Science Fiction
I won’t lie. I really struggled with this book. There are so many Spanish words thrown in, that I had to skip a few pages in the middle. I knew that it was a translated book, but I didn’t realize that most of the dialogue was peppered with Spanish. There were also so many technical science words and made up words to describe the creatures and the planets that it was incredibly difficult for me to read. With that being said, Yoss does an excellent job at creating a world. The middle where the main character was telling his autobiography was outstanding, I wish there would have been more of that in the book.
Author: Yoss
Title: Super Extra Grande
Genre: Humorous stories; Science fiction; Space opera; Translations
Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Number of Pages: 160 pages
Geographical Setting: Outerspace
Time Period: Distant Future
Plot Summary: Intergalactic veterinarian Dr. Jan Amos Sangan Dongo takes us on an unusual journey by way of his job as “Veterinarian to the Giants,” where he deals with the largest creatures in the universe. The story beings with him having to rescue a priceless wedding bracelet for a politician's wife from the belly of an extra grande sized monster. After he rescues the bracelet, he reflects upon his life up to his point. He describes how travel between planets became possible, how he decided to because a veterinarian biologist, how he got rid of two ‘female’ assistants (who were both in love with him), replaced them with a ‘male’ assistant, and other musings about his life. The climax of the book happens when his two former assistants are swallowed by a super extra grande creature, and must be retrieved, in order to keep the peace in the galaxy.
Subject Headings: Aliens -- Fiction.
Human-alien encounters -- Fiction.
Veterinarians -- Fiction.
Science fiction, Cuban.
Human-alien encounters -- Fiction.
Veterinarians -- Fiction.
Science fiction, Cuban.
Appeal: Anyone who is interested in unusual science fiction stories. This book has a lot of humor and a lot of sexual overtones.
Character:Exaggerated
Storyline: Plot-driven
Pace:Fast-paced
Tone:Irreverent; Racy humor
Writing Style:Engaging
Three terms that best describe this book: Immersive world, Raunchy, Incredibly technical
Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors
Relevant Fiction Works and Authors
Versus the Multiverse by Kyle Darnell
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI want to address two aspects of your review. First, you stated that the book is translated yet there is still a good amount of material still in Spanish. This is good information for the reader advisor to know, because if an MLS student had to skip a few pages because of not knowing the language then the average reader may not even give it a full chapter or two before giving up.
If I ordered this book online and was not informed that it was partly in Spanish I would be disappointed when it arrived. I do not speak Spanish and would assume that a translated book would be fully translated into English.
The other point I want address is the technical science words. Science Fiction has many sub genres, such as science fantasy, space opera, cyber punk, post-apocalyptic, and time travel, and more. A science fiction book written with a lot of actual science terminology and using actual facts is not for every science fiction reader.
Your plot summary of the book Super Extra Grande peaks my interest. It sounds like a silly sci-fi adventure. However, after reading your review that it has a lot of big complicated science words and Spanish language words I would pass on this book. The plot sounds fun, but the other aspects of it would hinder my enjoyment. Thanks for the review.
Robert
I am not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed, but if I would have taken the time to read the Amazon reviews I would have seen that even though it was translated, there was still a lot of Spanish in it. It was part of the "joke" though, that certain species had poor language skills, so they spoke with a mixture of Spanish and English.
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting book. If you like sci-fi, I would recommend The Book of Strange New Things. It also has elements of space travel, but the language is in English so it would easier for you to read. The novel is introspective as well, and, if that was what you had liked about Super Extra Grande, you would be able to enjoy The Book of Strange New Things too.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely check that out! Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteDo you normally read science fiction? We're there footnotes to translate the Spanish? I'm currently reading a book that has a lot of Italian. Luckiky, the author has provided footnotes but there's so many it affects the readability.
ReplyDeleteI read a handful of science fiction books a year. It's not generally my preferred reading, but there have been many that I've loved. Unfortunately, there were no footnotes provided by the author. I can see where it would come in handy!
DeleteExcellent annotation! I liked your personal opinion at the beginning (very good to know!) and your characteristics and appeals are spot on. Full points!
ReplyDelete