The Spiteful Planet and Other Stories

by Shinichi Hoshi, Bernard Susser (Translator), Tomoyoshi Genkawa (Translator)

Collection of 30 science fiction short shorts from Shinichi Hoshi.

Genres: Short Stories, Japanese Literature, Science Fiction, Fiction, Japan

207 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Shinichi Hoshi (Japanese: 星新一) is recognized as one of Japan's most influential science fiction writers of all time, He published more than 1,000 of his signature "short-short" stories. Some call his crisp, no-frills prose the "Haiku of Science Fiction."

Reviews

[Nux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first sci-fi/ Japanese short stories... and as it happens, also one of the first books in English that I read. The phrases are succint, stories very very simple yet interesting, down to earth believable intergallactical stories. I read and reread it, and haven't changed my mind nor bored of it... after so many years! ^_^

[Stephen Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s like a collection of sci-fi fables — satirical, comedic and often bleak. Some of the stories were really nice, but others felt a bit too dated (understandable since this was written such a long time ago) or ended so abruptly that I felt like they existed solely to deliver a specific message.
I wonder if the author would have liked Black Mirror...
2.5 stars