| Question: | The air was occasionally rent with the sounds of illusory beings murdering other illusory beings. |
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| Term: | rent with |
![[1892uDH]](http://m.lingq.com/media/images/no_photo.gif){kind=small}
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Which novel did you find it in?
The infinitive is "to rend." It's quite old fashioned. Here is a definition http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/kin... , and you can find examples of usage by utilizing the search box on this page http://www.online-literature.com/bible/bible_se... . Put the word (rent or rend) between two blanks when searching. The text being searched is from the year 1611, with modernized spelling.
Terry Pratchett is even better, eugrus, when you have a chance to try him.
Terry Pratchett is even better, eugrus, when you have a chance to try him.
Sounds like Tom Holt?
Ah! Well he was a Cambridge graduate, and knew lots of long, hard words.
I like "Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency" best. I just read it in Russian. It was a bit tricky ;-)
I like "Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency" best. I just read it in Russian. It was a bit tricky ;-)
That would be tricky in Russian for sure, if the translation is any good at all.
Actually, I've never really given DA or Tom Holt a chance. Tried reading them both at a time when I was tired of reading fiction and so put the books aside after a few chapters. It was surely me and not them.
Actually, I've never really given DA or Tom Holt a chance. Tried reading them both at a time when I was tired of reading fiction and so put the books aside after a few chapters. It was surely me and not them.
I'm also a big fan of Jasper Fforde's fantasy fiction. Dodos and airships and cheese-smuggling and George Formby as President of the UK really appeal to me.
Thank you, Ernie! Shall I start with the Discworld?
@Imyirtseshem
Thank you! I also like Wiktionary for really many reasons!
In fact, the verb "rend" is also present in my usual dictionary (ABBY Lingvo), I just mistakenly thought, "rent with" was a past participle of the verb "to rent" in some unknown phrasal construction.
@skyblueteapot
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it is mentioned above the message :)
@Imyirtseshem
Thank you! I also like Wiktionary for really many reasons!
In fact, the verb "rend" is also present in my usual dictionary (ABBY Lingvo), I just mistakenly thought, "rent with" was a past participle of the verb "to rent" in some unknown phrasal construction.
@skyblueteapot
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it is mentioned above the message :)
eugrus, Yes, Discworld is a good place to start. My wife suggests, "Read an early one first." Personally, I never have made it through the first book, The Colour of Magic, but the second, The Light Fantastic, hooked me immediately, although some of his fans consider it not among the best. Or perhaps try Mort, Pyramids, or Guards! Guards, which last is my favorite among those I've read.
The books are only loosely related and there is no need to read them all in order. There are recurring characters, however. If you like one of the books mentioned above (or whichever book you read first) you might take up the suggestion under "Reading Order" in this wikipedia article; it refers to "Storyline" and a chart earlier on the page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Reading_... .
The juveniles he has written are just as good as the adult books (IMHO), and they have the advantage of being divided into chapters. The "Nome Trilogy" is perhaps my favorite among them, along with Nation.
Helen, I'll give JF a try. Really, the only English-language fiction I now read I read aloud to my wife in the evenings, a chapter or two a night, as a television substitute. Is there anything you'd recommend among his books for that kind of reading?
The books are only loosely related and there is no need to read them all in order. There are recurring characters, however. If you like one of the books mentioned above (or whichever book you read first) you might take up the suggestion under "Reading Order" in this wikipedia article; it refers to "Storyline" and a chart earlier on the page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Reading_... .
The juveniles he has written are just as good as the adult books (IMHO), and they have the advantage of being divided into chapters. The "Nome Trilogy" is perhaps my favorite among them, along with Nation.
Helen, I'll give JF a try. Really, the only English-language fiction I now read I read aloud to my wife in the evenings, a chapter or two a night, as a television substitute. Is there anything you'd recommend among his books for that kind of reading?
@Ernie: I'm reading Jasper Fforde's "the last dragonslayer" to my 11 year old daughter as a bedtime story. It is a standalone novel and easy to follow. The chapters are also mercifully short ;-)
She also loves Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching novels, starting with "The Wee Free Men". Don't read this aloud unless you are prepared to do some really outrageous Scottish accents.
She also loves Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching novels, starting with "The Wee Free Men". Don't read this aloud unless you are prepared to do some really outrageous Scottish accents.
Helen, Good. Thanks for the Jasper Fforde recommendation. It goes to the top of the list. Sounds good.
My wife has read all the Terry Pratchett novels, including The Wee Free Men, which she enjoyed. I don't read them to her, as she wouldn't want to wait until we should finish whatever our current book might be at that time. . . . We did read Nation together, a non-Discworld novel, which was great. Don't neglect the Nome (or Bromeliad) trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, Wings). I read those to our children about 20 years ago; some people don't like his juveniles so much, but I think they--and this trilogy in particular--are extremely amusing. There are several catch-phrases from it that our family still uses.
As we're on the subj.: we are currently reading Behemoth, book II of a YA trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The first is Leviathan. It has a steampunk setting, taking place at the beginning of WWI in an alternate Europe where the Entente Powers are "Darwinists"--they biologically engineer all their machines, and the Central Powers are "Clankers" who utilize machine technology. The plot depends on a good deal of coincidence, and it's a The Black Arrow sort of situation, but granted that, it's great. Wonderful characters. The female protagonist is particularly good; she probably has a bit of an accent, but I don't attempt it. The author is American, so who knows if he does things British well, but it works for us. Great stuff.
My wife has read all the Terry Pratchett novels, including The Wee Free Men, which she enjoyed. I don't read them to her, as she wouldn't want to wait until we should finish whatever our current book might be at that time. . . . We did read Nation together, a non-Discworld novel, which was great. Don't neglect the Nome (or Bromeliad) trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, Wings). I read those to our children about 20 years ago; some people don't like his juveniles so much, but I think they--and this trilogy in particular--are extremely amusing. There are several catch-phrases from it that our family still uses.
As we're on the subj.: we are currently reading Behemoth, book II of a YA trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The first is Leviathan. It has a steampunk setting, taking place at the beginning of WWI in an alternate Europe where the Entente Powers are "Darwinists"--they biologically engineer all their machines, and the Central Powers are "Clankers" who utilize machine technology. The plot depends on a good deal of coincidence, and it's a The Black Arrow sort of situation, but granted that, it's great. Wonderful characters. The female protagonist is particularly good; she probably has a bit of an accent, but I don't attempt it. The author is American, so who knows if he does things British well, but it works for us. Great stuff.