Theme for August 2023

"A book that lets you experience a heated battle"

The first one is "Mardock Scramble" [revised new edition]

Written by Ubukata Tou,

Published by Hayakawa Publishing in 2010

This is a heavily revised version of the three-volume series of science fiction novels "Mardock Scramble" (the winner of the 24th Japan Science Fiction Award) published by Hayakawa Bunko.

I'm not sure if "Mardock Scramble" was published when it won the award or before that, but it was a book that I always saw stacked up in bookstores. (It was a long time ago, when I still frequently checked out new books at bookstores...)

The cover picture was of a girl wearing a tight suit like a robot pilot with a mecha(?) in the background, so I, who was not interested in science fiction novels, just assumed it was a story about a girl piloting a robot like Gundam.

I didn't pick it up for over a decade... (maybe even longer).

I started to enjoy science fiction a little, and started writing about it on my blog, when I found the revised new edition at the library and decided to read it. You never know what life is like.

When I'm not interested in something, it's not something I'd have any connection with, but depending on the opportunity and timing, I'd want to recommend it like this.

I've made a long introduction, but here's the plot...

In a world of survival of the fittest where the gap between rich and poor is huge, a young girl named Ballot is trapped by Shell, a powerful gambler, and nearly loses her life, but is saved by Easter, an investigator investigating Shell's crimes, and Ufcock, a rat-shaped all-purpose weapon.

Using the advanced electronic interference ability (snark) she acquires as a result, and Ufcock's abilities, she cooperates with Easter and the others to pursue Shell's crimes.

Meanwhile, Shell hires Boiled, an investigator in charge of commissioned cases, and plots to eliminate Ballot.

...So, robots were not involved.

Even if I say so myself, prejudice is not good.

That said, I can't check the synopsis of every book, so I'm sure I'll lose out on more mistakes like this in the future.

Anyway, it was hard for me to keep up with the terminology and such in this hard science fiction novel.

But, even though it was very tiring to read, it was very interesting.

First of all, the circumstances that Ballot faces before he acquires his powers and decides to fight for himself are brutal.

It doesn't matter that it's science fiction.

Since his life is threatened, he is driven to the point where he has no choice but to fight, so he has no choice but to make up his mind.

Situations like this exist in action movies, but in this novel it doesn't feel like just a justification for fighting. I couldn't help but root for the protagonist.

As the story progresses, the protagonist is shown growing as he overcomes many crises, but it felt like the desperation of extreme situations was always there for him, and even though I was watching the protagonist get stronger, I felt a little sad.

There is also a battle scene with Boiled and a scene where a large sum of money is at stake at the casino. Both scenes are interwoven with tension and drama, and the story unfolds to the brink of exhaustion.

Whether it's a battle scene or a casino gamble, it's very difficult to convey the sense of tension in writing.

I think the amazing thing about this work is that it depicts them with such incredible tension.

(I don't think I understand how amazing it is as science fiction, so please forgive me if my comments are vague.)

By the way, the casino scene is long, so I couldn't concentrate and had to take breaks while reading.

The main reason is that there was so much I didn't know about the gambling scene that I couldn't keep up with what I was reading, and I couldn't stay tense all the time.

Apparently it was originally three books combined into one, so it was long to begin with, and there was so much information that it was exhausting.

On top of that, this tension!

It's exhausting, but you can't miss it.

Because the protagonist's desperate fight is there.

There is a sense of melancholy at the heart of this story.

I felt that it was a science fiction novel that was somewhat like a hard-boiled novel.

So I would recommend this book as a book that lets you experience the excitement of a heated battle. (*^▽^*)