A review by boyblue
The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi Yamamoto

3.0

It seems that Yamamoto had the kernel of a really good story and just couldn't quite bulk it out enough to make a novel, so he decided to encase it in several layers of short stories instead. The concept actually works quite well and he managed to weave the short stories in such a way that they augment the effect of the main story at the end. In many ways this is like a tightening spiral, where you slowly wind towards the core of the novel. Each turn around the issue you get closer to what the author (and his mouthpiece Ibis) is trying to communicate. The AI language was hilarious and I daren't think how hard it must have been to translate such ridiculous metaphors. Overall it reminded me of an Asimov style narrative set from the paradigm of the digital age we live in now. The homages to Asimov are strong so I think Yamamoto intended for it to feel somewhat similar. Japan's unique issues such as its mushroom demographics are also feature quite heavily but have done well in translation.