Book Review: The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
James Morrow , Kathryn Morrow
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction   [Short Stories]
Tor, Jun 2007, $26.95

The twenty plus contributors to the original SFWA Hall of Fame were all authors I read previously. However, this European version is quite the opposite having read only one of the sixteen contributors prior to this introduction to these talented writers. This brings a unique freshness as the American audience is introduced to the cross Atlantic writers that the Morrows felt were deserving of wider readership. In the Introduction James Morrow explains the difference between Americans and Europeans as follows: “Europeans think one hundred miles is a long distance, and Americans think one hundred years is a long time”. In many ways this sums up the similarities and difference. All the tales were written over the last two decades; none originally in English though translated for this compilation; this adds to the feel of visiting new realms. The authors come from all over Europe: France, Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Spain, Greece, Romania, Germany, Portugal, and Holland. The stories are all well written and obviously translate smoothly into English. They run the gamut from a Dutch Orwell (see W.J. Maryson's "Verstummte Musik") to a “Swift” Finish A Modest Proposal that is a condemnation of free trade that exploits children. These are fabulous entries that belie the fact they are translations. SFWA’s European vacation is a terrific collection, which begs to ask other translation anthologies from Asia, South America, and Africa to follow?

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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