As both a "book lover" and a "bookseller"

The following will be released soon.

The long-awaited paperback edition. Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" volumes 1 and 2 (Hayakawa Bunko). The release date is January 22nd, and the price for each is 1,650 yen including tax. I am also curious about the movie, which will be released simultaneously in Japan and the US on March 20th.

I have almost no prior knowledge. Just that it is a highly entertaining science fiction novel, and that the author is the same person who wrote "The Martian," the original work for the movie "The Martian" starring Matt Damon. However, everyone who has read it praises it unanimously, and the sales are also excellent. Given that translated novels in hardcover have been in a difficult situation for the past few years, it has been quite prominent.

The paperback edition will surely move well, too. I will take this opportunity to read it.

By the way, speaking of Hayakawa Bunko SF, the most famous one is probably George Orwell's "1984." It usually sells steadily, but when power conceals facts or the media fails to report the truth, the pace suddenly picks up. If the sales of certain types of books are an indicator of public opinion toward the current administration, that is quite interesting.

A little while ago, I sold the following at the register.

It is a masterpiece of dystopian fiction that depicts a future where firemen (the original meaning is firefighter, but in the story, they are fire-starters; they do not put out fires, but rather have the role of burning books, which have become contraband) are active.

The person who bought it was young. Did they find out about it on social media, or did they become interested while looking at the shelves? In any case, I feel like I understand why they would want to read it. I have also been driven by a desire to reread it for a while now. Both as a book lover for whom reading is life, and as a bookseller who wants to resist the large, rough currents created by the establishment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the customer who bought it that day.

"Project Hail Mary" and "Fahrenheit 451," by all means.