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昔ばなしシリーズ #1

從前從前,某個地方有具屍體……

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當最經典的日本民間故事,化身本格推理小說?!
2019年日本討論度最高、驚喜度最高
讀者大嘆:「讀完就回不去了!」「把我的童年還來!」
顛覆年度榜單的推理小說新品種

5個民間故事X5個殺人謎團=5種腦洞大開的閱讀樂趣
老少咸宜好評破表,日本銷售突破20萬本

  「比起寫出一本小說,我是以『打造一個世界』的念頭在創作。希望讀者能因為接觸到我架構的那個世界而有所斬獲。」——青柳碧人

  不是只有改編而已,連日本推理名家都讚嘆不已的出色作品

  「從前從前,某個村子裡有一個……」這是最讓許多人耳熟能詳的民間傳說的開頭。假設這些家喻戶曉的民間傳說裡發生了殺人事件,又會變化出什麼樣精采絕倫的故事呢?

  以鬼為視角的桃太郎、浦島太郎化身偵探、一寸法師的不在場證明、花開爺爺留下了死亡訊息、大家都沒看過的黑暗版白鶴報恩……

  本書作者青柳碧人花了七年構思,將五個最經典的故事巧妙改編,融入本格推理手法,以「顛覆民間傳說勸人為善」為切入點,寫法大膽,謎團有趣,反而以更貼近人性的布局而發人深省。成就出讓日本名家如恩田陸、今村昌弘與蘆澤央等作家都讚嘆不已的高明推理作品。

  有趣的是,這樣「怪怪的」黑暗世界觀,起先由關西地區先熱起來後,口碑才傳至日本各地。足見關西地區的讀者口味有所不同。作者青柳碧人提及:「或許是本書某種黑色幽默的質地與關西搞笑喜愛吐槽的氣味相符合吧。」

  如此老少咸宜的口碑,讓本書在一向「殺」氣騰騰的推理榜單拿下出色成績,不只攻進2019年三大指標性的推理榜單Top 10(週刊文春、早川書店與原書房),還在紀伊國屋書店全國店員傾力支持下,拿下年度第二名,打敗幾本日本暢銷作品如:《北光》、《流浪的月》、《獅子的點心》、《三體》、《82年生的金智英》與《真確》。

  家喻戶曉的民間故事發生了殺人事件——

  ■一寸法師×不在場證明
  奮勇制伏鬼成功保護公主受到賞賜的一寸法師,儘管因萬寶槌的法力而變大了,他心裡仍然有個揮之不去的真心話……

  ■花開老爺爺×死前留言
  把灰撒在樹上,就能開出花來的老爺爺,把陞下賞賜給他的金銀財寶全捐給村子。這麼善良的老爺爺卻被殺了……

  ■白鶴報恩×敍述性詭計
  村子裡的青年收留了找不到住處的白鶴,白鶴織了一匹布回報給他。青年知道那匹布賣得好價錢之後,逼鶴多織一點……

  ■浦島太郎×密室殺人
  救了海龜的浦島太郎被帶到龍宮城,正當他參加充滿山珍海味、載歌載舞的宴會時,伊勢龍蝦遇害了……

  ■桃太郎×孤島殺人
  我們都知道,去討伐鬼島的桃太郎與眾鬼激戰,最後桃太郎陣營獲勝。但後來留在島上的鬼呢?鬼島上的戰鬥這才揭開序幕……

300 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2019

11 people are currently reading
29 people want to read

About the author

Aito Aoyagi

97 books1 follower

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for W.M..
401 reviews25 followers
November 7, 2021
噢哇這本真的厲害,初看非常好笑但真正看完實是毛骨悚然。同樣的故事切換視角之後反而能夠成為真正殘忍的鬼故事吧……倒也不是實質意義上的「鬼」,以民間故事做為基底而寫成的這些故事,各方面都有著日本萬物皆有靈的世界觀,所以不管是白鶴或海中生物,乃至於「鬼」,其實都映射出人類的模樣。
以短篇來說很精彩而且真的相當有趣,其中〈白鶴的倒敘〉手法出奇精彩,但我自己最喜歡的大概還是鬼島那一篇吧,真是細思極恐。
Profile Image for Erika.
2,840 reviews89 followers
May 1, 2021
ahahahahaha this book was waaay funnier than I was expecting!
If you grew up listening to old fairy tales (or folklores? I don't know what to call them) 一寸法師/花咲か爺さん/鶴の恩返し/浦島太郎/桃太郎, you'll have a great time reading these stories with a murder mystery twist.
Ever wonder what happened to the Issun-bōshi or "The Inch-High Samurai" after he got married to a princess?
Wanted to know what happened to the old man after he made the cherry flower blossom with his dog's ashes?
What was the whole crane thing about? (this story was amazing in 2 ways.)
Why was Urashima Tarō given that box that ages him, and why did he open it despite being told not to?
And what would Momotaro look like from oni's perspective? (I think I've seen this approach to the old folklore before, but not to this extent)

The title "Once upon a time, there was a corpse" was a well-constructed retelling of these old folklores, and I'm glad I've given this book a try. (I mean, that title, man.)
4 reviews
August 7, 2023
For Japanese readers, beloved traditional folktales have been turned into mysteries. A few years ago, it gained popularity and caught my attention, so I decided to listen to it as an audiobook. I tried listening to it with my children during summer vacation, and it was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the perspective from the demon's point of view in the story of 'Momotaro'.

日本人にとって、馴染みの深い昔話がミステリーになった。何年か前に話題になり、気になっていたので、オーディオブックで聞いた。夏休み中の子どもと一緒に聞いてみたが、とても楽しかった。鬼目線の「桃太郎」が気に入った。

Profile Image for Emi.
1,000 reviews40 followers
January 7, 2020
日本昔ばなし殺人事件。おもしろかったけど、元になってる話とは別物と考えないといろいろ悲しくなってくる笑
Profile Image for Miku.
51 reviews
March 28, 2020
短編5部。前半は昔話の中でのアイテムがミステリーの鍵になっていたりして面白いが、後半は普通のミステリー。
Profile Image for Jocelyn.
88 reviews
July 8, 2023
有点无厘头的故事。可能比较适合小学生。😑
Profile Image for Asuka.
324 reviews
January 28, 2024
メッチャ面白いかった!一寸法師、鶴の恩返し、浦島太郎、花咲か爺さんがオドロオドロしたミステリーに!ガチお勧めです
Profile Image for Bunnie.
237 reviews1 follower
Read
June 23, 2024
很有意思,比陈浩基的童话好。
凶手和被害者的双重叙诡加上时间错位,还有些伏线,和成人式类似,更精巧但也更好写。叙诡还是适合短篇。
5 reviews
March 9, 2024
(read in Japanese)
A sort of "twisted fairy tale" take on classic Japanese folklore. The basic premise of each of the stories is, "what would happen if a corpse was involved in a classic Japanese folk tale?" Very interesting and quite funny at times. It helps to have a background knowledge of the stories being referenced but it's not necessary to enjoy the book. 5 stories total, culminating in a retelling of the Momotaro tale from the perspective of the Oni! It starts out strong with a more straight forward tale of a detective into the dark side of the Issunboushi tale... or is it? I also loved the twisted take on the Tsuru no Ongaeshi story of the ever suffering Crane. Both sad and very darkly amusing. Poor Tsuu, I guess Cranes are very trusting creatures. That dastardly Yahei! Loved the ending.

The audio book on audible is also great.
575 reviews9 followers
March 24, 2022
好有趣的视角 推理小说本已经没啥新意和神话故事结合也是非常不错 很喜欢鹤的报恩
16 reviews
Read
March 16, 2022
唯一有趣的点是在神话故事里出现了杀人事件本身,推理部分几乎没什么看点……
45 reviews
September 6, 2025
閱後最喜歡白鶴的倒敘篇,還未回過神來便踏入了不可靠敘事者的佈局當中,值得反覆欣賞。

反而有點可惜遠海的鬼島篇,精心策畫的戲劇張力和層層堆疊出的孤島氣氛,以及寶物的驚喜登場,還是因為老鼠屎(BUG和動機)而壞了一鍋粥。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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