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| Assassin's Creed Renaissance | Book extract Based on the game Assassin's Creed II, Renaissance is the story of a young man's epic quest for vengeance – an epic story of power, revenge and conspiracyThey left the palazzo on foot together, arm in arm, and walked in the direction of the cathedral, to the small quarter near it where many of the artists of Florence had their workshops and studios. Some, like those of Verrocchio and the rising star Alessandro di Moriano Filipepi, who'd already acquired the nickname Botticelli, were large, busy places, where assistants and apprentices were busy grinding colours and mixing pigments, others, humbler.It was at the door of one of these that Maria halted and knocked. It was opened immediately by a handsome, well-dressed young man, almost dandified but athletic-looking, with a shock of dark brown hair and a luxuriant beard. He might have been six or seven years older than Ezio.'Madonna Auditore! Welcome! I've been expecting you.''Leonardo, buon' giorno.'The two exchanged formal kisses. This artist must be well in with my mother, thought Ezio, but already he liked the look of the man.'This is my son, Ezio,' continued Maria.The artist bowed. 'Leonardo da Vinci,' he said. 'Molto onorato, signore.''Maestro.''Not quite that – yet,' smiled Leonardo. 'But what am I thinking of? Come in, come in! Wait here, I'll see if my assistant can find some wine for you while I go and get your paintings.' The studio was not large, but the clutter in it made it look even smaller than it was. Tables were heaped with the skeletons of birds and small mammals, while jars filled with colourless fluid contained organic objects of one kind or another, though Ezio was hard put to it to recognize any of them.A broad workbench at the back held some curious structures painstakingly crafted in wood, and two easels bore unfinished paintings whose tones were darker than usual, and whose outlines were less clearly defined. Ezio and Maria made themselves comfortable, and, emerging from an inner room, a handsome youth appeared with a tray bearing wine and small cakes. He served them, smiled shyly, and withdrew. 'Leonardo's very talented.''If you say so, Madre. I know little of art.''You know, self-expression is a vital part of understanding life, and enjoying it to the full.' She looked at him. 'You should find an outlet yourself, my dear.'Ezio was piqued. 'I have plenty of outlets.''I meant apart from signorine,' retorted his mother matter-of-factly.'Mother!' But Maria's only answer to that was a shrug and a pursing of her lips. 'It would be good if you could cultivate a man like Leonardo as a friend. I think he has a promising future ahead of him.''From the look of this place, I'm inclined to disagree with you.''Don't be cheeky!'They were interrupted by Leonardo's return from his inner room, carrying two boxes. He set one down on the ground. 'Do you mind carrying that one?' he asked Ezio. 'I'd ask Agniolo, but he has to stay and guard the shop. Also, I don't think he's strong enough for this kind of work, poor dear.'Ezio stooped to pick up the box, and was surprised at how heavy it was. He almost dropped it.'Careful!' warned Leonardo. 'The paintings in there are delicate, and your mother's just paid me good money for them!' 'Shall we go?' said Maria. 'I can't wait to hang them. I've selected places which I hope you'll approve of,' she added to Leonardo. Ezio baulked at this a little: was a fledgling artist really worth such deference?As they walked, Leonardo chatted amiably, and Ezio found that despite himself he was won over by the other man's charm. And yet there was something about him that he instinctively found disquieting, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. A coolness? A sense of detachment from his fellow beings? Perhaps it was just that he had his head in the clouds, like so many other artists, or so Ezio was told.'So, Ezio, what do you do?' Leonardo asked him.'He works for his father,' Maria replied.'Ah. A financier! Well, you were born in the right city for that!''It's a good city for artists too,' said Ezio. 'All those rich patrons.''There are so many of us, though,' grumbled Leonardo. 'It's hard to attract attention. That's why I am so indebted to your mother. Mind you, she has a very discerning eye!''Do you concentrate on painting?' asked Ezio, thinking of the diversity he'd seen in the studio.Leonardo looked thoughtful. 'That's a hard question. To tell the truth, I'm finding it difficult to settle down to anything, now I'm on my own. I adore painting, and I know I can do it, but . . . somehow I can see the end before I get there, and that makes it hard to finish things sometimes. I have to be pushed! But that's not all. I often feel that my work lacks . . . I don't know . . . purpose. Does that make any sense?''You should have more faith in yourself, Leonardo,' said Maria.'Thank you, but there are moments when I think I'd rather do more practical work, work that has a direct bearing on life. I want to understand life – how it works, how everything works.''Then you'd have to be a hundred men in one,' said Ezio.'If only I could be! I know what I want to explore: architecture, anatomy, engineering even. I don't want to capture the world with my brush, I want to change it!'He was so impassioned that Ezio was more impressed than irritated – the man clearly wasn't boasting; if anything, he seemed almost tormented by the ideas that simmered within him. Next thing, thought Ezio, is that he'll tell us he's involved with music and poetry as well!'Do you want to put that down and rest for a moment, Ezio?' Leonardo asked. 'It might be a bit too heavy for you.'Ezio gritted his teeth. 'No, grazie. Anyway, we're almost there.'When they arrived at the Palazzo Auditore, he carried his box into the entrance hall and set it down as slowly and as carefully as his aching muscles would let him, and he was more relieved than he'd ever admit, even to himself. 'Thank you, Ezio,' said his mother. 'I think we can manage very well without you now, though of course if you wish to come and help with the hanging of the pictures – ''Thank you, Mother – I think that's a job best left to the two of you.'Leonardo held out his hand. 'It was very good to meet you, Ezio. I hope our paths cross again soon.''Anch'io.''You might just call one of the servants to give Leonardo a hand,' Maria told him.'No,' said Leonardo. 'I prefer to take care of this myself. Imagine if someone dropped one of the boxes!' And bending his knees, he hoisted the box Ezio had put down into the crook of his arm. 'Shall we?' he said to Maria.'This way,' said Maria. "Goodbye, Ezio, I'll see you at dinner this evening. Come, Leonardo.'Ezio watched as they left the hall. This Leonardo was obviously one to respect.• Assassin's Creed Renaissance will be released by Penguin on 26 November. The video game Assassin's Creed II will be released in the UK on 20 November, and in the US on 17 NovemberGamesPlayStationPCXboxguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Disturbing the Comfortable Stories rooted in horror, fable and fairy tale, by the Russian writer Ludmilla Petrushevskaya. feeds.nytimes.com |
AL Kennedy on Funny Bones Peter Chelsom, 1995Funny Bones – it's a film about being funny and about being yourself, about being funny as an expression, a definition of self. I think it's a vastly under-appreciated piece that actually manages to apologise (fully and in advance) for its co-writer and director, Peter Chelsom, having gone on to direct the otherwise inexcusable Hannah Montana: The Movie.The general scarcity of appreciation is, of course, no surprise – Funny Bones fits into no known genre and makes no compromises about its many, many peculiarities. It nods fondly in the direction of vaudeville pieces such as Duck Soup and has the humanity, imagination and emotional range of a good screwball comedy. The plot is a law unto itself. We begin all at sea and stay there – encountering violent death, magical powder, corrupt policemen, adultery, flashbacks, theft, comedy turns, despair, classic patter and commedia dell'arte. Tommy Fawkes, the son of famous comic George Fawkes, bombs on his opening night in Vegas. Golden childhood memories mean he runs away from the States to Blackpool. From this unlikely flight, he hopes to rediscover his funny, re-exposing himself to the best and worst and strangest that Blackpool can provide. In the process, he finds a lost half-brother, a number of dark secrets and embarks upon a comedic education that is both absurd and profound. And, along the way, some exemplary cinematography creates a sort of love poem to Blackpool and to the life of performance.The cast list is perhaps the most bizarre I have ever encountered, yet it functions exceptionally well. Leslie Caron and Oliver Reed are in support as an ageing sex-bomb and a camp megalomaniac respectively. UK stalwarts Richard Griffiths, Christopher Greet and Ian McNeice fill their roles perfectly as overbearing impresario, sentimental lawyer and dodgy copper. Freddie Davies and George Carl form a heartbreaking double act, surrounded by a host of specialist acts and carefully constructed cameos. At the heart of it all are Oliver Platt – embracing Tommy Fawkes with gusto – and Lee Evans, who gives what I think is the performance of his life as Tommy's mad-clown half-brother, Jack. Oh, yes – and there's Jerry Lewis, too. He delivers a beautifully calibrated performance as Platt's largely toxic, yet expertly likeable, father.If you've never wanted to run away and join the circus, if you have no interest in the arcane skills of tumblers, gimps, magicians, music hall and sideshow folk, if the art and craft and illusions of performance hold no appeal for you – then you probably won't like Funny Bones. But if seeing a 16th-century physical skit made new again, or watching the unnecessary beauties of expert comedy, or being embraced by a film that both likes people and manages to invoke nostalgia for the present appeals, then I think you'll be happily surprised. If you have any interest in humour at all then Funny Bones is steadfast in its exploration of every possible type of funny: funny that's stupid, skilful, angry, delighted, intellectual, insane; funny that's subjective, personal, insightful; funny that plays with body parts and stares at death, defies it; funny that defies life – its losses, its wounds, its despair; stolen, denied, abandoned and rediscovered funny. It's all here. And this is the real thing, real funny: not the fey and uncommitted posturing of Pierrots; not the crass, trousers-down laziness of bad slapstick; not the monumental irritation of yet another poorly presented and incomprehensible Shakespearean fool. This is a generous catalogue of skills – old skills, real skills, human skills – the ones that take funny into the place where it troubles and frightens and liberates. Enjoy.• AL Kennedy is a novelist. Her most recent collection of short stories is What Becomes AL KennedyAL Kennedyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Hardcover Fiction Top 5 at a Glance1. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown2. I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson3. UNDER THE DOME, by Stephen King4. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett5. U IS FOR UNDERTOW, by Sue Grafton feeds.nytimes.com |
Looking ahead in science fiction Science fiction is the marmite of literature – people tend to love it or hate it. Yet no one could deny that it has produced many of the great myths of our age, from Frankenstein's monster to William Gibson's cyber-reality. SF blogger Damien Walter joins our panellists to discuss where it is now, and why we should all tune in to a genre that can be satirical, prophetic, political and plain good fun, often all at the same time. He also outlines some of the titles to look out for in 2010.We also look at John Wyndham's previously unpublished novel, Plan for Chaos, and interview China Miéville, rising star of the "new weird".Reading list:Plan for Chaos, by John Wyndham (Penguin)The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham (Penguin)Yellow Blue Tibia, by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)Finch by Jeff VanderMeer (Amerbgris series)A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C Clarke (Gollancz)Red Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson (Collins)The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins)Finch by Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press)The City and the City, by China Miéville (Macmillan)Ones to watch in 2010:Walking the Tree, Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot, February)Kraken, China Miéville (Macmillan, May)City of Ruin, Mark Charan Newton (Tor, June)The Wind-Up Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books, September)A Dance with Dragons, by George RR Martin (HarperVoyager, September)Claire ArmitsteadSarah CrownChris MoranPascal WyseTim Maby feeds.guardian.co.uk |