Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain (Early Classics Of Science Fiction)

I wanted to love the Cosmos Latinos Anthology. I do love the cover, which is Memoria del Futuro; it depicts what could be a traditional Mayan using a PC, the entire image looking as if it was chiseled in stone. I was prompted to purchase the anthology because of that cover and the many recommendations I received for it on social media. Alas, my affections faltered after I read the first few selections. Unfortunately, the stories here were placed in chronological order, and some of the older science fiction that the editors included, from the 1800s, was barely science fiction and even more thin when it came to a sense of story. My hope sprang anew, however, as I was enchanted by the Arreola story “Baby H.P.” and the one that followed, by Arango, “The Cosmonaut”. The 1950s and 1960s of science fiction appear to have been magnificent the world over. These stories are gems. The bloom on my love wilted once more as I continued to work through these stories, making my way to modern day. Very little in the last section of the book made an impression upon me. The editors have done a good job of compiling and translating science fiction stories that were originally written in Spanish. Perhaps they have done their job too well. This collection makes encyclopedic sense but the heart—my heart—hopes for something more. There is something here for everybody, which is another way of saying there is a lot here that doesn’t work for me but may inspire the passion in someone else. The Cosmos Latinos collection contains a few real treasures, but it did not steal my heart.

In 2009 I wrote a two-part review on my blog about Cosmos Latinos, and it might help you decide whether or not to buy this book. There isn't a lot of Latin American science fiction translated to English out there, so this book is much appreciated as a initial look into the genre. Besides the short stories, it covers the history of science fiction in Latin America, a tale that is by no means complete! Here's a sampling of the stories (from the blog at [...]):*The Annunciation by Daína Chaviano (Cuba, 1983). Founder of Cuba's first sci-fi writers' workshop and host of genre-related television and radio programs before emigrating to the U.S., Chaviano presents an alternate and humorous view of the immaculate conception.*Stuntmind by Braulio Tavares (Brazil, 1989). Roger Van Dali is chosen to be the first of several human contacts for a race of alien visitors, changing his life from simple bookkeeper to fabulously rich, but with severe physical and mental consequences. The contacts, called Stuntminds, provide a wealth of alien knowledge to the world.*Reaching the Shore by Guillermo Lavín (Mexico, 1994). On Christmas Eve, a little boy dreaming of a new bicycle runs to greet his father at the end of his factory shift but his dad, a pleasure microchip addict, just wants his next fix.*Gray Noise by Pepe Rojo (Mexico, 1996). A reporter with a camera in his eye, embedded audio links and a direct line to the news center, roams the city in search of the best news. The more his items are viewed the better he gets paid, and violence always gets the most attention. Meanwhile anti-media extremists use the panic caused by a new illness called Constant Electrical Exposure Syndrome to advocate a radical change in society.*The Day We Went through the Transition by Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero (Spain, 1998). The GEI Temporal Intervention Corps protects the pre-2012 historical timeline from those who would benefit from illegal time travel in Spain. In this particular story, the Corps intervenes in the post-Franco transition to democracy (1975-1981).*Like the Roses Had to Die by Michel Encinosa (Cuba, 2001). Encinosa tells the story of a world with millions of exotics- humans with extreme animal, vegetable, or synthetic implants. The Walled Zone inside an unfinished Olympic stadium is a market and center of a city filled with violence perpetuated by power struggles, virus-laden Skaters and the police. Here the Wolf, a former space fighter pilot, awaits her friend the Wizard, a techno-alchemist. She recruits the Wizard to help free her husband Mastín from a group of mercenaries. The Wolf stumbles upon a war against exotics led by fanatical pure humans.

I've told many folks about this and I hope they will pick it up. Loved the rang of the writing and the topics.

COSMOS LATINOS IS RATED 81%.27 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 16 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 2 POOR / 1 DNFWhen I reviewed Iraq + 100, a collection of Iraqi SF, my comments were full of people who recommended this anthology. While there are many similarities - both feature a people group and language rarely emphasized in anglophone SF - there is one important difference. Cosmos Latinos is foremost a scholarly work. The introduction by the editors is an excellent look at the history, culture, tropes, and people of Spanish-language SF. It is the highlight of this volume and absolutely worth purchasing it for.The stories are arranged in chronological order with emphasis placed on the 1960s to the mid-1980s. Many of the stories are appearing for the first time in English. Some are translated by the editors of the anthology. All of them are introduced in exceptional detail as befitting a serious work of literary history.The stories are all pretty good with some truly great stories and only a few clunkers, but occasionally they felt too similar. Perhaps the translations didn’t quite communicate the style of the originals. But there is incredible diversity of era, nationality, and language here. Anyone should be able to find an author or two worthy of future reading.The best stories are these:“The Crystal Goblet” by Jerônimo Monteiro. 1964. A man has returned from being tortured by the government and finds a crystal goblet that he discovered during his childhood abuse. Within the goblet are haunting images of a possible future. Beautiful story and yet full of sadness. The writing is crystalline like the goblet and bounces around in time quite a bit.“The Last Refuge” by Eduardo Goligorsky. 1967. The secrets he has been keeping from the government have been accidentally revealed and his must run for his life and try to escape his country which has cut itself off from the rest of the world. Another sad tale of hope in the face of oppression.“Stuntmind” by Braulio Tavares. 1989. This is a very interested and elegant story about the prices paid for pushing the boundaries. In this instance, it is a small subset of humans who have the ability to interface with alien mentalities. It results in fabulous riches but has a serious cost in mind and spirit.“Gray Noise” by Pepe Rojo. 1996. This story feels ripped from the modern headlines of citizen journalism, social media, influencer culture, and the corporations who benefit at the expense of the average person. Great ideas, well described, and full of interesting characters.***COSMOS LATINOS IS RATED 81%.27 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 16 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 2 POOR / 1 DNF“The Distant Future” by Juan Nepomuceno Adorno. 1862Good. Hopeful and optimistic look at a utopian future for Earth.“On the Planet Mars” by Nilo María Fabra. 1890Good. Martian compare their perfection to Earth’s flaws.“Mechanopolis” by Miguel de Unamuno. 1913Good. A man stumbles into a world run by machines.“The Death Star” by Ernesto Silva Román. 1929Good. A rogue star approaching earth makes sudden biological changes to all of humanity.“Baby H. P.” by Juan José Arreola. 1952Good. “You too can harness your baby’s energy to run your household!”“The Cosmonaut” by Ángel Arango. 1964Good. Misunderstandings between a cosmonaut and an alien race lead to horrible consequences.“The Crystal Goblet” by Jerônimo Monteiro. 1964Great. A survivor of government torture finds a glowing goblet that he discovered as an abused young boy. Within the goblet, one can see the disquieting future.“A Cord Made of Nylon and Gold” by Álvaro Menen Desleal. 1965Good. An astronaut cuts ties with his spaceship and floats over the earth as it plunges into chaos.“Acronia” by Pablo Capanna. 1966Average. Workers are caught in meaningless work/lives as everything in their world is run by machines.“The Last Refuge” by Eduardo Goligorsky. 1967Great. A man flees an oppressive government that has cut his country off from the rest of the world. Finding a space shuttle, he struggles to escape on it.“Post-Boomboom” by Alberto Vanasco. 1967Good. Darkly humorous story of men trying to remember ‘facts’ to preserve them after the apocalypse.“Gu Ta Gutarrak (We and Our Own)” by Magdalena Mouján Otaño. 1968Good. Basque scientists use time travel to discover the ancient roots of the Basque people.“Future” by Luis Britto García. 1970Average. A paradox about the futility of trying for utopia.“When Pilate Said No” by Hugo Correa. 1971Good. A Messiah arrises on an alien world occupied by humans. The human try mightily to NOT let him die.“The Falsifier” by José B. Adolph. 1972Good, A brief alternate history of the Incas and their contact with aliens and religion.“The Violet's Embryos” by Angélica Gorodischer. 1973DNF. I couldn’t get into this story about violet patches that create the desire of stranded astronauts.“Brain Transplant” by André Carneiro. 1978Good. An insane scatalogical, sexual, experimental story of a professor teaching a classroom about brain transplants.“The Annunciation” by Daína Chaviano. 1983Poor. An angel seduces Mary.“A Miscalculation” by Federico Schaffler. 1983Good. A quiet story of a young boy staring up at the stars.“Stuntmind” by Braulio Tavares. 1989Great. Some people have the ability to mentally connect with aliens. This comes with huge rewards and equally large sacrifices.“Reaching the Shore” by Guillermo Lavín. 1994Good. A families life is tragically disrupted by a ‘chip’ addiction of the father that resulted from a taking part in a company trial.“First Time by Elia Barceló. 1994Average. A barely literate young woman talks about her first time … killing a “Forner.”“Gray Noise” by Pepe Rojo. 1996Great. Cyberpunk live-journalism and the mental, social, and financial price that a young man pays to engage in it.“Glimmerings on Blue Glass” by Mauricio-José Schwarz. 1996Poor. A detective wishes he was more like a certain fictional detective.“The Day We Went Through the Transition” by Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero. 1998Good. Time cops must prevent terrorists from disrupting the transition of power after France. Again and Again.“Exerion” by Pablo Castro Hermosilla. 2000Average. A young man plays video games while the authorities are en route to capture him.“Like the Roses Had to Die” by Michel Encinosa. 2001Good. Exciting and inventive cyberpunk and a wolf girl and a powerful “Wizard” search for her husband, captured when a job went wrong.

Very good condition. Just what I needed for my English class. Also very interesting