Raúl Quinto’s blue whale

Original Language: Español

Year of publication: 2025

Valoración: It’s very nice

The easy, after the success of criticism and public of Martinete of the Shadow King, National Narrative Prize included, would have been to jump to a large publishing house, write a book “similar” and take advantage of the pull. It would not be the first or the last one (and do not make me give names …), although it is not criticable per se either.

But those of us who have already read before Raúl Fifth know that he is a writer to which the march is going. That is why we are not fully surprised to continue with Jekyll and Jill and that his new delivery is an artifact as The blue whalebook that delves, although from another perspective, on topics already discussed in the magnificent NOF4 song y Martinete of the Shadow King, although I think it has more to do with the first than with the second).

Artifact. I think that is the word that best defines a text that is not purely horror novel, or “historiography” of evil, no trial, or prose poem, but that admits, even if only partially, all those readings. Especially the novel since there are some characters, a plot or an action that is being developed; Of course, forget the traditional “Nudo-Desenlace”.

Deepening in the search for a definition, days after reading (what things are!) It occurs to me that The blue whale could be defined as some Maldoror songs of the era of technology.

Structured in 50 (or 51) chapters based on the 50 tests that the macabre players “La Ballena Azul” had to be over To normalize wounds and “abandon” loneliness, although those escapes become paranoia.

And thus, a hyperconnected society ends up becoming a set of islands inhabited by beings for which the pain is better than the void, the horror that the boredom or the blood that the nothingness, in a place where types such as Fritzl, Koresh or Breivik become icons of the dark and in which children of bitch redtmed are able to take control.

I think the highlight of the book is in:

• The images. I remember saying in other reviews that Raúl Quinto comes from poetry and that shows in the construction and management of them, contributing decisively to the atmosphere of the text.
• The progressive growth of the restlessness generated in the reader as the chapters advance.
• The representation of contemporary loneliness as an epidemic and the Internet as a symptom. Loneliness, fear or pain are not new; What change are the ways in which the prophets and salvapatrias of the most varied take advantage of it.
• The questions that arouse: why are we not able to see horror? Or do we not want to see it? Or do we see it exactly the same?

As you can imagine, The blue whale It is not a book for all kinds of readers. Let’s say that it comes out of the usual in background and shape and that one stays with “bad body”, but is it that there is not what is not talked about, what is not named, what is only seen seeing the margins?

Here is also the link to the interesting talk we had with Raúl Quinto for our YouTube channel (you subscribe to the channel, that if we do not put two black candles, tetes !!!!)

Also from Raúl Quinto in Ulad: the song of NOF4 and Martinete del Rey Shadow