OriginalBarbas reviewed El Anacronópete by Enrique Gaspar y Rimbau
A good satire and zarzuela, but weak on the science
4 stars
This book is the first novel that theorises about people travelling to other times, preceding The Time Machine by several years. Thing is, H.G. Wells most likely had no idea about this novel, as it was written by a very successful zarzuela (kind of like Spanish opera) playwright and diplomat but Enrique Gaspar i Rimbau had zero (or next to zero) contact with scientists.
How can I say that? Well, I am a physicist by trade and a reader of science fiction by hobby and I can count with my fingers the number of science fiction written by Spanish authors. Probably I do not even need all of them and if we restrict ourselves to science fiction that is not a satire or purely social commentary but also has some speculative fiction, the number (that I know of) is even lower. Back on topic, Mr. Gaspar i Rimbau probably hadn't …
This book is the first novel that theorises about people travelling to other times, preceding The Time Machine by several years. Thing is, H.G. Wells most likely had no idea about this novel, as it was written by a very successful zarzuela (kind of like Spanish opera) playwright and diplomat but Enrique Gaspar i Rimbau had zero (or next to zero) contact with scientists.
How can I say that? Well, I am a physicist by trade and a reader of science fiction by hobby and I can count with my fingers the number of science fiction written by Spanish authors. Probably I do not even need all of them and if we restrict ourselves to science fiction that is not a satire or purely social commentary but also has some speculative fiction, the number (that I know of) is even lower. Back on topic, Mr. Gaspar i Rimbau probably hadn't talked to a physicist in his life because there were simply no Spanish physicists at the time and the novel uses a number of theories that were out of date even for the time it was written.
But that is not a big problem, as this book is, first and foremost a zarzuela and a satire. And there is where Mr. Gaspar i Rimbau shines. The satire is on point to the society of the time, there is a lot of erudition on the history of the different places they visit (special note about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which I wasn't expecting) and it clearly has a structure and plot twists made for the theatre.
It also reads very fluidly and the chapters are very entertaining on their own too.
So, all in all, this is a good book. Only it is not a good science fiction novel.