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Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach

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Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach (On a Glittering Black Sea) is an award winning science fiction novel written in Scottish Gaelic by Tim Armstrong. Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach is the first hard science-fiction novel in Gaelic written for adults. The story combines elements of space opera, dark cyberpunk, romance and rock-band road-trip adventure. The central conceit of the novel is that in space, everyone speaks Gaelic, allowing the author to create an entirely Gaelic-speaking world for the characters.

Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach won the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award in 2013.

The sequel, An Luingeas Dorcha air Fàire is contained in STEALL, the Gaelic magazine, published by CLÀR.

Choisinn Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach le Tim Armstrong duais Ciad Leabhar na Bliadhna bho Chomann Crois na Brataich (Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award) ann an 2013.

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

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About the author

Tim Armstrong

3 books7 followers
Timothy Currie Armstrong publishes in Scottish Gaelic and in English.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Stiofán.
23 reviews3 followers
March 20, 2021
Scéal spéisiúil spraíúil agus domhan aisteach ilchineálach á thógáil i slí thaitneamhach ach braithim laigí áirithe ar an insint agus ar ghluaiseacht an leabhair. Carachtair áirithe forbartha agus taitneamhach ach carachtair eile neamhiomlán. Caithfear aitheantas a thabhairt don aistriúchán Gaeilge agus úsáid iontach na gcanúintí ar son na carachtarachta, rud a mholaim go mór. Úrscéal deas scíthléitheoireachta is ea é agus bead sásta an dara ceann sa tsraith a léamh nuair a thagann sé.
Profile Image for Nathaniel.
414 reviews67 followers
June 25, 2018
Bha mi an dòchas agus, às dèidh a h-uile rud a bha mi air cluinntinn mu dheidhinn, an dùil gum biodh an leabhar seo math dha-rìribh, agus...cha robh. Tha an cànan/cleachdadh-cànain aig Tim Armstrong, an dòigh anns a bheil e a’ sgrìobhadh agus a’ dealbhadh, fìor-mhath — chan e sin an dùbhlan, ach nach eil an stòiridh, an dreachd, a’ tighinn còmhla mar bu chòir.

Bha na tachartasan san nobhail a’ faireachdainn do-cheangailte bhon a chèile, mar nach robh deagh adhbhar ann air an son. Agus cha d’ fhuair mi riamh beachd fhìor dhen t-saoghal anns an robh iad, oir cha robh iad ann an àite sam bith ach airson cuid de dhuilleagan.

Bha mi ag iarraidh barrachd, ach cha robh ann an dòigh math: bha mi ag iarraidh barrachd oir cha robh gu leòr ann airson ’s gun creid mi an sgeulachd. Bha a h-uile rud a’ tachairt agus a’ dol air adhart ro luath, nam bheachdsa, agus bha cus àiteachan ann. Chan eil mi a’ cur mòran earbsa anns na h-aonachdan aig Aristotle, ach ann an leabhar mar seo, goirid gu leòr, ’s dòcha gum bu chòir dhan ùghdar a bhith a’ smaoineachadh orra, gu h-àraid (san leabhar seo) air aonachd an àite.

(deasaichte 25.6.18): Chuir mi an rangachadh agam suas gu 4 rionnagan — chan eil mi buileach cinnteach carson, ach chòrd an leabhar seo rium na b’ fheàrr an dàrna turas a leugh mi e. Tha an turas chun na Talmhainn fhathast a’ togail cheistean nach tèid a fhreagairt, ach cha robh an leabhar a’ faireachdainn a cheart cho luath an turas seo, agus b’ e sin an gearrain bu mhotha agam a’ chiad turas.
Profile Image for Alison Lang.
Author 7 books12 followers
June 17, 2014
Aig an fhìor thoiseach, feumaidh mi ùidh phroifeiseanta a chlàradh, oir tha mi air leabhar eile a sgrìobh Tim Armstrong (Feur Buidhe an t-Samhraidh) a dheasachadh agus bhithinn a’ moladh an ùghdair seo co-dhiù.

Ach ged nach biodh an ceangal seo eadarainn, bhithinn airson rudeigin a ràdh mu dheidhinn “Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach”, oir is e leabhar sònraichte a th’ ann agus airidh air an duais Saltire a fhuair e an-uiridh.

Gheibh thu an seo na rudan ris am biodh tu an dùil ann am ficsean-saidheans sam bith, leithid phlanaidean àraid agus chreutairean eagallach (gu h-àraid na poileis leth-chrogall – ’s iad as fheàrr leam) agus samhail air cuspairean mòra an t-saoghail againn fhìn – cumhachd, ana-cheartas, adhartas agus daonnachd – ann an àrainneachd a tha gan toirt am follais ann an dòighean ùra èifeachdach.

Gheibh thu cuideachd an rud ris nach biodh tu an dùil … gnè ficsein nach faic sinn tric sa Ghàidhlig. Tim has gone where no Gaelic author has gone before, at least not at full novel length, although Iain Mac IllEathain’s “An Keppler” might qualify for first place in the short story race to space.

The best sci-fi creates a world that reflects our own, and if the characters that inhabit that world evoke our sympathies we will want to revisit it, which is what I wanted to do by the end of “Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach”. Sàl and Riosa may have survived this first brush with the Interstellar Federation’s power brokers, but this is simply episode 1 and readers will demand further instalments.

Okay, so I’m biased (as an editor who’s worked with Tim on another title), but I can’t be the only one who wants to know what happens next.

Cum ort, ma-tà, Tim, agus thoir dhuinn barrachd de na gaisgich shònraichte agad!
9 reviews1 follower
December 6, 2019
Nis, ann am Beurla -- Science Fiction. Written in Gaelic. Is it the best science fiction novel I ever read? No. Is it the worst? Definitely not! I am in chapter 3, enjoying the story, and learning lots of fun idioms I haven't run across previously. "--aig beul na h-oidhche." "--air glasadh an latha." I am reading this on Kindle, and there is no Gaelic.Mobi dictionary available for Kindle at this time. A decent work-around is to download a Kindle format Gaelic Dictionary (I use Colin Mark's masterpiece) and keep it in your device. Then when I am reading Gaelic and I hit a word I don't know or remember, I can "select" it, click on the little magnifying glass to "search," select "all Text" and then all instances of that word in any book on your device will appear. Click the one from your dictionary, and that will usually give me enough hint to understand what the word means without badly breaking the flow of my reading.
21 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2014
Bha iongnadh mòr orm nuair a thachair mi ri nobhail scifi sa Ghàidhlig - chan fhaca mi a leithid riamh! Ach 's e seo an genre as fheàrr leam, agus mar sin bha mi air mo dhòigh! Tha am plota gu math tana, agus dh'fhaodadh na caractairean a bhith nas leasaichte, ach chòrd an sgeulachd rium, agus bu chaomh leam faighinn a-mach dè thachras ri Sàl, Rìosa agus A-Hiom. Cuin a sgrìobhas Tim an ath leabhar?!
Profile Image for Seán Ó Catháin.
6 reviews2 followers
January 14, 2022
Níl mórán de chur amach agam ar shaothair ficsin eolaíochta ach thaitin an scéal go mór liom. Stíl shoiléir scríbhneoireachta thíos tríd; d'airigh mé go raibh deifir ar luas an scéil i dtreo an deiridh, áfach.
30 reviews
January 24, 2025
Dàna-thuras punc spòrsail

Cha bhi mi a' leughadh a leithid seo ann am Beurla, ach abair gun do ghabh mi spòrs leis an leabhar seo! Douglas Adams airson luchd-punc, agus dèante film math às. Fear dhe na sgeulachdan ùra original a leugh mi sa Ghàidhlig.
239 reviews3 followers
February 10, 2023
Thaitin an scéal seo go mór mór liom! Ba dheas ficsean na heolaíochta a léamh as Gaeilge!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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