martes, 20 de septiembre de 2016

Grave Predictions


RESEÑA
REVIEW
Si te gustan las historias apocalípticas raras este libro es para vos. Lo que me gustó fue la variedad de temas y estilos, al igual que las distintas épocas de los escritos que van desde 1872 hasta el 2013. La colección incluye autores poco conocidos y nombres más conocidos también (como Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut y Ursula K. Le Guin).
Ahora pasemos a lo que no me gustó. Solicité este libro para reseñar porque en el título estaba el término "distópico". Lamentablemente, muy pocas de las historias incluidas colmaron mis expectativas, y varias no encajaban en la temática de la colección, por lo menos en mi opinión

Mis preferidas: :
- "2BR02B".
- "El peatón".
- "The End of The World". 
- "Cose pequeños puntos en la espalda de un hombre muerto". 

4,5 ESTRELLAS:
- "El peatón" de Ray Bradbury (1951).
- "2BR02B" de Kurt Vonnegut (1962). [Mismo título en inglés y en español].

4 ESTRELLAS:
- "The End of the World" de Eugene Mouton (1872). [Por ahora no hay traducción al español].
- "Cose pequeños puntos en la espalda de un hombre muerto" de Joe R. Lansdale (1992).

3 ESTRELLAS:
- "No habrá otro mañana" de Arthur C. Clarke (1954).
- "El ingeniero y el verdugo" de Brian M. Stableford (1976).
- "Inventory" de Carmen María Machado (2013). [Por ahora no hay traducción al español].

2,5 ESTRELLAS:
- "No tengo boca y debo gritar" de Harlan Ellison (1967).
- "Automatic" by Erica L. Satifka (2007). [Por ahora no hay traducción al español].

2 ESTRELLAS:
- "El cometa" de W. E. B. DuBois (1920).
- "Sobre la Tierra desolada" de Philip K. Dick (1954).
- "El final del desastre" de Stephen King (1986).

1 ESTRELLA:
- "Los que se alejan de Omelas" de Ursula k. Le Guin (1973).
Judgment Engine by Greg Bear (1995). [Por ahora solo disponible en inglés].
The Black Mould by Mark Samuels (2011). [Por ahora no hay traducción al español].
- The Pretence by Ramsey Campbell (2013). [Por ahora no hay traducción al español].

Estrellas: 2,5/5 
Idioma original: inglés 
Idioma de lectura: inglés
Editorial: Dover Publications
Edición: ebook (proporcionado por Netgalley a cambio de una reseña honesta)
Fecha de publicación: 21/09/2016
If you like strange and weird apocalyptic stories this book is for you. What I did like was the variety of plots and styles, as well as the selection of stories from different times spanning from 1872 to 2013. We are presented with both lesser known authors and bigger names- such as Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut and Ursula K. Le Guin.
Now on to what I didn't like. I requested this book because I saw "dystopian" in the subtitle but, unfortunately, only four fulfilled my expectations. I felt that several stories didn't quite fit the theme of the collection, at least not to me. 

My favorites were:
2BR02B. In a utopically dystopian world, thanks to population control there are exactly forty million inhabitants in the United States. The protagonist has to decide which of the triplets his wife is a bout to give birth to they will keep. On the same vein, in order to maintain that figure, for a baby to be born, someone has to die and people volunteer for dying. There even is a number people can call to terminate their lives: 2BR02B. I loved the play on words and I think this story may have inspired some aspects of The Giver and Divergent.
The Pedestrian. The year is 2053 a. d. and the only man left in the world is taking one of his daily walks, but that day is nothing like the others because a car appears before him. Is he the last man on Earth?
The End of The World. This one reads like an interesting, educational, thought-provoking and shockingly accurate essay on the effects of global warming, in spite of it having been written in the 1800s.
As usual, here's my detailed rating story by story.
Tight Little Stitches in A Dead Man's Back. This strange tale is that of a man and his. They've lost their daughter to a bombing and his wife blames him for her death because he was a scientist. She doesn't speak to him and their only interaction is when she gets her needles to continue working on a stitched tattoo in honor of Rae. The man wants his daughter, to forgive him, but he feels the pain caused by the stitches is not enough and forces his wounds to rip so he can feel his daughter's bloody tears.

4,5 STARS:
The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury (1951).
2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut (1962).

4 STARS:
The End of the World by Eugene Monton (1872).
Tight Little Stitches in A Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Lansdale (1992).

STARS:
- No Morning After by Arthur C. Clarke (1954).
The Engineer and the Executioner by Brian M. Stableford (1976).
Inventory by Carmen María Machado (2013).

2,5 STARS:
- I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (1967).
Automatic by Erica L. Satifka (2007).

STARS:
- The Comet by W. E. B. Du Bois (1920).
- Upon the Dull Earth by Philip K. Dick (1954).
The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King (1986).

STAR:
- The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula k. Le Guin (1973).
Judgment Engine by Greg Bear (1995).
The Black Mould by Mark Samuels (2011).
- The Pretence by Ramsey Campbell (2013).

Rating: 2.5/5
Original language: English
Language read: English 
Publisher: Dover Publications
Edition: ebook (provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
Expected Publication; 09/21/2016


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27778014-grave-predictions

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