Rost til skyerne

Jeg har fundet endnu en anmeldelse af Sky City – Science Fiction Cirklens antologi med udvalgte noveller fra Lige under overfladen 1-2 oversat til engelsk. Denne blev offentliggjort på SF Site i efteråret og er skrevet af Steven H. Silver, som er en rimelig aktiv figur inden for science fiction-miljøet. Udover at være anmelder er han også forfatter, redaktør, udgiver og har flere gange været nomineret til en Hugo i kategorien Best Fan Writer.

Hele anmeldelsen på SF Site kan læses her, men jeg vil da lige nævne, hvad han skriver om min novelle Interrogation of Victim No. 5, som er min egen oversættelse af Afhøring af offer nr. 5:

“The strongest of the stories, which deserves to be reprinted in a volume with a larger Anglophone audience, is the final story in the anthology, Lars Ahn Pedersen’s “Interrogation of Victim No. 5.” Set up as a question and answer session between an interrogator, identified only as TK and a crime victim known as RL, the science fictional elements of the setting are slowly revealed, and, almost simultaneously, Pedersen incorporates a look at the issues each of those elements would raise in society. Despite not coming to a final conclusion in some ways, the story is complete in and of itself, resolving the necessary issues.”

På sin egen hjemmeside bringer Steven H. Silver en alternativ anmeldelse af Sky City, hvor han gennemgår alle novellerne i samlingen. Her har han følgende at sige om Interrogation of Victim No. 5:

“Perhaps the strongest story in the book is the final one, Lars Ahn Pedersen’s “Interrogation of Victim No. 5.” Opening as a police interrogator questions a woman who apparently suffers from some form of amnesia, the interrogator is able to work closely with her to remember an attack as she walked across a park.  The emotions and situations feel quite real, and the interrogation scene reinforces the feeling that the similar scene in Patrick Leis’s story doesn’t quite feel right.  Pedersen’s science fictional elements are chilling, showing how things can work out even when they go dreadfully wrong and leaving the reader wondering about the story’s aftermath even as the story feels complete in itself.”

Og jo, jeg er pænt tilfreds lige nu, hvis nogen skulle være i tvivl…

PS Og det bliver endnu bedre. Det viser sig, at Steven H. Silver også har slået på tromme for min novelle, da en af mine yndlingsblogs SF Signal bad ham nævne sine favoritter fra 2011. Hele indlægget kan læses her, men her er, hvad han blandt andet skrev:

“Several Danish science fiction authors combined to published Sky City, which includes their short fiction in translation. The piece which stands out, and the Anglophonic reading public would be well served to see it reprinted in a more available location, is “Interrogation of Victim No. 5.,” by Lars Ahn Pedersen. This story is, as the title suggests, an interrogation of the victim of an attack, possibly by a serial killer. Her memories of the attack may be used to give the first clue of the killer’s identity, but as the interrogation goes on, Pedersen reveals more about the background of his civilization, the technological level they’ve achieved, and notes that even safe-guards aren’t always deployed in the best manner. Even more difficult to find that Ken Liu’s story mentioned above, Pedersen’s is quite worth looking for.”

Stykket blev bragt for lidt over en måned siden, og det er mig en gåde, hvordan jeg har overset det, eftersom jeg tjekker SF Signal dagligt. Men jeg forventer naturligvis ikke at se mit eget navn dukke op i sådanne sammenhænge, og jeg opdagede kun disse omtaler, fordi jeg forfaldt til en gang ego-surfing.