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A review by thehardcoverhabit
Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was by Angélica Gorodischer
5.0
Kalpa Imperial is a collection of short stories, all set in the same imaginary empire but none overlapping or even referencing each other (though I may have missed some nuance). Normally I’m not a fan of short stories, but these don’t suffer from tonal shifts in the way that other collections of short stories might; instead, they explore similar themes of power, ambition, and human struggle against the backdrop of an empire that never ends. The style brings to mind Scheherazade meets Borges, and those who enjoy that Argentine master’s work will likely enjoy Kalpa Imperial as well.
The stories are categorized as fantasy, but neither magic nor gods make an appearance. Instead, the stories bring to mind the fables and legends underlying the great empires of our world, from Homer’s Iliad to the founding myth of Rome. But I think any fantasy fan would very much enjoy Kalpa Imperial, and I’d encourage you to give it a shot.
The stories are categorized as fantasy, but neither magic nor gods make an appearance. Instead, the stories bring to mind the fables and legends underlying the great empires of our world, from Homer’s Iliad to the founding myth of Rome. But I think any fantasy fan would very much enjoy Kalpa Imperial, and I’d encourage you to give it a shot.