Friday, November 29, 2013

Jesús Cañadas interviewed on Sense of Wonder blog

Last week I’ve talked about a new speculative fiction novel published recently in Spain, Jesús Cañadas“Los Nombres Muertos” (The Dead Names). With a very interesting premise and the renowned H.P.Lovecraft as its main character “Los Nombres Muertos” promises to be a captivating reading. And since Jesús Cañadas’ novel already gathers some good reviews I do hope that someday, soon, we would see “Los Nombres Muertos” translated into English too. For the moment however we have the chance to gather a bit more information about “Los Nombres Muertos” in an interview made by Cristina Jurado, author of “De Naranja al Azul” (From Orange to Blue), with Jesús Cañadas. The interview was initially published in the miNatura magazine and now it can be read on both Spanish (on Más Ficción Que Ciencia) and English (on Sense of Wonder).

CJ: Then Los nombres muertos, is it a speculative novel about traveling and literature?
JC: Once I read a very nice thought in César Mallorquí´s blog. It was a sort of message to his younger self, the writer who has something to tell to the world. The message said something like “Don´t bother, young one. The world doesn´t need you to come to tell it anything. It knows lots of things by itself. Be happy if you can tell a good story, the most honest one you can come up with.” I couldn´t agree more. I can´t tell you what is a speculative novel about traveling and literature. I´m nobody to speculate about anything. The idea behind Los nombres muertos is to recreate a certain style, a type of novel that I love to read, and to be able to get close to a character that fascinates me. And it´s about having fun writing it, nothing more.
It´s true that the story plays around with the codes of pulp literature, weird menaces and classical adventure novels. It is filled with nods to that period of time, to the characters and to Lovecraft´s legacy. But it´s like that because I enjoy those things. We don´t need to play the reference game if you don´t want to. You can seat in your couch and read it as an adventure novel about a time between the two World Wars.
In the first sentences, when I was plotting what would happen later, I spoke to my good friend Albo López. I told him: “I´m working on a novel in which the main character is Lovecraft, as if everything he wrote was real”. He rolled his eyes and said: “Wow. Be careful Jesús. That´s original!” I cursed his mother first but then I realized he was right: there are hundreds of Lovecraft pastiches. And I wanted to do something different. I was “somebody from the lot that didn´t want to be in the lot”, as Quino used to say. So I took another direction. Where? In October I will tell you.

For just a little more information about “Los Nombre Muertos”, but also about Jesús Cañadas, his writing and the state of Spanish speculative fiction head over to the excellent Sense of Wonder blog where you can read the entire interview.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

"The Gate Theory" by Kaaron Warren

"The Gate Theory"
Publisher: Cohesion Press
The review is based on a bought copy of the book

These days there seems to be an avalanche of new books and it is very often that I find myself in difficulty catching up with all of those I want to read. And the situation becomes more desperate when the books I wish to read one more time are taken into consideration. Fortunately, things are easier for the short fiction, with the proper incentive I can put together more readily the time and energy necessary for a returning to my favorite stories and authors. The most recent opportunity to read again and enjoy one of my favorite writers was when the newly founded Cohesion Press published Kaaron Warren’s collection of reprinted stories, “The Gate Theory”. A collection of five stories, all familiar already, but what better excuse to relive their magic than this collection could I find?

“Purity” – Unsatisfied by her personal life and the medium she lives in Therese joins Calum and Daniel, an unusual preacher and his grandson. It is a story that touches firmly the bizarre, but with an adequate effect. Kaaron Warren is proficient in creating the atmosphere of religious hypnosis and the image of a strange cult leader and his followers. The end is unsettling and amplifies the impression of grotesque and strangeness.

“That Girl” – The story’s main character comes to Fiji backed by the funding of a wealthy Australian woman in an attempt to improve the conditions in St. Martin’s, a psychiatric institute. While there she discovers a local legend and the connection one of patients, Malvika, shares with it. The atmosphere of the story is excellently captured and built, the fragments of conversations, the local myths and superstitions are all elements that set the general feeling. Although it is basically a ghost story “That Girl” is just more than that, the reality of a particular corner of a society, Fiji and St. Martin’s in this instance, the cruel face of human behavior and the chilling elements of supernatural are mixed perfectly to inflict dread and to leave the reader with a bitter-sweet aftertaste after reading it.

“Dead Sea Fruit” – Among the patients of the story’s heroine, a dentist, are the girls hospitalized in the anorexics ward. But when the legend of Ash Mouth Man they circulate seems to come to life the main character has some decisions to make. “Dead Sea Fruit” is a story with an extended sense of surrealism, the characters and the readers walk in a dreamlike state, but also on the thin line between right or wrong, reality or fiction. However, no matter on which side of these thin lines the action will take its course there is naturalness to it. And although the story heads to an obvious destination, while the reader expects the evident to take place Kaaron Warren delivers a final twist surprising and effective as a punch in the stomach.

“The History Thief” – Alvin died choking with a piece of meat, but when he wakes up as a ghost still anchored to earth he starts to discover things he didn’t experience in life. Until he finally finds the courage to interact with Mrs. Moffat, a former co-worker.

“Three days Alvin lay on the floor of his dusty lounge room before he realized he was no longer anchored to his body. He rose, enjoying the sense of lightness but also feeling deeply sad at the sight of his small, lonely corpse.”

But as it becomes clear quite early in the story not only Alvin’s corpse is small and lonely, his entire existence was defined by insignificance and solitude, as much of a ghost in life as he is in death. Quite early too I became sympathetic with his character, the mix of Alvin’s memories and present state inflicts an air of melancholy and sadness to the story, sense that does not leave the reader until the end. On the contrary, it will be enhanced by the end. “The History Thief” grows gradually with all the new experiences Alvin has, stealing the thoughts and feelings of others, finding a certain meaning for his existence in death more than in life and getting the courage to finally do some of the things he wanted to do create the perfect medium for the final turn of the story. Although this final twist is not as stunning as the one of “Dead Sea Fruit”, it is as efficient and potent as the previous one. And despite the release some of the characters get in the end I could not shake the feeling of deep sadness this unforgettable story leaves behind.

“The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfalls” – Rosie McDonald has a talent for getting rare dog breeds to her clients, but when the latest order is for the vampire dogs of Fiji she might have to pay a price for them as well. Another story with a profound sense of surreal, again the reader walks the thin line between reality and imaginary. The story moves fast accentuating the feeling of vertigo inflicted by the surrealist atmosphere. It is a story with a powerful character at its center, a character that has to take fast and dramatic decisions, feels the need to prove herself in face of preconceptions and unjust consideration of her skills, but in the end the rewards remain to prove their worth.

The subjects and the characters of these five stories are haunting. They will not leave the reader indifferent, producing a change to certain extents, and that is always a sign of quality in fiction. The stories stay with the reader long after they are finished, the characters are all memorable. As a matter of fact, although they might not have a name or you might know them as Therese or Alvin or even present themselves as Rosie McDonald but always they will feel real. They may very well be the stranger we pass on the street, the neighbor we salute on our way out or a family member. They are flawed and we might not like them a lot, some of them are selfish, some find interest in other people’s misery and tragedy, some seek an escape from their every day existence, some fortunes, some love, but every single one of them seem to be incarnated body and soul. So much so that the reader feels the need to look over the shoulder in case all these characters are in the same room. Or in the mirror in case the stories seem to talk a bit about ourselves.

At a first glance, the collection of these five stories seems to be disjointed, but “The Gate Theory” is a perfect example of Kaaron Warren’s accomplishment in converting different themes and subjects into dense and powerful fiction. Her stories have the tendency to insidiously crawl under the reader’s skin, slithering unnoticed until they find a place from where one is unable to shake them loose after reading.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Cover art - "Lagoon" & "Who Fears Death" (French edition) by Nnedi Okorafor

I am at a loss for words when it comes to Raymond Swanland’s art and his book covers. A long admirer of Raymond Swanland’s works I find myself in difficulty more and more when describing my appreciation for his art. Well, it seems that I find myself at a loss again and this time it’s Joey Hi-Fi and his book covers to be blamed. Already a trademark of excellent book covers Joey Hi-Fi strikes gold again with the art for the cover of Nnedi Okorafor’s upcoming novel, “Lagoon”And this is not all, because he does it once more with the cover for the French edition of “Who Fears Death” (Qui a peur de la mort?) by the same Nnedi Okorafor released by Panini Books in their Eclipse collection this month.

Looking at these beauties I wonder what more can I say besides that I am in awe once again because of Joey Hi-Fi?

Nnedi Okorafor’s “Lagoon” is coming from Hodder & Stoughton on April next year.

Three strangers, each isolated by his or her own problems: Adaora, the marine biologist. Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa. Agu, the troubled soldier. Wandering Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria’s legendary mega-city, they’re more alone than they’ve ever been before.
But when something like a meteorite plunges into the ocean and a tidal wave overcomes them, these three people will find themselves bound together in ways never imagined. Together with Ayodele, a visitor from beyond the stars, they must race through Lagos and against time itself in order to save the city, the world… and themselves.

‘There was no time to flee. No time to turn. No time to shriek. And there was no pain. It was like being thrown into the stars.’

Friday, November 22, 2013

Book trailer (and not only) - "Los nombres muertos" (The Dead Names) by Jesús Cañadas

One trend running on full speed lately in the speculative fiction is the Lovecraftian one. Myhtos, cosmic horror and forbidden knowledge are some of the themes of H.P. Lovecraft that inspired and influenced many new authors and editors in putting the basis of an entire sub-genre, Lovecraftian horror. Of course, the trend isn’t new but it is on the rise at the moment. However, unlike other trends, such as the zombie or vampire ones, Lovecraftian horror didn’t end on heavily beaten paths, managed to avoid becoming entirely stereotypical and brought into attention in the last few years some original stories and some very strong writers inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and his works.

One such new story comes from Spain, written by Jesús Cañadas, and it has a twist. “Los nombres muertos” (The Dead Names) not only has the familiar elements of the Lovecraftian fiction, but its main protagonist is H.P. Lovecraft himself. It isn’t the singular such apparition on its pages, along H.P. Lovecraft’s adventure in search of the Necronomicon he meets other mythical figures of speculative fiction such as Frank Belknap Long, Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, Arthur Machen or Aleister Crowley. “Los nombres muertos” is Jesús Cañadas’ second novel, after “El baile de los secretos” (The Dance of Secrets) published in 2011, and was released on October by Editorial Fantascy, an imprint of Random House Mondadori. And Jesús Cañadas’ “Los nombres muertos” (The Dead Names) doesn’t come only in a beautiful tome, with an evoking cover, but also with a very good book trailer. Not many book trailers can be as effective as a good book cover, usually I watch them long after I have already decided that I would like to buy and read that particular book and therefore these trailers rarely get a reaction from me. But over time I’ve seen a few that were very well made and stuck to my memory. Fortunately for Jesús Cañadas and his “Los nombre muertos” (The Dead Names) this is one such case, the book trailer is excellent, a very short film in itself that does wonders in stirring further my interest and desire to see what lies between the covers of this novel.

In 1919, the American writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote the short story “The Hound”. On its pages was mentioned for the first time the Necronomicon, a grimoire of black magic surrounded by a sinister legend.
Twelve years later, the widow of a New York multimillionaire convinces H.P. Lovecraft to lead an expedition for finding the supposed cursed book.
Accompanied by the writers Frank Belknap Long (The Hounds of Tindalos) and Robert Erwin Howard (Conan), Lovecraft embarks on a quest from his natal Providence, to the dying Golden Dawn society in London or the interwar Berlin, passing by the Portuguese deadly cliffs or the ruins buried beneath the city of Damascus.
In the web of secrets that surrounds the Necronomicon, Lovecraft and his colleagues face deadly dangers, secret societies and forgotten cults prepared to kill in order to find the truth about of this book. His expedition becomes an exciting adventure in which he intersects with characters such as Aleister Crowley, Arthur Machen or a young J.R.R. Tolkien.

Jesús Cañadas recovers the mystery of the classic Weird Tales in a politically incorrect novel and with an end that nobody expects.

Jesús Cañadas was born in Cádiz in 1980. Always linked with the genre literature, his short stories were published in magazines such as Asimov Magazine, Lovecraft Magazine, Miasma or Aurora Bitzine; or in the anthologies “Visiones 2008” (Visions 2008), “Errores de Percepción” (Errors of Perception), “Calabazas en el Trastero” (Pumpkins in the Shed), “Ácronos”, “Fantasmagoría” or the recent “Charco Negro” (Black Puddle). In 2011 he published his first novel, “El baile de los secretos” (The Dance of Secrets), in the Excalibur collection of the Grupo AJEC publishing house, novel nominated for the Best Novel category of Scifiworld Awards. “Los nombres muertos” is his second novel. Tireless traveler, Jesús Cañadas lived in more than thirteen cities in the last ten years. Now he lives in Germany, where he combines the genre literature with his work at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Title spotlight - "Dark Father" by James Cooper

I first stumbled upon James Cooper’s fiction on the excellent Black Static magazine, where “Eight Small Men” opened the 15th issue and went straight to my heart as soon as I started to read its first paragraphs.

“A man returns to the house where he and his brother spent a period with a foster family after the deaths of their parents. The return stirs heavyweight memories. James Cooper builds a powerful story, moving between two points in time that reveal disturbing and shocking images and events. It is an engaging story that creates an eerie atmosphere built on the childhood innocence and the events that might lead to the loss of that innocence. It is an evoking story that leaves an uncomfortable feeling.

Ever since then I wished for more and looked with every chance I’ve got to read James Cooper’s works. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too much since the same issue of Black Static featured an advertising for James Cooper’s collection of short stories, “The Beautiful Red”, published by Atomic Fez. So, I made sure not to miss that opportunity and all the other occasions since then to read James Cooper’s works. Culminating with “The Pig Farm” in the 30th issue of the same Black Static magazine that became one of my favorite short stories I ever read. Of course, as much as I love short fiction I do always wonder how the writers I like for their shorter form of fiction would tackle the length of a novel. For James Cooper I am afraid I’ve missed the first opportunity since his debut novel, “The Midway”, published in 2007, is sold out and I couldn’t find a copy anywhere. However, I don’t have to wait too long for another novel signed James Cooper, on June next year, DarkFuse will release “Dark Father”, the author’s second novel, and by the looks of it I am in for a treat. Therefore “Dark Father” has its place on my list of must read books of 2014, although until then James Cooper has another story, “Night Fishing”, coming in “Crimewave 12: Hurts”.

What drives a violent husband and dysfunctional father to pursue his wife and son across a moonlit English landscape?
What compels a troubled man to rebuild his broken family, constructing a fractured reality of hollow promises and false hope?
What forces an old man suffering from a rare mental disorder to reconcile the terror of the past with the daily torment of being locked in a mental hospital where everyone he sees bears the face of his father?
The answers lie in a disturbing journey of suffering and harrowing self-discovery. 
Evil has many fathers...

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

"Hârtiile masculului" by Silviu Gherman available in English

It came into my attention yesterday, through the courtesy of Mircea Pricăjan, that “Hârtiile masculului” by Silviu Gherman, the novel that won the 2013 SRSFF (The Romanian Science Fiction & Fantasy Society) National “Ion Hobana” Award for the Best Romanian Novel is available in English as well. “The Male Papers” is published under the pen name Leon Wahl and is available only in electronic format. So, if you are looking for a taste of Romanian speculative fiction you can find “The Male Papers” on an Amazon site of your choosing.

"A dull, grey world. A world without hope. Life is drifting aimlessly. Burbaks, Fuscubrahs, Kiruntz and males are being oppressed by the ruling Cledanes, who rape them, eat them, use them as cannon fodder or simply torture them.
Elizabeth Rakowicz is the unhappy ruler of Cledu City, the only city left on Earth. She craves for adventure, pleasure and more violence. There’s only one thing that comforts her: the Art of Prutz.
But will Prutz, this noble discovery of Cledane society, reassure the leader indefinitely? Or will she blow everything to smithereens, opening the gates to the feared bloodhogs?
We are so startled.”

The Signorie

Yearly contribution to the Almanac,
Section "Flabbergasting Introductions"
-------------------
"The Machine is imperfect, and so everyone is. Except for the Cledanes. 

The world has been simplified by a cataclysm. There is only one city left. It's called Cledu, and it's surrounded by wilderness and bloodhogs. Living in it is far from simple. Giant, powerful women rule over several species of males. They enjoy pleasure, but not compassion or love. Those gifts are for the Leader, and she uses them every time she can. That doesn't make her happy, though.
Males have the worst lives. Their puny bodies and frail minds make them despicable. Everyone hates and everyone uses them. But one male has a plan. These are his papers.
And I prepared them."

Clemence from the Machine

Yearly contribution to the Almanac,
Section "Flabbergasting Introductions"
-------------------

“I got hold of this electronic document by means of quantum physics and secret societies. My mental sanity and my life have already been endangered, so I will disclose nothing. I don’t want to die. However, I must speak out, even though the Doctors have advised against it.
I feel the people have the right to know the future we’re heading to. This sexual conspiracy that grows in our midst will be the end of us all.
May you read this and pass it on. The Doctors are coming.

Leon Wahl

Monday, November 18, 2013

2013 SRSFF National "Ion Hobana" Awards

Saturday, 16th November, with the occasion of the Ion Hobana National Colloquium, “140 Years of Romanian Science Fiction: A Review, possible directions and evolutions”, held at the Calderon Cultural Center in Bucharest the SRSFF (The Romanian Science Fiction & Fantasy Society) National “Ion Hobana” Awards have been presented. The winners are:

The Lifetime Achievement: Cornel Robu

The Best Romanian Novel: “Hârtiile masculului” (The Male’s Papers) by Silviu Gherman (Curtea Veche Publishing)

The Best Romanian Short Story Collection: “A doua venire” (The Second Coming) by Marian Truţă (Nemira Publishing House)

Congratulations to all the winners!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Vincent Chong's limited edition prints available

Things have been a little quite around here due to my first visit to England with the occasion of World Fantasy Convention. Of course, that week off still demands a tribute at work and unfortunately I was not able to put my impressions on paper so far. Hopefully I will manage that sooner than later. Anyway, among the great things I experienced at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton was meeting and talking with some of the people I only knew from online and amid all these wonderful persons was Vincent Chong too. Vincent is one of my favorite artists and I had the pleasure to make an interview with him back in 2008, but nothing compares with an actual talk made face to face. As nothing compares with seeing and admiring the art pieces from up close and not from behind a computer screen. That can be said about the book covers too, as much as I love the artworks adorning them they are restricted to certain dimensions and it is something else to see them in full size, displayed in an art show. But since I don’t get quite that many chances to see such art shows you will not catch me complain. Almost all the art pieces exhibited in World Fantasy Convention’s art show were on sale, Vincent Chong’s included. I dreamed of buying some of them, but sadly the financial stretch I made with this visit and the limited available space in my travelling suitcase made such an acquisition impossible. But at my return home I’ve found that not all is lost, Vincent Chong has prints of his amazing works for sale on his website too. Open or limited editions all the prints on sale are signed by Vincent Chong, so if like me you’d like to have one of these beauties you can find more details, including prices, on Vincent’s blog. I am still recovering financially from my trip but personally I would love a print of “Last Breath”, the cover art Vincent Chong made for the gift edition of Stephen King’s “Doctor Sleep”, and I’ll certainly try to get one by the end of this year.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Cover art - Adam Nevill edition

Most of the marketing quotes we see on the book covers leave me cold, unless there are among the few that tend to throw me into disbelief. I understand their existence and the mechanism behind them, but they still don’t have much effect on me. Adam Nevill’s books have a cover facelift for the upcoming re-releases of his novels and all these new editions quote The Guardian in naming Adam Nevill “Britain’s answer to Stephen King”. Well, that is one marketing quote that leaves me cold, dead cold. Because I tend to like writers for their individual work and originality rather than the comparison or competition with another author. I love Stephen King and I love Adam Nevill and each of them has a special place in my preferences independent of each other. Other than that I am thrilled to see the book covers for the new editions of Adam Nevill’s novels, all with such a simple but effective design and following the same basic line, started with his latest release “House of Small Shadows”, for a maximum effect when they’re together. As a matter of fact, I like these covers so much that I am already thinking of acquiring these new editions for my personal library although I already have all of Adam Nevill’s novels on my bookshelves.

Few believed Professor Coldwell could commune with spirits. But in Scotland’s oldest university town something has passed from darkness into light. Now, the young are being haunted by night terrors and those who are visited disappear.
This is certainly not a place for outsiders, especially at night. So what chance do a rootless musician and burned out explorer have of surviving their entanglement with an ageless supernatural evil and the ruthless cult that worships it?
This chilling occult thriller is both an homage to the great age of British ghost stories and a pacy modern tale of diabolism and witchcraft.

Some doors are better left closed . . .
In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She’s been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago.
Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying . . .

It was the dead thing they found hanging from a tree that changed the trip beyond recognition.
When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise.
A shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
But then they stumble across an old habitation. Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the floors. The residue of old rites for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees . . .

Some secrets refuse to stay buried . . .
Indie filmmaker Kyle Freeman is a man at the end of his tether. He faces bankruptcy and obscurity, until he lands a commission to make an unusual documentary. The Temple of the Last Days was a notorious cult, which reached its bloody endgame in the Arizona desert in 1975. Ever since, the group’s rumoured mystical secrets and paranormal experiences have lain concealed behind a history of murder, sexual deviancy and imprisonment.
Kyle and his one-man crew film the cult’s original bases in London and France – finally visiting the desert crime scene where the cult self-destructed in a night of ritualistic violence. But when Kyle interviews survivors, uncanny events plague his shoots. Frightening out-of-body experiences and nocturnal visitations follow, along with the discovery of ghastly artefacts. Until Kyle realises, too late, that they’ve become entangled in the cult’s hideous legacy.

They watch you while you sleep . . .
The Red House: home to the damaged genius of the late M. H. Mason, master taxidermist and puppeteer, where he lived and created some of his most disturbing works. The building and its treasure trove of antiques is long forgotten, but the time has come for his creations to rise from the darkness.
Catherine Howard can’t believe her luck when she’s invited to value the contents of the house. When she first sees the elaborate displays of posed, costumed and preserved animals and macabre puppets, she’s both thrilled and terrified. It’s an opportunity to die for.
But the Red House has secrets, secrets as dreadful and dark as those from Catherine’s own past. At night the building comes alive with noises and movements: footsteps, and the fleeting glimpses of small shadows on the stairs. And soon the barriers between reality, sanity and nightmare begin to collapse . . .

Monday, November 11, 2013

2012 Nocte Awards

On Friday, in ceremony held at The National Museum of Romanticism in Madrid, the winners of the 2012 Nocte Awards, the awards of the Spanish Horror Writers Association (Asociación Española de Autores de Narrativa de Terror), have been announced. (you can find the complete list of nominees here)

Best novel: “Lucifer Circus” (Lucifer Circus) by Pilar Pedraza (Valdemar)

Best national short story: “La bici amarilla” (The Yellow Bike) by Fernando Cámara (“La ciudad vestida de negro”/“The City Dressed in Black” – Drakul)

Best collection: “Vosotros justificáis mi existencia” (You Justify My Existence) by Nurìa C. Botey (Saco de Huesos)

Best foreign book: “El Diablo me obligó” (The Devil Forced Me) by F.G. Haghenbeck (Salto de Página)

Best foreign short story: “Una edad difícil” (An Awkward Age) by Anna Starobinets (“Una edad difícil”/“An Awkward Age” – Nevsky Prospects)

Congratulations to all the winners!