Customer Reviews

Vacation Stories: FIVE SCIENCE FICTION TALES

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ramón y Cajal wrote Advice for a Young Investigator, an inspiring work written when the Nobel winner was at the peak of his powers. When I found out he had written fiction, too, I couldn't help my curiosity. Unfortunately, that part of his work hasn't aged nearly as well.

Rather than 'science fiction' in the usual sense, these are just fictions featuring scientists. In one, the lead character works with dangerous pathogens, BL3 in modern terms, and uses them in a bizarre revenge. Another features a dialog between an ineffectual man regretting his education in classics and religion, and a successful, free-thinking, humanitarian, and patriotic scientist. Although I live in the technical world too, and am proud to do so, this came across as a bit ham-handed. Even these stories (and the other three, as well) could have been enjoyable if the writing didn't tend toward half-page sentences and two-dimensional characters.

Another ten or so of Ramón y Cajal's stories were destroyed in a fire during his lifetime. Having seen these, I can't call it a loss. I'm still interested in his other non-fiction. Now that I've read both, I can say with certainty that his strength lies in the non-fiction.

- wiredweird