July 2020 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Well, just when it looks like we might be getting a bit better, we're pretty much back to where we started. That's the bad news, unfortunately. I'm afraid I don't have much good news for you, but I do have some recommendations to pass your time. Hopefully, they're keep you light-hearted in these troubling times.

Reading: The Three Musketeers (1844) by Alexandre Dumas

One of the most popular international books of the 19th century (and the title that forever cemented my interest in historical fiction), Dumas's legendary adventure of the young Gascon d'Artagnan and his three companions in the King's Musketeers - grim Athos, jovial Porthos, and mercurial Aramis - pitted against the wiles of Cardinal Richelieu and his scheming agent, Milady de Winter, is one of the most fast-paced, joyfully readable classics that I have had the pleasure of coming across, much of that depending on the translation (Victorian censors of the times eliminated most of the innuendos and sexual underpinings of the original text). The version offered in the links below is a recent translation from 2018 for Pegasus Books by noted RPG-scribe/swashbuckling enthusiast Lawrence Ellsworth, which captures all the excitement of the original French without being anachronistic; as of this writing, Mr. Ellsworth is in the process of retranslating the complete Musketeer Cycle, so keep an eye out for future titles down the line.

Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Musketeers-Cycle/dp/1681776146/ref=tmm_hrd_title_7?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1593974270&sr=8-3
Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Musketeers-Alexandre-Dumas/dp/1643130404/ref=tmm_pap_title_30?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1593974270&sr=8-3
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Musketeers-Alexandre-Dumas-ebook/dp/B074D4BYCF/



Viewing: The Adventures of Robin Hood (Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, 1938)

Despite some admirable and memorable attempts in the modern era, I think few could deny that this classic swashbuckler is probably the best cinematic depiction of the legendary guardian of Sherwood Forest, played stalwartly by Errol Flynn in one of the most iconic roles of his career. Featuring a supporting cast including Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian (in the third of nine pairings with Flynn), Claude Rains as Prince John, and Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne, the film - a popular hit for Warner Bros. - stands as one of the most iconic adventure films in the history of the industry, aided by one of the great film scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold as well as one of cinema's most legendary climactic swordfights. Whether you're 1 or 100, it's a treasure to revisit any day.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Robin-Hood-Various/dp/B00407PNWO/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=the+adventures+of+robin+hood&qid=1593974456&sr=8-5
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Robin-Hood-Blu-ray/dp/B0013N3DSE/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=the+adventures+of+robin+hood&qid=1593974456&sr=8-5
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Robin-Hood-Errol-Flynn/dp/B001NVIZ3E/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+adventures+of+robin+hood&qid=1593974456&sr=8-2

Well, that's all for now. I hope the coming months will find us in better spirits.