Andreas Eschbach

Translated from German and science fantasy. I'm calling it science fantasy not because there's magic anywhere but because it has a gorgeous culture in a desert climate that we spend most of our time with, even though there are space ships and ray guns. So there. I suck. This is kind of about the nature of religious belief, and the end was a punch in the gut. Carpetmakers tie intricate carpets made of the hair of their wives and daughters, and send it off for the glory of the Emperor. They spend their whole lives making these carpets, and each one takes a whole life to make. They sell it for a large sum, which goes to their only son and he uses it to live off for his whole life while he ties his carpet, and so on. Told in many perspectives, but never returning to a perspective a second time. Very cool.… (more)

Días antes del nombramiento del Premio Nobel de Medicina, tres miembros del comité que participan en la elección mueren en un accidente de avión en Milán. Poco antes de la votación, Hans-Olof Andersson, también miembro del comité, recibe la visita de un hombre que le ofrece una importante cantidad de dinero a cambio de su voto por una candidata con muy pocas opciones. Él no está dispuesto a aceptar este soborno, pero los chantajistas están decididos a hacer lo que sea para conseguir el premio y secuestran a la hija de Hans-Olof. Ante la desesperación, Andersson decide pedir ayuda a su cuñado, Gunnar Forsberg, que está es la cárcel cumpliendo condena por espionaje industrial. A través de contactos, Hans-Olof consigue liberarlo y Gunnar se pone de inmediato a la búsqueda de su sobrina, el único familiar que le queda tras la muerte de su hermana. Todo parece indicar que detrás del secuestro se encuentra una importante compañía farmacéutica a la que el Premio Nobel daría un gran reconocimiento. Gunnar debe darse prisa porque el tiempo corre en su contra.… (more)

It's interesting to read a book like this in German because I thought they didn't really have a lot of good old fashioned SF there. I was clearly wrong, because this is good, old-fashioned SF.

This is a collection of connected short stories unveiling the history of an intergalactic empire with a rotten piece of madness at its core. We are introduced to the empire via the "hair carpet weavers" of the title-a generational caste of men who spend their entire lives weaving a single, immensely intricate, carpet out of the hair of the women in their families. It sounds silly, but in context it is monstrous, and as the stories add context and background, it becomes almost horrific.

At the same time, there is a lot of heroic rebelling and dimensional bubbles and space-men among the primitives stuff reminiscent of "golden age" SF in the US. And just like that SF, there is a kernel of contemplation at the heart of this book: contemplation of empire, and colonization, and what it looks like when absolute rulers are truly corrupted.

I liked the book, even if some events leading up to the "reveal" are questionable. It's equal parts grim and fun, which is a rare combo.… (more)

Einer der Lesehöhepunkte dieses Monats. Andreas Eschbach erzählt hier auf mehr als 1200 Seiten, aber ohne größere Längen oder unnötige Effekthascherei, die Geschichte einer Welt, in der Menschen mit Flügeln leben. Aus der Sicht verschiedenster Figuren enthüllt er nach und nach, wie es zu dieser Situation kam, nach welchen Regeln die Bewohner dieser Welt leben und warum diese nötig sind. Dadurch werden zwar häufig Dinge mehrfach, aus verschiedenen Perspektiven geschildert, was aber in meinen Augen nicht zu unnötigen Wiederholungen führt, sondern verschiedene Aspekte beleuchtet.

Ein gelungener Roman, der sich der Einordnung in eine bestimmte Kategorie schlicht entzieht.


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