From infancy, and since taking its first steps on Earth, gazing at the night sky has been one of Humankind’s favourite pastimes. Watching that chaotic assembly of little lights provides one of most beautiful views of nature. At first, we only see points of light forming a meaningless jumble but which, even so, possess a charming attractive. However, as we grow up, we learn that each of the lights has specific features, each belongs to a specific group with a particular name and shape; also, that up in the sky there are many other fascinating objects apart from the little spotlights of our imagination. As we learn more, as we access higher knowledge, we understand them: stars give us the highest pleasure when we finally appreciate the magnitude of their presence, what their existence involve, and the reason for their beauty. Then, we’re filled with a terrific hunger for closer observation. In the journal Hélice: Critical Thinking on Speculative Fiction, that we present, we aim at making more accessible the stars shining in the books we hold in our hands to further our enjoyment of their pages.

This is our vision of literary criticism and Hélice’s foundation.

We aim at widening the territory for the serious criticism in Spanish of fantasy and speculative fiction, treating these genres with rigour in praise of their narrative quality but also to highlight any shortcomings. We aim at contributing to their improvement, far from any easy complacency. This is why we offer literary criticism that dignifies the texts and of which both readers and critics can be proud.

We have chosen to offer free online access, as this guarantees the maximum availability of the texts and allows the free access to culture of anyone interested, beyond commercial editorial projects. We use, in particular, a .pdf format because, as we see it, it has some of the advantages of paper publication: the format unity that prevents content dispersal, a classic layout, and the possibility of transfer onto paper by printing.

We offer, in short, a completely independent, non-profit making critical journal, with no links to any publishers that might condition its contents or their reception.