Cuerpos Ajenos Y Otras Historias Inesperadas

by Michael Marshall Smith, Rita Da Costa García (Translator)

Bienvenidos a un territorio absolutamente nuevo. Encontraréis a amantes, artistas, científicos, mediums, asesinos y gente más o menos corriente que habita mundos donde lo cotidiano ha quedado atrás. Los reconoceréis, los veis a diario, vivís y trabajáis con ellos. Sin sospechar lo que se esconde tras de ese hombre que pinta en las aceras, ese programador informático que se ha enamorado de su compañera de trabajo, ese padre con un talento especial para envolver regalos.

Esta colección de relatos es el fruto de la sorprendente imaginación de Michael Marshall Smith. Diecisiete mundos, diecisiete vidas, diecisiete puertas entreabiertas que nos invitan a entrar en un universo a veces inquietante, otras tierno y lleno de humor. Al salir ya no seremos los mismos.

Un libro fascinante de uno de los maestros actuales del género.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

398 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Michael Marshall (Smith) is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His first novel, ONLY FORWARD, won the August Derleth and Philip K. Dick awards. SPARES and ONE OF US were optioned for film by DreamWorks and Warner Brothers, and the Straw Men trilogy - THE STRAW MEN, THE LONELY DEAD and BLOOD OF ANGELS - were international bestsellers. His most recent novels are THE INTRUDERS, BAD THINGS and KILLER MOVE.

He is a four-time winner of the BFS Award for short fiction, and his stories are collected in two volumes - WHAT YOU MAKE IT and MORE TOMORROW AND OTHER STORIES (which won the International Horror Guild Award).

He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set of short stories was generally pretty entertaining - the author focuses mainly on modern urban life with the occasional twist (generally sci-fi in nature) and writes well. There's humour and drama, and it reminded me a little of Dan Rhodes' stuff, which I also have enjoyed.

The best three or four ones were thought provoking insights about men and relationships - hitting the mindset perfectly, though none were disappointing. Quite shocking and challenging of subject at times.

[Genevra Littlejohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally twisted, always mindcatching, Michael Marshall Smith had a lot of fun with this one. Stories set in a dark alter-Disneyland(when murderers are loose, who better to hunt them down than the Mouse and his pals?), or featuring sidewalk artists whose work comes to life in their defense, these are short but very memorable.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man is a genius, what more can I say?

[Del · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I try to push Michael Marshall Smith on people (and I do, frequently), I always say he's what you'd get if you threw Philip K Dick, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Clive Barker into a blender. Not literally,because that would be a waste of great talent. And also, you know, murder. But I digress. The comparison is probably unfair to MMS, who is very much his own voice. This was just as enjoyably terrifying as it was first time around, and if some of the technology in the stories has dated a bit in the twenty years since its release, the ideas behind it have only become more relevant.

There are three or four real beauties in here: Everybody Goes, one of those achingly gorgeous little tales that take you right back to the days when you were a kid and just starting to become aware of how weird and scary and... disappointing, adults could be; Hell Hath Enlarged Herself, a story of tech-horror that would make Michael Crichton cower in fear; A Place to Stay, which is a gorgeous and troubling little vampire story - I think; and the best of the bunch, The Man Who Drew Cats, which is one of those pieces of fiction that make you want to applaud the bravura you've just been witness to.

Short stories are an art form all of their own, and Michael Marshall Smith is one of the masters.

[Mark Goody · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's an extra star here just for The Man Who Drew Cats and Hell Hath Enlarged Herself. There are many good stories in here, but those two are tremendous.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found one of his stories in an Anthology so bought this collection. Not disappointed, every story here is good and most are great.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely collection, from "The Man Who Drew Cats" right up to "More Tomorrow". It's Michael Marshall Smith, how can you go wrong?

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tengo que empezar diciendo que, en general, no soy aficionada a los libros de relatos; y, cuando suelo ceder, normalmente lo hago si estos son de género: fantasía, ciencia ficción, terror... De hecho, puedo leer esta clase de narraciones sin problemas si hablamos de King y Hill, Bradbury y algunas recopilaciones tipo Premios Hugo o UPC...

Así pues, ¿por qué tenía ganas de hincarle el diente a éste, desde el momento en que me lo encontré en la biblioteca? Fácil: por ser su autor quién es. Y es que, aunque me leí el resto de sus novelas disponibles en la biblioteca hace más de diez años, y de hecho ni del argumento me acuerdo apenas, lo cierto es que guardaba un muy buen recuerdo. Con este libro, he recordado porqué: no sólo son sus argumentos originales y hasta subversivos, sino que además Michael Marshall Smith es un narrador portentoso, de esos que te atrapan desde la primera línea y, al mismo tiempo, te deja maravillado con su manejo del lenguaje y la originalidad de sus metáforas.

Así pues, "Cuerpos Ajenos y Otras Historias Inesperadas" es una colección de relatos absorbentes y casi mágicos, que sin duda no deja indiferente, siendo sin duda su mayor seña de identidad esa capacidad para mezclar lo cotidiano con lo sobrenatural. Relaciones familiares y de pareja, maltrato, pornografía en la red... Vampiros, fantasmas, zombis, apocalipsis y otras criaturas difíciles de clasificar... e incluso algunos casos en los que no hay elemento sobrenatural, pero no por eso están exentos de capacidad de sorpresa, aunque el giro inesperado, el ,momento de asombro o hasta el horror nazca de la propia naturaleza humana (sí, también hay algún psicópata).

17 relatos de gran nivel en su mayoría, narrados fundamentalmente en primera persona, lo cual para mí siempre es un extra porque, no sé muy bien porqué, me parece que así las historias llegan más al lector. Sólo cuatro están narrados en tercera persona, siendo dos de ellos los únicos que tienen una figura femenina como protagonista... dato anecdótico al fin y al cabo. :)

En resumen, y por si a estas alturas hace falta decirlo: altamente recomendable.

PD: Investigando en internet he descubierto que sus últimas novelas publicadas (en 2010-2011) se encuadran en el género negro... Sería interesante ver qué tal se le da la cosa, viendo que la ciencia ficción y el terror lo tiene dominado.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this for a while and there are lots of stories in this collection.
I have it downloaded to my phone so it's the one I read when I don't have my Kindle.

[Richard Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always difficult to comment on short story collection because it's such a mixed bag of experiences. in addition, reading this book has been the filter between novels offer the last few months, so it's hard to pick out a theme.
but here's the thing, Michael Marshall Smith is one hell of a short story writer, so you know you're going to be in for a great ride. Even if this first collection is not as awe inspiring as some of his later work, it's still well worth the entry fee.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight up, What You Make It is a smarter, meaner take on office life than any motivational poster could handle. Smith, Michael Marshall argues that most workplace "culture" is just a way to get people to do unpaid extra work with a smile. I felt like it was solid, mostly because the stories feel too specific to be made up. The section on mandatory fun events got me thinking about every pizza party I've sat through while quietly doing math on my rent. You might think it's a bit cynical, but it definitely forces you to rethink what your company is really asking of you.

[Tragic · Rating 2 out of 5]

No lo terminé.

Relatos mundanos con toques noir, ciencia-ficcionescos, semi-apocalipticos, surrealistas y demás batiburrillo la mayor parte del tiempo aburrido. Esperaba más luego de leer tan buenas reseñas. Decepcionante.

Los relatos son legibles, pero la mitad que leí no van a ninguna parte y no me queda claro qué es lo que el autor intenta contar, definitivamente no son para mi.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine author and with imagination. Rarely have I devoured stories that pull me in and make me a part of the scenery. I virtually physically clapped my hand over my mouth, and would have done so had I not been on the treadmill and needing to hang on. Each story is superb.

[Stijn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read several of his other work, and liked the surreal element of it, but this seems anything but. Disappointed and often bored at times, shame, as I really looked forward to get my socks blown off. Think this also was marketed wrong. It's readable, that's the good thing.

[Pierre Prisset · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recueil de nouvelles qui montre les difficultés de la vie
Des scènes ou l’état de l’auteur nous permet de découvrir le monde des alcooliques ou des drogués
Des scènes de fiction montrant la déchéance de l’homme sont très négatives quant à son avenir
Une écriture au passé simple très agréable

[Loukas Papangelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my introduction to MMS and I am so grateful that I found it, so many years ago at a used books shop in London.
His stories are unique and will haunt you for ages. Hell Hath Enlarged Herself is one of my favorite stories ever.

[Mike Portsmouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting dark and humourous stories.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars

[Kerry Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of short stories. Clever and well written and thought provoking. Dark as hell

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been a good collection but I had to downgrade it because of More Tomorrow.
I hated that vile story and it tainted the collection for me.

[Tanvir Muntasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of stories that bridge the gap between literary and genre fiction.

[Rebecca Devenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Marshall Smith uses What You Make It to demonstrate how modern surveillance isn't just about cameras—it's about training people to police their own minds.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably should have read this twenty years ago around the time when I read “Only Forward”, one of my favourite novels of all time. There is gold herein, and when Smith hits his stride it’s delicious. Unfortunately the good stuff is so few and far between and a lot of it feels like filler.

[An Redman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main male characters were the same dude recycled into different names, places and scenarios. They were inwardly sarcastic, outwardly ineffectual. Heavy smokers, regular drinkers, computer nerds with desk jobs, dodgy past entanglements of love. Almost always presented in the first person perspective.

Out of seventeen stories only two featured women, both of them dour and lacking real characterization. Most of the lady characters were throw aways, which bummed me the fuck out. At first I was digging the retro feel to his stories, but the women were baggage and patronized and that's not cool, not in every story.

The wry, thoughtful way Smith presents stories is a real treat for me. I get giddy and smug when a characters thinks something obnoxious that I've come across in my own thoughts on my own time. Half the stories are too long and repetitive for their own good. Often I wish I could peel back some layers, or prune out the words that have become redundant. The climax of the stories always satisfy, but the slog to get there will erode the joy of finishing.

Not an abundance of horror, more like mundane sci-fi with some cyberpunk, slice of life and psychological thriller. Seriously, the author kills it when he dabbles with mindfucks and mental illness.

A handful of stories were set in America but we're still peppered with British terms and euphemisms. But that's just really nitpicking, it is.

Despite the 2 star rating for this book I look forward to reading another Smith anthology, Everything You Need, because Smith is a damn fine writer and I think (hope) the newer stories will be tighter, more varied and more accessible. And through an odd quirk of luck I received a hard covered copy from a Florida library, discarded and signed. I hope the author would deem me worthy of possessing such a treasure.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of strange horror type short stories that stick with you long after you've finished reading, Michael Marshall Smith may just be the best in the game.

Strongly recommend.

[Rubén Vilaplana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historias mundanas con un toque psicológico que te mantienen en vilo en cada uno de los relatos, como suele pasar unos mejores que otros según opinión personal de cada uno. Recomendado para todos aquellos lectores de scfi, terror y fantasía que quieran leer algo fuera de estos géneros pero sin salirse de ellos.

[Mike Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read short stories but some of these are outstanding and really powerful.

The first story in the book "More Tomorrow" is probably good test of whether you will enjoy the rest of the stories. It's sinister, dark and creates a real impact on the reader. There are three or four other stand out stories in the collection - many of them dark - but it's this opening story that will probably make me pick up the book again sometime.

I wouldn't say any of it is fun to read - although 'Always' is kind of touching and made me feel emotional. However, it is macabre, well written and Marshall Smith has the ability to create a world very quickly, which is essential for a writer of short stories.

Well worth a read.

[Intery · Rating 3 out of 5]

The collection features short stories which are both very different and very similar. Most of them are either predictable or downright clichés, but the author possesses the skill to make them interesting and gripping nonetheless. Almost all the stories are narrated in the first person by similar male protagonists, yet each of them manages to feel different to the reader. Insanity is a prominent theme, as is violence (and tea). The best piece for me was undoubtedly Everybody Goes which contains a lovely bit of fridge brilliance.

[Psychophant · Rating 3 out of 5]

As in almost all collections of short stories, the quality is not uniform. However most of these tales are quite good. It is not (with a couple of exceptions) a book of horror tales, but of disturbing tales. What this collection reminds me is of E.A. Poe. A londoner Poe, in the current time, and using computers, but with the same mix of mormality and the extraordinary.

My favorites are "Later" and "The man who drew cats", and as they are in the beginning it may have lowered a bit the total score.