Today's conundrum: Is オカルト a false friend for "occult," or not? In Japan, for example, writers who dabble in horror, mystery, and stories with a weird, dark edge are often labeled オカルト (okaruto, a direct transliteration of "occult), and there are things like オカルトサークル (okaruto…
Continue reading...My translation of classic Kindaichi Kosuke mystery Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku (Translated as The Devil's Flute Murders) is done and off to the editors! It's scheduled to come out from Pushkin Vertigo Press June 29, 2023. This was an absolute joy to translate, though I worry…
Continue reading...ペンギン・ハイウェイ by Tomihiko Morimi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Penguin Highway This is a coming of age novel, a story of children facing reality bending mystery, and lots of talk about boobs. Akireta Aoyama is a young boy with an analytical mind and an…
Continue reading...Translator Twitter always sees some kind of drama about rates. Low rates, unclear rates, unpaid rates... This topic never seems to die down, which makes sense, because understanding rates is one of the great mysteries for beginning translators (and, probably, many other freelance fields). For…
Continue reading...邪神決闘伝 by Hideyuki Kikuchi My rating: 4 of 5 stars This self-described Cthulhu Western is a very traditional western hammered into a very traditional Cthulhu mythos mold to make something uniquely fun. The writer wears his tastes on his sleeve, writing a western based deeply…
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