El marciano, de Andy Weir

Sí, cada tormenta de arena me obliga a realizar la inevitable limpieza de placas solares, una tradición venerable entre los marcianos campechanos como yo. Me recuerda que crecí en Chicago y que tenía que sacar la nieve a paladas. Le reconozco el mérito a mi padre; nunca afirmó que forjaría mi carácter ni que me enseñaría el valor del trabajo duro.

—Los quitanieves son caros —decía—. Tú eres gratis.

Carambola improbable: un anuncio en YouTube sobre una próxima película de Ridley Scott y una rápida investigación en Internet me van llevando hasta que encuentro un concepto que me termina de atrapar: ciencia ficción.

No confundamos. El marciano no se parece a Star Wars o Star Trek, que están muy bien pero que son fantasía. Me refiero a la ciencia ficción como la explica Arthur C. Clarke en la introducción a Cánticos de la Tierra lejana. Ficción sobre hechos o posibilidades científicamente plausibles.

El género resulta atrayente al que le interese la ciencia y el progreso tecnológico, pero resulta difícil de digerir si la historia no seduce o si el estilo es farragoso.

Bueno, pues aquí tenemos un bombón para el lector curioso: un relato que te mantiene en vilo, un formato -el diario, en buena parte- que permite una lectura fresca y un personaje del que cuesta despedirse al final.

Me ha gustado el espíritu, el tono y el trenzado de los puntos de vista.

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hogdson Burnett

What is that? " she said, pointing out of the window. 

Martha, the young housemaid, who had just risen to her feet, looked and pointed also, "That there?" she said.  

" Yes." 

" That's th' moor," with a good-natured grin. "Does tha'like it?" 

" No," answered Mary. " I hate it." 

" That's because tha'rt not used to it," Martha said, going back to her hearth. " Tha' thinks it's too big an' bare now. But tha' will like it.'

I came across this book when I was searching for legally free books for children. I am sometimes in want of ideas for the bedtime stories I tell my kids, and I thought I could get some from a classical storybook.

However, when I read the first pages I realised that the book was not suitable for my purpose. The story was attractive, though, so I kept on reading. What I found was a powerful, edifying story which was at the same time simple and clever. Readers tend to be bored at descriptions and hungry for action, but in this case the lack of trepidant course of events is not perceived as uninteresting. The pace of things makes the reader develop an interest and pay attention to all the changes that do take place.

Images are surprisingly rich - it is a song to the beauty of small, simple things.

What surprised me most is that the book is full of food for tought and universal themes like connection with nature, active learning, children and limits, and the renounce to selfishness leading to a full and happy life.