Abcalia: El Viaje de los Sueños

by Ricardo Roque Mateos

Abcalia, novela de ciencia ficción ganadora del premio "Pluma Platino 2013" y del premio HAI 2016 se ha convertido en los últimos años en un referente en la ciencia ficción en español.

Cuenta la historia de Daian, un hombre que tiene sueños que lo llevarán a otras vidas, a adentrarse en nuevas realidades y a descubrir un amor que deberá proteger mientras desentraña el sentido de su propia existencia. Está concebida como un viaje para el lector, ahondando de manera original y novedosa en cuestiones cruciales como el amor o el sentido de la vida.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Science Fiction

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2013

Reviews

[Jen Galton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books in Spanish. The story is very well-written and a perfect mixture of science fiction and romance. The main character has dreams with a girl that appears in different shapes and he has to solve the mystery of those dreams while developing as a human being. A truly inspirational book, and an amazing tool to learn Spanish because the words and grammar structures are carefully picked for that purpose. The best novel to learn Spanish that I have ever seen.

[Sam Baggaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a learning tool it's great. As a novel it's garbage. It's literally some professor who thinks he's better than everyone else in the world and learns to lucid dream so he can fuck an 'imaginary' girl every night.

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book for learning and improving your Spanish and an awesome science fiction story. Perhaps it needed a few more characters and development but overall it's quite good.

[James Dickie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems I'm one of the very few readers who was not captivated by this book. Having read the reviews, and being at B2 level in Spanish as well as enjoying philosophy and science fiction, i was really looking forward to reading it; I was so disapponted! True, it was an easy read; there were a few words I didn't know, but few idiomatic phrases, which are something I love discovering, but which require more than a dictionary. But there really wasn't anything else that I enjoyed. Interesting themes like time travel and reincarnation are used in the book, but not explored in any depth: there's more to stimulate thought in one of Borges' stories than in the whole of thus novel. The plot is unoriginal, a strange combination of 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Divine Comedy' - adding a rich sexual dreamlife for Scrooge in the former, and replacing God with a sex-mad Beatrice in the latter. And who is the character in need of a redemptive journey? One of the most unpleasant, arrogant, self-centred sociopaths in all literature - and he's the narrator! I looked in vain for any hint of irony from the author; it was obvious I wasn't going to get it from the character, insofar he is a character - the author doesn't bring any of the (few) characters to life. I can't think of one moment when I cared about any of them. Is this lack of clear individual identity a reflection of the narrator's belief in reincarnation? Interesting theme to explore, but it's not explored. There is a moment, late in the book, when the narrator realises he lacks an important human quality, but even then he characteristically overcomes this by reading up on the definition of the word. Want to read a Spanish novel which will deepen your understanding of Spanish and of life: don't read this, read Nieve Garcia Bautista.

[Linsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

La trama de este libro no es que yo esperaba. Sabía que se trataba de los sueños de un hombre y su conexión con “ella”, pero era más profunda. El narrador, Daian, también experiencia cambios en su mundo real como resulta de sus sueños. Este libro es un viaje de los sueños, pero me recordó que viajes provocan novedades.

[Ling Wao · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main book in Spanish science fiction. I wrote my MA thesis about Spanish learning methods and this book was in the recommended readings together with Ruiz Zafon, Sabato, and Borges. If you like science fiction in Spanish or you are trying to improve in the language, this classic is for you.

[Brendan Geisenhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came across this book on several lists for Best Intermediate Spanish learning. For that intent I found it very useful - B2/B3 vocab and a good, constant mixing of tenses.

The story in and of itself was not all that great and really kind of cheesy.

Nonetheless good read for its purpose.

[Nassos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro sobre el significado y el propósito de la vida. Aprender y crecer. Todo a través de la historia de un profe de filosofía cansado de su propia realidad quien encuentra algo especial en los sueños. Después del capítulo 15 se vuelve a una lectura imparable, imposible de dejar.

[Simo Korpela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is surprisingly original; the beginning is a bit usual, but it compensates after the third chapter and it evolves into something unseen before. First you think the book is going to take you down one road, and then it takes a different turn. The length could be increased a bit because it's interesting to read more and more about the story. Perhaps more pages would alter the result, I don't know; but the premise and the originality of the plot make up for any other consideration. For me it's the best book in Spanish Science Fiction and one of the best books to improve your Spanish that I have ever been recommended.