Ten Planets

Yuri Herrera's first collection of stories explores imagined futures that reveal the strangeness and instability of the present, drawing on science fiction, noir, and philosophical parables. The stories feature sentient objects, covert maps, and a meagre bacterium that gains consciousness. Monsters and aliens abound, but knowing who is the monster and who the alien is a tricky proposition. The collection leaves us with a sense of awe at our world and the worlds beyond our ken.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 07 February 2023
Publisher: And Other Stories

Yuri Herrera's debut collection of stories takes readers to imagined futures that vividly depict the peculiarity and volatility of the present. By blending elements of science fiction, noir, and the philosophical parables of authors such as Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino, these concise narratives herald a fresh dimension in Herrera's literary oeuvre. In the world of Ten Planets, objects possess sentience and can rebel against the human family to which they are connected. A detective of sorts unravels buried secrets by meticulously examining his clients' noses, which he believes are covert maps. A humble bacterium in a human intestine awakens to consciousness when a psychotropic drug is ingested. While monsters and aliens abound in Herrera's fiction, discerning between the monster and the alien becomes a complex task. This collection of stories, encompassing a wide spectrum of narratives, from philosophical flights of fancy to gritty detective stories, leaves readers in awe of our world and the worlds beyond our comprehension. At the same time, Herrera further delves into his exploration of borders' mutability, the wounds and legacy of colonial violence, and his profound love for storytelling in all its forms.

Weight: 128g
Dimension: 128 x 198 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913505608