Endangered Species

I would question anyone who reads this whole book and fails to rate it 5 stars. What are you looking for in fiction? Sophisticated characters, complex subtexts, compulsively readable science fiction themes, lighthearted fantasy, excellent world-building, truly immaculate imagery, well-defined dramatic scenes, a huge variety of motifs, atmosphere and tense dichotomies? The list could go on and on. Stretched over 500 pages, this more than generous helping of Genius Wolfe is enough to satisfy anyone.

In 34 stories, Wolfe displays his brilliance on several levels. His usual fascination with ghosts runs through many stories, including a breathtaking traditional literary ghost story and a space opera that plays out as effectively as George R. show more R. Martin's Nightflyers. Many of the stories are long and incredibly engaging. Each has unexpected twists and mesmerizing, subliminal suggestions. I was bowled over by the completely convincing Dickens homage. There is also a ghost story that read like a Somerset Maugham tale. There were a few interconnected stories related to the Solar Cycle and the mythology of Thag. You will encounter anthropophagi and anti-matter entities, robots and rampaging unicorns, post-apocalyptic struggles and straightforward insurance fraud. There have been stories of synthetic human war machines and interdimensional battles with magical creatures before, but no one tells them quite like Wolfe. I was enchanted by the Arabesque and moved by the many interlaced storytelling elements throughout. This work represents a career well-realized and a talent well-developed.

Wolfe has an expert's understanding of science fiction's underpinnings, and displays them by incorporating microuniverses, macro DNA strands and genetic modifications. He ropes in traditional fantasy storytelling, epic space action, and parodies. His work is known for allegory and Biblical themes, and many can be found herein. Yet, it is not easy to pinpoint some of his references, and true to form, he leaves many pieces and strings for the reader to work out upon reflection. Speculation is part of the fun, whether a character's existence is called into question, or the reader must doubt another character's perception or sanity, this is part of the process of digesting these vivid creations and deriving the every bit of intellectual stimulation out of them as you can. Like all of his stories I've read so far, I think I'll be revisiting this collection. show less

‘Especies en peligro’ (Endangered Species, 1989), del escritor estadounidense Gene Wolfe, es una antología que contiene treinta y cuatro relatos. Hay cuentos de ciencia ficción, de fantasía e incluso alguno de terror. Quien haya leído algo de este autor ya sabe que habrá un tanto por ciento de lo que narra que no le va a llegar, no por su complejidad, sino porque Wolfe se guarda información y a veces sus protagonistas son poco o nada fiables. Esto provoca la extrañeza mientras lees, y el decirte “hay algo que no estoy comprendiendo”. Pero bueno, cada lector es un mundo, y puede que esto me suceda solo a mí. Aunque hay que remarcar que esto sucede más en sus novelas que en sus relatos, como por ejemplo en su show more extraordinaria pentalogía de El Libro del Sol Nuevo.

La gran mayoría de cuentos me han gustado, pero he tenido que intercalar otras lecturas para no saturarme y poder disfrutarlos mejor. Me han gustado sobre todo ‘El hombre sin cabeza’, extraño e imaginativo, y ‘Guerra bajo el árbol’, mi favorito de la antología, donde se narra el conflicto que involucra a diversos juguetes.

Estos son los 34 relatos incluidos en ‘Especies en peligro’, junto a mis valoraciones:

-Una cabaña en la costa. (****)
-El mapa. (****)
-Kevin Malone. (***)
-El desaparecer de June. (***)
-La muerte de Hyle. (***)
-Del cuaderno de notas del doctor Stein. (***)
-Thag. (****)
-El hombre de Nebraska y la nereida. (****)
-La casita de mazapán. (****)
-El hombre sin cabeza. (*****)
-La última apasionante historia maravillosa. (***)
-La casa de los antepasados. (***)
-Nuestro vecino por David Copperfield. (****)
-Cuando yo era Ming el Cruel. (***)
-El dios y su hombre. (***)
-El gato. (***)
-Guerra bajo el árbol. (*****)
-Eyebem. (****)
-Los HOMOL de la guerra. (****)
-El detective de los sueños. (***)
-Peritonitis. (***)
-La mujer que amaba al centauro Pholus. (***)
-La mujer a la que el unicornio amaba. (***)
-Los espías de la paz. (***)
-Todos los colores del Infierno. (*)
-Procreación. (***)
-Lukora. (**)
-Suzanne Delage. (***)
-Dulce doncella del bosque. (**)
-Mi libro. (**)
-El otro hombre muerto. (****)
-La mujer más bella del mundo. (**)
-El cuento de la rosa y el ruiseñor (y lo que pasó). (***)
-Silueta. (*) show less

Gene Wolfe definitely has a writing style all his own tinged with humour and a touch of horror, unfortunately in this anthology it doesn't translate into very compelling stories. Some meander without making a point, others lead to a climax which fails to materialize, and some just read like a creative writing assignment.

Another year, another Gene Wolfe short story collection. This one is particularly large, with 30 stories. Some of them didn’t quite grab me, but there are still plenty of amazing stories in here. It’s been close to a year since I read them, so I don’t remember much, but just looking over the table of contents, I can recall the following as being standout stories: “The Map” (taking place after The Book of the New Sun), “The HORARS of War”, “All the Hues of Hell”, “Procreation” (very Borgesian), “The Tale of the Rose and the Nightingale” (this one has lingered the most), and “Silhouette”. I’ve got one more Wolfe collection left to read in 2013, and I can’t wait!

Just average earlier Wolfe short fiction. There are really only four outstanding stories: Our Neighbor by David Copperfield, Eyebem, The Detective of Dreams, and the best, The Other Dead Man, in this hefty tome so the rest just were mostly unmemorable for me

weird

F/SF