[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]
Strange Horizons, October 23, 2023
“Contact | Opa Zap!” by Arnout Brokking
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Under its occasional rubric of Samovar, the magazine offers two newly translated stories.
“Bacterial” by the recently deceased Argentinian writer Marcelo Cohen, translated from Spanish by Kit Maude, features an artist who creates paintings made with living microorganisms. A rich man pays him to paint his portrait in this way, then carry it to various places so its eyes can record scenic wonders.
The premise is unique and intriguing, although the way in which it is developed may strain credibility. The story is narrated as if it were the description of a movie, which adds little of importance. (Perhaps this is meant to emphasize the theme of vision.) The setting is an imaginary one, and frequent references to fictional places and objects add the feeling of fantasy to what is otherwise a work of science fiction. In combination with very long sentences and paragraphs and a cool, distant style of narration, this gives the story the air of an intellectual exercise, somewhat reminiscent of the works of fellow Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges, who is certainly a fine role model.
In sharp contrast, “Contact | Opa Zap!” by Arnout Brokking, translated from Dutch by Camilla Maltas, is meant to tug at the heartstrings rather than stimulate the mind. A little boy finds a tiny flying saucer in his grandfather’s home. His parents think the elderly man has suffered a mental breakdown after the disappearance of his wife. With the help of the friendly alien inside the saucer, everything works out well.
As can be seen, this is a work of emotional science fiction. The text contains frequent references to films such as Star Wars and E. T., and the story fits firmly in the tradition of these family-friendly, escapist movies. Although it makes for pleasant reading, many readers are likely to find it overly sentimental.
Victoria Silverwolf has seen a lot of sentimental science fiction films.