Cosmos latinos : an anthology of science fiction from Latin America and Spain /

Bell (Hamline Univ.) and Molina-Gavilan (Eckard College) add a good book to the "The Wesleyan Early Classics of Science Fiction Series"--although "early" is not entirely appropriate. In the first section the editors offer two translations, one from 1862 (a utopian excerpt) and one from 1890 (a satiric projection); the second section includes three translations (1913, 1929, 1952); the third, fourteen (1964-83); the fourth, eight (1989-2001). The authors hail from Spain, Brazil, and numerous Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, including Cuba. The best known is Spain's Miguel de Unamuno. The editors provide an introduction, "Science Fiction in Latin America and Spain," introductions to the individual authors, endnotes, and an excellent selected bibliography listing primary sources, secondary sources (some in English, some not) on Spanish and Portuguese science fiction, and Internet sources. The stories vary a great deal, from fairly simple science fiction (one seems influenced by Bradbury) to mildly difficult narratives; the content includes one ironic blasphemy, a few adventure stories, and many ironic endings. Some pieces reflect social conditions in Latin America. A good introduction to a field of popular literature in Spanish and Portuguese--and, through the Internet sources, to discussions in Spanish; a good supplement to Anglo-American science fiction. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. J. R. Christopher emeritus, Tarleton State University

Cleverly caparisoned as a scholarly anthology, Cosmos Latinos is a survey of Spanish and Portuguese sf from both sides of the Atlantic, most of it never before translated into English. Coverage begins in the nineteenth century and continues through the early years of the genre's definition to include many more recent than older stories. The introduction provides a historical overview of sf development in the Spanish-speaking world, and the notes accompanying the stories build useful contextual frameworks for appreciating the authors and their work. Many stories exploit familiar sf territory--the technologically advanced future, time travel and its repercussions, and so on--but obscurer corners are visited, too, as in an alternate Crucifixion occurring on a far-distant world just being explored by humans, and a recasting of the conquistadors as spacefarers. A welcome expansion of the sf terrain for Anglophones, especially since its scholarly trappings highlight how vital sf is in Latin America and Iberia. --Regina Schroeder Copyright 2003 Booklist

Helpful explanatory notes, a comprehensive bibliography and a well-organized historical introduction all add value to this intriguing anthology, which contains 27 Spanish and Latin American SF stories, most of them brief, dating from 1862 to 2001. As the editors point out, Latino and Mediterranean countries are often perceived as consumers, if not victims, of the technology developed and sold by their northern neighbors. Hence, Latino writers tend to work with "soft" SF themes and a social science emphasis while incorporating Christian symbols and motifs, as in the powerful Cuban story "The Annunciation" (1983), or denouncing brutal totalitarian regimes, as in the shattering Brazilian "The Crystal Goblet" (1964). From Argentina, "Acronia" (1962), a frightening foreshadowing of an Orwellian online workplace, highlights the dangers of mechanization, while "The First Time" (1994), from Spain, postulates mental and moral decay as the end result of mindless consumerism. Flashes of wit and a gentler spirit (especially in the few stories by women) occasionally brighten this darkling plain of violence, perversions and utter hopelessness, but overall the political, social and economic turmoil that rocked Latin America in the 1970s and '80s seems still to pervade its science fiction, making for a gloomy, though instructive, reading experience. (July) Forecast: Teachers of SF college courses looking for a multicultural angle will make this required reading. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Some people see Latin America itself as a kind of dystopian novel, thus making Latino sf unnecessary or superfluous. Editors Bell and Molina-Gavilan, both professors of Spanish and Latin America studies at Hamline University and Eckerd College, respectively, prove otherwise with this anthology-the first to offer in English a collection of speculative fiction from South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Spain. This enjoyable, comprehensive, and interesting volume begins with two later 19th-century selections, presents some examples from the first half of the 20th century, and then focuses the bulk of its attention on contemporary sf. Particularly fascinating are Chilean Hugh Correa's "When Pilate Said No" (an alien encounter story with a fine twist at the end), Spaniards Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero's "The Day We Went Through the Transition" (a time-travel tale that obliquely comments on Francoist and post-Francoist Spain), and Cuban Michel Encinosa's "Like the Roses Had To Die" (a surreal quest fantasy). The anthology includes a good, overall introduction that discusses the difference between magical realism and sf, heuristic introductory sections for each writer and story, and clear, helpful notes. This compilation would be fascinating both to students and to general readers interested in the genre. Highly recommended for most libraries, public and academic.-Roger A. Berger, Everett Community Coll., WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.