Of Speculative Fiction, Dreamers, Rumors, Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice

by Ernest Hogan

So finally, it’s officially released, Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology edited by Alex Hernandez, Matthew David Goodwin, and Sarah Rafael Garcia, with a preface by Professor Latinx himself, Frederick Luis Aldama. 

Good reviews are already coming in. Publisher’sWeekly says, “This is a knockout.” 

It’s 400 pages in which the Latinoid imagination is unleashed in works by Lisa M. Bradley, Pedro Cabiya, Scott Russell Duncan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Julia Rios, Sabrina Vourvoulias, and many others.

One of the others is the old Chicanonaut himself, me.

That’s right, a brand new, never before published story, “Those Rumors of Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Have Been Greatly Exaggerated.” It was inspired by my travels in New Mexico, and bizarre developments in Aztlán. I came, I saw, I speculated. I am particularly proud of this one--it's a bold demonstration of why I’ve come to be known as the Father of Chicano Science Fiction.

What more can I do? How about a teaser. Here’s the opening:

The frankentruck left Pie Town and headed toward the Very Large Array when Lola yelled, “Cowboy alert!”

“And it don’t look like he’s from around here,” said Chuncho, who was driving.

Down the road a white kid in a cowboy hat, ostrich-skin cowboy boots, jeans, and a Virgin of Guadalupe T-shirt stood, backpack on his shoulder, sticking out a thumb, smiling.

“Yeah, pard, muy suspicioso. Better give him a ride. Check him out.”

     “You never know these days.”

     “Besides, we’re ahead of schedule, and it might be fun.” Lola leered.

And it gets fun--a wild ride into some possibilities that may get you rethinking your ideas of the future.

Speculative For Dreamers, buy it, read it, live it . . .

Ernest Hogan is an old Chicano who doesn’t mind being called Latinx is if it means he can get published and warp more minds. He's also judging the 2021 Extra-Fiction Contest.