Books: Two translations from the German

It is a pity that when I learned Dutch my German faltered so badly that I can't seem to find my way back, but I may read these, as reviewed, less than perfect translations of Settlement and New Lives.

This quote from the reviewer demands my attention:

How should humans act when the gods who once ordered their fates withdraw and the authors who might guide them ahead would rather look back?

A most telling quote and one to reckon with!