El Cerebro

Museum Catalog Note This Spanish-language science fiction periodical features "El Cerebro" (The Brain) by Vic Logan, published 1969. The work opens with a prologue presenting three historical vignettes exploring paranormal phenomena: Marcus Aurelius's premonition of death (179 AD), a 1930 airplane crash witnessed telepathically by a vagrant woman who recounts technical details provided by the deceased pilot, and a 1960 New York case where hypnosis enables a paralyzed window cleaner to walk again. The main narrative begins in an unspecified future society governed by "Professors" and automated systems. Commander Markam transports the enigmatic Mr. Olstrom via automated spacecraft to a distribution center. When Olstrom inexplicably prevents Markam from drinking poisoned beverages, suspicion arises regarding their mission's true purpose and Olstrom's origins. The narrative explores themes of machine control, human dependence on automation, and mysterious presences within a rigidly ordered futuristic hierarchy before transmission fails.