The Third Translation

by Matt Bondurant

Book Overview

An ancient mystery, a hidden language, and the secrets of a bizarre Egyptian sect collide in modern-day London in this ingenious novel of seduction, conspiracy, and betrayal alter Rothschild is an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401308414
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Hyperion
• Length: 378 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Some people just don't get it...

Boy there are some thick folks out there that seem flabbergasted by the loony nature of this book and its situations. I have a word for you to look up: Satire. Or here's another: Comedy. Clearly this book is a send-up of certain genre conventions, a literary novel cloaked in the sheep's clothing of absurdity and the surreal. If you really care by page 200 what the "mystery" of the Stela is then you have really missed the boat. The situations and premise are no more ridiculous than those Bondurant is compared to on the jacket: Bellow, Zadie Smith, J. Lethem - and certainly H. Kurieshi is an influence. That's what I was expecting and that's exactly what I got. Loved it.

outrageous and brilliant literary novel

This is a funny, madcap adventure written in a delicate, poetic prose style. The situations are absurd at times, and clearly that is the point. The author seems to want to poke fun at certain genre conventions; you might view this as the "anti-Da Vinci Code" in this respect. I think he is mocking the genre while putting together quite a character study. Dr. Rothschild is a well-developed character, a befuddled man who makes poor decisions. Like a lot of people I know. His affection for his estranged family is real, and there are some real heartfelt moments in this book. But the wrestlers are hilarious, and a bit of very British-style monty python toilet humor. More about the author's twisted love of London than anything else, if you are an anglophile then you will love this fresh take.

A spectacular first novel

Matt Bondurant's "The Third Translation" is most likely nothing like "The DaVinci Code", and I couldn't be happier. This novel seems to be primarily a character study of Dr. Walter Rothschild. Sure, there is a fair amount of action, and after the first hundred pages or so, the story picks up the pace. But I found myself glued to the pages not because of what was going on around Rothschild, more for the startlingly unique parallels he draws between his surroundings and his thought process used to work his way deeper into the mysteries of the Stela of Paser. Rothschild is an interesting character, developing more depth through the novel, mirroring the repeated theme of looking at the world in increasingly smaller increments and finding only more confusion, more possibilities. While reading I felt myself immersed in the dirty, gritty yet charming streets of London. Certainly, having spent a significant amount of time living there allowed the author a palette of real experiences with which to paint the setting for the book. Although some of the descriptions seem cliché, I get the distinct impression that Londoners are like this, much in the way that many stereotypes of Americans ring true. I can see how a piece like the Stela of Paser might inspire a writer to want to probe its mysteries, similar to the way it tantalizes Dr. Rothschild. It would be difficult to avoid developing an interest in this fascinating, yet overlooked piece of ancient history. Some reviewers have complained about the resolution of the third translation itself. My advice is that if you were really bothered by how the story is resolved, the story wasn't for you. Move on. I found that Dr. Rothschild ended up discovering a lot more about himself than anything about the Stela. Because he was not a static character, there was resolution, and that was the point. Let's face it. In the past two years, "The DaVinci Code" has shattered records and become a household name, common lexicon in the popular fiction arena. I'm sure that Dan Brown's novel is a "masterpiece", but I'll never know because I will be at least one person who will never read it. Why, you ask? The answer is simple. Just because a lot of people like a book doesn't mean the book is quality writing. If you belong to the teeming throngs wanting the exact same thing as "The DaVinci Code", do yourself a favor and reread it. Don't buy a book, knowing full well that may be (heaven forbid) a completely different story with different characters, read the first 20 pages, and then pan it with a one star review. If it were that easy to write novels, you'd be doing it. One thing I can guarantee, "The Third Translation" is an extremely well written first novel. It is not a movie. It does not star Arnold Schwarzenegger. You should enjoy it as such.

Pleased with this read.

I will start by saying that I read more history than fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I found it well crafted and compelling. The Third Translation is many different things. It is one part chaotic adventure. The reader is led through the streets of London on a desperate search for an invaluable artifact that has been stolen from the British Museum. It is imperative that this piece is returned and I was completely pulled into the story and felt the urgency of the search as if it were my own. I won't try to summarize the plot any further, as other reviewers have done a much better job than I could, but suffice it to say, the Third Translation is a wild ride. But, the adventure/mystery aspect of the Third Translation shouldn't be overemphasized at the expense of underemphasizing what else this book offers. For readers who like character driven stories, the Third Translation won't disappoint. Walter Rothschild is a middle aged, American Egyptologist with an ex-wife and a twenty- something daughter. He and I share, except for perhaps a love of ancient history, nothing in common. In fact, I probably have much more in common with the heroines of the hugely popular chic-lit novels. But the Third Translation did what good literary fiction does - it allows the reader to identify and empathize with someone very unlike themselves. And thats the mark of good literary fiction. The characters in this work are dynamic and well developed and for this reason, combined with a compelling story line (which I feel another reviewer has misunderstood) this work will satisfy readers of all types and interests. I am excited to see what Mr.Bondurant produces next.

Great first novel from a new writer--don't miss this one!

For the opposite reasons that I had to toss "The Da Vinci Code" onto the top of my unread pile of poorly written novels, I was happily entranced and engaged by "The Third Translation." In this novel I found all of the things that were missing with Dan Brown's narrative-Bondurant gives you original and human characters, real world sorrow and confusion that one expects in good literature, unsettling and wonderful plot movements, and the confident craft of tension that is seen more often in the works of Chabon and Irving. Matt Bondurant is a novelist with a long and brilliant career ahead of him-rarely have I picked up a first novel from a new writer and been so impressed with the characters, tension, and craft of the narrative. Unlike the pulp mysteries that "The Third Translation" is compared to, this novel is filled with brave and original characters who challenge us with their particular obsessive behaviors-there is no comparison between the obtuse brilliance of Bondurant's Walter Rothschild and the "Indiana Jones" mimicry of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon. It is a shame that these two novels are even being compared, and it is a disservice to Bondurant's craft that they are mentioned in the same breath. That said, if one enjoys the pressure and tempo of novels like TDVC, I would recommend they take the next step into the realm of literary suspense that Bondurant represents so splendidly. Bondurant intersperses complicated Egyptology within the constricts of the novel (a difficult task in itself) as the plot runs us through the London underground, the British Museum, Soho, Covent Garden, etc. His adept handling of this monumental task is tempered with the wonderful humor of the novel, not to mention the great pathos he develops for the main characters (not since Ignacious J. Reilly from "A Confederacy of Dunces," have I fallen in love with such an unloveable character). But more than all of these great qualities, this novel is written with great care and great ability-Bondurant mixes the complicated axioms of the scholarly with the equally poignant world of the mad and fetid London club scene. Often, this transition from the sterility of the British Museum to the urine soaked cobbled streets of Soho reminds me of those transitional moments of cytology and whale lore in "Moby Dick." Beyond all of this, however, TTT is a fun and uproariously wild ride that will make you ache for the feral madness of London. It is human, absurd, wonderful. It is literary, scholarly, intense, and untamed. If you are like me, you will consume this one in a day, then start over in order to discover what you might have missed on the first read. Don't miss the boat, as some reviewers obviously have--this is a great, poignantly written and crafted, new novel.