Fieras by Mariangela Ugarelli Risi

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This collection of eleven stories includes speculative fiction around the thematic axis “wild animals” that we associate with violent and wild attributes that we cannot control. Although in each story there is the inclusion of at least one animal or even a plant (wild or somehow domesticated), the book invites us to reflect on who the true beasts of this world are and why we attribute these characteristics to non-human species. In some of the stories, the non-human species (animal, plant) takes center stage next to the human being in question (Flora, El loro gris, e.g.). In others, it is the “wild” human being or monster is the focus in the story (Carne, e.g.).
Human beings are the most violent and treacherous species among all the species on our planet. Just as the impossible monsters in the stories of David Road's “Monstruario” lead our gaze to the inner monster of the human being, “Fieras” departs from this idea to present the ferocious character of our predatory species.
This is not a new topic in our universal history. It is a recurring thematic axis of more than 2,000 years of human history. It is an aspect of us that remains unknown and uncontrollable and, therefore, a source of fear.
The stories of “Fieras” are placed in the horror genre (the brutal violence of a physical or psychological disintegration, explicitly demolishing the norms assumed in daily life, according to Jerrod E. Hogle, “Cambridge Companion of Gothic Fiction”).* And to do this, it uses elements that try to create or project intense fear (terror, anxious suspense about the safety of life, according to Hogle). The stories of “Fieras” point us in this direction: disturbing horror. Do the stories achieve their goal? To answer this question we need to pay attention to the execution of the narration of horror (and the use of terror if it’s the case).
From this reader's point of view, the execution of most of the stories in this volume, except in 2-3 cases, is still halfway done and needs revisions (unfortunately it has already been published) .
Among the best stories, we have “La corrección” (insects, ants), “El loro gris” (parrot, owl, cockatoo and other birds) and, a little distant from these two, “Carne.” In the first two, the beast is presented as the element that seeks to restore a natural balance that human beings have broken with their cruelty. The third one is especially disturbing because of the animal cruelty that is graphically displayed in this story. Human sadism against animals exceeds all human limits and dehumanize the human species. These three stories are well written, developed, with adequate pace and tension. I would keep the first two for a Peruvian horror anthology.
These are followed, on my scale of appreciation, by “Chalanización,” an interesting story reminiscent of the myth of the Minotaur. The story progresses very well but the pace accelerates towards the end. This affects the story, which delivers a correct but rushed ending. The idea is great and, as a theme, it provides material for a novel. The next one is “El florero,” another very interesting and novel idea whose execution is, unfortunately, tangled. This story needs revision to be round, but the theme is attractive to this reader.
The following stories have a variety of flaws: either they start well and then fall apart without a good development or ending (“Comunión”) or they do not capture the attention of the writer because they still lack narrative development (“Fábula del zorro…”) or I simply do not understand their development and/or its ending in terms of the horror genre (“La caja de arena,” “El milagro…”). I leave aside “Flora” which has an interesting idea but it remains a scene rather than a story; as well as “Los Dráculas” that present a new vision and point of view on the subject of vampires—although the title is too trite. The theme of “Flora” (the invasion of one species into the body of another species like a parasite) is recurring in horror narratives and even, in some cases, has scientific foundations from our real world (insects zombified by a parasite , e.g., which is one of the sources of inspiration for the series “The Last of Us”).
In short, I read in these stories a continuous recurrence of graphic horror that is very close to "gore" whose purpose is precisely to shock its reader, to horrify them. However, resorting to close-to-gore graphic effects in a superficial way can have the effect of being trite and repeated (this is a general appreciation of many current works that use this resource in a superficial way to approach horror).
“Fieras” has good ideas, some better than others, and 2 stories that execute them quite well. As for other stories in this book, they are starting points to work on, review and mature for future narratives.

*“In other words, as Fredd Botting maintains in “The Handbook of Gothic Literature.” Terror is linked to the emotional energy released in the face of a threat. While horror induces us to a state of paralysis or trembling, to the total loss of faculties, consciousness and speech, physical helplessness and mental confusion” (https://filth.com.mx/terror-y -horror-what's-the-difference/)



View all my reviews