Speculative Fiction in Translation #8: Solarpunk, Nexhumans, and Ball Lightning

SF in Translation

This month’s episode is packed with info about the SFT from Algeria, Japan, Serbia, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, Russia, and China. It’s a vibrant mix of new books in a series, anthologies, novels, and stories, which I know you’ll enjoy. Plus, you can check out reviews of these and other stories around the internet. I also tell you about my current reading and translation work (starting a new project translating one of my favorite authors, Clelia Farris!).

With new stories and books coming to our attention each week, make sure to check the SFT website for updates. Enjoy, and keep reading!

A bientôt!

Show notes:

• Transcript of Episode 8
• SFT Out in August
  • “The Loneliest Ward” by Hao Jingfang, translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld Magazine, August 1)
  • “The Mauve Planet” by Safia Ketou, translated from the French by Nadia Ghanem (Arablit.org, August 13)
  • Excerpt from The Man at One Kelvin Degrees by Piero Schiavo Campo, translated from the Italian by Sarah Jane Webb (Trafika Europe 14: Italian Piazza, August 1)
  • The Snail on the Slope by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, translated from the Russian by Olena Bormashenko (Chicago Review Press, August 1)
  • Two of Six: A Captain’s Dilemma by Tomohito Moriyama, translated from the Japanese by J. D. Wisgo (independently published, August 1)
  • Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World, edited by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro, translated from the Portuguese by Fábio Fernandes (World Weaver Press, August 7)
  • Nexhuman by Francesco Verso, translated from the Italian by Sally McCorry (Apex Publications, August 14)
  • Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu, translated from the Chinese by Joel Martinsen (Tor Books, August 14)
  • The Book by Zoran Živkovi?, translated from the Serbian by Tamar Yellin (Cadmus Press, August 20)
  • Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 7: Tempest by Yoshiki Tanaka, translated from the Japanese by Daniel Huddleston (Haikasoru, August 21)
• Reviews
  • Andrea Johnson reviews Nexhuman on her website
  • Sara Martin reviews The Vestigial Heart in the SFRA Review
  • Erik Henriksen reviews Ball Lightning on Tor.com
  • Daniel Haeusser’s Short SFT Reviews
• Rachel’s Corner
  • Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergei Dyachenko, translated by Julia Meitov Hersey (Harper Voyager)
  • The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Ruth L. C. Simms
• General Links
  • Speculative Fiction in Translation website
  • Speculative Fiction in Translation facebook page
  • SFT on twitter: @Rcordas

If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page.

Our new intro and outro music comes “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.