Hyakuoku No Hiru To Sen'oku No Yoru (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
The actual content of this book is exactly the type of thing I enjoy reading, but the writing of parts of the book just didn't sit well with me. Unfortunately, I can't read Japanese, so I can't compare the original text with the translation. However, while reading this version of the book, there were parts when it just felt like I was reading words on a page that just didn't want to take on a comprehensible form. The parts that I could grasp were absolutely gorgeous, but even the settings seemed to change abruptly and without much movement. But I don't want to talk too much about that because, again, I don't know how much of that was due to imperfect translation.As for the content, I felt like the author handled all of his themes perfectly. Rather than just slapping philosophy and religion into a sci-fi novel, they were always present in the undertones of the entire book. I loved how he used a science fiction approach to show familiar ideas from a totally different angle than they are typically thought of in our world--such as evolution/creation, eternity and infinity, free will versus destiny, the concept of gods or deities and their roles, etc. The opening chapters and closing chapters both blew me away! Though I was never uninterested, some of the middle chapters seemed a little choppy, but it always picked back up. I was constantly curious about what would happen to the quirky, confused characters next, even though sometimes I felt just as confused and out of place as they did! Rather than getting to know their hearts like we usually do in books, Mitsuse shows you the depths of these character's souls. Instead of feeling their reactions to their story, you start to sense how every step they take brings them closer to understanding their place in the universe, even if you don't quite understand it yourself.Though my first time reading it may not have been a complete success, this is one that I will definitely give another try and recommend to others. If you like religion and philosophy, I think you will probably enjoy this book. Well, that and if you can make it past the first two chapters which are kind of slow. In my opinion, it's a book you need to draw your own conclusions from because it's hard to describe the plot. I was absolutely intrigued by this book and enjoyed it immensely. I don't know if it was coincidence or not but I happened to be playing the video game Asura's Wrath (with all the downloaded extra content) at the same time I was reading this book and it enhanced my enjoyment of both types of media because they have some very similar themes, names, characters etc. in common. In a weird way the book and the game were both better for me because I experienced them at the same time. I know it probably sounds strange. It's not often I read a book that actually stays with me longer than a couple days and encourages me to think creatively; this was one of those books and I highly recommend it.
What do You think about Hyakuoku No Hiru To Sen'oku No Yoru (2010)?
Great story with an awesome concept. Read right through it completely absorbed.
—alma
"The greatest Japanese science fiction novel of all time." Really?
—CRR
