Novedad: Ultima, de Stephen Baxter

Esta semana se ha publicado Ultima, la secuela de Proxima, de Stephen Baxter. Ésta es su sinopsis:

Fresh from his latest collaboration with Terry Pratchett on the Long Earth sequence Stephen Baxter now returns to the mysteries and challanges first hinted at in his acclaimed novel PROXIMA.

In PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua - hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It's time for us to fight to take back control.

This is grand scale, big idea SF of the best possible sort. It is set to build on the massive success of PROXIMA and define Stephen Baxter's work going forward.

Novedad: Legion, Skin Deep, de Brandon Sanderson

Ya está a la venta Legion: Skin Deep, la secuela de Legion de Brandon Sanderson. Además, como anunció Fantástica Ficción hace unos días, en su versión en audiolibro se puede adquirir de forma gratuita.

Ésta es la sinopsis del libro:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Stephen Leeds is back in a new, double-length novella that Library Journal says has "the pulse of a thriller and the hook of a fascinating hero balancing on the edge of psychosis."

It's not his own genius that Stephen Leeds gets hired for. Clients want to tap into the imaginary experts that populate his mind—and it's getting a bit crowded in there.

Now Stephen and his internal team of "aspects" have been hired to track down a stolen corpse—but it's not the corpse that's important, it's what the corpse knows. The biotechnology company he worked for believes he encoded top-secret information in his DNA before he died, and if it falls into the wrong hands, that will mean disaster.

Meanwhile, Stephen's uneasy peace with his own hallucinations is beginning to fray at the edges, as he strives to understand how one of them could possibly have used Stephen's hand to shoot a real gun during the previous case. And some of those hallucinations think they know better than Stephen just how many aspects his mind should make room for. How long will he be able to hold himself together?

Ebook en oferta: Empuñapiedras, de Ian C. Esslemont

Durante el día de hoy se puede adquirir el ebook de Empuñapiedras, de Ian C. Esslemont, por 1,89€ en Amazon España. Ésta es la sinopsis de la novela:

Melena Gris creía haber dejado atrás su pasado. Tenía su escuela de esgrima en Falar y estaba deseando disfrutar de una existencia más estable, aunque su colega Kyle no estaba tan enamorado de la vida fuera de la Guardia Carmesí. Sin embargo, para un antiguo puño del Imperio de Malaz no es tan fácil desaparecer, sobre todo cuando te han declarado traidor. 

Además, el nuevo emperador se ha obsesionado con la ignominia de la fallida invasión del subcontinente de Korel. En las criptas que hay bajo la capital imperial yacen las respuestas, y de esta historia enterrada emerge un único nombre: Empuñapiedras.

Mientras el caos acecha, un magistrado local investiga una serie de asesinatos solo para encontrarse con que está llegando al corazón de un crimen mucho más antiguo y aterrador…

Novedad: Alucinadas, editada por Cristina Jurado y Leticia Lara

Hoy se pone a la venta la antología Alucinadas, editada por Cristina Jurado y Leticia Lara. El libro, que recoge relatos de ciencia ficción escritos por mujeres en español (y que ya nos presentó la semana pasada la propia Cristina Jurado) se puede adquirir hoy y mañana gratuitamente mediante pago social en Lektu. Posteriormente, mantendrá su precio a 1€ hasta la celebración de la MiRCon 2014 y, a partir de entonces, se podrá comprar por 1,99€.

Los contenidos de la antología son los siguientes:

• Prólogo, Ann VanderMeer
• Introducción, Cristina Jurado
• La Tepsícore, Teresa P. Mira de Echeverría
• La plaga, Felicidad Martínez 
• La tormenta, Laura Ponce 
• El método Schiwoll, Yolanda Espiñeira 
• Casas Rojas, Nieves Delgado
• Mares que cambian, Lola Robles
• Techt, Sofía Rhei 
• Bienvenidos a Croatoan, Layla Martínez
• Black Isle, Marian Womack 
• Memoria de equipo, Carme Torras 
• A la luz de la casta luna electrónica, Angélica Gorodischer

Solaris Rising 3, antología de Ian Whates, una reseña en 10 preguntas

Ha pasado algún tiempo desde la última vez que escribí una reseña en forma de respuestas a una lista predeterminada de preguntas. Es un formato que me gusta bastante y que creo que se adapta muy bien a las antologías de relatos, así que he decidido utilizarlo para reseñar Solaris Rising 3, editada por Ian Whates. ¡Espero que os guste!

1) ¿Cuál de las historias incluidas en Solaris Rising 3 es tu favorita?

Debo confesar que ninguna de las historias incluidas en el libro me ha fascinado realmente. La calidad media es muy buena y hay unos cuantos relatos con los que he disfrutado mucho pero, por varias razones, ninguno de ellos me parece excelente. Dicho lo cual, probablemente mis favoritos son "Double Blind" de Tony Ballantyne y "The Mashup" de Sean Williams.

2) ¿Qué historia te ha sorprendido más?

"Popular Images from the First Manned Mission to Enceladus", de Alex Dally MacFarlane, me ha sorprendido por su formato inusual (la historia se narra por medio de los posters que se utilizan para publicitar la misión del título) y "The Mashup", de Sean Williams, por su premisa (volveré sobre el particular más abajo).

3) ¿Qué historia te gustaría ver extendida a novela?

Muchas de ellas. De hecho, mi principal problema con la antología es que muchos de los finales me parecieron muy, muy abruptos. Por ejemplo, creo que "Double Blind", de Tony Ballantyne,"The Mashup", de Sean Williams, "The Frost on Jade Buds", de Aliette de Bodard y "Fift & Shira", de Benjamin Rosenbaum, por nombra unas pocas, saldrían ganando de ser un poco más largas.  

4) ¿Es alguno de los autores incluidos en Solaris Rising 3 uno de tus favoritos? ¿Qué te parecieron sus historias?

Sí, de hecho me interesé en Solaris Rising 3 en cuanto supe que iba a incluir historias de Benjanun Sriduangkaew, Ken Liu y Aliette de Bodard, tres de mis escritores de relatos favoritos. Siempre están a la altura y esta ocasión no ha sido una excepción.

5) ¿Has descubierto a algún autor nuevo en esta antología?

Me gustó bastante "A Taste for Murder", de Julie E. Czerneda, una autora en la que llevaba un tiempo interesado pero cuya obra no había leído hasta ahora. También, como mencioné arriba, me sorprendió mucho el relato de Alex Dally MacFarlane. Y no es que sea exactamente un autor nuevo para mí (porque ya había leído varias de sus historias en otros libros y revistas) pero me alegró encontrar una historia de Benjamin Rosembaum, a quien, imperdonablemente, tenía casi olvidado.  

6) ¿Qué historia tiene la premisa más original?

La idea de las esferas misteriosas en "The Mashup", de Sean Williams, es realmente interesante y original.  

7) En tu opinión, ¿qué historia tiene la ciencia "más dura"? ¿Y la más "blanda"?

No clasificaría ninguna de las historias incluidas en Solaris Rising 3 como CF dura, pero se podría argumentar que "Thing and Sick", de Adam Roberts, usa "filosofía dura". Por el contrario, varios de los de los relatos son bastante "blandos" en su uso de la ciencia, como por ejemplo "The Sullen Engines", de George Zebrowski, y "The Science of Chance", de Nina Allan.    

8) ¿Hay alguna historia que no encaje con el tema de la antología?

Casi todas las historias encajan perfectamente, ya que el tema de Solaris Rising 3 es el amplio "ciencia ficción". Sin embargo, como mencioné en la respuesta anterior "The Sullen Engines", de George Zebrowski, y "The Science of Chance", de Nina Allan, tienen tan pocos elementos "científicos" o "especulativos" que algunas personas incluso podrían llegar a considerar que se salen del género de la ciencia ficción.

9) ¿Alguna de las historias de Solaris Rising 3 no te ha gustado?

Confieso que "Faith Without Teeth", de Ian Watson, y "The Sullen Engines", de George Zebrowski, son demasiado surrealistas para mi gusto.

10) ¿Cómo compararías Solaris Rising 3 con Solaris Rising 2?

No quedé muy satisfecho con Solaris Rising 2 (que reseñé a principios de año) y creo que aunque Solaris Rising 3 está lejos de ser perfecta, es una antología superior en casi todos los aspectos.   

(You can also read this review in English/También puedes leer esta reseña en inglés)

Solaris Rising 3, edited by Ian Whates, a review in 10 questions

(Disclaimer: English is my second language, so I want to apologize in advance for there may be mistakes in the text below. If you find any, please let me know so that I can correct it. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.) 

It has been some time since I have written a review in the form of answers to a set of predefined questions. I quite like the format and I find it particularly fit for anthologies of short stories, so I have decided to use it to review Solaris Rising 3, edited by Ian Whates. Hope you enjoy it!

1) Which of the stories included in Solaris Rising 3 is your favorite?

I must confess that I don't exactly love any of the stories included in the book. The average quality is very good and there are quite a number that I really enjoyed, but, for several reasons, none of them stroke me as excellent. That said, my favorite stories are, probably, "Double Blind" by Tony Ballantyne and "The Mashup" by Sean Williams.

2) Which story did surprise you the most?

"Popular Images from the First Manned Mission to Enceladus", by Alex Dally MacFarlane, surprised me because of its unusual form (the story is told by means of posters used to advertise the mission of the title) and "The Mashup", by Sean Williams, because of its premise (more on this later).

3) What story would you like to see expanded into a novel?

Many of them. In fact, my main problem with the anthology is that I found many of the endings of the stories to be really, really abrupt. For instance, I think that "Double Blind", by Tony Ballantyne,"The Mashup" by Sean Williams, "The Frost on Jade Buds", by Aliette de Bodard and "Fift & Shira", by Benjamin Rosenbaum, to name a few, would have benefitted from being longer.  

4) Is any of the authors included in Solaris Rising 3 one of your personal favorites? What did you think of their stories?

Yes, in fact I became interested in Solaris Rising 3 as soon as I saw that it was going to include stories by Benjanun Sriduangkaew, Ken Liu and Aliette de Bodard, three of my favorite short-story writers. They always deliver, and this case was not exception. 

5) Have you discovered any new author in this anthology?

I really liked "A Taste for Murder", by Julie E. Czerneda, an author in which I've been interested for some time but whose work I had never read before. Also, as I mentioned above, I was very surprised by Alex Dally MacFarlane's story. And not exactly a new author to me (because I have read several of his stories in other books and magazines) but I was glad to find a story by Benjamin Rosembaum, whom I had, unforgivably, almost forgotten.  

6) Which of the stories has the more original premise?

The idea of the mysterious spheres in "The Mashup", by Sean Williams, was really, really interesting and original.  

7) In your opinion, which of the story is the hardest in terms of "hard science"? And the softest?

I wouldn't classify any of the stories included in Solaris Rising 3 exactly as hard SF, but one can argue that "Thing and Sick", by Adam Roberts, uses "hard philosophy". Conversely, several of the stories are quite "soft" in their use of science, for instance "The Sullen Engines", by George Zebrowski, and "The Science of Chance", by Nina Allan.    

8) Do you think that there is any story that does not perfectly match the theme in the anthology?

Almost all the stories fit perfectly well, the theme of Solaris Rising 3 being the broad "science fiction". However, as I mentioned in the previous answer, "The Sullen Engines", by George Zebrowski, and "The Science of Chance", by Nina Allan, include so few "scientific" or "speculative" elements that they might even be considered to be outside the science fiction genre by some.

9) Is there any story in Solaris Rising 3 that you have not liked?

I confess that "Faith Without Teeth", by Ian Watson, and "The Sullen Engines", by George Zebrowski, were way too surreal for my taste.

10) How does Solaris Rising 3 compare to Solaris Rising 2?

I was not very satisfied with Solaris Rising 2 (which I reviewed in Spanish earlier this year) and I think that even if Solaris Rising 3 is far from being perfect, is a superior anthology in almost every regard.   

(You can also read this review in Spanish/También puedes leer esta reseña en español)

Novedad en Sportula: Crónicas de tinieblas, editado por Eduardo Vaquerizo

Sportula ha puesto a la venta Crónicas de tinieblas, una antología editada por Eduardo Vaquerizo que incluye relatos de varios autores situados en el universo de las novelas Danza de tinieblas y Memoria de tinieblas. Los escritores que participan son: Alfredo Álamo, Alberto García-Teresa, Cristina Jurado, Eduardo Vaquerizo, Fernando Ángel Moreno, Gabriel Díaz, Josemi de Alonso, Joseph Remesar, Josué Ramos, Juan Carlos Herreros, Luis Eduardo Bermejo, Mª Jesús Álvarez, Pedro López Manzano, Raúl Montes de Oca, Santiago Eximeno, Sofía Rhei y Víctor Conde.

El libro tiene 500 páginas y se puede adquirir en edición impresa por 27€ o en formato digital (sin DRM) por 4€. Ésta es su sinopsis:

Mucho ha sucedido en las Españas desde que don Juan de Austria se convirtiera en nuestro rey tras la trágica y sorprendente muerte de Su Majestad Felipe II. Incontables acontecimientos han tenido lugar en el Imperio desde entonces. Un Imperio que pese a las intrigas papistas de Roma, las ambiciones del Turco en el Este o las radicales aspiraciones de los colonos de Nueva Borgoña, se ha mantenido firme y estable durante estos cinco siglos. 

Todo eso es, por supuesto, de conocimiento público. Pero otras cosas no lo son tanto. Todo Imperio está poblado de luces y sombras y es allí, en las sombras, donde nuestros atrevidos cronistas osan explorar sin temor para mostrarnos la parte más oculta y sombría de nuestra historia.

Acompáñanos, amable lector, a lo largo de estas Crónicas de Tinieblas, explora con nosotros un pasado que quizá desconocías pero que, te lo aseguramos, no es menos cierto que aquel del que ya tenías noticia.

Novedad: Cuentos de Artifex, de Alejandro Carneiro

No se trata, estrictamente hablando, de una novedad puesto que se publicó hace unos meses, pero yo he descubierto hace poco que Alejandro Carneiro ha editado un ebook con los relatos que publicó en las distintas épocas de la revista Artifex. El libro, titulado Cuentos de Artifex, está disponible en Amazon a un precio estupendo (1,02€) e incluye relatos ganadores y finalistas de premios como el Ignotus, el Domingo Santos o el Melocotón Mecánico. 

Ésta es su sinopsis:

Recopilación de los cuentos publicados por el autor en la “Antología Artifex” durante la década 2000-2010. 

Un variado muestrario donde la fantasía, la aventura y el humor surrealista forman la ligazón de una serie de historias que suceden en diferentes épocas y lugares para desgracia de sus personajes.

“El hombrecillo de la Maceta”: Premio Domingo Santos. Las andanzas de un liliputiense urbano y su atolondrada casera.

“Desde el tercer círculo del Infierno”: Finalista del premio Ignotus. Un capitán de la Guardia Civil, fallecido en acto de servicio, nos describe su viaje por un infierno dantesco bastante animadillo.

“En una bañera cualquiera”: Finalista del premio Ignotus. Una Space Opera en un universo muy peculiar.

“Barrotes Celestiales”: Caen misteriosas jaulas del cielo que atrapan a las personas. Un detective está dispuesto a descubrir el misterio.

“El buey de Domicio”: El buey de un centurión retirado empieza a soltar profecías, para desespero de su dueño y pasmo del imperio romano.

“Huitzilopochtli Tonight”: Mención especial en el Premio Melocotón Mecánico. ¿Quién no quiere ser sacrificado en el concurso más exitoso de la historia?.

“Al-Iksir”: En plena batalla de Estalingrado, un grupo de soldados alemanes se ve metido en una extraña misión.

“Una valla en la Eternidad”: Finalista del Premio Ignotus. La Santa Compaña se topa en su camino eterno con las obras de una autopista. Nada bueno puede salir de semejante encuentro.

Novedad en Fata Libelli: El ciclo de Xuya, de Aliette de Bodard

Ya está a la venta El ciclo de Xuya, una colección de relatos de Aliette de Bodard que nos ofrece Fata Libelli. Como siempre, está disponible en formato electrónico sin DRM y tiene un precio de 6,90€. 

Ésta es su sinopsis:

China ha llegado antes que Europa a las Américas y el continente ha quedado bajo la influencia de la cultura asiática, apartando así a los países occidentales de su papel dominante en el flujo de la historia. El territorio que ocuparía Estados Unidos se ha visto empequeñecido por la presión de dos superpotencias: Magna Mexica, una oligarquía azteca que controla todo el sur, y Xuya, el imperio independizado de China que controla el oeste. Al este, queda un reducido territorio estadounidense y, en el resto del continente, siguen existiendo sistemas de gobierno incas y mayas. Este es el mundo de Xuya, donde se exploran, bajo el prisma de los grandes tropos de la ciencia ficción, desde los riesgos y beneficios de una neurotecnología invasiva a los dilemas de crear Mentes (ancestros convertidos en inteligencias artificiales integradas en una nave espacial), todo ello narrado con un tono intimista que nos habla del desarraigo y el exilio, de las complejas relaciones familiares en una sociedad jerárquica y las dificultades de la vida del mestizo. 

Aliette de Bodard es una de las voces más prolíficas y prometedoras de la ciencia ficción europea. Merecedora de premios y nominaciones desde que ya en 2009 aspirara a ganar el John W. Campbell como mejor escritora novel, ha cosechado prestigiosos galardones con su ficción breve inspirada en el universo de Xuya: British Science Fiction Award (2009) para «La creadora de naves»; Nebula y Locus (2012) para «Inmersión»; Nebula (2013) para «Las estrellas esperan». Este volumen de catorce relatos se completa con En una estación roja, a la deriva, novela corta de próxima aparición ambientada en el mismo universo. Traducción de Pilar Ramírez Tello, Diego de los Santos, Marcheto y Silvia Schettin.

Tres reseñas de cómics de Image

Review Soundtrack: Sugiero leer esta reseña escuchando Wicked Ways, de Garbage (Spotify, YouTube).

Image es, probablemente, mi editorial de cómics favorita en estos momentos. Obviamente, no todos sus libros son de la misma calidad, pero me encanta el modo en que apoyan historias arriesgadas y originales. Recientemente, he tenido la oportunidad de leer el primer volumen de tres de sus nuevas serias y, de nuevo, me han sorprendido y dejado muy satisfecho.

Shutter, escrito por Joe Keating e ilustrado por Leila del Duca, aunque es bastante entretenido, ha sido el que menos me ha gustado de los tres. Sigue firmemente los pasos de la exitosa Saga, con una alocada combinación de tropos de la ciencia ficción y la fantasía. Kate Kristopher, la protagonista principal, vivió muchas aventuras en mundos exóticos acompañada por su padre cuando era niña. Ahora, veinte años después, su pasado vuelve para alterar su vida, aunque ella sólo quiere olvida y estar en paz.

Los primeros números me parecieron algo precipitados, y la historia se vuelve mucho más interesante cuando se introducen flashbacks de la vida de Kate para introducir contexto. El dibujo es muy bueno, con algunos momentos auténticamente brillantes, y mejora número a número. En definitiva, un buen (pero no excelente) cómic que se beneficiaría de un ritmo algo más pausado. Puede que lea el siguiente volumen, pero no estoy precisamente ansioso por saber qué sucede a continuación.

The Wicked + The Divine, con guión de Kieron Gillen y dibujos de Jamie McKelvie, me gustó más. La premisa es fantástica (un panteón de dioses que, cada 90 años, "poseen" a un grupo de jóvenes dándoles poderes divinos), aunque no se explota completamente en estos cinco primeros números, que son un poco irregulares. Por ejemplo, algunos de los personajes son simplemente fascinantes (especialmente Luci) mientras que otros no están demasiado desarrollados. La trama da algunos bandazos y termina con un cliffhanger no demasiado sorprendente, pero que deja la historia en un punto realmente interesante.

El dibujo es, como en el caso de Shutter, muy bueno. Me encantan las portadas, por ejemplo, y toda la imaginería de los dioses como estrellas del pop es excelente. De nuevo, esto funciona mejor con algunos personajes que con otros, pero es bastante consistente durante todo el volumen. También hay algunas composiciones de páginas muy inteligentes, que ayudan mucho a contar la historia. A pesar de los problemas de ritmo, de este cómic sí que leeré el siguiente volumen casi con total seguridad.

Y llegamos a mi favorito de los tres: C.O.W.L., escrito por Kyle Higgins y Alec Siegel e ilustrado por Rod Reis. Imaginad una mezcla de Watchmen con The Wire y tendréis una idea bastante aproximada de la trama de esta novela gráfica. El C.O.W.L. del título es, de hecho, un sindicato de personas con super-poderes que trabajan para el departamento de policía de Chicago en los años 60. Acaban de conseguir detener al último gran supervillano y ahora se enfrentan a una nueva era en la que sus servicios quizá no sean tan necesarios. La trama se centra en los problemas políticos, sociales y económicos que surgen de esta nueva situación.

La atmósfera, el ritmo de la historia y el desarrollo de los personajes son casi perfectos, como lo es el dibujo, que tiene una fuerte personalidad. Los primeros números son algo difíciles de seguir, pero una vez que se conoce a los protagonistas es imposible dejar de leer. El final de este primer volumen no es exactamente sorprendente, pero es la única resolución posible en vista de los hechos y espero con ganas ver cómo se desarrolla todo a partir de ese punto.

Image no me ha decepcionado y recomiendo echarle un vistazo a estos tres cómics, especialmente a C.O.W.L. por su calidad global y a The Wicked + The Divine por su gran potencial. Yo, por de pronto, no perderé de vista nada de lo que publique esta editorial.  

(You can also read this review in English/También puedes leer esta reseña en inglés)

Three Image Comics Reviews

Review Soundtrack: I suggest reading this review while listening to Wicked Ways, by Garbage (Spotify, YouTube).

Image is, probably, my favorite comic-book publisher at the moment. Obviously, not all their books are of the same quality, but I love the way they support original and bold stories. Recently, I've had the chance of reading the first volume of three of their new series and was, again, surprised and very satisfied.

Shutter, written by Joe Keating and illustrated by Leila del Duca, though quite enjoyable was my least favorite of the three. It follows closely on the success of Saga, with a wild combination of science fiction and fantasy tropes. Kate Kristopher, the main protagonist, lived many adventures in exotic worlds with her father when she was a young girl. Now, twenty years after, her past is trying to catch up with her even if she wants to forget and live a quite life. 

I found the first issues to be a bit rushed, and the story becomes much more interesting when flashbacks of the life of Kate are introduced to provide context. The art is very good, with some moments of sheer brilliancy, and it only gets better with each issue. All in all, a good (but not excellent) comic-book that would benefit from a slightly slower pace. I might be reading the next volume, but I'm not exactly holding my breath to know what happens next.  

I did like The Wicked + The Divine, written by Kieron Gillen with art by Jamie McKelvie, better. The premise is amazing (a pantheon of gods that, every 90 years, "possess" young boys and girls giving them divine powers), although not completely exploited in this first five issues, which are a bit uneven. For instance, some of the characters are just fascinating (especially Luci) while others are not that well developed. The plot meanders a bit and ends with a cliffhanger that is not very surprising, but that leaves the story at a really interesting point.    

The art is, as in the case of Shutter, very good. I just love the covers, for instance, and all the imagery of the gods as pop-stars is superb. Again, this works better for some characters than for other, but it is quite consistent through the volume. There are also some intelligent page compositions that really add a lot and help telling the story. Despite the pace problems, this is one I will most surely be reading when the next volume comes out. 

And we arrive at my favorite of the three: C.O.W.L., written by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel and illustrated by Rod Reis. Imagine Watchmen meets The Wire and you will get a close idea of what the plot of this comic-book is about. The C.O.W.L. of the title is, in fact, a union of super-powered people that work for the police department of Chicago in the '60s. They have just been able to put the last super-villain into jail and now they face a new era in which they might be not so necessary. The plot focuses on the political, social and economic problems that arise in this new situation. 

The atmosphere, the pace of the story and the development of the characters are almost perfect, as is the art, which shows a lot of personality. The first issues are a bit difficult to follow, but once we get to know the main protagonists it is impossible to stop reading. The end of the first volume is not exactly surprising, but is the only possible resolution given the facts and I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything develops.

Image does not disappoint and these are three comic-books that I really recommend checking out, especially C.O.W.L. for its overall quality and The Wicked + The Divine for its potential. I, for one, will keep a close eye on anything published by Image.  

(You can also read this review in Spanish/También puedes leer esta reseña en español)

Novedad en Aristas Martínez: Presencia Humana Magazine 5

Ya está a la venta el quinto número de Presencia Humana Magazine, editado por Aristas Martínez. Tiene 128 páginas y cuesta 15€. 

Este número es un monográfico dedicado a la editorial Valdemar y cuenta con relatos y artículos de Clark Ashton Smith, Pilar Pedraza, Thomas Ligotti, José María Latorre, Jesús Cañadas, Riot Über Alles, Fermín Solís/José Luis Forte, Colectivo Juan de madre, Ángel Luis Sucasas, Daniel Ausente, Víctor Nubla, José María Nebreda, Luis Gámez, Juanma Santiago y Jesús Palacios. La ilustración de cubierta es obra de Javier Jubera.

Ésta es su sinopsis:

En este número de Presencia Humana Magazine ofrecemos un monográfico dedicado a la insigne Editorial Valdemar.

Ficción, artículos, cómic e ilustración entorno a lo extraño y enmarcado en los géneros de la fantasía, el terror y la ciencia ficción. Una propuesta dirigida tanto a los amantes de la literatura de género más popular, como a los que buscan nuevos referentes de la ciencia ficción de autor. Una cita trimestral con las historias más inquietantes de las voces más destacadas del panorama actual, presentadas en un formato vintage, diseñado para coleccionar.

Novedad en Sportula: Conozca a Conan Bomberg, de John Serrano

El más reciente título de Sportula es Conozca a Conan Bomberg, un relato de John Serrano. Tiene 39 páginas y se puede adquirir en formato digital (sin DRM) por 0,89€.

Ésta es su sinopsis:

Échale un vistazo a la vida de Conan Bomberg, conserje en un instituto de mala muerte cuya vida es una sucesión de fracasos. Un completo perdedor atrapado en un laberinto de mediocridad y patetismo que no tiene salida. 

Hasta que un día (el día en que su mujer lo abandona llevándose a su hija) descubre que se ha convertido en una especie de imán para el desastre y la locura. Conan Bomberg ya no volverá a ser el mismo... y el mundo a su alrededor tampoco.

Ebook en oferta: The City Stained Red, de Sam Sykes

En estos momentos se puede adquirir The City Stained Red, de Sam Sykes, por 1,49€ en Amazon España (cuidado, porque hay dos ediciones distintas y sólo una está rebajada). 

Ésta es la sinopsis de la novela:

After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world's beating heart. 

The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness. 

They've come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man. 

And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good. 

But this is no place to escape demons.

Novedad: Tommy Black and the Staff of Light, de Jake Kerr

Ya está a la venta Tommy Black and the Staff of Light, la novela juvenil que supone el debut en distancias largas de Jake Kerr. Ésta es su sinopsis:

For fourteen-year-old Tommy Black, nothing is worse than being raised by an overprotective grandfather in the city that never sleeps. That is until his grandfather is captured by magical creatures and Tommy has to save him with his family's magical staff.

That wouldn’t be so bad, but the only magic he can do with the staff is weak--making light. What the heck can you do with light?

Tommy finds out as he fights golems, shadow creatures, and djinn in a journey that features a magical river, an enchanted train, and an illusionary fortress. But the worst part of all? Tommy has to save his grandfather with the help of Naomi, a girl whose talent with magic is only rivaled by her ability to hurl insults.

Guest post: Anthology "Alucinadas", by Cristina Jurado

Anthology “Alucinadas”: 10 selected authors, 11 stories

(by Cristina Jurado)

Cristina Macía

María Leticia Lara

Thanks to Alucinadas, 185 female authors found the perfect excuse to write the stories that were nagging at them, craving to become printed words. With Cristina Macía from Palabaristas as an accomplice, and the connivance of María Leticia Lara Palomino from the blog Fantástica Ficción, yours truly started to work on organizing a compilation of science fiction stories written by women in Spanish, soon available through the online platform  Lektu. We wanted to show the interest of female authors in this genre, in which the lack of publishing venues is well documented. This scarcity is due in part to the current penurious publishing landscape in the literary market, even though few emerging initiatives are trying to change things.

We present to you 10 plus 1 selected female authors -further information will be shared later about the 11^th- most of them already with a publishing history, and one that we can consider a new talent. We got 205 submissions from 12 countries: Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Rumania. Sadly, the origin of some of them was untraceable.

Ana Díaz

Most of the submissions can be classified as dystopias (a very fashionable genre category, thanks to the last YA best-sellers), followed by fantasy stories, which were disqualified because they didn´t respect the terms and conditions of our call. Biopunk, horror science fiction, time travelling, cyberpunk, romance science fiction and post-apocalyptic stories were less popular. The uncommon were hard science fiction, steampunk, exploration fiction, social science fiction, military science fiction, humor science fiction, alternate history, science fiction thriller, weird and comics. Fortunately, our final selection showcases a wide variety of narrative styles and topics, illustrating the interests of female voices in science fiction. Special mention deserves the wonderful cover art by Ana Díaz, which reflects perfectly our objectives and the rationale behind Alucinadas.

Teresa P. Mira

The anthology opens with the winner of the submission call: “La Terpsícore” by Argentinian author Teresa P. Mira de Echeverría. This is the story of Captain Stephana Yurievna Levitánova´s static travelling in a singular spacecraft, whose artificial brain is incarnated in the body of a dead teenager. This is an example of quantic science fiction, as part of hard SF, because the expedition takes place not by moving the vessel from San Petersbourg, but reuniting inside several versions of the Captain from different alternate time lines. Levitánova has to face an ethical dilemma, reflecting the existentialist questioning in tune to Teresa´s professional carrier. She has a Phd in Philosophy and works as a professor and a researcher, exploring the relations between science fiction, philosophy and mythology. Some of her works have been published in magazines such as  “Próxima”, “Axxón”, “NM”, “Valinor” and “Opera galáctica”. Her short story “Memory” was included in the anthology Terra Nova by Sportula (both in the English and the Spanish versions) and was one of the finalists of 2013 Ignotus Awards. You can visit her blog to learn more about her literary carrier and personal interests. “La Terpsícore” won our call because of the range of its proposed ideas, as well as for offering all the elements –plot, characters, setting and narrative style- required to provoke the sense of wonder in the reader.

Felicidad Martínez

Felicidad Martínez is an industrial engineer from Valencia, and the author of the second story: “La plaga”. Alternating first and third person, Felicidad uses a very agile style in composing a militaristic space opera. Her incisive Lieutenant Rosenbaum squanders honesty and humor, and narrates the complications in a mission to a distant colony, after a mysterious indigenous insect attack. Even though she considers herself still as an amateur writer, Felicidad already has published works in her space opera universe of UC-Crow, developed also as a role-play game. Her novella “The texture of words” was included in Akasa-Puspa anthology by Aguilera y Redal, a finalist in the 2013 Ignotus Awards. Translated into Spanish, this story also appeared in the English anthology Terra Nova and in its Spanish version, Terra Nova 2. Her first novel “Horizonte Lunar” has been recently published by Sportula, and her short stories appear regularly in numerous science fiction anthologies.

Laura Ponce

“La tormenta” by Argentinian author Laura Ponce is set in planet Arkaris. It explores the effects of Arkarian environment in human destiny through the experiences of two military men. Stanisław Lem comes immediately to mind after reading it. The author credibly recreates a simple world, where the desert hides unsuspected secrets, strongly influencing its inhabitants. Laura is a writer, an editor, the director of “Revista Próxima” magazine and Ediciones Ayarmanot. She contributes every month in “Amazing Stories” with a feature on women in science fiction. Not only she collaborates with radio shows and traditional and online publications, but also her short stories have been published in magazines and anthologies in Argentina, Perú, Cuba and Spain. She is part of the Argentinian Center for Science Fiction and Philosophy, along with her countrywoman Teresa P. Mira de Echeverría. Both authors organize workshops and talks about the genre.

Yolanda Espiñeira

Yolanda Espiñeira, the Galician author of  “El método Schiwoll”, has conceived a science fiction thriller through two time lines: in the first, Mariana is being interrogated; in the second, we learn the details of her life in a luxurious district of planet Talití, which will help us unravel the raisons of her detention. Reflecting Yolanda´s passion for crime novels, she applies in this story the tropes of the genre to science fiction. It is the use of a circular structure, alternating first and third person, what allows the reader to be witness and accomplice at the same time. Yolanda is Spanish Philologist, specialized in the writings of José Ángel Valente. She currently combines her work as a teacher with her interest in Philosophy, in reading and in writing. She has published reviews and articles in the blog El almohadón de Plumas, in the online magazine El Fantascopio and in Prosa Inmortal magazine.

Nieves Delgado

The fifth story is “Casas Rojas” by Nieves Delgado. She is a Physicist from Galicia, where she teaches. Her interest in science fiction has leaded her to explore the influence of technology in society. Her emerging body of works, limited to short stories for now, is achieving the recognition of the science fiction community. Her story “Dariya”( Ellos son el future, Web Ficción Científica and Revista Terbi nº 7) is nominated to the 2014 Ignotus Awards, granted by the Spanish Association of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (AEFCFT). Her stories usually analyze the limits of being a human, questioning the essence of our species. In “Casas Rojas”, a government commission investigates CorpIA, a powerful company that produces androids for sexual use. Failures in some of the sexbots, which have started to attack their owners, are the premise to expose the impact of artificial intelligence in society and vice versa.

Lola Robles

Lola Robles is a feminist, pacifist and queer activist, and the author of “Mares que cambian”, the sixth story in the anthology. She is a Spanish Philologist and a writer, and since 2006 organizes Fantástikas, a workshop that discuses the role of women as authors and characters in science fiction and fantasy. She has published three science fiction novels: La rosa de las nieblas, El informe Monteverde y Flores de metal, and the anthology Historias del Crazy bar –co-written with Mª Concepción Regueiro-, as well as the realistic novel Cuentos de Amargarita Páez. Her short stories and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies and Internet venues. “Mares que cambian” is a transgender space opera, in which society presents a multiplicity of sexual genders. In planet Jalawdri, intersexuality (hermaphroditism) is a normative reality that articulates a very sophisticated social framework. One of the most attractive aspects of this story is the use of male adjectives to refer to the main character, even when she is still a female, breaking grammar rules of gender agreement in Spanish. 

Sofía Rhei

“Techt”, the story of Sofía Rhei, is a semiotic dystopia with a touch of cyberpunk, recalling novels such as Fahrenheit 451 or 1984. The development of a condensed version of the language has important cultural and social consequences. The cyberpunk twist at the end of the story brings those consequences under a new and more disturbing light, and urges the reader to question the use of technology as a way of existential escapism, the same way the main character –Ludwig- does. Sofía is an author, experimental poet, editor and translator. As poet, she has published Las flores de alcohol (La bella Varsovia), Química (El gaviero), Otra explicación para el temblor de las hojas (Ayuntamiento de granada), Alicia Volátil (Cangrejo Pistolero), Bestiario Microscópico (Spórtula), and La simiente de la luz (Lapsus Calami). Her works have appeared in international publications and have been translated to other languages, achieving numerous honors. Part of her novels are intended to children and YA such us the Krippys (Montena) or El joven Moriarty (Fábulas de Albión) sagas, stand alone books like Olivia Shakespeare (Edelvives) or La calle Andersen –co-written with Marian Womack (La Galera)-, Flores de sombra (Alfaguara) and its sequel, Savia negra. She also writes science fiction and dark fantasy stories, which have appeared in Casatomada, Calle 20 and in anthologies such as Más allá de Némesis (Spórtula), Presencia humana (Aristas Martínez), Crónica de Tinieblas (Spórtula), Retrofuturismos (Fábulas de Albión) and TerraNova 3 (Fantascy).

Layla Martínez

Layla Martínez signs “Bienvenidos a Croatoan”, a story mixing time traveling and horror. Layla has a BA in Political Science and Sexology. She maintains her own blog, and works as translator and writer for different magazines and webs, contributing regularly in  “Culturamas” and “Diagonal”. Her experience as an editor, corrector and translator for various e-zines and alternative publications has leaded her to coordinate her own e-zine imprint: Antipersona. Her first poetry book, El libro de la crueldad (LVR Ediciones, 2012), combines prose poems with false biographies and verses. Some of her texts and poetry have been published in anthologies such as Sangrantes (Origami, 2013), Serial (El Gaviero, 2014) or Réquiem por Lolita (Fundación Málaga, 2014). “Bienvenidos a Croatoan” is set in an underground city, mirroring Madrid, in a post-apocalyptic future. Consuming dextralina allows drug customers to break the rules of physics, triggering unexpected consequences in the mental and physiological integrity of Hakim, the main character. Horror arrives through the inflamed love and guilty feelings Hakim has towards his sister, a dangerous cocktail set for the progressive disintegration of his personality.

Marian Womack

“Black Isle” by Marian Womack is a CliFi (Climate Change Fiction) story that analyzes the mutual influence of technology and nature, and its impact on humanity. The account of Dr. Andrew Hay questions our control over the environment and proposes a possible reactive answer. Marian (here you can visit her blog) is a writer, translator and editor from Cádiz, alumnae of Universities such as Glasgow and Oxford. She has published Memoria de la nieve (Tropo, 2011) and the YA book La calle Andersen (La Galera, 2014) co-written with Sofía Rhei. As an editor, she has been responsible of Beyond the Back Room: New Perspectives on Carmen Martín Gaite (Peter Lang, 2010) and her “New Gothic Weird” short stories have been included in anthologies such us Akelarre (Salto de Página, 2010), Presencia Humana3 (Aristas Martínez, 2014), or Steampunk. Antología Retrofuturista (Fábulas de Albión, 2012). She is the author of forewords and afterwords for genre books, such us the first English edition of La torre sin fin by Silvina Ocampo. She has worked in the selection of ghost stories by Charles Dickens or Mary Shelley, and has translated the works of Lord Dunsany, Gladys Mitchell, Henry James or Daphne du Maurier, among others. As an editor she is responsible of the publication of important European female authors within the weird genre in Ediciones Nevsky.

Carme Torras
(Photo © by Pere Virgili)

The last original story in Alucinadas is “Memoria de equipo” by Catalan author Carme Torras (you can access her literary blog here). She has a Phd in Computer Science and currently works as a research professor in Instituto de Robótica (CSIC-UPC). She combines her passion for scientific research with her love for literature and has published numerous books and articles about neuronal models, computing vision, artificial intelligence and robotics, and being praise by her peers. In the scientific field she has published: Pedres de toc (Columna, 2003) and Miracles perversos (Pagès, 2011), which were awarded with Primera Columna and Ferran Canyameres awards. Her science fiction novel La mutació sentimental (Pagès, 2008), was translated into Spanish (Milenio, 2012), obtaining awards such as Manuel de Pedrolo 2007 and Ictineu 2009.

Some of her stories about machines, like “Zac i el rellotge de l’ànima”, “La vita e-terna”, “Una arítmia silenciada” and “El joc de jocs” have been included in anthologies like Els fills del capità Verne (Pagès, 2005), Catarsi magazine (2013), Elles també maten (Llibres del Delicte, 2013) and Científics lletraferits (Universidad de Valencia, 2014). Robbie, the pioneer robot nanny (Interaction Studies, 2010) is an essay about the impact of science fiction in Ethics. “Memoria de equipo” is a cyberpunk story in which virtual reality technology is used within a legal framework. This is a collective tale articulated around a crime, attributed to the pivot of a University basketball team, which questions human capacity to manage memories.

Angélica Gorodischer

“A la luz de la casta luna electrónica” by Argentinian Angélica Gorodischer is included in this anthology out of the call for submissions. It can be considered as a generous endorsement to our project, delighted to be benefiting from Angélica´s talent and notoriety. For that reason, all the people involved in Alucinadas want to thank her, and honor her as one of the most important science fiction authors in Spanish. Hers are numerous novels: Opus dos (Minotauro, 1966), Kalpa Imperial (Minotauro, 1984 y Emece Editores, 2001), Floreros de alabastro, alfombras de bokhara (Emecé, 1985), Jugo de Mango (Emecé, 1988 y Emecé Editores, 1995), Fabula de la virgen y el bombero (Ediciones de la Flor, 1993), Prodigios (Lumen, 1994), La noche del inocente (Emecé, 1996), Doquier (Emecé, 2002), Tumba de jaguares (Emecé, 2005), Tres colores ( Emecé, 2008), Tirabuzón (Editorial Fundación Ross, 2011), and Las señoras de la calle Brenner (Emecé, 2012). Angélica has written numerous collections of short stories, such as Cuentos con soldados (Club del Orden, 1965), Las Pelucas (Sudamericana, 1969), Bajo las jubeas en flor (Ediciones de la Flor, 1973), Casta luna electronica (Andrómeda, 1977), Trafalgar (El Cid, 1979), Mala noche y parir hembra (La Campana, 1983), Las Repúblicas (Ediciones

de la Flor, 1991), Técnicas de supervivencia (Ed. Municipal de Rosario, 1994), Como triunfar en la vida (Emecé, 1998), Menta (Emecé, 2000), and Querido amigo (Edhasa 2006). She has participated in many anthologies, written essays, cultivated the biography genre, and her works have been even adapted to the big screen. Some of her books are available in other languages: Ursula K. Le Guin translated into English Kalpa Imperial in 2003. Along her carrier, she is been honored by numerous international awards, like the 2011 World Fantasy Award, presented by the World Fantasy Convention to praise a lifetime achievements. Those who still don´t know the adventures of the intergalactic merchant Trafalgar “Traf” Medrano will be able to meet him thanks to “A la luz de la casta luna electrónica”. This story uses a very subtle and intelligent humor to question social actuality: from gender and social classes relations and the role of women in society, to patriarchal traditions. The bumpy sexual encounter, between the main character and a female high government representative of an aristo-matriarchal planet, will trigger a chain of events that will prevent Trafalgar´s commercial pursuits.

Ann VanderMeer

The foreword of this book is by an international celebrated editor: Ann VanderMeer. She was the fiction editor of “Weird Tales” when the magazine won the Hugo Award in 2009, and he co-edited –together with husband Jeff VanderMeer- The Weird (Tor Books, 2012), which also won the British Fantasy Award. Founder of Buzzcity Press, Ann has co-edited: The New Weird (Tachyon Publications, 2008); Best American Fantasy (Prime Books, 2007) y Best American Fantasy v.2 (Prime Books, 2009); Last Drink Bird Head: A Flash Fiction Anthology for Charity (Ministry of Whimsy, 2009); Steampunk (Tachyon Publications, 2008), Steampunk II, Steampunk Reloaded (Tachyon Publications, 2012), Steampunk  III, Steampunk Revolution (Tachyon Publications, 2012); Fast Ships, Black Sails (Night Shade Books, 2008); The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities (Harper Voyager, 2011); The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals: The Evil Monkey Dialogues (Tachyon Publications, 2010); The Time Traveler´s Almanac (Tor Books, 2014); y Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology (coming out in 2015 in PM Press). Ann not only has shared the objectives of this anthology, but also has get involved in the project, offering much needed advise and answering many questions, despite her numerous professional endeavors.

Alucinadas is a road we just started to take. Now we only need for the readers to walk with us, enjoying the outcome of our female authors´ imagination. We hope this will be a prosperous and ever growing initiative that will allow women to claim a much-deserved visibility in the Spanish science fiction field.

Cristina Jurado

About Cristina Jurado:

Cristina Jurado Marcos writes the sci-fi blog Más ficción que ciencia. Having a degree in Advertising and Public Relations by Universidad de Seville and a Masters in Rhetoric by Northwestern University (USA), she currently studies Philosophy for fun. She considers herself a globetrotter after living in Edinburgh, Chicago, Paris or Dubai. Her short stories have appeared in several sci-fi online magazines and anthologies. Her first novel From Orange to Blue was published in 2012.

(You can also read this article in Spanish at Fantífica/También puedes leer este artículo en español en Fantífica)