Faust

Rating T+ Genre short stories Author Nisioisin, Otsuichi, Kouhei Kadono, Kinoku Nasu, Otaro Maijo Publisher Del Rey

Faust, a collection of fictional short stories inspired by manga, can be described simply as a book of art. Not only in the visual sense, but written as well. The stories are unique to any other fiction I’ve read before and each of the contributing authors and illustrators pours their soul into this printed collaboration.

In this book you will find the works of some well-known Japanese authors such as Nisioisin and Otsuchi, and artwork provided by the talented Otaro Maijo, and Takeshi Obata (famous for illustrating the Death Note mangas). I’m usually not a fan of short stories, as I like to get deeply immersed in a plot that’s more extensive but the mini stories in Faust are quite impressive and give credence to the expression “little but mighty”. The stories are each written in a way that the plot is very vividly described. What I also like is that they aren’t your average bubble-gum happy ending story. They range from slightly tragic to melancholy to ending abruptly, causing the reader to question the finality of a character and what the story was attempting to convey. They have the ability to intrigue and draw the reader in, yet wrap up nicely enough to make you feel satisfied with the conclusion.

Although the stories are a bit dark and should probably be read only by those in their late teens and above, Faust is truly a work of art. The words and pictures portray the creators’ inner core and feeling, and there’s even a couple of mangas with some beautifully drawn color artwork printed on glossy paper. I would advise picking this book up and giving it a try. If you aren’t thrilled with the stories, you may at least appreciate the originality that went into making this book possible.