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When the prize Minotaur came to the fore one of the first questions was what made me who will be the winners? I initially raised two possibilities: first, that the award was focused on mainstream authors that would make his first steps into the fantastic (in the style of an Ishiguro or McCarthy) or fantasy authors of "serious" (eg, a Merino) . It was (and is) an interesting option, a bit like the prize Tristana de Santander, I would have liked to see her work (and, indeed, the 18,000 euro prize was initially made it very possible.)
The other possibility (and ultimately was the one that came later) was to use national authors of the fandom, to those who carried the Fantato as a genre in their DNA since they were amateurs and struggled in the quicksand of zines, e-zines, zines and other pro-zines.
That was the path chosen by the editorial, you just have to see the winning authors and some of the finalists who saw fit to publish: Arsenal León, Rodolfo Martinez, Javier Negrete, Victor Conde, Rafael Marín, Eduardo Vaquero, Carlos Gardini ... (Not to mention others not so lucky but also competed as Angel Torres Quesada).
to deny it, I liked that option, and I assumed other years would be published as books by authors like Juan Miguel Aguilera and Elia Barceló (a Minotaur which was already published).
Well, things were not exactly true. The Minotaur had expectations regarding sales should not be expected. the public did not react properly. Sure, yes, indeed, those who are willing to buy a book from one of these authors are only about 1,000 or so in Spain, the figures do not add up.

And this despite the fact that while this generation had been hardened fandomita CF, all winning novels were fantasies of one kind or another.
So things have changed, and that way. The Award lost weight (is now only 10,000 euros) and other authors were chosen, say, more Commercial: Clara Tahoces and Fernando López Jiménez del Oso. Yes indeed, two representatives from the esoteric to the most Iker Jiménez detestable. A shame, an aberration and an embarrassment (and probably many more things) but the market demand.
And command while Minotaur has taken a further lurch, is that the Fourth Millennium monsters to have not sold enough and had to go in new directions. He could have sought new blood, but that was another winner, Federico Fernández Giordano, who went almost unnoticed. So, surprisingly, has decided to return to the old formula, the veteran author fandomita and this time the prize was awarded an old acquaintance (twice runner-up): Victor Conde with his "Chronicles of the Multiverse."
I can only rejoice at this new change, especially bearing in mind that the book is CF Conde good (a space opera as God intended), something quite rare in the Minotaur. And this joy
includes some comfort: as it turns out that SF readers are more than the UFO and family. Heh, Heh, would not be bad. In any case
Minotaur is at the crossroads and I get the feeling, go a little desperate. You're running out of rabbits from a hat and other Conde's book does not work we may see the death of prize (or a twist worthy of the most outrageous soap opera). Personally I prefer the Bear and continues far Tahoces Award and fandomita the old guard (and his new cronies) take advantage of this bonanza. But these are my wishes and should not be confused with reality. eventually have the final say Metro and, to paraphrase a memorable title, are the cold numbers to decide.

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Minotaur at the Crossroads "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" by Haruki Murakami

had long wanted to sink his teeth into Haruki Murakami, an author who has become fashionable and I have good references. I always thought that a collection of stories is a great way to start with an author and that "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman," an anthology originally published in English with tales of his career, it seemed the best place to start your work.
And really, I am not disappointed. Murakami is known for being the most Western of Japanese authors, which is true but, fortunately, there is still a good reservoir of Japanese culture in his writings, enough for a Spaniard will take the point but, at the same time have an exotic and different that makes them very attractive.
These stories are all fantasy and realism, but always with a touch peculiar. Even those stories that never cease to be a piece of contemporary Japanese life not cease to be disquieting and special. This can be a simple reflection of the cultural clash between East and West but also a conscious approach Murakami, personal touch that makes his books do not have a very attractive. Murakami
It's funny but not exactly a stylist though, as I said, possesses a voice unmistakable. Write very simple, very simple but at the same time, in an extremely personal, something very interesting (does that readers will not be frightened and read without problems but the plots are rare) and, I guess, not easy.
As for the stories, the oldest are the most inscrutable and enigmatic. They have a dreamlike and surreal air very pronounced, in fact more similar sounding pieces of dreams, puzzles that are missing many pieces, games that do not understand the rules (eg "The tragedy of the coal mine in New York" or "hunting knife") . However, as the years progress will refine their stories and are more comprehensible and mature. And I recognize that more attractive. Murakami
The fantasy is very realistic, set in everyday life, and in which the protagonists are not surprised by the strange things that happen around him. Many of the topics of great Western (not sure also of Japan) in this book: the world mirror ("Mirror", effective but somewhat routine), Kafkaesque nightmares ("Grebe", second hilarious), monsters like us ("The Iceman", one of the best stories of the entire book ), ghosts ("Hanalei Bay", everyday little scary), talking animals ("The Shinagawa Monkey," where in a few page is created a world so unique and complex than one would have given for a novel) , strange tales ("Wherever it appears that this may be" another of my favorites or "birthday girl"), predestination ("Traveler by chance "), curses (" The poor aunt, "" Nausea 1979 ", or how vomiting can be art), almost lovercraftiano terror (" The seventh man, "where the description of something like a tsunami reached heights of impressive awe) ...
course, at bottom, do not care about the issue itself or, for that matter, gender. Murakami's stories just trying at the bottom of what matters most to human beings: life and death. And although the latter is always present, is not an author Murakami ominous or depressing if not the opposite. Their stories show us, in general, the strength of human beings, their dignity to the inevitable and a certain warmth that makes us know that however much we spend, really, we're never entirely alone.
An interesting author of it, probably read more, read I hope to share with you.

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More of the Same

Every year, more or less the end of December, newspapers often make lists of the best of the year. And, of course, this practice includes the best books. I confess that I read these lists with morbid curiosity. Not much to see the number of writers who do not know anything at all, but also noted that fantastic literature is often totally absent from these lists. With its well-known exceptions, but in general, it is often done very little attention. Not so with the thriller, which always falls on a title, something that has always seemed peculiar, to deny.
This year, the Sunday newspaper "El Mundo" decided to loop the loop and get the best of the decade. There is nothing, condensed 10 years of literature in 100 books. The jury was composed of ten writers, journalists, critics, publishers and booksellers and their results are as questionable as expected. Only 10 books have won more than one vote, which means the other 90 were chosen solely by an individual. This can only be defined in one way: dispersion. Published much and, perhaps, apparently very good (or at least that readers love us, which is not the same which is good) and no one is able to reach a clear consensus on who deserves to be part of a course fee.
This reality is what has always made me apologize for that fantastic literature is conspicuous by its absence in such lists. People of a certain generation (mine, not going further) was raised within the paradigm of good books or were unrealistic or were not good. Of course many of us rebel against that idea but at the cost of going through eccentric or just stupid. And that lasted for many years, too.
It is now very fashionable to say that was good Stanislaw Lem and take "Solaris" it up every few minutes. But when I read the 80 newspaper no one seemed to remember the good of Poland, and that that that was alive. That ballast
justifies the people of a certain age (which, today, form the core of critics, writers and publishers of some renown and, as it somehow, power) stubbornly continue to ignore everything that does not smell pure and simple manners.
Fortunately, things are changing, for example, when Lem died was pleased to see such a galaxy of young writers claim him without complexes. And these changes will start scoring well on these lists.
And so, the book number one, that is, the best of the decade up to "The Feast of the Goat" by Mario Vargas Llosa, the two "Your Face Tomorrow by Javier Marias and the three to" The Road "by Cormac McCarthy. So science fiction has a more than honorable bronze medal. Not bad, not bad. Honestly, I never live this moment. As I said in my previous post, the times are changing a lot.
The rest of the top ten most fantasy literature does not include (unless "Brooklyn Follies" by Paul Auster, in 9 th place, including in the field, which can not claim that I have not read the book) but if we look the other 90 titles still appear some surprises, like names, Palahniuk ("Human Error"), Murakami (Kafka on the Shore "," Blind Willow Sleeping Woman "), Houellebecq (The Possibility of an Island"), Ishiguro ( "I never give up"), Cristina Fernández Cubas ("poor relatives of the devil") and Carrere ("I'm alive and you are dead").
not a bad choice, there are great classic horror, science fiction, slipstream, and even the biography of Philip K. Dick. There are 8 books, which seems to me a little but it certainly is a lot compared to a similar list had been made in 1989 or even in 1999 (I hasten to clarify that it is possible that I may have missed a title that I have many references, for example, David Foster Wallace "supposedly fun things Never again will I do "or" Hell "is not translated Tsutsui, looks like I either read it all).
And yet, I still have a certain resentment, a bitter taste in your mouth. Of course I am not so naive as to expect that authors appear here full of ghetto, which are published in Nova, Gigamesh, Minotaur, Bibliopolis, SWAT or the Factory of Ideas. Do not expect to find a China Mieville, Thomas Disch, William Gibson, George RR Martin, Ian McLeod, Neal Stephenson, Ian McDonald, John M. Harrison, IainBanks or similar. Not appear strange that a Ballard or Lem but it is possible that in this decade did not post his best works.
Now what is unforgivable is that no one has fixed that little jewel that is "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke and instead if there is room for bestselleros clunkers like "The Bible of Clay by Julia Navarro ( at least not Matilde Asensi ...).
In short, times are changing but still should change a little more.