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Tuesday 9 July 2019

Lasciate ogne speranza


Edizioni Librarsi, who are the publishers of the Italian editions of Blood Sword and Fabled Lands, have revealed Mattia Simone's breathtaking cover for Cuore di Ghiaccio (aka Heart of Ice, as if you didn't know).
At last you see a streak of dark rubble against the dazzling skyline. You fear it might just be a line of hills or even a trick of the light, but as you approach on quickened footsteps it is possible to make out the details of brooding towers, empty palaces and gargantuan snow-bound walls. You have arrived at the lost city of Du-En.
You can find the English edition here or, if you're so hard up that you can't toss a few shekels to a starving writer, why not try Benjamin Fox's online version here? (And if you enjoy it, and can find the time to write an Amazon review, it all helps.)

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It is often quoted as "ogne". If I spell out some 14th century English I think we can see the problem:

      "A yeman hadde he and servantz namo
      At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo;
      And he was clad in cote and hood of grene.
      A sheef of pecok arwes, bright and kene
      Under his belt he bar ful thriftily,
      (Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly:
      Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe)
      And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe.
      A not heed hadde he, with a broun visage,
      Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage.
      Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer,
      And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,
      And on that oother syde a gay daggere
      Harneised wel and sharpe as point of spere.
      A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene.
      An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene;
      A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse."

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    2. Ok, it's from Dante.
      Concerning Italian writers, I must say I read more often Umberto Pignatelli, whether in English or Italian....

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    3. I'm not familiar with his work, but I do know Umberto Eco and (of course) Italo Calvino, who inspired our last Legend game -- look for it on the blog this Christmas.

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    4. (of course, U.Pignatelli writes gamebooks and RpGs...)

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    5. I'm not sure if any of those RPGs have been translated into English. Any recommendations?

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    6. Of course, he wrote most of them in English (except "Kata Kumbas", which is a reboot of a system once popular in Italy).
      His most known work is "Beasts & Barbarians" (Savage Worlds) which I consider the best for Sword & Sorcery.
      You can read my opinions here (indeed, I bought almost everything of it, but some were indeed Italian translations [which were strangely cheaper...] I found elsewhere, and I purchased the latest edition of the setting directly from the Publisher):
      https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=220171&customers_id=886920

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    7. I'm not familiar with Savage Worlds so thanks for the link to the review, which I'll read with interest.

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