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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
I really enjoyed this read. Black Fairy Tale was certainly my favourite- whilst I'm not usually a fantasy fan, the realistic fantasy of the story had me completely hooked.
The other two short stories; the eponymous Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse, and Yuko were both entertaining enough, and certainly the level of beautiful darkness I have come to expect from Otsuichi, but they were missing the high levels of captivation Black Fairy Tale offers.
Nevertheless, from start to finish, this is certainly an engaging and enjoyable book, with a deliciously dark overtone.
The other two short stories; the eponymous Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse, and Yuko were both entertaining enough, and certainly the level of beautiful darkness I have come to expect from Otsuichi, but they were missing the high levels of captivation Black Fairy Tale offers.
Nevertheless, from start to finish, this is certainly an engaging and enjoyable book, with a deliciously dark overtone.
The title story is almost a comedy, it's just about murder. "Yuko," a short, seems very Victorian in how the story unfolds and twists - a really fascinating mix of style and setting.
And then there's "Black Fairy Tale," which is HELL.
It's well-executed, with an arresting narrator and a clever structure of interleaved tales (one actual fairy tale, one body-horror gore fest) in addition to the narrator's quest. It resolves as best as it possibly can. But holy crap the imagery. I don't deal well with medical imagery or body horror, and this has both in profusion.
Don't get me wrong - I really liked the story and its essential theme of how memories define a person. It's just my particular blend of high-octane nightmare fuel.
In all, the collection shows a very interesting range of styles and perspectives, and the next time I'm feeling like not sleeping for a week I'll pick up ZOO or another of Otsuichi's works. Just. Not now.
And then there's "Black Fairy Tale," which is HELL.
It's well-executed, with an arresting narrator and a clever structure of interleaved tales (one actual fairy tale, one body-horror gore fest) in addition to the narrator's quest. It resolves as best as it possibly can. But holy crap the imagery. I don't deal well with medical imagery or body horror, and this has both in profusion.
Don't get me wrong - I really liked the story and its essential theme of how memories define a person. It's just my particular blend of high-octane nightmare fuel.
In all, the collection shows a very interesting range of styles and perspectives, and the next time I'm feeling like not sleeping for a week I'll pick up ZOO or another of Otsuichi's works. Just. Not now.
Wooooooooow. Okay I dunno what I expected out of this but damn.
I bought this initially cos I think it came up on BookDepository when I bought [b:All You Need Is Kill|6255949|All You Need Is Kill|Hiroshi Sakurazaka|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348712730s/6255949.jpg|6439033], read the discription (specifically for Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse, the first short story) and was like "Yes, dead little girl narrating her own murder, yes, sign me up". As it turns out, a murder story narrated by the little girl who was murdered is only the second best thing in this book. Also my first Jap horror book, so woo!
Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse: Really good. Sort of uncomfortable reading, but well written (with some weird translation stuff). Characters were a bit iffy - the main... antagonist? Seeming fairly weirdly gleeful about his opportunity to attempt to cover up a murder.
Yuko: The weakest, and thankfully the shortest, story in the book. I thought I had the twist called ahead of time but turns out I didn't, but yeah still pretty eh. Not bad for like 40 pages though.
Black Fairy Tale: Heeeere we go. Man, I don't even know how to sum up this novella (novella? Novel?). The description on the back of the book doesn't do it justice. Very neat multiple thread story. Didn't hook me for the first 15 pages or so as it starts with something semi-unrlated but once it did ho boy. Made me really, really uncomfortable in some places, very good writing. This is the worst review ever but yeah. Definitely recommend.
I bought this initially cos I think it came up on BookDepository when I bought [b:All You Need Is Kill|6255949|All You Need Is Kill|Hiroshi Sakurazaka|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348712730s/6255949.jpg|6439033], read the discription (specifically for Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse, the first short story) and was like "Yes, dead little girl narrating her own murder, yes, sign me up". As it turns out, a murder story narrated by the little girl who was murdered is only the second best thing in this book. Also my first Jap horror book, so woo!
Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse: Really good. Sort of uncomfortable reading, but well written (with some weird translation stuff). Characters were a bit iffy - the main... antagonist? Seeming fairly weirdly gleeful about his opportunity to attempt to cover up a murder.
Yuko: The weakest, and thankfully the shortest, story in the book. I thought I had the twist called ahead of time but turns out I didn't, but yeah still pretty eh. Not bad for like 40 pages though.
Black Fairy Tale: Heeeere we go. Man, I don't even know how to sum up this novella (novella? Novel?). The description on the back of the book doesn't do it justice. Very neat multiple thread story. Didn't hook me for the first 15 pages or so as it starts with something semi-unrlated but once it did ho boy. Made me really, really uncomfortable in some places, very good writing. This is the worst review ever but yeah. Definitely recommend.
The Lovely Bones esque short story aimed at a younger generation.
Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse is told from the point-of-view of Satsuki, a young girl who is full of life and looking forward to the summer, the fireworks, and the joy they bring. However, there is a foreboding shadow hanging over the children this summer due to the recent fifth kidnapping of a child within the nearby towns. Satsuki isn't too fazed by this, and whilst playing in the nearby forest, she climbs into a tree with her best friend Yayoi. After confessing her fondness of Yayoi's brother Ken (who Yayoi is secretly in love with), and seeing Ken waving at her close by, Satsuki feels a hard push and falls to her death. The story doesn't end there. Satsuki continues to tell the story from her perspective, only, now, Satsuki's spirit hears and sees all around her corpse.
Will Yayoi confess to her crime? Will Satsuki forgive her best friend of her terrible sin? Will Ken help his sister?
Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse is told from the point-of-view of Satsuki, a young girl who is full of life and looking forward to the summer, the fireworks, and the joy they bring. However, there is a foreboding shadow hanging over the children this summer due to the recent fifth kidnapping of a child within the nearby towns. Satsuki isn't too fazed by this, and whilst playing in the nearby forest, she climbs into a tree with her best friend Yayoi. After confessing her fondness of Yayoi's brother Ken (who Yayoi is secretly in love with), and seeing Ken waving at her close by, Satsuki feels a hard push and falls to her death. The story doesn't end there. Satsuki continues to tell the story from her perspective, only, now, Satsuki's spirit hears and sees all around her corpse.
Will Yayoi confess to her crime? Will Satsuki forgive her best friend of her terrible sin? Will Ken help his sister?