French science fiction has a long and important history, but science fiction stories translated from French to English have been a regrettable gap on our bookshelves. No more!

-- Molly Gloss, Author of The Dazzle of Day and Unforeseen

Intriguing, fascinating. Offers unique and thoughtful perspectives. An excellent collection, and well worth reading.

-- Tina Connolly, Hugo, Nebula, & World Fantasy Finalist

Expertly selected and beautifully translated, these timeless short stories and related discussion topics are a treasure trove for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of the genre.

-- Emmi Itaranta, Award Winning Author

A blast of a book, beautifully translated.

-- Gigi Little, Editor of City of Weird

This collection is a great gift to English-language readers who are curious about science fiction as a global phenomenon--its past, its present, as well as its future.

-- Tegan Raleigh, American Literary Translators Association and PEN America Award Winning Translator

Everything I read in Continuum has stayed with me long after I put the book down. This is a must-read for science fiction fans!

-- Francesca Varela, Gold Medal Winner for Science Fiction at the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards

Thoughtful, mysterious, and charming by turns, these stories are very different from each other but all have a uniquely French spirit. Recommended.

-- David D. Levine, Hugo- and Nebula-winning author of THE KUIPER BELT JOB, the ARABELLA OF MARS trilogy

Continuum takes you on a dizzying spin into French science fiction through the magic of translation and shows its fascinating evolution, using rock solid prose and brilliant narratives.

-- Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Hugo, NAACP Image award finalist, Nebula, Locus, British & World Fantasy award winner.

French literary scholars Dolidon and Sermet do a stellar job assembling this anthology of nine sci-fi shorts originally published between 1956 and 2021 and appearing in English for the first time. Their introduction provides an insightful overview of French sci-fi as a genre, and places the selections in needed cultural and historical context. The most memorable tale is the oldest, Julia Verlanger's 1956 "The Bubbles," trans. by Sermet. The narrator is a 16-year-old girl in a future where creatures resembling giant iridescent soap bubbles prey on humans, transforming them into "the Others." In response to this deadly threat, the world is in lockdown, and Verlanger brilliantly evokes the resulting claustrophobia, isolation, and loneliness on the way to a gut-punch ending. Roland C. Wagner's 1985 "That Which Is Not Named," trans. by Dolidon, is another standout, inventively imagining an isolated humanoid civilization that has been "unlearning" its history for centuries due to a belief that anything unnamed does not actually exist. The astonishing array of talent, mostly unknown to English readers, makes this a necessary addition to any true sci-fi aficionado's library.

--Publisher's Weekly starred review

This anthology is the perfect springboard into an exciting journey of discovering French science fiction!

-- Marybeth Timmermann, Certified French to English Translator

Publisher: Ooligan Press

Pub date: 2024-04-09

Length: 368 pages