5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different approach to science fiction, January 29, 2008
This review is from: The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent (Hardcover)
I grew up loving Science Fiction, and still re-read
The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury and
A Canticle for Leibowitz(1960) by Walter M. Miller. But for me
Star Wars Trilogy changed SF from a small group of enthusiasts into a huge conglomerate.
Many SF books and movies are now tied tightly together, and it's harder for a general reader to find the really good work. I also think it's tougher for writers to produce truly original work. My personal solution since 1980 or so has been to rely on "Science Fiction" and "Fantasy Writers of America" to sift and winnow the best SF, especially relying on the Nebula Awards® and the SFWA Hall of Fame series.
This anthology, excellent as it is, doesn't seem to be chosen by any representative group knowledgeable in SF in the various countries. Instead, the Morrows seem to have found excellent translators in various countries, asked them to pick great "representative" SF, and then worked with them over a period of years to present the stories to English speaking readers.
They've come up with an extraordinarily long title, a very interesting albeit alliterative Forward by James Morrow, helpful commentaries and biographies, and a fascinating collection of 16 very different stories, which originally appeared between 1987 and 2005. Altogether they constitute a superb anthology.
In Joao Barreiros "A Night on the Edge of the Empire" (1996) a giant peacock and a mammalian Chriptic seek an embassy and confuse humanity about their relationship.
In W.J. Maryson's "Verstummte Musik" (2005), a computer culls people from an over-populated world.
Panagiotis Koustas's "Athose Emfovos in the Temple of Sound" considers music's and mathematic's power to prevent war.
Cezar Ionescu's "Some Earthlings' Adventures in Outrerria" explores the problems of imperialism faced by human mercenaries.
Jose Antonio Cotrina's "Between the Lines" is a coming of age story about a college student.
These stories couldn't be more different from Bradbury and Miller, from more recent English Science Fiction, or from each other. They opened my mind to new possibilities.
Robert C. Ross 2008
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and fresh, June 12, 2007
This review is from: The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent (Hardcover)
The twenty plus contributors to the original SFWA Hall of Fame were all authors I read previously. However, this European version is quite the opposite having read only one of the sixteen contributors prior to this introduction to these talented writers. This brings a unique freshness as the American audience is introduced to the cross Atlantic writers that the Morrows felt were deserving of wider readership. In the Introduction James Morrow explains the difference between Americans and Europeans as follows: "Europeans think one hundred miles is a long distance, and Americans think one hundred years is a long time". In many ways this sums up the similarities and difference. All the tales were written over the last two decades; none originally in English though translated for this compilation; this adds to the feel of visiting new realms. The authors come from all over Europe: France, Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Spain, Greece, Romania, Germany, Portugal, and Holland. The stories are all well written and obviously translate smoothly into English. They run the gamut from a Dutch Orwell (see W.J. Maryson's "Verstummte Musik") to a "Swift" Finish A Modest Proposal that is a condemnation of free trade that exploits children. These are fabulous entries that belie the fact they are translations. SFWA's European vacation is a terrific collection, which begs to ask other translation anthologies from Asia, South America, and Africa to follow?
Harriet Klausner
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your typical strange new worlds, October 11, 2007
This review is from: The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent (Hardcover)
The SFWA European Hall of Fame is worth checking out for at least a couple of reasons. Not only does it give American exposure to authors who deserve it, it's also a good read, pure and simple.
Even if you're not familiar with the writers featured, this is a great way to get a taste of the styles and topics that appear in European sf. The 16 stories range from classic surrealism ("The Fourth Day To Eternity" by Ondrej Neff) to satire ("A Night On the Edge of the Empire " by Joao Barreiros) to near-future extrapolation ("Baby Doll" by Johanna Sinisalo). In addition to "Baby Doll," some of my personal favorites in this volume include "Between the Lines" by Jose Antonio Cotrina and "Athos Emfovos In the Temple of Sound" by Panagiotis Koustas.
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