What is the future for the present? Is the future where civilization will lead us to heaven or hell? The situation takes a sudden turn when an ordinary middle-aged man tries to have the all-powerful electronic brain predict his future, and the situation develops in unexpected directions one after another, and eventually the machine begins to talk about the harsh future of mankind.... This is a unique science fiction story that scathingly accuses those who live in the present with blind faith in ...
Entertaining But Challenging to Read
This was quite the read. I liked the beginning, with the engaging murder mystery, and the end, with all of its twisty developments, but all of the science-y jargon in the middle wasn't my cup of tea. Not in English, and certainly not in Japanese! Add onto the fact that this book is from the 1950s, has NO readings for ANY of the kanji and often uses archaic kanji and older vocabulary, and it's a recipe for slow reading.
Language difficulties aside, the main character is (intentionally) a terrible person. He's incredibly petty, close-minded (despite literally making a machine that can tell the future), and is constantly hesitating to act. Despite all that, I enjoyed watching the story develop around him as it twisted and turned in different directions, eventually culminating in a satisfying way.
This is a wild ride, plot-wise, and is worth reading simply for that. If you enjoy machines that tell the future, murder mysteries, bio-engineering, and climate disasters, this successfully combines all that and more!
Overall, this was mostly a fun (if difficult) time, and I enjoyed the wackiness of the plot combined with the awful(ly) entertaining main character. However, be forewarned that the technical science descriptions are very difficult. With that said, feel free to refer to the English translation for reference. 3.5 stars.