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The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent
This is the best book of its kind in at least two decades. It is a literate, intelligent book of powerful SF stories from across Europe.
These tales are representativeof the best writers and stories of the last twenty years, written in most of the major contemporary European languages.
The SFWA European Hall of Fame includes someof the biggest SF names in Europe, including Joanna Sinisalo, Andreas Eschbach, Elena Arseneva, and Jean-Claude Dunyach. The appeal of this anthology rests first upon the venerable SFWA Hall of Fame imprimatur, and secondly on the sterling reputation of co-editor/writer James Morrow.
Morrow and his wife Kathryn spent years arranging for translations of the best in European SF, and working with translators to achieve sharp, polished, and entertaining English versions of the stories.
James Morrow has written a thought-provoking introductory essay, as well as informative story notes throughout the collection. This anthology joins the canonical SFWA Hall of Fame books that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies over four decades, and belongs in every library of SF, personal or public.
These tales are representativeof the best writers and stories of the last twenty years, written in most of the major contemporary European languages.
The SFWA European Hall of Fame includes someof the biggest SF names in Europe, including Joanna Sinisalo, Andreas Eschbach, Elena Arseneva, and Jean-Claude Dunyach. The appeal of this anthology rests first upon the venerable SFWA Hall of Fame imprimatur, and secondly on the sterling reputation of co-editor/writer James Morrow.
Morrow and his wife Kathryn spent years arranging for translations of the best in European SF, and working with translators to achieve sharp, polished, and entertaining English versions of the stories.
James Morrow has written a thought-provoking introductory essay, as well as informative story notes throughout the collection. This anthology joins the canonical SFWA Hall of Fame books that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies over four decades, and belongs in every library of SF, personal or public.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2007
8 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
James K. Morrow
105 books324 followersBorn in 1947, James Kenneth Morrow has been writing fiction ever since he, as a seven-year-old living in the Philadelphia suburbs, dictated “The Story of the Dog Family” to his mother, who dutifully typed it up and bound the pages with yarn. This three-page, six-chapter fantasy is still in the author’s private archives. Upon reaching adulthood, Jim produced nine novels of speculative fiction, including the critically acclaimed Godhead Trilogy. He has won the World Fantasy Award (for Only Begotten Daughter and Towing Jehovah), the Nebula Award (for “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge” and the novella City of Truth), and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award (for the novella Shambling Towards Hiroshima). A fulltime fiction writer, Jim makes his home in State College, Pennsylvania, with his wife, his son, an enigmatic sheepdog, and a loopy beagle. He is hard at work on a novel about Darwinism and its discontents.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 24, 2011
• Separations by Jean-Claude Dunyach 3/5
• A Birch Tree, A White Fox by Elena Arsenieva 3/5
• Sepultura by Valerio Evangelisti 4/5
• The Fourth Day of Eternity by Ondrej Neff 3/5
• Baby Doll by Johanna Sinisalo 3/5
• "Yoo Retoont, Sneogg. Ay Noo." by Marek Huberath 3/5
• The Day We Went Through the Transition by Ricard de la Casa & Pedro Romero 4/5
• Athos Emfovos in the Temple of Sound by Panagiotis Koustas 2/5
• Some Earthlings' Adventures on Outerria by Lucian Merisca 5/5
• Destiny, Inc. by Sergei Lukyanenko 4/5
• Wonders of the Universe by Andreas Eschbach 3/5
• A Night on the Edge of the Empire by Joao Barreiros 3/5
• Transfusion by Joëlle Wintrebert 3/5
• Verstummte Musik by W.J. Maryson 3/5
• Between the Lines by José Cotrina 4/5
• A Blue and Cloudless Sky by Bernhard Ribbeck 3/5
• Extrapolations of Things Past: A Barbarously Brief Account of European SF by the Editors 5/5
• A Birch Tree, A White Fox by Elena Arsenieva 3/5
• Sepultura by Valerio Evangelisti 4/5
• The Fourth Day of Eternity by Ondrej Neff 3/5
• Baby Doll by Johanna Sinisalo 3/5
• "Yoo Retoont, Sneogg. Ay Noo." by Marek Huberath 3/5
• The Day We Went Through the Transition by Ricard de la Casa & Pedro Romero 4/5
• Athos Emfovos in the Temple of Sound by Panagiotis Koustas 2/5
• Some Earthlings' Adventures on Outerria by Lucian Merisca 5/5
• Destiny, Inc. by Sergei Lukyanenko 4/5
• Wonders of the Universe by Andreas Eschbach 3/5
• A Night on the Edge of the Empire by Joao Barreiros 3/5
• Transfusion by Joëlle Wintrebert 3/5
• Verstummte Musik by W.J. Maryson 3/5
• Between the Lines by José Cotrina 4/5
• A Blue and Cloudless Sky by Bernhard Ribbeck 3/5
• Extrapolations of Things Past: A Barbarously Brief Account of European SF by the Editors 5/5
August 9, 2010
Only a few of these stories were really brilliant (par for the course for most anthologies, really), but it's interesting to see what's happening in European SF. The mini-overviews from the introductions to each story are also useful in this regard. So far as I could tell (not having read the originals), all the translations were good.
I thought that the stories by Johanna Sinisalo and Sergei Lukyanenko were probably the most gripping, but the one by José Antonio Cotrina was pretty interesting too.
I thought that the stories by Johanna Sinisalo and Sergei Lukyanenko were probably the most gripping, but the one by José Antonio Cotrina was pretty interesting too.
May 18, 2025
An interesting, lackluster collection. You can tell the type of stories the Morrows enjoy: dark, surreal; a lot of time travel, a lot of dystopian. It's also a dated collection; I doubt any European short story collection today would have TWO stories from Russia. Only one of the stories (“Yoo Retoont, Sneogg. Ay Noo”) was what I'd consider a masterpiece. Baby Doll, Wonders of the Universe, A Blue and Cloudless Sky, Seperations, and Verstummte Musik were also notable. The rest are forgettable. I'd make note of what the original language was then wonder if that was truly the masterpiece to represent that language. SF in translation is such an important and overlooked 'category' of the genre here in the States. If you're new to it, this could be a good place to start; just don't make it the last.
May 23, 2020
"Separations," by Jean-Claude Dunyach (2005): 9
- Strange tale with a common sci-fi trope, the parallel worlds idea, used to good effect here. Did I notice anything French about this story, or anything that would signal its difference from the other largely Anglo-American authors? I could say yes, the fixation on and enlarged narrative significance of a type of hand-wringing over lovers and affairs, but that's just finding what I went looking for. Otherwise, the twists, such as they were, were pulled off well, and with just enough hand-wavy sci-fi ambiguity to thread the needle between incomprehension and intriguing mystery.
"A Birch Tree, A White Fox," by Elena Arsenieva (1988): 8
- Interesting to see what is basically a straight across-the-board "Golden Age" SF story out of the Soviet Union. "Golden Age" in that its concerns are no larger than a full parameter exploration of the man story conceit of the tale, which, itself, is simply a premise transported to a SF world and fleshed out with the requisite/skillful prose and narrative, i.e. trapped on a planet where you can't speak, what do you do?
"Baby Doll," by Johanna Sinisalo (2002): 4.5
- a one-trick pony and even that trick is quite unimpressive. the same story could exist, with the actual same (conservative) message, even if you aged-up each character to "appropriate" ages: a sin that the gimmick was both pointless and not essential to the point trying to be made. still, some good: I did like the muted undertones of disintegrating morality, esp. in the nice delayed reveal that she stopped the boy not because he was raping her, but because she was jealous (and that she took a positive message away from dollhouse). still, a big ehh
"Sepultura," by Valerio Evangelisti (1998): 8.75
- Shares some genes with Clive Barker—thinking esp. of “In the Hills, the Cities”—although up to something different, something considerably more tangible. The initial scene-setting was done so well, providing such visceral sfnal scenes (of the kind most readily hinted at, but not as often shown, in boilerplate dystopian narratives, such as the effects of the melt weapon and, obviously, the communal polymer binding the lower halves of political prisoners), that I was more than wary when Evangelisti signaled his shift to/incorporation of mystical/fantastical elements. These, however, worked well in tandem with the sfnal payoffs he’d already earned and, what is more, actually helped foreground the genocidal threat of the state here, as the particular mysticism with actual power is that of the actual indigenous groups, thereby acknowledging the validity of their resentment and their capacity to strike back, given the inclination.
- Strange tale with a common sci-fi trope, the parallel worlds idea, used to good effect here. Did I notice anything French about this story, or anything that would signal its difference from the other largely Anglo-American authors? I could say yes, the fixation on and enlarged narrative significance of a type of hand-wringing over lovers and affairs, but that's just finding what I went looking for. Otherwise, the twists, such as they were, were pulled off well, and with just enough hand-wavy sci-fi ambiguity to thread the needle between incomprehension and intriguing mystery.
"A Birch Tree, A White Fox," by Elena Arsenieva (1988): 8
- Interesting to see what is basically a straight across-the-board "Golden Age" SF story out of the Soviet Union. "Golden Age" in that its concerns are no larger than a full parameter exploration of the man story conceit of the tale, which, itself, is simply a premise transported to a SF world and fleshed out with the requisite/skillful prose and narrative, i.e. trapped on a planet where you can't speak, what do you do?
"Baby Doll," by Johanna Sinisalo (2002): 4.5
- a one-trick pony and even that trick is quite unimpressive. the same story could exist, with the actual same (conservative) message, even if you aged-up each character to "appropriate" ages: a sin that the gimmick was both pointless and not essential to the point trying to be made. still, some good: I did like the muted undertones of disintegrating morality, esp. in the nice delayed reveal that she stopped the boy not because he was raping her, but because she was jealous (and that she took a positive message away from dollhouse). still, a big ehh
"Sepultura," by Valerio Evangelisti (1998): 8.75
- Shares some genes with Clive Barker—thinking esp. of “In the Hills, the Cities”—although up to something different, something considerably more tangible. The initial scene-setting was done so well, providing such visceral sfnal scenes (of the kind most readily hinted at, but not as often shown, in boilerplate dystopian narratives, such as the effects of the melt weapon and, obviously, the communal polymer binding the lower halves of political prisoners), that I was more than wary when Evangelisti signaled his shift to/incorporation of mystical/fantastical elements. These, however, worked well in tandem with the sfnal payoffs he’d already earned and, what is more, actually helped foreground the genocidal threat of the state here, as the particular mysticism with actual power is that of the actual indigenous groups, thereby acknowledging the validity of their resentment and their capacity to strike back, given the inclination.
June 28, 2013
Very good introduction to the science fiction writing going on in Europe, and which is often not translated into English. All the stories have something unique to offer and are enjoyable in themselves. The great care with which the stories were selected really shines.
The best stories in the collection are: " 'Yoo Retoont, Sneogg, Ay Noo' " & "Wonders of the Universe". The second is about a dying astronaut taking stock of her life, and preparing for death amid the wonders of the universe.
The first speaks of a dystopian future where human dignity is utterly subordinated to the fullness of utilitarianism; the obvious results ensue. And the frightening thing is that the modern world is approaching such a state of affairs: in the modern world such things mentioned in the book do go on, but are yet hidden and frowned upon. Yet, we are on the way there. Already the first step has been taken---namely the disregard of the dignity of some humans---as legalized abortion makes fully clear. And the next steps are on the horizon: already there is a market for human tissue parts obtained from aborted fetuses for research & commercial purposes. Perhaps this story could change some minds on this matter... it is certainly a very emotional story.
The best stories in the collection are: " 'Yoo Retoont, Sneogg, Ay Noo' " & "Wonders of the Universe". The second is about a dying astronaut taking stock of her life, and preparing for death amid the wonders of the universe.
The first speaks of a dystopian future where human dignity is utterly subordinated to the fullness of utilitarianism; the obvious results ensue. And the frightening thing is that the modern world is approaching such a state of affairs: in the modern world such things mentioned in the book do go on, but are yet hidden and frowned upon. Yet, we are on the way there. Already the first step has been taken---namely the disregard of the dignity of some humans---as legalized abortion makes fully clear. And the next steps are on the horizon: already there is a market for human tissue parts obtained from aborted fetuses for research & commercial purposes. Perhaps this story could change some minds on this matter... it is certainly a very emotional story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2010
The only unifying theme in this anthology is that the authors are European. Thus there is a wide variety of styles and themes, and the stories were probably chosen somewhat haphazardly, based in large part on who could be found to translate what into English.
For me, most of these stories were just OK, but a few really impressed me. I am glad to see that some of the authors I already know from their writings in French, or their translations into French in Utopiae and elsewhere, are getting some exposure in English. I hope this leads to more translations of Dunyach (French), and Barreiros (Portugese), among others.
The great new discovery for me in this book was Lucian Merisca. His satire was surprising and hilarious, even in translation from the Romanian. I spent hours trying to track-down the supposed "novel" of his that was mentioned in the introduction as being translated into French, only to eventually discover it was actually only a short-story (a "nouvelle", not a novel). I hope someone will find a way to get more of his stories available in English.
For me, most of these stories were just OK, but a few really impressed me. I am glad to see that some of the authors I already know from their writings in French, or their translations into French in Utopiae and elsewhere, are getting some exposure in English. I hope this leads to more translations of Dunyach (French), and Barreiros (Portugese), among others.
The great new discovery for me in this book was Lucian Merisca. His satire was surprising and hilarious, even in translation from the Romanian. I spent hours trying to track-down the supposed "novel" of his that was mentioned in the introduction as being translated into French, only to eventually discover it was actually only a short-story (a "nouvelle", not a novel). I hope someone will find a way to get more of his stories available in English.
September 23, 2012
I decided to back and read a few more stories from this anthology, and I'm glad I did. Major standouts were "Separations" by Jean-Claude Dunyach and especially "Some Earthlings Adventures on Outrerria" by Lucian Meriska, one of the best pieces of absurdism I've ever read. In general, the stories were a little too cold for me, but they were impressionistic, subdued, and really impressive intellectually, with an emphasis on interiority that's really missing in American SF. In general, I'm not a fan of short fiction (it's rare for me to get through a single-author collection, and I don' think I've read all the way through an anthology), but I would love to see translations of full novels from quite a few of these authors. Also worth mentioning is Morrow's brilliant introduction, which (weirdly enough) was one of my favorite parts of the book. I would almost suggest getting ahold of this just for the Meriska story and the introduction, but there's a lot of other good stuff as well, even if you just skip around like I did.
August 18, 2015
Some translated Euro shorts that us anglo-speakers don't normally see. There's a more open-ended, slightly pretentious woolliness to some of them that I found fairly annoying at the time, but several of them have stayed with me, so that can't be all bad. Others are just a bit silly, but short and sweet for all that.
There are some that hit home or hold together though. The Danish offering about a past-seeded world and a couple doomed to solve its conundrum is very evocative & holds its tone well, which is impressive given it's a translation. Other decent ones include: A Russian service that exchanges your destinies; A Spanish university course on reading between the lines; A wormhole captain with a secret and a space-dancing stowaway; A love affair between time cops; & a world where rooms of sub-human mutants unknowingly compete to be the one that enters society.
PS the Finnish one titled 'Baby Doll' is a thoroughly uncomfortable read, and until 9-yr-olds actually start getting implants, i struggle with its validity.
3.5(+)
There are some that hit home or hold together though. The Danish offering about a past-seeded world and a couple doomed to solve its conundrum is very evocative & holds its tone well, which is impressive given it's a translation. Other decent ones include: A Russian service that exchanges your destinies; A Spanish university course on reading between the lines; A wormhole captain with a secret and a space-dancing stowaway; A love affair between time cops; & a world where rooms of sub-human mutants unknowingly compete to be the one that enters society.
PS the Finnish one titled 'Baby Doll' is a thoroughly uncomfortable read, and until 9-yr-olds actually start getting implants, i struggle with its validity.
3.5(+)
February 28, 2011
An interesting if ultimately rather disappointing collection. While there are a few excellent stories (I wholeheartedly recommend the selections by Johanna Sinisalo, Lucian Merişca, Sergei Lukayenko and Andreas Eschenbach) much of what is featured here is tired and lackluster and some of it is much closer in feel and form to literary fantasy than science fiction as currently understood in virtually any nation (José Antonio Cotrina's 'Between the Lines, a Borgesian tale, is a clear example of this-a decent and entertaining story but in no way science fiction). Both the opening and closing entries (by Jean-Claude Dunyach and Bernhard Ribbeck, respectively) are rather weak and the introduction and introductory paragraphs before each story are just plain awful. I bought this in hardcover when it was first released-given the opportunity to go back, I wouldn't do so again.
May 3, 2012
Bella l'idea di dare risalto alla fantascienza europea (ma l'idea doveva venire per forza agli americani?), l'antologia è godibile, ovviamente non ho apprezzato allo stesso livello tutti i racconti ma questo ovviamente dipende dal gusto personale.
I racconti più interessanti quindi per me sono:
Baby doll (J. Sinislao), Pezzi di ricambio (M. S. Huberath), Sepultura (V. Evangelisti), Destiny Inc (S. Lukyanenko), Tra le righe (J. A. Cotrina) e Le meraviglie dell'universo (A. Eschebach).
Tra i racconti peggiori invece secondo me è possibile elencare:
Athos Emfovos nel tempio del suono (P. Koustas), Prove di rivoluzione su Outrerria (L. Merisca) e Il pianeta muto (E. Arsenieva).
I racconti più interessanti quindi per me sono:
Baby doll (J. Sinislao), Pezzi di ricambio (M. S. Huberath), Sepultura (V. Evangelisti), Destiny Inc (S. Lukyanenko), Tra le righe (J. A. Cotrina) e Le meraviglie dell'universo (A. Eschebach).
Tra i racconti peggiori invece secondo me è possibile elencare:
Athos Emfovos nel tempio del suono (P. Koustas), Prove di rivoluzione su Outrerria (L. Merisca) e Il pianeta muto (E. Arsenieva).
July 22, 2016
Some thoughts. Johanna Sinisalo's 'Baby Doll' (2002, trans. 2007 from Finnish by David Hackston) is a dystopia that reminds me of the remembered victimization of the protagonist in Gwyneth Jones' "Bold as Love." Panagiotis Koustas' 'Athos Emfavos in the Temple of Sound (2003, trans. 2007 by Mary and Gary Mitchell) is redeemed by its ending: a political taking of the community spaces unmarred by a Mayor Daley. Lucian Marişca's 'Some Earthlings' Adventures in Outrerria' (1994, trans. 1995-2007 from Romanian by Cezar Ionescu and the author): reminds me of the absurdist antics of Lem's characters Thurl and Klaupacius. There are many other enjoyable stories.
January 19, 2009
A great collection of science fiction short stories (translated from the original) from a broad swath of continental Europe. I will definitely pick up other works by many of the authors included in this collection.
September 4, 2012
This one is worth it for the story "A Birch Tree, A White Fox" alone, but there are some other gems as well. I remember reading in the introduction that the editors chose these stories very carefully, and I think it shows. Some truly excellent short fiction here.
August 7, 2012
A really good European anthology, ideal to get a sample of the European way of doing SF. And the forewords by Jim an Kathy Morrow is a good introduction to the main themes and tropes in Europe. Definitely worth a try.
Want to read
January 28, 2008(bb rec)
January 21, 2009
Some stories were amazing; others were ok.
September 26, 2014
A little bit odder than your usual best-of collection. It's like science fiction as if it were written by the aliens.
August 8, 2013
Decent collection of translated contemporary Science Fiction. Some of the stories are quite good, some less so, all worth reading.
February 9, 2014
I enjoyed pretty well every story in this collection. Very good selections and a generally high-calibre of work. Not one dud in the bunch.
March 2, 2010
Especially liked the Andreas Eschbach story.
September 6, 2013
Raccolta di racconti SF di soli autori europei; alcuni sono buoni, altri decisamente meno.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews