Alphaland and Other Tales

Buying from the EU? Please read about shipping from the UK.

With a new introduction by Robert Shearman.

Thought-provoking, erotic, dark. Otherness is the idea that permeates all these speculative stories, full of characters troubled by the misconstruction of their identities, and in permanent search for answers in the margins of reality.

From upgraded humans to individuals living among daydreams, from monsters to fantastic beings, these creatures populate a highly imaginative and evocative world, impregnated by an inspired sense of wonder. Draw near with care and enter Alphaland.

The present volume is a new and expanded edition of Alphaland (Nevsky Books, 2017), with new stories, an essay, and a new introduction.

• author: Cristina Jurado
• introduction: Robert Shearman
• translations: Sue Burke, Ines Galiano, Monica Louzon, Steve Redwood, James Womack
• design: Vince Haig
• isbn: 978-1-9162321-6-7
• pages: 201

PRAISE FOR ALPHALAND:

'Time and time again Jurado examines what it is like for us to be human beings, and then to transform us into something new.' - Robert Shearman

‘Jurado’s fiction sometimes defies classification, but is always stimulating, imaginative and thoughtprovoking. Thank the stars that none of the quality got lost in translation. Any fan of fantastical fiction will enjoy the stories in Alphaland.’ - Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater and The Murders of Molly Southbourne

‘Stories of identity, paranoia and loss that resonate in the mind and which will leave you both uncomfortable and entertained. Recommended for any fan of dark fiction.’ - Jason Sizemore, Hugo-nominated editor of Apex Publications.

‘Cristina Jurado is a powerful new voice in Spanish speculative fiction’ - Lavie Tidhar

‘Here is erotic cosmic dark fantasy; here is a doomed astronaut snatched from suicide in space by ... something. Here is a psychopath with her memories erased, murderously on the trail of Who, and Why? Here are very dark visceral visions—of a swamp creature upon the ceiling, of ruthless bestial battles against shadows. Here are radically ‘other’ stories, muscular, gritty, evocative. Here’s your chance to relish what Spanish readers voted the best story of 2017. I am so impressed by this outstanding, and eloquently translated, collection.’ - Ian Watson

TOC:

Introduction, by Robert Shearman
Vanth
Inchworm
Alice
Second Death of the Father
The Shepherd
Alphaland
Embracing the Movement
Lamia
Dump
Short Fiction as the Seed of Speculative Fiction 

Cristina Jurado is a bilingual author of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other hybrid genres, as well as editor, translator, and SF promoter. In 2019 she became the first female author to win the Best Novel Ignotus Award (Spain’s Hugo) for Bionautas. Her recent fiction in English includes the translation of Bionautas (Twine), and many stories in various venues, such as Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld and Apex Magazine, as well as The Best of World SF by Head of Zeus. Her works have been translated into Italian, Romanian, Chinese and Japanese. As editor she has published several books: Alucinadas, the first anthology of SF short stories written by women in Spanish (translated into English as Spanish Women of Wonder); Infiltradas, the first anthology in Peninsular Spain of feminist sf articles, which won the Best NonFiction Book Ignotus Award in 2020; and Todos los demás planetas, an SF anthology focused on inclusive language. In 2015 Cristina founded SuperSonic, winner of three Best Magazine Ignotus Awards and honored by the European Science Fiction association (ESFS) as Best Zine in 2016 and Best Magazine in 2017. She has worked as international editor for Apex Magazine and has co-edited, with Lavie Tidhar, The Apex Book of World SF #5, focused on speculative fiction around the world. She currently works as co-editor for Futura House, a blog featuring stories from Hispanic authors in English. Distinguished as Europe’s Best SF Promoter Award in 2020, she has worked as editor and contributor for Apex Magazine and Constelación magazine, and as Spanish slush reader for Clarkesworld.

BROWSE SIMILAR TITLES IN OUR CATALOGUE:

Horror - More Horror from Calque

Science Fiction - More Science Fiction from Calque

Translation - More Translation from Calque

Weird - More Weird/Uncanny from Calque