At Khimaira, an online sff magazine, you can read a review in French of Clairvoyante (that is, The Aware in its French translation) by Christophe Sambre.
He concludes by saying:
En matière de fantasy, par les temps qui courent, trouver une œuvre intelligente, innovante et passionnante à la fois relève du plus risqué des défis… Et pourtant, voici que J’ai Lu, dans sa toute nouvelle collection Fantasy Grand Format, nous gratifie du meilleur et du plus surprenant. Car ce livre, premier opus d’une trilogie qu’on devine bientôt rangée parmi les incontournables, loin de s’embourber dans la vase nauséeuse des poncifs du genre, nous promène sur les îles escarpées d’un univers d’une fabuleuse richesse, où, guidés par des personnages puissants mais aussi fragiles, porteurs de violentes brisures intérieurs et d’une subtile sensualité, le lecteur frémit, sourit et se délecte d’une intrigue sans faille ni lourdeur.
Née au pays des kangourous, Glenda Larke est sans aucun doute l’une des actrices majeures du renouveau de la fantasy… Que voilà une bien bonne nouvelle.
Which is lovely of him. (Merci, Christophe!)
And just in case you missed the last bit, my translation is: “Born in the land of kangaroos, Glenda Larke is without a doubt one of the major exponents of the renewal* of fantasy… This is good news indeed.”
Having just got back from a trip where we had kangaroos bounding out of the bushes bent on mass suicide – and possibly homicide and vehicular mayhem as well – I am inclined to think that, yep, this is indeed a land of kangaroos, as well as good fantasy (heh).
I even got a photograph to prove it.
*(Possibly referring to the new large format collection of the publisher J’ai Lu)
Only one roo???
Nice to have a compliment isn’t it? I still don’t think Clairvoyante translates The Aware properly which makes me wonder what the rest of the book is like in French. Still if it sells well and people enjoy it, I guess that’s the main thing.
Congratulations on breaking into the French market and the deserved praise in the review.
Fingers crossed that the series sells well for you and that they also publish the Shiver Barrens (mad if they don’t).
Suicidal kangaroos are always a problem on country roads – especially at dusk when they come out of the bush to feed on the grass at the edge of the road.
They have – unlike some foreign publishers – bought all three books at once, and chosen to print large format books at that. They (J’ai Lu) are launching this new line with 3 authors: me, Joe Abercrombie and Sean McMullen. So I am immensely flattered.
p.s. I wouldn’t have thought Clairvoyante was a good translation either, but if it gets people to buy…