A Strange Tale Surrounding the "Child Stone"

A multitude of foreshadowing that keeps you hooked from the start

It's so interesting!! I read it all in just half a day!! The author is


|Juichi Fukatsu. Since this is their debut work, which won the Excellence Award at the 11th 'This Mystery is Excellent!' Awards, I am looking forward to their future works.

An incomprehensible strange stone is discovered, and this is a story about the race to investigate its cause.

From the very beginning, it describes mysterious and abnormal events that defy common sense, and while it is certainly a mystery,
is this occult? Is it a crime? I don't know.

Because I don't know, I found myself completely hooked in the hope of grabbing even a shred of the truth, and in short, it has a well-paced narrative structure.

To begin with, even the high school protagonist—is he a good person or a bad person?
There are so many clues scattered that even that is unclear, and I wondered what kind of truth could lie behind such a bizarre event!?

I couldn't stop turning the pages, half-worried about how they would ever tie it all together.

Thinking only of that, I finished reading it in no time.
Moreover, contrary to my worries, the foreshadowing was brilliantly resolved, leaving me with a satisfying sense of completion and lingering resonance.

It has a realism that makes you think it might be non-fiction

As someone who generally loves history, I was even more intrigued because it weaves in ninjas and ninjutsu, which I was already interested in, while following historical facts.

Ninjutsu is about being a shinobi, and it would never come out into the open.

Because of that, isn't it true that its true nature is unknown?
Special abilities that modern people could never understand might have truly existed.

It may sound fishy, but
it wouldn't be strange if there were still groups today that gather mediums, psychics, and the like, further honing and leveling up those special abilities.

When I think about that,
this story, while seemingly far removed from reality at first glance, actually makes me think it might be surprisingly close to the truth, which is exciting.

Regardless, since it weaves actual historical facts into the fiction, I think it's a work that feels strangely convincing and brings everything to a satisfying conclusion.

What is disappointing is the title and the final part.

I can't help but think, couldn't there have been a slightly better title?
It is hard to feel the sense of anticipation that would make one so engrossed from this title alone.

Apparently, it was initially going to be"The History of the Stone"but since there was a past Akutagawa Prize-winning work with the same title, it seems they decided to change it.

In that case, I think just"Child StoneWarashi-ishi|"would have been better.

No,"Fate StoneEnishi-ishi|"might also be good as it fits well.

Anyway, I think a title that makes you go, 'Oh? What's that??' would be appropriate.
It certainly has fantasy elements, but 'A Strange Tale' also hints at slightly light, fairy-tale-like elements, so this title feels too light for the actual content.

It is such a pity that there is no sense of naming in the title.

And above all, there is a feeling that the final part, which corresponds to the most crucial resolution, was rushed.
I cannot help but wish that the resolution of the foreshadowing related to the history, which would make one lean forward in their seat, had been depicted a little more carefully.

If you read between the lines, I wanted to feel more of the fundamental, grand theme from this novel perspective: that humans are merely a part of nature, and have carved out history while being at its mercy.

While reading, images flow through my head like a movie, and this was no exception; it was already adapted into a film in my mind, and I unconsciously even started imagining the casting.

I think it would be a good source material for a film adaptation, though...

*This article is an edited and revised version of a post from another blog on August 24, 2013.