The boldest and most brilliant novel of the year is this monumental work by David Ucles, a story about the Spanish Civil War with a surreal touch, and a Cervantes-style narrator who immediately captivates the reader. El Pais
David Ucles manages to narrate with humor, intelligence, and large doses of imagination. An otherworldly magical realism full of lyricism envelops the entire novel. El Mundo
David Ucles has brilliantly revived magical realism – a genre rarely chosen for addressing historical themes – sparking a discussion around writing, ideology, and history. La Vanguardia
In this mosaic of stories, the author chooses to follow in the footsteps of magical realism veterans such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. Ucles' originality offers literature a new, pulsating rhythm. Rockdelux
Ucles reconstructs violence, crimes, and war disputes, but also dreams and ideals, in a style of magical realism that approaches the work of Gunter Grass in The Tin Drum. Ara
No contemporary novel has moved me as deeply as The Peninsula of Empty Houses. Ian Gibson