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The Apex Book of World SF, Volume 5
The landmark anthology series of international speculative fiction returns with volume 5 of The Apex Book of World SF. Cris Jurado joins series editor Lavie Tidhar to highlight the best speculative fiction from around the world. Cyberpunk from Spain, Singapore and Japan; mythology from Venezuela, Korea and First Nations; stories of the dead from Zimbabwe and Egypt, and space wonders from India, Germany and Bolivia. And much more. The fifth volume of the ground-breaking World SF anthology series reveals once more the uniquely international dimension of speculative fiction. The Apex Book of World SF series is an excellent primer for any sci-fi reader trying to understand the field's global reach.
Contents:
* Introduction by Series Editor Lavie Tidhar (The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5) • essay by Lavie Tidhar
* Introduction by Volume Editor Cristina Jurado (The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5) • essay by Cristina Jurado
* A Series of Steaks (2017) / novelette by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
* Accursed Lineage (2017) / short story by Daína Chaviano (trans. of Estirpe maldita 1997)
* Nkasht ii (2014) / short story by Darcie Little Badger
* Ghostalker (2015) / short story by T. L. Huchu
* Violation of the TrueNet Security Act (2017) / novelette by Taiyo Fujii 藤井太洋? (trans. of コラボレーション? 2013)
* Ambiguity Machines: An Examination (2015) / novelette by Vandana Singh
* Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat (2017) / short story by Basma Abdel Aziz
* Our Dead World (2017) / short story by Liliana Colanzi (trans. of Nuestro mundo muerto 2016)
* An Evolutionary Myth (2015) / novelette by Bo-Young Kim 김보영? (trans. of 진화신화? 2006)
* You Will See the Moon Rise (2017) / short story by Israel Alonso (trans. of Verás crecer la luna 2017)
* The Barrette Girls (2017) / short story by Sara Saab
* The Calculations of Artificials (2016) / novelette by Chi Hui (trans. of 伪人算法? 2010)
* El Condor del Machangara (2017) / short story by Ana Hurtado
* Alone, on the Wind (2016) / novelette by Karla Schmidt (trans. of Auf dem Wind. Allein 2011)
* The Seventh (2015) / short story by Eliza Victoria
* Screamers (2016) / short story by Tochi Onyebuchi
* The Bois (2017) / short story by R. S. A. Garcia
* Ugo (2017) / short story by Giovanni De Feo
.
Contents:
* Introduction by Series Editor Lavie Tidhar (The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5) • essay by Lavie Tidhar
* Introduction by Volume Editor Cristina Jurado (The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5) • essay by Cristina Jurado
* A Series of Steaks (2017) / novelette by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
* Accursed Lineage (2017) / short story by Daína Chaviano (trans. of Estirpe maldita 1997)
* Nkasht ii (2014) / short story by Darcie Little Badger
* Ghostalker (2015) / short story by T. L. Huchu
* Violation of the TrueNet Security Act (2017) / novelette by Taiyo Fujii 藤井太洋? (trans. of コラボレーション? 2013)
* Ambiguity Machines: An Examination (2015) / novelette by Vandana Singh
* Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat (2017) / short story by Basma Abdel Aziz
* Our Dead World (2017) / short story by Liliana Colanzi (trans. of Nuestro mundo muerto 2016)
* An Evolutionary Myth (2015) / novelette by Bo-Young Kim 김보영? (trans. of 진화신화? 2006)
* You Will See the Moon Rise (2017) / short story by Israel Alonso (trans. of Verás crecer la luna 2017)
* The Barrette Girls (2017) / short story by Sara Saab
* The Calculations of Artificials (2016) / novelette by Chi Hui (trans. of 伪人算法? 2010)
* El Condor del Machangara (2017) / short story by Ana Hurtado
* Alone, on the Wind (2016) / novelette by Karla Schmidt (trans. of Auf dem Wind. Allein 2011)
* The Seventh (2015) / short story by Eliza Victoria
* Screamers (2016) / short story by Tochi Onyebuchi
* The Bois (2017) / short story by R. S. A. Garcia
* Ugo (2017) / short story by Giovanni De Feo
.
293 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
9 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Cristina Jurado
96 books233 followersCristina Jurado Marcos es una escritora española residente en Dubái, licenciada en Ciencias de la Información por la Universidad de Sevilla y Master en Retórica por Northwestern University (EUA).
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
part-read
September 7, 2019Skimmed the horror or disturbing pieces. The ones I liked were Vina Jie-Min Prasad's "A Series of Steaks"; Darcie Little Badger's "Nkásht íí"; Giovanni De Feo's "Ugo"; and especially T.L. Huchu's "Ghostalker". Here's a choice morsel of it:
The tasty, saucy language was topped by a moving finale, and All Was Great. For a time. ;)
I’m not really supposed to use my powers for my own benefit. To be fair, most of the time I’m more Peter Parker than Tony Stark, still, I Bruce Banner out sometimes. My dad went all Sauron and left us, so I live with my mum and little sis in Chiwaridzo Township.
The tasty, saucy language was topped by a moving finale, and All Was Great. For a time. ;)
September 30, 2019
A wonderful collection of speculative fiction from around the world. Ranging from Asia to Africa, Europe to the Americas, you will find much to like in many of the stories featured. My favourites include those by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, T.L. Huchu, Taiyo Fujii, Vandana Singh, Bo-young Kim, Chi Hui, Karla Schmidt and Giovanni De Feo.
- "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Singapore): an entertaining story set in China where one person makes a living by printing out imitation meat to look like authentic meat. But then a big order comes in from an anonymous customer, with a threat to expose her past if she does not do the job. Forced to hire help, they then work to fulfil the order, while figuring out who the person is and how to get back at him.
- "Accursed Lineage" by Daína Chaviano (Cuba, translated by Matthew D. Goodwin): a short piece about a member of a family who is closely watching the suspicious activities of her neighbour. But it is her own behaviour and family activities which may be the strange ones in the story.
- "Nkásht íí" by Darcie Little Badger (USA/Lipan Apache): two girls of Native American heritage visit the scene of an accident that may be a crossing point between our world and the spirit world.
- "Ghostalker" by T.L. Huchu (Zimbabwe): a ghost story from Africa that initially threw me off due to the numerous Western pop culture references, but once it got going, the story was good. A girl with the 'gift' of seeing and being able to talk to ghosts passes on messages from them to the living. But she is being stalked by one ghost throughout the story and in the final confrontation, we learn why the ghost is stalking her and what it means for her future.
- "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii (Japan, translated by Jim Hubbert): in a future where rogue software has taken over the internet and a parallel TrueNet has been set up, a former programmer finds his old internet server is still working. But to get it to work again properly, he may have to break the rules of the Security Act that forbid connections to former internet servers.
- "Ambiguity Machines: An Examination" by Vandana Singh (India): a story about three ambiguous apparent machines and their creators or users that span physical and mental space and are connected to each other in subtle ways.
- "Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat" by Basma Abdel Aziz (Egypt, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette): the story of an autocrat who issues decrees telling his citizens how to live their lives. As for the citizens, they follow the decrees with care and wait breathlessly for the next decrees to be issued. But then one day, an event occurs and the autocrat finds himself at a loss as to why it could happen despite the decrees he had issued.
- "Our Dead World" by Liliana Colanzi (Bolivia, translated by Jessica Sequeira): on Mars, colonist try to survive while preparing for more people to come. The story follows one who now regrets going while seeing apparent hallucinations of life before coming to Mars.
- "An Evolutionary Myth" by Bo-young Kim (South Korea, translated by Jihyun Park & Gord Sellar):
an interesting tale set in Korea in a time when the human form is fluid. The story follows a Prince who flees an attempted assassination by his uncle. As he lives in the wilderness, his body changes into a feline beast and then into a snake-like creature. But it is his final transformation that would avenge the people wronged by his uncle and help them to free themselves from his rule.
- "You Will See the Moon Rise" by Israel Alonso (Spain, translated by Steve Redwood): an initially disjointed story of a man fleeing a group of men in a war-torn city and experiences flash-backs of his lovely wife. But it is only when he meets a familiar man who may not be there that his memory slowly returns and he recalls his previous life and achievements, and how he lost it all.
- "The Barrette Girls" by Sara Saab (Lebanon): a story of a woman who leads a group of young girls wearing barrettes (hair clips) to a secret location to perform a task. The young girls seem to be artificial and contain a unusual substance but the story is too short to 'flesh them out', so to speak.
- "The Calculations of Artificials" by Chi Hui (China, translated by John Chu): in a future rebuilt after nuclear wars, Actual humans live separate lives, surrounded by Artificial beings that act like real humans around the presence of Actuals, deceiving them. One Actual who is aware of the deception monitors the Artificials and tweaks their algorithms. But one day, he runs into another Actual teenager. He bends the rules and decides to keep him company. The decision would affect how the world is run, leading to violence as the world starts to break down; and perhaps to a new hope for living in the world.
- "El Cóndor del Machángara" by Ana Hurtado (Venezuela): a fantasy tale involving birds, a location overrun by the birds, some of its the inhabitants desire to get rid of the birds, and the desire of some people to run away with the birds.
- "Alone, on the Wind" by Karla Schmidt (Germany, translated by Lara M. Harmon): an interesting tale set in a time and place where gravity and space don't seem to follow our rules. On one world, a flier gains her wings and joins a party hunting for water on another world. But disaster strikes and she has to depend on the help of a grounded man to recover. They fall in love, are separated and then come together to try to bring their worlds together again. The backstory of how the worlds came about is slowly revealed in the tale and the reader can start to piece together what happened to separate their world in the first place.
- "The Seventh" by Eliza Victoria (Philippines): a story that starts out with a woman entering a house for the first time; only others say she hasn't. The discrepancy gets explained as the story develops into what turns into a horror tale involving a well, and feeling pain and denial to discover who she is.
- "Screamers" by Tochi Onyebuchi (Nigeria/USA): a story of a boy who occasionally follows his police father out to cases; until unusual cases of violent deaths with unknown explosive force starts to occur. As the cases continue throughout his father and then his own police career, a final case for him would see him decide whether to step away from all the violence or to accept it to see where it would lead him.
- "The Bois" by R.S.A. Garcia (Trinidad and Tobago): the story of a relationship between a girl and a man who is partially a machine (a cyborg). When the girl wanders off into a dangerous forest, the man will have to make a sacrifice in order to save what he can of her life.
- "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo (Italy): an unusual and fascinating story of a girl who meets a boy who claims to be able to Leap into his future self and see the future that lay ahead of them: their relationship together, their ups and downs and their life together. But the tale leaves open the question of whether the Leap mean that what he knows will happen is fixed or if free will still exists for them: and what might happen if he does let her exercise her free.
- "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Singapore): an entertaining story set in China where one person makes a living by printing out imitation meat to look like authentic meat. But then a big order comes in from an anonymous customer, with a threat to expose her past if she does not do the job. Forced to hire help, they then work to fulfil the order, while figuring out who the person is and how to get back at him.
- "Accursed Lineage" by Daína Chaviano (Cuba, translated by Matthew D. Goodwin): a short piece about a member of a family who is closely watching the suspicious activities of her neighbour. But it is her own behaviour and family activities which may be the strange ones in the story.
- "Nkásht íí" by Darcie Little Badger (USA/Lipan Apache): two girls of Native American heritage visit the scene of an accident that may be a crossing point between our world and the spirit world.
- "Ghostalker" by T.L. Huchu (Zimbabwe): a ghost story from Africa that initially threw me off due to the numerous Western pop culture references, but once it got going, the story was good. A girl with the 'gift' of seeing and being able to talk to ghosts passes on messages from them to the living. But she is being stalked by one ghost throughout the story and in the final confrontation, we learn why the ghost is stalking her and what it means for her future.
- "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii (Japan, translated by Jim Hubbert): in a future where rogue software has taken over the internet and a parallel TrueNet has been set up, a former programmer finds his old internet server is still working. But to get it to work again properly, he may have to break the rules of the Security Act that forbid connections to former internet servers.
- "Ambiguity Machines: An Examination" by Vandana Singh (India): a story about three ambiguous apparent machines and their creators or users that span physical and mental space and are connected to each other in subtle ways.
- "Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat" by Basma Abdel Aziz (Egypt, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette): the story of an autocrat who issues decrees telling his citizens how to live their lives. As for the citizens, they follow the decrees with care and wait breathlessly for the next decrees to be issued. But then one day, an event occurs and the autocrat finds himself at a loss as to why it could happen despite the decrees he had issued.
- "Our Dead World" by Liliana Colanzi (Bolivia, translated by Jessica Sequeira): on Mars, colonist try to survive while preparing for more people to come. The story follows one who now regrets going while seeing apparent hallucinations of life before coming to Mars.
- "An Evolutionary Myth" by Bo-young Kim (South Korea, translated by Jihyun Park & Gord Sellar):
an interesting tale set in Korea in a time when the human form is fluid. The story follows a Prince who flees an attempted assassination by his uncle. As he lives in the wilderness, his body changes into a feline beast and then into a snake-like creature. But it is his final transformation that would avenge the people wronged by his uncle and help them to free themselves from his rule.
- "You Will See the Moon Rise" by Israel Alonso (Spain, translated by Steve Redwood): an initially disjointed story of a man fleeing a group of men in a war-torn city and experiences flash-backs of his lovely wife. But it is only when he meets a familiar man who may not be there that his memory slowly returns and he recalls his previous life and achievements, and how he lost it all.
- "The Barrette Girls" by Sara Saab (Lebanon): a story of a woman who leads a group of young girls wearing barrettes (hair clips) to a secret location to perform a task. The young girls seem to be artificial and contain a unusual substance but the story is too short to 'flesh them out', so to speak.
- "The Calculations of Artificials" by Chi Hui (China, translated by John Chu): in a future rebuilt after nuclear wars, Actual humans live separate lives, surrounded by Artificial beings that act like real humans around the presence of Actuals, deceiving them. One Actual who is aware of the deception monitors the Artificials and tweaks their algorithms. But one day, he runs into another Actual teenager. He bends the rules and decides to keep him company. The decision would affect how the world is run, leading to violence as the world starts to break down; and perhaps to a new hope for living in the world.
- "El Cóndor del Machángara" by Ana Hurtado (Venezuela): a fantasy tale involving birds, a location overrun by the birds, some of its the inhabitants desire to get rid of the birds, and the desire of some people to run away with the birds.
- "Alone, on the Wind" by Karla Schmidt (Germany, translated by Lara M. Harmon): an interesting tale set in a time and place where gravity and space don't seem to follow our rules. On one world, a flier gains her wings and joins a party hunting for water on another world. But disaster strikes and she has to depend on the help of a grounded man to recover. They fall in love, are separated and then come together to try to bring their worlds together again. The backstory of how the worlds came about is slowly revealed in the tale and the reader can start to piece together what happened to separate their world in the first place.
- "The Seventh" by Eliza Victoria (Philippines): a story that starts out with a woman entering a house for the first time; only others say she hasn't. The discrepancy gets explained as the story develops into what turns into a horror tale involving a well, and feeling pain and denial to discover who she is.
- "Screamers" by Tochi Onyebuchi (Nigeria/USA): a story of a boy who occasionally follows his police father out to cases; until unusual cases of violent deaths with unknown explosive force starts to occur. As the cases continue throughout his father and then his own police career, a final case for him would see him decide whether to step away from all the violence or to accept it to see where it would lead him.
- "The Bois" by R.S.A. Garcia (Trinidad and Tobago): the story of a relationship between a girl and a man who is partially a machine (a cyborg). When the girl wanders off into a dangerous forest, the man will have to make a sacrifice in order to save what he can of her life.
- "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo (Italy): an unusual and fascinating story of a girl who meets a boy who claims to be able to Leap into his future self and see the future that lay ahead of them: their relationship together, their ups and downs and their life together. But the tale leaves open the question of whether the Leap mean that what he knows will happen is fixed or if free will still exists for them: and what might happen if he does let her exercise her free.
October 18, 2018
There's something really exciting about some of these stories and seeing how certain storytelling devices or tropes can get refreshed through a different cultural perspective than the one I've lived my life in. Some very cool authors to dig more into.
September 21, 2018
Another winner! Full review soon at Skiffy and Fanty.
November 23, 2018
I've been meaning to get into this anthology series just based on the retro-cool covers, and I'll definitely read more of them!
The opening stories blew me away so much I ended up reading the first six in one big gluttonous binge when I had intended to just read one before bed!
My favorite is definitely the first story, "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. It's got art and science and compelling characters and complex problems with logical resolutions that feel both inevitable and surprising.
Second favorite was the last, "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo, a story that feels almost Borges-like to me. The twist was twisted!
Others varied from all right to conflicting... stories I hated parts of and loved other parts of, like "The Calculations of Artificials" by Chi Hui which felt irritatingly info-dumpy at times, and classic morality play at others, though isn't Utopia itself awfully info-dumpy? Likewise "Violation of the Truenet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii had segments I found flat or cliche, but the centrality of web development -- well, this story was written for ME. For people who started coding in PHP back in the day day and now feel a bit behind the times.
It's not the flawless story that sticks hardest in your mind. The flaws worm into your brain-meat and make you keep coming back to look at them, and why they are there.
There was a great variety in these stories, from hardest SF to magical magic, settings in the past, present, far future, and other worlds entirely.
The opening stories blew me away so much I ended up reading the first six in one big gluttonous binge when I had intended to just read one before bed!
My favorite is definitely the first story, "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. It's got art and science and compelling characters and complex problems with logical resolutions that feel both inevitable and surprising.
Second favorite was the last, "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo, a story that feels almost Borges-like to me. The twist was twisted!
Others varied from all right to conflicting... stories I hated parts of and loved other parts of, like "The Calculations of Artificials" by Chi Hui which felt irritatingly info-dumpy at times, and classic morality play at others, though isn't Utopia itself awfully info-dumpy? Likewise "Violation of the Truenet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii had segments I found flat or cliche, but the centrality of web development -- well, this story was written for ME. For people who started coding in PHP back in the day day and now feel a bit behind the times.
It's not the flawless story that sticks hardest in your mind. The flaws worm into your brain-meat and make you keep coming back to look at them, and why they are there.
There was a great variety in these stories, from hardest SF to magical magic, settings in the past, present, far future, and other worlds entirely.
October 11, 2018
A number of years ago, I got interested in Japanese horror, primarily Koji Suzuki. I wanted to see what The Ring was like in its original incarnation. Awesome, if I may say so myself. I found Suzuki’s work to have a more subtle feel than a lot of traditional American horror. It was a breath of fresh air after blood, gore, and violence of our native horror stories.
None of the works in The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5 would be classified as horror, but that doesn’t mean that subtlety and sense of another culture was lacking. Maybe it’s just me, but that adds a lot to a story, especially a science fiction story where it should feel like there’s another culture at play. That’s where the magic happens.
As a collection of stories, some resonated with me more than others, but that doesn’t mean they were lacking anything, it just means they didn’t have the same impact as others because reasons.
All in all, if you’re looking for a good collection of sci-fi stories written by international authors and you’re willing to stretch your wings a bit, you might find some absolute gems in here. There are authors representing, among other countries, Japan, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Bolivia, and the US and each brings their own culture and ideas with them when they write.
Check out the full review on my blog
None of the works in The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 5 would be classified as horror, but that doesn’t mean that subtlety and sense of another culture was lacking. Maybe it’s just me, but that adds a lot to a story, especially a science fiction story where it should feel like there’s another culture at play. That’s where the magic happens.
As a collection of stories, some resonated with me more than others, but that doesn’t mean they were lacking anything, it just means they didn’t have the same impact as others because reasons.
All in all, if you’re looking for a good collection of sci-fi stories written by international authors and you’re willing to stretch your wings a bit, you might find some absolute gems in here. There are authors representing, among other countries, Japan, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Bolivia, and the US and each brings their own culture and ideas with them when they write.
Check out the full review on my blog
October 16, 2018
So you say you want new science-fiction authors to read.
Here is a book jammed full of them, with authors from all over the world. You will find new authors that you will love here, guaranteed.
The collection includes authors from Singapore, Spain, Lebanon, Nigeria, Cuba, Zimbabwe, and more.
My personal favorite is "An Evolutionary Myth," by Bo-Young Kim, a fantasy and allegory that seems like "The Lion King," at first, but then turns into a story about transformation that would make "Manimal" proud. (I mean that as a compliment. That show was neat.)
Some of the stories have a tone or style that seems unfamiliar, but at their hearts, the stories all share the speculative, the fantastic. That's a positive feeling. Science fiction is for all of us. This volume shows why.
Here is a book jammed full of them, with authors from all over the world. You will find new authors that you will love here, guaranteed.
The collection includes authors from Singapore, Spain, Lebanon, Nigeria, Cuba, Zimbabwe, and more.
My personal favorite is "An Evolutionary Myth," by Bo-Young Kim, a fantasy and allegory that seems like "The Lion King," at first, but then turns into a story about transformation that would make "Manimal" proud. (I mean that as a compliment. That show was neat.)
Some of the stories have a tone or style that seems unfamiliar, but at their hearts, the stories all share the speculative, the fantastic. That's a positive feeling. Science fiction is for all of us. This volume shows why.
March 8, 2023
Es una antología de relatos cienciaficcioñeros en inglés de autores de diversas partes del mundo. Está recopilado y editado por Lavie Tidhar y Cristina Jurado.
1. “A Series of Steaks” (Una serie de bistecs) de Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Singapur).
La trama del cuento es muy original y medio rara: está centrada en el uso de la carne cultivada (a estas alturas espero que sepan a qué se refiere esto: carne que es cultivada en laboratorios, en cajas de Petri. De esta forma ya no se tienen que sacrificar animales vivos y se puede manipular para que minimicen la cantidad de toxinas y maximicen nutrientes. Aunque esto ya es una realidad, la tecnología no ha madurado lo suficiente para salir del laboratorio ni para dejar de ser una curiosidad).
Las protagonistas son prófugas del submundo criminal chino (llamado “las triadas chinas”), así que no pueden desarrollar su negocio con total libertad. Un cuentito curioso en los límites de la ciencia ficción (no se adentra mucho en el futuro, aunque las situaciones y tecnología todavía no existen realmente).
2. “Accursed Lineage” de Daína Chaviano (Cuba).
Éste relato, en cambio, es totalmente estándar y cimentado en conceptos preconcebidos: es acerca de una familia de vampiros que espía la casa de una familia de fantasmas. Quizá lo novedoso es la forma en que se narra.
3. “Nkást íí” de Darcie Little Badger (técnicamente, de EUA, pero es un Lipan Apache [Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas] y les gusta denominarse de “Las Primeras Naciones”).
Otra historia de fantasmas que parece estándar, pero se vuelve muy interesante cuando la narradora en primera persona es una adolescente Lipan. Vemos el mundo a través de su visión espiritual y animista, donde los fantasmas coexisten con el mundo físico, y pueden querer comunicarse de formas que no nos convienen.
4. ”Ghostalker” de Tendai L. Huchu (Zimbabue).
Otro relato de fantasmas y otra vez lo interesante es conocer el punto de vista de la cultura zimbabuense.
La trama es más o menos original, es la historia de alguien cuyo oficio es servir de recadero entre los fantasmas –el mundo espiritual– y el mundo de los vivos.
5. “Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” de Taijo Fuji (Japón).
Interesante relato ciberpunk que no encaja en los moldes occidentales. En occidente, el ciberpunk se basa en tramas oscuras e intrigantes, personajes raros y grotescos, humanos tan fuertemente modificados que muchos ya son mejor descritos como ciborgs, y muchas, muchas machincuepas literarias. Y este relato es fuertemente tecnológico, costumbrista y lineal. Situado ligeramente en el futuro, está tan fuertemente cimentada en la informática, que muchos aspectos de su trama (incluso algunos aspectos esenciales, me temo) solamente se entienden completamente si uno se dedica a esto o se ha involucrado muy intensamente (como los hackers de a deveras, no los ciberpunketos); por ejemplo, los que sepan para qué es este comando: curl socialpay.com/ | less .
6. “Ambiguity Machines: An Examination” de Vandana Singh (India).
Cuento que se describe los efectos de máquinas extrañas, casi mágicas, a las que llama “Máquinas-Espacio Conceptual. El cuento se divide en tres partes, donde cada parte cuenta los efectos de una máquina en cierta región del mundo. No hay historia. Solamente las descripciones de los efectos de la máquina.
7. “Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat” de Basma Abdel Aziz (Egipto).
No sé si me perdí de algo, pero yo no le vi nada de ficción o fantasía a este relato, es simplemente la descripción de cómo sería y actuaría un autócrata idealizado.
8. “Our Dead World” de Liliana Colanzi (Bolivia)
Cuenta la historia de una mujer que está en Marte, como parte de una misión de exploración, pero a lo largo del cuento uno se va enterando de que la Tierra es un planeta destruido y moribundo (contaminación, cambio climático, sobrepoblación, etc.) y los que están en Marte son los ganadores de una lotería marciana. Pero también nos enteramos de que la mayoría de los colonos han sufrido algún tipo de envenenamiento en la Tierra, así que sufren alucinaciones y se vuelven locos.
9. “An Evolutionary Myth” de Bo-young Kim (Corea del Sur).
Está basado totalmente en mitos y leyendas del folclor coreano. La historia es simplemente las aventuras míticas de un rey coreano que sale a pasear al bosque. Muy interesante para los que estamos interesados en el folclor de otras culturas.
10. “You will see the moon rise” de Israel Alonso (España).
Una buena narración ciberpunk con tintes post-apocalípticos, aunque la trama es bastante artificiosa: un hombre pierde la memoria durante un asalto y va recuperándola poco a poco, suceso que es aprovechado por el autor para describir el ambiente y sucesos futuristas del cuento.
11. “The Barrette Girls” de Sara Saab (nacida en Líbano, pero radicada en UK).
En lo personal, la narración se me hizo un poco confusa, como saltando de un lugar a otro. A fin de cuentas, creo que la trama principal es describir el aspecto y comportamiento de unos seres llamados “Barrete Girls” (las chicas del pasador), seres biológicos, creados para…, para…, para justificar este cuento, creo.
12. “The Calculations of Artificials” de Chi Hui (China).
Tiene una idea novedosa, está muy bien desarrollado, la trama principal se va descubriendo poco a poco a lo largo del cuento: en algún momento en la historia de la humanidad, se desarrolló la idea de que el problema principal de la humanidad somos los humanos: desarrollamos impulsos violentos que fácilmente se salen de control, somos muy egoístas y actuamos sin pensar en los demás o en la sociedad en general, tenemos lujuria por el poder y un deseo irrefrenable por el control…, así que poco a poco se desarrollan humanos artificiales (llamados “Artificiales” a diferencia de los humanos que son llamados “Reales”) para que controlen a los Reales e incluso que formen familias con ellos. Todo con el fin de sobrevivir como especie.
Es un cuento cuyo tema es muy profundo y lleno de aristas y facetas, pero a fin de cuentas es un cuento que no se mete en complicaciones.
13. “El cóndor del Manchángara” de Ana Hurtado (Venezuela).
Es una narración de algo bastante común en Latinoamérica: todas las casas en las cercanías de un canal de desagüe son acechadas por buitres negros en busca de comida o un refugio. Da la asombrosa brisa casualidad de que yo vivo dentro de un radio de 200 metros del canal del desagüe principal de la ciudad de México, y sé que las descripciones que hace la autora son ciertas (en México a los buitres negros les llamamos zopilotes. Actualmente, la ciudad ya está bastante urbanizada, pero hace cerca de 70 años, sí rondaban por aquí). La protagonista del cuento cree fervientemente en una leyenda que dice que el jefe de los buitres es un esplendoroso y enorme cóndor, y la final del cuento uno de los personajes se transforma en tal cóndor.
Creo que lo más destacable del cuento es la extraña traducción español-inglés que hicieron.
14. “Alone, on the wind” de Karla Schmidt (Alemania).
También se me hizo un poco confusa, una mezcolanza grotesca de filosofía y fantasía, remata como una ventura fantástica. Es el relato (hasta donde entendí) de un grupo de aventureros que cabalgan aves estilo Taarna (de Heavy Metal).
15. “The Seventh” por Eliza Victoria (Filipinas, aunque actualmente reside en Australia).
Extraño relato acerca de una serie de clones que han sido criados para avanzar en la investigación de una enfermedad neuronal. Lo interesante es la forma en que la autora arma la historia, haciendo que la mujer clonada del cuento (ella es el séptimo intento) no tenga memoria del pasado.
16. “Screamers” por Tochi Onyebuchi (Estados Unidos).
Relato de aventuras policiacas centradas en el fenómeno de “screamers” que so explosivos enviados por correo. Está escrito como una aventura YA (Young Adults, para adultos jóvenes, ay, qué caray, cómo les gustan las etiquetas a los gringos).
17. “The Bois” de R.S.A. García (Trinidad y Tobago).
La trama está centrada en “Papa Bois”, cruza entre deidad y demonio. Entre ente alienígena y autoridad absoluta. La narración trata de seguir el folclor caribeño.
Usa mucho un inglés criollo, pero más que nada está en los diálogos de las protagonistas.
18. “Ugo” por Giovanni de Feo (Italia).
Cuento bastante convencional de un niño que puede dar saltos en el tiempo, así que conoce el futuro. Se encuentra con la que va a ser su novia, y con el tiempo, su esposa. Durante bastantes años ella sigue su vida, pensando en el niño de los saltos (Ugo) simplemente como un romance infantil, pero él se sigue apareciendo, como adolescente y como joven adulto. Ella acepta su destino, y su futuro con Ugo. Se casan e inician su vida juntos. Ella tiene el pasatiempo del patinaje artístico, y después de un par de años se vuelve tan buena en eso, que empieza a participar en competencias amateur. Está a punto de ganar en una competencia muy importante, pero se lastima un tobillo. El médico deportivo le dice que no es grave, pero si sigue en la competencia, podría lastimarse seriamente y ya no podría patinar nunca más. Pero podría tener suerte, no lastimarse más y ganar la competencia con una pequeña torcedura. Así que ella voltea con su marido, Ugo, para que le diga el futuro que ha visto en sus saltos, pero Ugo le confiesa que todo han sido invenciones y cuentos que se inventó para estar con ella y poder casarse, en realidad ella es libre para tomar sus decisiones. Así que ella decide seguir en la competencia mientras Ugo sale por la puerta. Con el tiempo, ella se vuelve profesional, participa en las Olimpiadas y participa en certámenes y espectáculos profesionales. Se vuelve famosa y recorre el mundo. Un día regresa a su ciudad natal y pregunta por Ugo, su marido. Pero todo mundo la ve con extrañeza y sorpresa y le dicen que nunca se ha casado, que no tiene marido y el único Uno que conocen es a su sobrino. Ella incluso rebusca en sus fotos pasada, pero no está Ugo, aunque en algunas ella estaba segura de que sí estaba.
Para los que llevamos tiempo en esto de la cienciaficcioñería, la explicación es simple: la realidad que uno vive es el resultado de todas las decisiones que hemos tomado. A esto se le llama “línea temporal”. Ugo SÍ podía saltar en el tiempo, “decidía” por su novia (y luego su esposa) para que ambos siguiera en la misma línea temporal, pero llegó el momento en que Ugo dejó que ella decidiera su destino, su línea temporal. Al ser diferente a la línea temporal de él, simplemente desapareció de su universo, de su realidad. No es como si hubiera muerto, es que nunca lo conoció.
1. “A Series of Steaks” (Una serie de bistecs) de Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Singapur).
La trama del cuento es muy original y medio rara: está centrada en el uso de la carne cultivada (a estas alturas espero que sepan a qué se refiere esto: carne que es cultivada en laboratorios, en cajas de Petri. De esta forma ya no se tienen que sacrificar animales vivos y se puede manipular para que minimicen la cantidad de toxinas y maximicen nutrientes. Aunque esto ya es una realidad, la tecnología no ha madurado lo suficiente para salir del laboratorio ni para dejar de ser una curiosidad).
Las protagonistas son prófugas del submundo criminal chino (llamado “las triadas chinas”), así que no pueden desarrollar su negocio con total libertad. Un cuentito curioso en los límites de la ciencia ficción (no se adentra mucho en el futuro, aunque las situaciones y tecnología todavía no existen realmente).
2. “Accursed Lineage” de Daína Chaviano (Cuba).
Éste relato, en cambio, es totalmente estándar y cimentado en conceptos preconcebidos: es acerca de una familia de vampiros que espía la casa de una familia de fantasmas. Quizá lo novedoso es la forma en que se narra.
3. “Nkást íí” de Darcie Little Badger (técnicamente, de EUA, pero es un Lipan Apache [Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas] y les gusta denominarse de “Las Primeras Naciones”).
Otra historia de fantasmas que parece estándar, pero se vuelve muy interesante cuando la narradora en primera persona es una adolescente Lipan. Vemos el mundo a través de su visión espiritual y animista, donde los fantasmas coexisten con el mundo físico, y pueden querer comunicarse de formas que no nos convienen.
4. ”Ghostalker” de Tendai L. Huchu (Zimbabue).
Otro relato de fantasmas y otra vez lo interesante es conocer el punto de vista de la cultura zimbabuense.
La trama es más o menos original, es la historia de alguien cuyo oficio es servir de recadero entre los fantasmas –el mundo espiritual– y el mundo de los vivos.
5. “Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” de Taijo Fuji (Japón).
Interesante relato ciberpunk que no encaja en los moldes occidentales. En occidente, el ciberpunk se basa en tramas oscuras e intrigantes, personajes raros y grotescos, humanos tan fuertemente modificados que muchos ya son mejor descritos como ciborgs, y muchas, muchas machincuepas literarias. Y este relato es fuertemente tecnológico, costumbrista y lineal. Situado ligeramente en el futuro, está tan fuertemente cimentada en la informática, que muchos aspectos de su trama (incluso algunos aspectos esenciales, me temo) solamente se entienden completamente si uno se dedica a esto o se ha involucrado muy intensamente (como los hackers de a deveras, no los ciberpunketos); por ejemplo, los que sepan para qué es este comando: curl socialpay.com/ | less .
6. “Ambiguity Machines: An Examination” de Vandana Singh (India).
Cuento que se describe los efectos de máquinas extrañas, casi mágicas, a las que llama “Máquinas-Espacio Conceptual. El cuento se divide en tres partes, donde cada parte cuenta los efectos de una máquina en cierta región del mundo. No hay historia. Solamente las descripciones de los efectos de la máquina.
7. “Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat” de Basma Abdel Aziz (Egipto).
No sé si me perdí de algo, pero yo no le vi nada de ficción o fantasía a este relato, es simplemente la descripción de cómo sería y actuaría un autócrata idealizado.
8. “Our Dead World” de Liliana Colanzi (Bolivia)
Cuenta la historia de una mujer que está en Marte, como parte de una misión de exploración, pero a lo largo del cuento uno se va enterando de que la Tierra es un planeta destruido y moribundo (contaminación, cambio climático, sobrepoblación, etc.) y los que están en Marte son los ganadores de una lotería marciana. Pero también nos enteramos de que la mayoría de los colonos han sufrido algún tipo de envenenamiento en la Tierra, así que sufren alucinaciones y se vuelven locos.
9. “An Evolutionary Myth” de Bo-young Kim (Corea del Sur).
Está basado totalmente en mitos y leyendas del folclor coreano. La historia es simplemente las aventuras míticas de un rey coreano que sale a pasear al bosque. Muy interesante para los que estamos interesados en el folclor de otras culturas.
10. “You will see the moon rise” de Israel Alonso (España).
Una buena narración ciberpunk con tintes post-apocalípticos, aunque la trama es bastante artificiosa: un hombre pierde la memoria durante un asalto y va recuperándola poco a poco, suceso que es aprovechado por el autor para describir el ambiente y sucesos futuristas del cuento.
11. “The Barrette Girls” de Sara Saab (nacida en Líbano, pero radicada en UK).
En lo personal, la narración se me hizo un poco confusa, como saltando de un lugar a otro. A fin de cuentas, creo que la trama principal es describir el aspecto y comportamiento de unos seres llamados “Barrete Girls” (las chicas del pasador), seres biológicos, creados para…, para…, para justificar este cuento, creo.
12. “The Calculations of Artificials” de Chi Hui (China).
Tiene una idea novedosa, está muy bien desarrollado, la trama principal se va descubriendo poco a poco a lo largo del cuento: en algún momento en la historia de la humanidad, se desarrolló la idea de que el problema principal de la humanidad somos los humanos: desarrollamos impulsos violentos que fácilmente se salen de control, somos muy egoístas y actuamos sin pensar en los demás o en la sociedad en general, tenemos lujuria por el poder y un deseo irrefrenable por el control…, así que poco a poco se desarrollan humanos artificiales (llamados “Artificiales” a diferencia de los humanos que son llamados “Reales”) para que controlen a los Reales e incluso que formen familias con ellos. Todo con el fin de sobrevivir como especie.
Es un cuento cuyo tema es muy profundo y lleno de aristas y facetas, pero a fin de cuentas es un cuento que no se mete en complicaciones.
13. “El cóndor del Manchángara” de Ana Hurtado (Venezuela).
Es una narración de algo bastante común en Latinoamérica: todas las casas en las cercanías de un canal de desagüe son acechadas por buitres negros en busca de comida o un refugio. Da la asombrosa brisa casualidad de que yo vivo dentro de un radio de 200 metros del canal del desagüe principal de la ciudad de México, y sé que las descripciones que hace la autora son ciertas (en México a los buitres negros les llamamos zopilotes. Actualmente, la ciudad ya está bastante urbanizada, pero hace cerca de 70 años, sí rondaban por aquí). La protagonista del cuento cree fervientemente en una leyenda que dice que el jefe de los buitres es un esplendoroso y enorme cóndor, y la final del cuento uno de los personajes se transforma en tal cóndor.
Creo que lo más destacable del cuento es la extraña traducción español-inglés que hicieron.
14. “Alone, on the wind” de Karla Schmidt (Alemania).
También se me hizo un poco confusa, una mezcolanza grotesca de filosofía y fantasía, remata como una ventura fantástica. Es el relato (hasta donde entendí) de un grupo de aventureros que cabalgan aves estilo Taarna (de Heavy Metal).
15. “The Seventh” por Eliza Victoria (Filipinas, aunque actualmente reside en Australia).
Extraño relato acerca de una serie de clones que han sido criados para avanzar en la investigación de una enfermedad neuronal. Lo interesante es la forma en que la autora arma la historia, haciendo que la mujer clonada del cuento (ella es el séptimo intento) no tenga memoria del pasado.
16. “Screamers” por Tochi Onyebuchi (Estados Unidos).
Relato de aventuras policiacas centradas en el fenómeno de “screamers” que so explosivos enviados por correo. Está escrito como una aventura YA (Young Adults, para adultos jóvenes, ay, qué caray, cómo les gustan las etiquetas a los gringos).
17. “The Bois” de R.S.A. García (Trinidad y Tobago).
La trama está centrada en “Papa Bois”, cruza entre deidad y demonio. Entre ente alienígena y autoridad absoluta. La narración trata de seguir el folclor caribeño.
Usa mucho un inglés criollo, pero más que nada está en los diálogos de las protagonistas.
18. “Ugo” por Giovanni de Feo (Italia).
Cuento bastante convencional de un niño que puede dar saltos en el tiempo, así que conoce el futuro. Se encuentra con la que va a ser su novia, y con el tiempo, su esposa. Durante bastantes años ella sigue su vida, pensando en el niño de los saltos (Ugo) simplemente como un romance infantil, pero él se sigue apareciendo, como adolescente y como joven adulto. Ella acepta su destino, y su futuro con Ugo. Se casan e inician su vida juntos. Ella tiene el pasatiempo del patinaje artístico, y después de un par de años se vuelve tan buena en eso, que empieza a participar en competencias amateur. Está a punto de ganar en una competencia muy importante, pero se lastima un tobillo. El médico deportivo le dice que no es grave, pero si sigue en la competencia, podría lastimarse seriamente y ya no podría patinar nunca más. Pero podría tener suerte, no lastimarse más y ganar la competencia con una pequeña torcedura. Así que ella voltea con su marido, Ugo, para que le diga el futuro que ha visto en sus saltos, pero Ugo le confiesa que todo han sido invenciones y cuentos que se inventó para estar con ella y poder casarse, en realidad ella es libre para tomar sus decisiones. Así que ella decide seguir en la competencia mientras Ugo sale por la puerta. Con el tiempo, ella se vuelve profesional, participa en las Olimpiadas y participa en certámenes y espectáculos profesionales. Se vuelve famosa y recorre el mundo. Un día regresa a su ciudad natal y pregunta por Ugo, su marido. Pero todo mundo la ve con extrañeza y sorpresa y le dicen que nunca se ha casado, que no tiene marido y el único Uno que conocen es a su sobrino. Ella incluso rebusca en sus fotos pasada, pero no está Ugo, aunque en algunas ella estaba segura de que sí estaba.
Para los que llevamos tiempo en esto de la cienciaficcioñería, la explicación es simple: la realidad que uno vive es el resultado de todas las decisiones que hemos tomado. A esto se le llama “línea temporal”. Ugo SÍ podía saltar en el tiempo, “decidía” por su novia (y luego su esposa) para que ambos siguiera en la misma línea temporal, pero llegó el momento en que Ugo dejó que ella decidiera su destino, su línea temporal. Al ser diferente a la línea temporal de él, simplemente desapareció de su universo, de su realidad. No es como si hubiera muerto, es que nunca lo conoció.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2021
THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF 5 IS RATED 69%
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 7 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 2 DNF
One of the most interesting characteristics of 21st century science fiction is the embrace of diverse authors from around the world. Science fiction is no longer a niche hobby, but a wide ranging fandom with authors of every language and culture.
Sadly, this isn’t the anthology to tell that story. 2 of the stories were so unreadable that I had to DNF them and 7 were only average. Average - in my context - is a rating that I expect at the magazine level, but not in an anthology that can pull from multiple vintages.
Two great stories really stand out though.
Ambiguity Machines: An Examination • (2015) • novelette by Vandana Singh. The prose of this story sings at the level of myth and poetry. This novelette tells three stories of unique machines, located around the world, and their affect on the lives of people. You are essentially getting three short stories in one and every story is a beautiful fable. I loved this.
Ugo • (2017) • short story by Giovanni De Feo. In was feels like a fusion of Quantum Leap and “Six Months, Three Days,” this story tells about the romantic relationship between an aspiring figure skater and a young boy who is Leaping around in time. Smart, human, and with an excellent payoff.
***
THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF 5 IS RATED 69%
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 7 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 2 DNF
A Series of Steaks • (2017) • novelette by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Good. Biopunk tale of fake gourmet steaks … and revenge.
Accursed Lineage • (2017) • short story by Daína Chaviano (trans. of Estirpe maldita 1997)
Good. Strange and haunting horror thriller of a family doing surveillance on their neighbors
Nkásht íí • (2014) • short story by Darcie Little Badger
Good. A very suspenseful horror story about two women who investigate what may have been a supernatural murder after a car crash.
Ghostalker • (2015) • short story by T. L. Huchu
Average. Young girl delivers messages for the dead.
Violation of the TrueNet Security Act • (2017) • novelette by 藤井太洋? (trans. of コラボレーション? 2013) [as by Taiyo Fujii]
Good. A computer programmer makes his living removing legacy programs from what used to be the internet. One night, he finds a program he had written and is surprised by what he finds.
Ambiguity Machines: An Examination • (2015) • novelette by Vandana Singh
Great. Three stories - ostensibly part of a student education - about ‘machines’ in Mongolia, Italy, and Mali that are haunting and unexplained. Written in beautiful fairy tale language.
Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat • (2017) • short story by Basma Abdel Aziz
Average. An autocrat makes a series of declarations that his subjects must obey.
Our Dead World • (2017) • short story by Liliana Colanzi (trans. of Nuestro mundo muerto 2016)
Average. Loneliness and visions on Mars. A painful breakup back home.
An Evolutionary Myth • (2015) • novelette by 김보영? (trans. of 진화신화? 2006) [as by Bo-Young Kim]
DNF. Royalty fantasy that I couldn’t connect with. A Korean prince (I think) undergoes changes.
You Will See the Moon Rise • short story by Israel Alonso (trans. of Verás crecer la luna 2017)
Average. As a man heals from trauma, he flashes back to experiences of chaos and war.
The Barrette Girls • (2017) • short story by Sara Saab
Average. A couple guide a strange set of girls through London.
The Calculations of Artificials • (2016) • novelette by Chi Hui (trans. of 伪人算法? 2010)
Average. In a world of Actuals and Artificals, an Actual who works to keep the system running builds a connection with a boy on the run..
El Cóndor del Machángara • (2017) • short story by Ana Hurtado
Average. Magical realism of a girl who tries to get help from a being in the river.
Alone, on the Wind • (2016) • novelette by Karla Schmidt (trans. of Auf dem Wind. Allein 2011)
DNF. Flying beings. A world destroyed and floating in chunks. Could never connect with this one.
The Seventh • (2015) • short story by Eliza Victoria
Good. Terrifying bit of horror about pain that may help us recover.
Screamers • (2016) • short story by Tochi Onyebuchi
Good. In a world where Africans appear to be policing ‘just-blacks’ in the USA, a father and son investigate explosive murders that may have something to do with repressed rage.
The Bois • (2017) • short story by R. S. A. Garcia
Good. A haunting tail of love and transhumanism that appears to be fantasy, but slides slowly into science fiction.
Ugo • (2017) • short story by Giovanni De Feo
Great. A relationship between a boy that Leaps around his own timeline and a girl that loves him.
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 7 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 2 DNF
One of the most interesting characteristics of 21st century science fiction is the embrace of diverse authors from around the world. Science fiction is no longer a niche hobby, but a wide ranging fandom with authors of every language and culture.
Sadly, this isn’t the anthology to tell that story. 2 of the stories were so unreadable that I had to DNF them and 7 were only average. Average - in my context - is a rating that I expect at the magazine level, but not in an anthology that can pull from multiple vintages.
Two great stories really stand out though.
Ambiguity Machines: An Examination • (2015) • novelette by Vandana Singh. The prose of this story sings at the level of myth and poetry. This novelette tells three stories of unique machines, located around the world, and their affect on the lives of people. You are essentially getting three short stories in one and every story is a beautiful fable. I loved this.
Ugo • (2017) • short story by Giovanni De Feo. In was feels like a fusion of Quantum Leap and “Six Months, Three Days,” this story tells about the romantic relationship between an aspiring figure skater and a young boy who is Leaping around in time. Smart, human, and with an excellent payoff.
***
THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF 5 IS RATED 69%
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 7 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 2 DNF
A Series of Steaks • (2017) • novelette by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Good. Biopunk tale of fake gourmet steaks … and revenge.
Accursed Lineage • (2017) • short story by Daína Chaviano (trans. of Estirpe maldita 1997)
Good. Strange and haunting horror thriller of a family doing surveillance on their neighbors
Nkásht íí • (2014) • short story by Darcie Little Badger
Good. A very suspenseful horror story about two women who investigate what may have been a supernatural murder after a car crash.
Ghostalker • (2015) • short story by T. L. Huchu
Average. Young girl delivers messages for the dead.
Violation of the TrueNet Security Act • (2017) • novelette by 藤井太洋? (trans. of コラボレーション? 2013) [as by Taiyo Fujii]
Good. A computer programmer makes his living removing legacy programs from what used to be the internet. One night, he finds a program he had written and is surprised by what he finds.
Ambiguity Machines: An Examination • (2015) • novelette by Vandana Singh
Great. Three stories - ostensibly part of a student education - about ‘machines’ in Mongolia, Italy, and Mali that are haunting and unexplained. Written in beautiful fairy tale language.
Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat • (2017) • short story by Basma Abdel Aziz
Average. An autocrat makes a series of declarations that his subjects must obey.
Our Dead World • (2017) • short story by Liliana Colanzi (trans. of Nuestro mundo muerto 2016)
Average. Loneliness and visions on Mars. A painful breakup back home.
An Evolutionary Myth • (2015) • novelette by 김보영? (trans. of 진화신화? 2006) [as by Bo-Young Kim]
DNF. Royalty fantasy that I couldn’t connect with. A Korean prince (I think) undergoes changes.
You Will See the Moon Rise • short story by Israel Alonso (trans. of Verás crecer la luna 2017)
Average. As a man heals from trauma, he flashes back to experiences of chaos and war.
The Barrette Girls • (2017) • short story by Sara Saab
Average. A couple guide a strange set of girls through London.
The Calculations of Artificials • (2016) • novelette by Chi Hui (trans. of 伪人算法? 2010)
Average. In a world of Actuals and Artificals, an Actual who works to keep the system running builds a connection with a boy on the run..
El Cóndor del Machángara • (2017) • short story by Ana Hurtado
Average. Magical realism of a girl who tries to get help from a being in the river.
Alone, on the Wind • (2016) • novelette by Karla Schmidt (trans. of Auf dem Wind. Allein 2011)
DNF. Flying beings. A world destroyed and floating in chunks. Could never connect with this one.
The Seventh • (2015) • short story by Eliza Victoria
Good. Terrifying bit of horror about pain that may help us recover.
Screamers • (2016) • short story by Tochi Onyebuchi
Good. In a world where Africans appear to be policing ‘just-blacks’ in the USA, a father and son investigate explosive murders that may have something to do with repressed rage.
The Bois • (2017) • short story by R. S. A. Garcia
Good. A haunting tail of love and transhumanism that appears to be fantasy, but slides slowly into science fiction.
Ugo • (2017) • short story by Giovanni De Feo
Great. A relationship between a boy that Leaps around his own timeline and a girl that loves him.
January 24, 2023
For me, the strength of an anthology is in its variety as well as its quality. These eighteen stories cover a variety of countries, cultures, and nations; a variety of story-telling styles; and a variety of speculative fiction — which includes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The editor, Cristina Jurado, and I have worked together on other projects, and I can see her hand in the choices. A fair number of stories show her fine sensibility toward horror, not with blood and gore, but with dread.
I’ve checked some other reviews, and different readers have loved a story that others found meh, and I think the variety of reactions means that there’s something in the anthology for a wide variety of readers. Here are my favorites, but you may have different choices:
“A Series of Steaks” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad: The story has fun with technology, and it could only have taken place in China.
“Violation of the Truenet Security Act” by Taiyo Fujii: I admit I didn’t follow all of the technicalities of a computer programmer falling afoul of a dystopian internet failure, but I understood the plot. The story could only have happened in Japan.
“Ambiguity Machines: An Examination” by Vandana Singh: Three accounts of unnerving encounters with impossible machines. It ends with a haunting twist.
“An Evolutionary Myth” by Bo-Young Kim: This tale about something like a shape-shifter is steeped in Korean culture.
“You Will See the Moon Rise” by Israel Alonso: A war turns out to be something else. As an aside, I knew the translator, Steve Redwood, and delighted in his anarchic humor; he died in 2022.
“The Seventh” by Eliza Victoria: Truly creepy horror.
“Screamers” by Tochi Onyebuchi: A series of murders leads to a transcendent conclusion.
“Ugo” by Giovanni de Feo: An odd romance takes a philosophical turn that subverts genre expectations.
Again, you might enjoy different stories, but they’re all worth reading. More than ever, speculative fiction plays out on a world-wide stage, and language barriers and national borders give us only glimpses. Here’s a chance to take a closer look.
I’ve checked some other reviews, and different readers have loved a story that others found meh, and I think the variety of reactions means that there’s something in the anthology for a wide variety of readers. Here are my favorites, but you may have different choices:
“A Series of Steaks” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad: The story has fun with technology, and it could only have taken place in China.
“Violation of the Truenet Security Act” by Taiyo Fujii: I admit I didn’t follow all of the technicalities of a computer programmer falling afoul of a dystopian internet failure, but I understood the plot. The story could only have happened in Japan.
“Ambiguity Machines: An Examination” by Vandana Singh: Three accounts of unnerving encounters with impossible machines. It ends with a haunting twist.
“An Evolutionary Myth” by Bo-Young Kim: This tale about something like a shape-shifter is steeped in Korean culture.
“You Will See the Moon Rise” by Israel Alonso: A war turns out to be something else. As an aside, I knew the translator, Steve Redwood, and delighted in his anarchic humor; he died in 2022.
“The Seventh” by Eliza Victoria: Truly creepy horror.
“Screamers” by Tochi Onyebuchi: A series of murders leads to a transcendent conclusion.
“Ugo” by Giovanni de Feo: An odd romance takes a philosophical turn that subverts genre expectations.
Again, you might enjoy different stories, but they’re all worth reading. More than ever, speculative fiction plays out on a world-wide stage, and language barriers and national borders give us only glimpses. Here’s a chance to take a closer look.
September 15, 2022
As with most anthologies a mixed bag.
1. Vina Jie-Min Prasad "A Series of Steaks". 2 young women 3d print fake beef. 4/5
2. Daína Chaviano "Accursed Lineage - a family of dead people watch the living. 3/5
3. Darcie Little Badger "Nkásht íí"- indifferent ghost story. 2.5/5
4. T.L. Huchu "Ghostalker"- an interesting story about a girl who passes on messages for ghosts, but then it just stops,no proper ending nothing. Annoying. 3/5
5. Taiyo Fujii "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” - geeky coder reactivates an old programme. Poor. 2/5
6. Vandana Singh "Ambiguity Machines: An Examination" - time travel. ok 3/5
7. Basma Abdel Aziz "Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat" - may be meant to be a satire on state control or mindless conformity? Poor. 2/5
8. Liliana Colanzi "Our Dead World" - melancholy tale of pioneers to Mars attempting to set up infrastructure for new colonists while succumbing to the effects of radiation and loneliness. 4/5
9. Bo-young Kim "An Evolutionary Myth" - long-winded fantasy. DNF 1/5
10. Israel Alonso "You Will See the Moon Rise" - war story. DNF 1/4
11. Sara Saab "The Barrette Girls" - very bizarre story about helium that somehow takes the form of young girls and must be vacuumed out of that shape to be used. Highly peculiar but interesting. 3/5
12. Chi Hui "The Calculations of Artificials" - who is a real human and who is an android? Feels a bit like an old Star Trek episode. 3/5
13. Ana Hurtado "El Cóndor del Machángara" – birds, an angry dad, and no story. DNF 1/5
14. Karla Schmidt "Alone, on the Wind" – more birdy imagery. DNF 1/5
15. Eliza Victoria "The Seventh" – strange horror story about a woman in a well. 2/5
16. Tochi Onyebuchi "Screamers" – the whole essence of a human – pain, joy, fear – packed into envelopes that can explode anyone who opens them. Very strange but good. 4/5
17. R.S.A. Garcia "The Bois" – a sentient forest. 3/5
18. Giovanni De Feo "Ugo" – is it time travel or schizophrenia? 4/5
1. Vina Jie-Min Prasad "A Series of Steaks". 2 young women 3d print fake beef. 4/5
2. Daína Chaviano "Accursed Lineage - a family of dead people watch the living. 3/5
3. Darcie Little Badger "Nkásht íí"- indifferent ghost story. 2.5/5
4. T.L. Huchu "Ghostalker"- an interesting story about a girl who passes on messages for ghosts, but then it just stops,no proper ending nothing. Annoying. 3/5
5. Taiyo Fujii "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” - geeky coder reactivates an old programme. Poor. 2/5
6. Vandana Singh "Ambiguity Machines: An Examination" - time travel. ok 3/5
7. Basma Abdel Aziz "Scenes from the Life of an Autocrat" - may be meant to be a satire on state control or mindless conformity? Poor. 2/5
8. Liliana Colanzi "Our Dead World" - melancholy tale of pioneers to Mars attempting to set up infrastructure for new colonists while succumbing to the effects of radiation and loneliness. 4/5
9. Bo-young Kim "An Evolutionary Myth" - long-winded fantasy. DNF 1/5
10. Israel Alonso "You Will See the Moon Rise" - war story. DNF 1/4
11. Sara Saab "The Barrette Girls" - very bizarre story about helium that somehow takes the form of young girls and must be vacuumed out of that shape to be used. Highly peculiar but interesting. 3/5
12. Chi Hui "The Calculations of Artificials" - who is a real human and who is an android? Feels a bit like an old Star Trek episode. 3/5
13. Ana Hurtado "El Cóndor del Machángara" – birds, an angry dad, and no story. DNF 1/5
14. Karla Schmidt "Alone, on the Wind" – more birdy imagery. DNF 1/5
15. Eliza Victoria "The Seventh" – strange horror story about a woman in a well. 2/5
16. Tochi Onyebuchi "Screamers" – the whole essence of a human – pain, joy, fear – packed into envelopes that can explode anyone who opens them. Very strange but good. 4/5
17. R.S.A. Garcia "The Bois" – a sentient forest. 3/5
18. Giovanni De Feo "Ugo" – is it time travel or schizophrenia? 4/5
September 27, 2019
A collection of short stories from various countries around the world, often translated to English from another language.
Short story collections are always mixed bags, so there's not really much to say beyond what I liked. In this one... only a couple stand out on the positive side, and on the negative, nothing jumps out at me save the occasional disappointment that a story that seemed like it might be starting okay just went nowhere interesting. Mostly it was just stories that were okay but didn't really leave any impression on me. There's a fair mix of both science fiction and fantasy and some horror, although I personally would have preferred more of the first that's a common refrain for me.
The stories I remember liking were "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii, "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo, and "The Barette Girls" by Sara Saab (though this last one somewhat mixed as I was unsatisfied with the ending, I include it because it was interesting up until then). Of them, "A Series of Steaks" (about someone who is hired to produce counterfeit steaks through 3D printing) was probably my favorite.
All in all, I'd rate the collection probably between 2.5-3 stars, rounding up.
Short story collections are always mixed bags, so there's not really much to say beyond what I liked. In this one... only a couple stand out on the positive side, and on the negative, nothing jumps out at me save the occasional disappointment that a story that seemed like it might be starting okay just went nowhere interesting. Mostly it was just stories that were okay but didn't really leave any impression on me. There's a fair mix of both science fiction and fantasy and some horror, although I personally would have preferred more of the first that's a common refrain for me.
The stories I remember liking were "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, "Violation of the TrueNet Security Act" by Taiyo Fujii, "Ugo" by Giovanni De Feo, and "The Barette Girls" by Sara Saab (though this last one somewhat mixed as I was unsatisfied with the ending, I include it because it was interesting up until then). Of them, "A Series of Steaks" (about someone who is hired to produce counterfeit steaks through 3D printing) was probably my favorite.
All in all, I'd rate the collection probably between 2.5-3 stars, rounding up.
February 25, 2020
** Full disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
It’s always fascinating to read stories from other cultures and this series has always done a great job finding new and interesting stories from around the world, and from cultures you wouldn’t normally expect.
Collections like this are often a mixed bag with some stories appealing more than others though for me this was one of the few where even the stories I didn’t like as much still really interested me and I was glad to read all of them.
My favorites were the first three in the book, Nkasht ii by Darcie Little Badger which really makes me want to read more speculative fiction from Native American authors in general and this author (and characters) in particular. I look forward to finding more from her.
I also loved A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, it was one of the strongest science fiction stories in the collections.
And finally, accursed Lineage by Daina Chaviano, a strange little gem and a family I would love to spend more time with.
These three stood out, but most of the others were just as good, for me this was one of their strongest collections yet. Definitely one I will be rereading over time.
It’s always fascinating to read stories from other cultures and this series has always done a great job finding new and interesting stories from around the world, and from cultures you wouldn’t normally expect.
Collections like this are often a mixed bag with some stories appealing more than others though for me this was one of the few where even the stories I didn’t like as much still really interested me and I was glad to read all of them.
My favorites were the first three in the book, Nkasht ii by Darcie Little Badger which really makes me want to read more speculative fiction from Native American authors in general and this author (and characters) in particular. I look forward to finding more from her.
I also loved A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, it was one of the strongest science fiction stories in the collections.
And finally, accursed Lineage by Daina Chaviano, a strange little gem and a family I would love to spend more time with.
These three stood out, but most of the others were just as good, for me this was one of their strongest collections yet. Definitely one I will be rereading over time.
October 21, 2018
Apex is always great when you need to read a really good book and get something that's a little outside your comfort zone. Volume 5 has some amazing stories in it and I'm so excited to look up these authors' other works. Hopefully I can find them in English.
"A series of Steaks"
"Ambiguity Machines"
and
"An Evolutionary Myth"
were probably my favorites. "Scenes from the life of an Autocrat" seemed the most contemporary and important to the time we're living in, while "The Barrette Girls" was IMO the best display of language used to invoke certain effects (played me like a fiddle they did).
Highly recommend.
"A series of Steaks"
"Ambiguity Machines"
and
"An Evolutionary Myth"
were probably my favorites. "Scenes from the life of an Autocrat" seemed the most contemporary and important to the time we're living in, while "The Barrette Girls" was IMO the best display of language used to invoke certain effects (played me like a fiddle they did).
Highly recommend.
July 11, 2020
I don’t know what else about this wonderful series I can say that I haven’t already. If you want good prose in your science fiction, you’ll like it. If you like strong characters in your science fiction, you’ll like it. If you like diversity in your science fiction, you’ll like it.
My one and only complaint is that I had already read some of the stories in Tor.com, Clarkesworld, and Strange Horizons.
I hope there are plans for a volume 6.
My one and only complaint is that I had already read some of the stories in Tor.com, Clarkesworld, and Strange Horizons.
I hope there are plans for a volume 6.
March 22, 2020
This is such a solid collection of stories, without any qualifiers. I did feel that there were diverse perspectives that showed up and that was great. I never felt like a translation was clumsy. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and was sad when I got to the end.
June 7, 2019
I am immensely grateful to the editors of this anthology. I imagine having to sift through so much fiction must have been daunting, but they did a great job of pulling together a diverse collection of stories from around the world that showcases some of the best non-western centered specfic.
From post-modern cyberpunk to ghouls to time travel and more, this anthology was a fun sampling of world SF. Some stories were traditional, linear tales while others were a bit more circular or ended without that Pow! Ending we’ve come to expect in most SF. Many of the stories, however, highlighted contemporary issues in a way that shines a light on the problem in just a slightly different manner, like turning a prism ever so slightly in the sunlight to watch the colors play.
Onto some of my favorites (but by no means an exclusive list).
I think my favorite story was A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. I love a good revenge story and this was inventive and fun. Helena Li Yuanhui, wrongfully accused of screwing up a heart replication, is a master beef forger, hiding in secret, eking out a living. Until one day threatens to expose her unless she creates the most perfect, undetectable beef forgery ever. But as Helen and her assistant, Lily, who has a very specific set of skills, uncover the truth behind the anonymous threats and requests, they decide to take matters into their hands.
My second favorite was Accursed Linage by Daina Chaviano, which is a spectacularly fun and spooky haunted house story, but be careful of the twist!
Violation of the Truenet Security Act by Taiyo Fujii is a fun tale of hacking and cybersecurity after most of society is locked out of the free net. Loved the Gibson-esque feel of this, but definitely fresh and tinged with post-911 paranoia and fear of an ultimate net takeover by a fascist plutocracy.
Ambiguity Machines: An examination by Vandana Singh is a hard scifi romp through time. It’s one of those stories you need to read a few times to make all the links between the three interconnected vignettes.
Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi combines space travel, love and a past rooted in a Chernobyl-like town on Earth in quite a depressing little tale. I think I actually felt like crying after finishing this just from sheer despair.
There are many more stories in this anthology to explore and each has a distinctive flavor. Highly recommended if you’re looking for great speculative fiction, especially outside of western norms.
From post-modern cyberpunk to ghouls to time travel and more, this anthology was a fun sampling of world SF. Some stories were traditional, linear tales while others were a bit more circular or ended without that Pow! Ending we’ve come to expect in most SF. Many of the stories, however, highlighted contemporary issues in a way that shines a light on the problem in just a slightly different manner, like turning a prism ever so slightly in the sunlight to watch the colors play.
Onto some of my favorites (but by no means an exclusive list).
I think my favorite story was A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. I love a good revenge story and this was inventive and fun. Helena Li Yuanhui, wrongfully accused of screwing up a heart replication, is a master beef forger, hiding in secret, eking out a living. Until one day threatens to expose her unless she creates the most perfect, undetectable beef forgery ever. But as Helen and her assistant, Lily, who has a very specific set of skills, uncover the truth behind the anonymous threats and requests, they decide to take matters into their hands.
My second favorite was Accursed Linage by Daina Chaviano, which is a spectacularly fun and spooky haunted house story, but be careful of the twist!
Violation of the Truenet Security Act by Taiyo Fujii is a fun tale of hacking and cybersecurity after most of society is locked out of the free net. Loved the Gibson-esque feel of this, but definitely fresh and tinged with post-911 paranoia and fear of an ultimate net takeover by a fascist plutocracy.
Ambiguity Machines: An examination by Vandana Singh is a hard scifi romp through time. It’s one of those stories you need to read a few times to make all the links between the three interconnected vignettes.
Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi combines space travel, love and a past rooted in a Chernobyl-like town on Earth in quite a depressing little tale. I think I actually felt like crying after finishing this just from sheer despair.
There are many more stories in this anthology to explore and each has a distinctive flavor. Highly recommended if you’re looking for great speculative fiction, especially outside of western norms.
April 26, 2016
Funny with a lot of personality.
Had me laughing out loud at the reading at Eastercon so I sought out the story when I came home.
The voice is really great and so is the protagonist, who is so old beyond her years. It fits her perfectly. She is both very brash and quite understanding and sweet.
Had me laughing out loud at the reading at Eastercon so I sought out the story when I came home.
The voice is really great and so is the protagonist, who is so old beyond her years. It fits her perfectly. She is both very brash and quite understanding and sweet.
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