FAUST 1 (Paperback)

~ Faust Editors (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Faust is the Stateside release of a McSweeney's-style Japanese literary journal of short fantastical fiction by young authors for an anime and manga audience. The manga included in the back of the book is flashy and exquisitely drawn but painfully short; this volume is primary a work of prose. An excerpt from an xxxHOLiC light novel (a short genre novel aimed at young adult readers) opens the book; unfortunately, the interesting part of CLAMP's manga is the artwork, and in prose form the story is lacking. The highlight of the book is Otaro Maijo's Drill Hole in My Brain, a piece of pop culture–filled, avant-garde pornography written in the style of William S. Burroughs or Mark Leyner. A boy with a screwdriver stuck in his brain narrates a brilliant psychedelic stream-of-consciousness sexual fantasy that takes place inside his head. F-Sensei's Pocket is a surprising and delightful story of what happens when the two most hated girls in class come into the possession of several magical items from Doraemon. The many amusing self-referential nods to the publisher Kodansha and copyright infringement add to the fresh, contemporary feel of the piece. The Garden of Sinners excerpt is hindered by a hard-to-follow shifting perspective and a particularly nonsensical philosophy of flying. (Aug.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–This collection features primarily short stories, with about 15 percent of the space devoted to manga. Highlights in the manga section include VOFANs breathtaking illustrations in the wordless story Nikko Dance Party and NISIOISINs clever story After School: 7th Class. Many of the stories are by authors who are best known for manga, so their fans would definitely appreciate this book. The most notable selections include Otsuichis F-senseis Pocket, Kouhei Kadonos Outlandos dAmour, and Otaro Maijos Drill Hole in My Brain, which is both astonishingly erotic and just plain astonishing. While the quality of the collection as a whole is somewhat uneven, there are enough gems here to make this a worthwhile read for lovers of Japanese pop culture.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034550206X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345502063
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)