Ricardo Menéndez Salmón is a fairly well-established writer in Spain, having published novels and a range of successful journalistic work. He has won several literary prizes for previous work. He is known for his philosophical style and novels that explore the current state of humanity and the world through science fiction, and his fans have compared his visions to dystopian authors such as Margaret Atwood and J G Ballard. His novels have so far been translated into several other European languages, but not yet into English.
The story begins with the principal character O’Hara in China, where he is about to close a multi-million dollar deal on behalf of an American company to sell a cure for lactose intolerance to the Chinese people. After a few months working in China O’Hara finds himself somewhat unable to understand or connect with Chinese culture, and he and his circumstances represent the money-driven, disconnected, meaningless condition of modern international life. The first part of the story follows him as he concludes the deal and meets with the other characters of the novel, notably his boss, Control, whose vampirical traits could not be more clearly drawn. O’Hara’s perspectives of China and the people he comes across, and the snapshots we get into his personal life and history, create an intriguing picture, and there is an underlying sense of foreboding throughout the narrative that draws the reader in.
… Menéndez has a loyal readership in Spain, and in Homo Lubitz has obviously created a novel that is intended to raise uncomfortable questions and stimulate intelligent response.
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