The Minotauro Prize, the benchmark competition for fantastic literature in Spanish, begins its final phase from Avilés. The Asturian town celebrates this week the Celsius 232 Festival, an unavoidable event for all lovers of the genre that has been chosen to announce the four finalists for this XV edition of the Prize, of which in Xataka we are half a collaborator.
The chosen stage has been the Auditorium, which has hosted a round table on the award that featured speakers such as Carlos Sisí (winner of the 2013 Minotaur for ‘Panteón’), the authors Sofía Rhei (‘Róndola’) and Laura Fernández (‘Connerland ‘) as juries of this edition, as well as Vicky Hidalgo, editor.
Since the registration period for the Minotaur 2020
After a long selection process, the finalist novels that are eligible for the 6,000 euro prize in cash and the publication of their work are as follows:
‘The Eye of God’ (Science Fiction): In the year 2560, humanity has managed to spread over some eight thousand planets thanks to the anagravonic motors that allow the Inespace-Exespace jumps. The mission of Florence Schiaparelli, captain of the Banshee ship, is to obtain all the possible data on the black hole that she herself has baptized The Eye of God. But when the Banshee crew detects a body trapped in the Eye of God event horizon, Captain Schiaparelli will have to decide whether to risk getting caught themselves to save the other ship’s crew.
‘Blue Girl Memory’ (Fantasy): Mel is a troubled teenager trying to channel her life into a new foster family. In the waiting room of a mental health unit he meets Beatriz, a girl who woke up overnight with completely blue hair. Little by little, Beatriz’s secrets are revealed as the relationship between outcasts that Mel and she have built becomes a love story that will change Mel’s life forever.
‘Symbiosis’ (Science Fiction): At the end of the 20th century the Earth has established contact with the alien race ilin, a society of symbiotic beings that unite with a host through the brain and live sharing thoughts and food. The Ilin offer humanity a symbiosis between the two races that will be beneficial to both parties, but not all humans agree to be part of this new society.
‘Growing Fears’ (Terror): Ana is a teenage girl who loves horror movies and Edgar Allan Poe’s work. One day, she proposes to her friend Alba to play “The Man from the Crowd”, a game inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s story that consists of defining people who pass by on the street and paying attention to someone who stands out especially. Ana detects a disturbing looking man dressed in dark, and they begin to follow in her footsteps. The girls will soon discover that the invocation of “The Man from the Crowd” always has consequences.
