Provocative. Daring. A voice that electrifies. Yet, the book has to be seen in a wider lens. It is and isn't about Central America. It, might be, about writers in actual times, in a globalize world. The way to go farther than a sylable. It is also a begginer's work. It is an experimental text. The main idea is far stronger than the ending. The reading is recommended. Rey Rosa is at the moment the best Guatemala has to offer.

Reading The Pelcari project led me to read everything available by Rodrigo Rey Rosa; I am comfortable recommending any and all of his works.

The Pelcari Project is an interesting study of human individuality and social engineering ... both provocative and frightening in its social implications. Think of the tale as a cautionary tale of the behavioral scientist/neurosurgeon gone mad.

The deal of the next century and no sacred place, two of the stories in this book are superb. Among Rey Rosa's best work. There is something about writing about what cannot be written about: anguish, the excitement of being alive knowing that death will come no matter what. Puzzling, the stories are alive. They will impress you and shock you. The book confirms what writting and reading is about. Fundamental.

Well, I had high hopes for this. The summary on the back sounded very interesting, but it ended up being rather boring. It seemed like the author was trying to write poetry in prose form. The idea was kind of cool, but it really lacked something. Parts of the different descriptions were intriguing, but in the end it left you wondering exactly what happened. I know it was about "True" life in Guatemala, but that's it. Some ideas were worth pondering and I recommend this for a suicidal college poet, but not anyone else.

"Set in Guatemala, these spare and beautiful tales are linked by themes of magic, violence, and the fragility of existence. Paul Bowles' translation perfectly captures Rey Rosa's stories of the haunted lives of ordinary people in present-day Central America."

Through a series of short stories, Rey Rosa introduces us not only to a scary world beyond, but also to a new line in Guatemalan literature. Also, interesting mixing of scenaries. Even though, it was Rey Rosa's first work is strong and provocative. It makes you want to keep track of this young writer.