Rodolfo Martínez
Traducción de Steve Redwood
Novel, science fiction, space opera, cyberpunk
Ilustración de cubierta: Maciej Garbacz
Diseño de cubierta: Sportula
First edition: August, 2015
ISBN: 9788415988922 — 170 páginas — 10.95 €
First edition: August, 2015
ISBN: 9788415988878 — 170 páginas — 2.99 €
Ignotus Award 1996, Best Novel
English Translation by Steve Redwood
The neutral Convergence Space Station No. 1, known as the Whirld, is the unofficial but deadly battleground in which several Galactic powers fight, by all means at their disposal, to obtain a certain piece of information that would inevitably determine their whole future. But then an all-powerful malevolent AI, for reasons known only to itself, also enters the game…
Cat's Whirld, a book indispensable for understanding the evolution of Spanish science fiction, is an original fusion of thriller, cyberpunk, and space opera, with unforgettable characters, and a frenetic pace and rhythm that never falter; a hybrid novel in which elements from distinct genres make a surprisingly harmonious whole.
Originally published in 1995, it was the first cyberpunk novel in Spanish; a specially remarkable achievement in that it was also the first of Rodolfo Martínez’ many novels, and yet was not afraid to tread new ground, and, moreover, to do so with great narrative confidence. Twenty years later, the story still retains its power, as fresh and exciting as ever.
Cat’s Whirld is a heady mix of malevolent AIs, vast political conspiracies, Babylon-5-type space station machinations, and a breakneck pace that makes you wish you could read as fast as…well…an AI.
Rachel S. Cordasco en SF in Translation
There are a million small things to like about Cat's Whirld [...] Those small things, like the self-replicating virus, are varied. Sometimes it is when you realize that Memo's backstory ties in interestingly with cyberpunk's obsession with bodies and memory; other times it is the little shot of joy at a goofy neologism or future-slang. It's how the villainous AI Cheshire is introduced as the only AI with any fondness toward Memo, and how he never lets that get in his way once he has decided Memo is standing between him and a delightful game; and how well paced and breezily written the novel itself is.
Benjamin Gabriel en Strange Horizons
Cat’s Whirld is an intriguing conundrum of a novel that hurtles along at breakneck speed. Filled with hacker savants, galactic conspiracies, and rogue AIs, Martínez’s novel keeps his readers—and his characters—on their toes from one sudden turn to the next. We’re fortunate to have this new translation from Steve Redwood, which introduces a Spanish cyberpunk classic to a new generation of readers.
Carrie Patel
Cat’s Whirld clips along at a nice, quick pace, and it’s over almost before you know it. The chases through the hazardous space station, the games of cat and mouse between the thieves and the authorities, and the high-stakes gambling between resourceful humans and hyperintelligent AIs keep the story speeding forward.
Carrie Patel en Electronic Ink
Candás, 1965
Página personal: https://rudy.sportula.es
A juzgar por su numerosa obra, Rodolfo es uno de los autores más prolíficos del género fantástico y de ciencia ficción en España. Su larga trayectoria como escritor ha sido recompensada numerosas veces con varios premios, como el Ignotus, el Minotauro o el Asturias de novela.
Narrador de estilo dinámico que gusta de la fusión de géneros, en su bibliografía destacan los cyberpunks La sonrisa del gato (1995) y El sueño del rey rojo (2004), o el space opera Tierra de nadie: Jormungand (1996), además de obras de fantasía urbana como Las astillas de Yavé (2014).
Ha escrito varios pastiches holmesianos de corte fantástico. El primero de ellos, La sabiduría de los muertos, es sin duda su novela más reeditada y popular, traducida al inglés, francés, portugués, turco y polaco.
Su producción breve se encuentra recogida en Disfraces parecidos a mi piel (2020).
En La canción de Bêlit (2017) explora la obra de Robert E. Howard y aporta su personal punto de vista a su más famosa creación, Conan el bárbaro.
En 2020 empieza a publicar su obra más ambiciosa, El hueco al final del mundo,que reparte en varios volúmenes.
Vive en Gijón, junto a Felicidad Martínez y las dos gatas de ambos: Rángiku e Íchigo.
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