Publisher Description
'A kind of magical realism for science fiction ... Quite, quite brilliant' Tor
Part pulp adventure, part otherworldly meditation, this is the story of Trafalgar Medrano: intergalactic trader and lover of bitter coffee and black cigarettes. In the bars and cafés of Rosario, Argentina, he recounts tall tales of his space escapades - involving, among other things, time travel and dancing troglodytes.
'A unique brand of science fiction ... unlike anything I've ever read' Los Angeles Review of Books
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This understated and impressive story cycle, written in 1979 by Argentinean author and World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Gorodischer (Kalpa Imperial), relates the adventures of intergalactic trader and coffee addict Trafalgar Medrano. When he meets with the unnamed narrators, he tells of his attempts to raise money by selling goods and services on other planets; most of his efforts end in improbable, hilarious disaster, such as being mistaken for Mandrake the Magician or finding a world that looks exactly like Earth in 1492. The tropes are well-worn, but Gorodischer takes them in entertaining directions that both evoke their golden age roots and transcend them with a layer of absurdism. Gladhart's translation spotlights Trafalgar's dryly comic statements, like "I changed the course of history; nothing more than that." Trafalgar's adventures build on each other nicely, creating a collection that's a joy to read.
