PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Mariko Ohara's many books include Senso-wo Enjita Kamigamitachi (Gods Prosecuting War), which won the 1994 Nihon SF Taisho Award for best science fiction work of the year; Taimu Riipa (Time Leaper, 1993); and Kyuuketsuki Efemera (Ephemera the Vampire, 1993). She also writes for comics, radio, and video games, including the original script for Super Nintendo Gaia Gensoki (Illusion of Gaia). Saiko Saundo Mashin (Psycho Sound Machine, 1998), based on one of her stories, won the Galaxy Award for best radio drama. Jodie Beck is an ESL/EFL instructor and Japanese-English translator. Her translations of essays have been published in Mechademia.
Time and fate, mortality and motherhood, paternalism and destruction: Ohara goes for the extremes with all of these, making for an envelope-pushing story that is often remarkably controlled but also strays wildly off the rails (to places beyond even just a concept of rails ...). It is an uneven but often fascinating and in parts utterly remarkable read. A wild, bizarre mix of rides -- but worthwhile. -Complete Review
