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The Distant Dawn

A collection of sixteen short stories by Yukinobu Hoshino, spanning genres from science fiction and fantasy to psychological drama and romance. The tales explore a wide range of themes, including adventure, mystery, and the supernatural, often set in imaginative and thought-provoking scenarios. From a distant dawn and a steel queen to escape from wastelands and a funeral convoy, each story presents a unique conflict. Characters face challenges such as a call from afar, a whiteout, amazons of the river, and the Carneades plan, navigating through algae, lightning strikes, and the emperor of winter.

Imuri

Four thousand years ago, the ruling race known as the Karma froze the planet Roon during a devastating war and emigrated to a neighboring world. Now, the ice covering Roon is beginning to melt, and the Karma's descendants consider returning to their ancestral home. Young Dulk, a boy training to become a shaman, possesses exceptional power and has been haunted by vivid dreams of Roon since childhood, despite never having seen the planet. When he finally gets the chance to visit the thawing wasteland, he uncovers a sealed power hidden in the darkness of history and must confront the destiny that awaits him beneath the rubble of Roon's mysterious past.

Cloud Atlas

A mysterious prologue sets the stage for a grand tale spanning time and space. In a world where reality and fantasy intertwine, a group of individuals from different eras find their fates connected through a series of enigmatic events. Each character faces their own struggles, from ancient conflicts to futuristic dystopias, as they navigate a universe filled with secrets and hidden truths. As their paths converge, a dark conspiracy begins to unravel, threatening to reshape the very fabric of existence. The characters must confront their own limitations and uncover the mysteries that bind them together, all while battling forces that seek to control the flow of time itself. What starts as a

HOLE UP GAMERS

In the near future, Japan has embraced the full-dive VR game "Visions," a virtual world where players can escape reality. Kokoro Hato works for the community welfare department's hikikomori countermeasures office, tasked with helping those who withdraw from society. The game harbors a deadly flaw: players who stay logged in for too long are dying. Authorities attempt to forcibly log everyone out, but a group of players rebels, barricading themselves inside "Visions." Kokoro must enter the game to make contact with these players and bring them back to reality before it's too late.

Tower of God

Twenty-Fifth Bam has spent his entire life alone in a dark cave, with Rachel as his only companion and light. When she decides to enter the Tower to pursue her own dream, she leaves him behind. Desperate not to lose her, Bam follows her inside, determined to climb the Tower and find her again. But the Tower is a vast and dangerous place, full of ancient secrets, fearsome creatures, and ruthless people. Each floor is guarded by an Administrator who subjects challengers to grueling tests that push them to their limits. Upon reaching the first floor, Bam discovers he is an Irregular, someone who entered the Tower without being chosen. With no special strength or power, he must learn to surviv

Land of the Lustrous

In a distant future, Earth is home to the Lustrous, crystalline lifeforms who defend themselves against the Lunarians, invaders from the moon who seek to harvest their bodies for weapons and decorations. Among the twenty-eight gems, Phosphophyllite is the most fragile and brittle, with no visible talent for battle. Longing to fight but deemed too weak, Phos is instead assigned by their master Adamantine to compile a natural history of their world. The task seems dull and pointless, but it brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation due to their dangerous nature. As Phos pursues this seemingly mundane assignment, they begin to uncover deeper truths about their