why is that, and what's the difference? :)Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-76528717906667131442012-02-11T21:41:51.396-06:002012-02-11T21:41:51.396-06:00Some friends of mine are avid boardgamers but alth...Some friends of mine are avid boardgamers but although Settlers of Catan has come up in conversation many times none have mentioned the novel. You may just have given me a perfect gift idea :-)<br /><br />I am interested in your classification of this book as historical fiction rather than historical fantasy. Is there something besides the (apparently fantasy-mixed) elements of Viking culture and the Scandinavian point of origin that, for example, places the story in a relevant historical context or something that directly interacts with or depends on or explains historical events or people? Is the society that develops on Catan a historically realistic portrayal of how Viking colonies developed? What might distinguish the story from, for example, Guy Gavriel Kay's fantasy,<i>A Song For Arbonne</i>, which borrows heavily from mediaeval Provence and its courtly culture but where no characters, situations, events, or locations are anything but imaginary? I certainly don't mean to imply that imaginary locations or fictitious characters by themselves change a story from historical fiction to historical fantasy, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the point at which a story can cut loose from history or a historical setting and still be deemed historical fiction.Daniellehttp://romanticarmchairtraveller.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.com