Once more...

[heliopausa]

Once again, back after time away - and doubtless having missed much.  :(  Lots of my life (including pretty well all of those good intentions/resolutions which I started the year with) went by the board in the last few weeks - as well as all your posts on LJ/DW, and any new stories which might be out there.  I'll look forward to reading it all, and profiting from everyone's recorded wisdom and creativity!

In terms of writing, I came back to find a sudden flurry ( a small flurry, but very welcome!) of reviews and kudos on AO3, especially for The Ivory Merchants, but also for one or two others - this was beautifully cheering to find!  and I hope will help me restart writing before the year gets too old.

There's been quite a bit of tough stuff happening, but  good things have happened, too, while I was travelling.  One was lots of good reading, viz.: 

• I'm now about  half-way through War and Peace (which means I can start to read moon_custafer 's posts on W&P, too!)  and
• one day I made a lightning raid on Abbey's Bookshop in Sydney, to snatch as many books as I could of my Books I'd Like To Read list - eight, in total, I think, and
• as has happened before, while staying in other people's houses I read great things from their bookshelves, including a SF Classic that everyone but me read years ago.  :)

So that's all good, and will be posted about soon!
 
Meantime, here's from Australia, about the glorious night sky, and the dark constellation which is now riding high in the south.

Comments

[heliopausa]

Not at all long and dreary, and certainly better than Les Miserables! Which is not to say that I don't have gripes about it, especially about his approach to women; his focus (so far)is all on the thought-processes and psychologies of the main male characters - women are puppets, relentlessly described in terms of their physical attractiveness, who do whatever he wants for the plot, without much regard for motivation or character consistency. But where he wants to focus, he's brilliant; there's an amazing view of the Battle of austerlitz.

How about you? Is there a new chapter of The Pirate Queen?

[transposable_element]

And then there's that 18-month pregnancy....

[heliopausa]

"... without much regard for motivation or character consistency or physiology."

:D

[autumnia]

women are puppets, relentlessly described in terms of their physical attractiveness, who do whatever he wants for the plot, without much regard for motivation or character consistency

It was somewhat the same in the recent BBC adaptation, though I suppose the women were portrayed a little better there.

As for The Pirate Queen, am almost done with the last chapter so here's hoping it will be posted soon. I've been distracted by a lot of things lately so it's been hard to sit down and finish up the last 10% of it.

[heliopausa]

Thanks! I read this, which sent me to find the first episode of that production online - it did seem a good deal more engaged with the women (Lise, for example) a lot readier to give them a point of view.

I'll be staying tuned for The Pirate Queen! :)