10 recommended science fiction and fantasy novels for this Christmas 2021

‘Hail Mary Project’

Andy Weir. Nova. 22,90 €

Andy Weir became known with ‘The Martian’ (DIY in space, Robinsonian solitude, music and a point of humor) and played with ‘Artemisa’. But in his third book it is exceeded. More ‘do it yourself’ alone lost in interstellar immensities, more engineering rigor and at the same time empathy, imagination and good writing to build communication between two incompatible species but determined to save their respective planets from an exobiological threat.

‘Piranesi’

Susanna Clarke. Salamandra / Amsterdam 20 €

After a very long period of inactivity, Susanna Clarke has returned with a captivating book. How would a man describe his existence who, without memory or references, believed that the infinite labyrinth of colossal architecture in which he lives is the whole world and his only visitor, he and a handful of skeletons, all of humanity? Clarke doesn’t just take imagery and title from Gianbattista Piranesi’s ‘Carceri d’invenzione’.

‘Little Gods’

Terry Pratchett. Not anymore. € 19.50

The Mai Més publishing house continues with its titanic challenge of translating the 41 novels of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld into Catalan, and finding the youth and adult audience that in our country has not yet discovered the most intelligent weaver of fantasy and humor. He has already had five, the last two ‘The color of magic’ and ‘Déus menuts’, an elegant satire of the prophecies, gods and magical orders of epic fantasy. And of religion itself.

‘One day all this will be yours’

Adrian Tchaikovsky. Chronos. 19,95 €

A farmer, accompanied by his efficient pet, an allosaurus, guaranteeing himself through time travel that the post-apocalyptic Earth that he has managed to regenerate and inhabit alone will be only for him and will never be destroyed again. But the time wars contain dangerous paradoxes. One of the short novels, published only in Catalan in our country, by the author of the magnificent ‘Herederos del tiempo’, which will soon have its continuation translated into Spanish.

‘Dune’

Frank Herbert. New / Never Again / Green Ray

The release of Denis Villeneuve’s film has seen ‘Dune’ reissues of all colors and sizes. We highlight the recovery of the Catalan translation of Manuel de Seabra by Mai Més and Raig Verd (in paperback and hardcover), the illustrated one by Nova and the case with the pocket version of the initial novel and its sequels for those who do not fear to the lysergic drift in which the saga plunged.

‘The House at the End of Needless Street’

Catriona Ward. Runas. 22 €

Voices are heard in the last house of this North American town where a girl disappeared a decade ago. The reader must gradually discover who they are, what is true and what is not, and what happened in the past. Hard to explain without gutting a good book. We still do not know how Andy Serkis will manage to adapt it to television as he has proposed.

‘Rosa the Bloodthirsty’

Nicholas Eames. Gamon. 22 €

The ‘grim dark’ (epic fantasy with violence, scab, pain and decadence) has in Nicholas Eames a rock and humorous derivative. In the second book, the protagonist is Rosa, the daughter of one of the veteran members of a mercenary gang who in the previous title starred on a return tour to save her. Full of Easter eggs in the form of anecdotes, names and titles taken from the history of rock. Listen to hard rock in the background.

‘New spring’

Robert Jordan. Minotauro. 16,95€

For those who have been wanting to see the Amazon series ‘The Wheel of Time’, getting involved with the 14 books on which it is based can be excessive if one has not been totally trapped. In fact, it is advisable to space them, to avoid repetitions. As a literary extra to the series, the short (by Jordan’s standards) prequel that shows the origins of everything works well. Some fans disliked it, but it will help TV fans get their bearings.

‘The story of your life’ / ‘The story of your life’

Ted Chiang. Alamut / Never Again. € 19.95 / € 20.95

Ted Chiang lavishes very little. His collection of science fiction stories that ranged from Borges to thermodynamics or the possible consequences of AI ‘Exhalation’ amazed readers inside and outside the genre. Alamut recovers (and Mai Més publishes for the first time in Catalan) her previous book of stories, which includes the one that inspired the film ‘The arrival’ (and which allows adding another vision of history).

‘Life and Miracles of Stony Mayhall’

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Daryl Gregory. Gigamesh. 26 €

Daryl Gregory is sifting through humor in almost every subgenre of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. This is the zombies’ turn. Turning them into beings worthy of being appreciated is a reply to the most disturbing foundations of the undead narrative (an excuse to slaughter the ‘other’ without rewards), a sweet story and a huge joke. We close this Christmas selection, which we opened with ‘Salve María’ and a ‘Déus menuts’, precisely with him for something: ‘Stony Mayhall’ is a zombie child, raised by an adoptive family and who is expected to be the Messiah of his race (even sacrificing himself). Merry Christmas zombies.