Fred Saberhagen es un clásico de la ciencia ficción y el terror. Veterano de la Guerra de Corea, este técnico electrónico de Motorola decidió dejar el trabajo y dedicarse a escribir a tiempo completo con esta saga que presento aquí, la saga de las guerras Berserker hasta su fallecimiento en 2007.
La base de este libro de relatos son los Berserkers, unos planetoides autorreplicantes creados por una antigua raza para destruir a sus enemigos pero que por un error en su diseño se configuran a sí mismos para borrar todo rastro de vida de la faz del universo, con lo cual no solo eliminaron a los enemigos de la antigua raza sino también a sus creadores, comenzando entonces su cruzada por el universo contra la vida.
Como podéis ver parece clara la inspiración de los Terminator en estos Berserker.
Los relatos que vamos a encontrar aquí son relatos desesperados, heroicos o infames enmarcados en una guerra sin cuartel contra un enemigo que no tiene miedo y que a priori se antoja invencible. Es decir la carga «dramática» de cada uno de estos relatos es muy elevada, sin embargo al ser relatos cortos se quedan un poco cojos.
La Colección de Libros de la Saga Berserker
El primer volumen de la Saga Berserker recopila los primeros 5 libros de la serie, ofreciendo una inmersión completa en este universo. Además de las novelas, la colección incluye extras exclusivos, como un adelanto de "Captured by the Berserkers", una entrevista con el autor, un glosario, una lista de personajes y más contenido que enriquece la experiencia del lector.
"Sold to the Berserkers": El Comienzo de la Desesperación
La saga inicia con "Sold to the Berserkers", donde el narrador relata su primer encuentro aterrador con estos guerreros. "I’ll never forget the first time I saw them, warriors moving like shadows from the trees. Their eyes seemed to glow with a fierce golden light, moving more like beasts than men. I trembled, every hair on my flesh prickled in the age old response of the hunted. They were predators and I was prey. They entered the clearing and brought with them the smell of blood. Clad in furs and leather, bristling with weapons, they were warriors the likes of which I’d never seen. Huge, hulking forms, dark shapes pricked with those glowing pairs of eyes. I could not face them properly, for I was bound to a tree, in the middle of a wilderness, helpless as I waited to be sold to the Berserkers."
"Mated to the Berserkers": El Romance Feral
En "Mated to the Berserkers", la narrativa se adentra en el romance con elementos sobrenaturales. Un Highlander y un Vikingo buscan a una mujer profetizada para salvarlos de su naturaleza Berserker. "A Highlander and Viking claim their woman...A witch told us of the one who can save us--a woman marked by the wolf. We found and claimed her. But will she accept us as mates? Can she soothe our feral nature before it is too late? Highland werewolf Daegan never expected to defeat the curse of his bloodline. But when a prophecy tells of a woman who holds the cure to his Berserker rage, he and his Viking warrior brother will stop at nothing to claim her. They bring her to their mountain home and train her according to pack rules. But will her power be enough to break the Berserker curse?"
"Taken by the Berserkers": La Maldición y la Curación
"Taken by the Berserkers" presenta una historia de secuestro y destino. La protagonista es llevada a la cueva de los Berserkers, guerreros malditos que la reclaman como su pareja. "My mother warned me not to go alone to the grove. But when the moon is full, heat stirs my blood...and it calls to them. The Berserkers came in the night and took me. I woke chained outside the monsters’ cave. They were warriors, cursed by a witch to become ravening beasts. They tell me I’m their mate. The prophecy says I am the only one who can heal them. But can I tame the beast that haunts their mind...before it’s too late?"
"Given to the Berserkers": Juegos Brutales y Amor Inesperado
En "Given to the Berserkers", la protagonista es capturada para participar en los "Berserker Games", una competición brutal por la mano de las mujeres. "Captured to be a prize in the brutal Berserker Games… My life changed forever when the Berserkers took me. These fearsome warriors must find women to keep their lethal rage at bay…and I am an ideal mate. The Alphas decree that all warriors must compete in a series of Highland Games for my hand. Of all the giant warriors, two have caught my eye, but I have no choice. When the final match is over, I will belong to the ruthless victors. They will possess me fully. I can only hope they will be the two I could come to love…"
"Claimed by the Berserkers": La Debilidad y el Placer
"Claimed by the Berserkers" explora la vulnerabilidad y el deseo. La protagonista, debilitada por una maldición, es robada por tres guerreros que la reclaman como suya, buscado convencerla a través del placer. "You're ours now, lass. We're claiming ye." My mind and body are weakened by the curse of my magic. My three sisters have mated with Berserker warriors, but I am too frail to be a bride. One night, three warriors break into my home. They steal me away. They tell me I belong to them, and that they'll never let me go. To convince me, they spend hours giving me endless pleasure...But there's an preying on me."
Un guerrero Berserker herido busca una compañera que pueda calmar su naturaleza salvaje. "For years I've lived alone in the deep woods, hiding my powers from the world. But when I meet a wounded wolf on a forest path, I can't bear his suffering. I call on my magic to heal him. Then he follows me home and I find he's no ordinary wolf. He's a Berserker warrior, cursed long ago to become a ravening monster. His only hope: find the woman who can tame his beast. Siebold thinks that woman is me. But this handsome warrior doesn't just want me to lift the curse. Siebold wants me. All of me. And he'll possess me: body, soul, and heart. Because nothing can stop a Berserker when he decides you're his mate."
Siebold es una historia independiente ambientada en el mundo Berserker, demostrando la adictiva naturaleza de estos romances. "Siebold is a standalone warrior romance set in the Berserker world. You don't need to read the rest of the Berserker books to enjoy this one, but Berserkers are like a box of chocolates: one taste and you want them all..."
La saga Berserker, iniciada por Fred Saberhagen, se expande en el género romántico con tramas que entrelazan la guerra, la supervivencia y el amor predestinado entre guerreros feroces y las mujeres capaces de domar su "bestia interior".