Written by Otsuichi
Viz, 264 pp
Rating: Unrated

From Otsuichi, the author of the fantastically creepy and engrossing Goth, comes ZOO, a collection of eleven, unconnected short tales, which range from comedy to psychological horror.

Personally, I think it’s clear from past works that Otsuichi is at his best when he’s going full throttle in the horror genre or spinning lighter comedic tales. With ZOO he takes both types of stories and blends them together, producing a number of wonderful black comedy pieces. The most enjoyable and memorable of these is “In a Falling Airplane.” It’s a brilliant, self-aware, black comedy about three people whose paths happen to cross on a hijacked airplane. Two of the people are suicidal—a salesman and the hijacker—and much of the story focuses on the salesman’s attempts at selling a euthanasia drug to the woman he’s sitting next to while the hijacker fends off attempts to disarm him with the aid of a conveniently placed soda can. Another gem is “Find the Blood!,” a tale which also harkens back to Otsuichi’s love of murder mysteries and twist endings. A man with a medical condition that’s reduced his sense of touch suddenly awakens to find himself covered in blood. What ensues is a hilarious half-hearted attempt by his greedy and selfish family members to save him and puzzle out just what happened. It really is comedic gold and a rather fun whodunit.

On the straightforward horror side of things there’s wonderfully brutal “Seven Rooms.” It’s the tale of a brother and sister who are kidnapped and imprisoned by an unknown assailant for a rather grisly purpose. It’s a dark and unnerving story that brings to mind horror movies like the Hostel and Saw franchises. Unfortunately, not all of his horror tales are enjoyable reads. Case in point: “The White House in the Cold Forest.” This short story centers on an abused man who eventually becomes a monstrous serial killer. It’s a mean-spirited tale with some very brutal moments, not to mention the laughably over-the-top nature of the white house in question. Otsuichi’s use of first person narration puts us in the killer’s shoes, but I felt it lacked any sort of nuance or depth. The nameless killer comes across as a cold and robotic brute, lacking any personality and emotion at all. I suppose there is something to be said about crafting an unflinching tale about the abused becoming the abuser, but honestly, it was the least enjoyable and interesting read in the entire book.

Despite his skill and talent at horror and mysteries, ZOO does give us a glimpse at just how versatile Otsuichi can be. “Song of the Sunny Spot” is the tale of a dying man and the synthetic life form created to keep him company at the end of the world. It’s a story that’s loaded with sentimentality and designed to tug at your heartstrings with another of his trademark twists at the end. It’s a strong, moving and haunting piece that sticks out from the rest of the volume like a sore thumb. It’s certainly not the kind of thing I would have expected from Otsuichi but it does show that the man’s got more in him than one would expect. Elsewhere, the titular “ZOO” is the story of a man searching for the killer of his girlfriend. Oh, and the killer also happens to be sending him photos of her rotting corpse. The emotional masochism involved is a bit silly at times, but at the same time it’s interesting look at the lengths to which the mind will go to cope with tragedy.

Honestly, I could go on about this book for quite a while. There are at least five more stories I didn’t even touch upon for one reason or another, but I hope the above is enough of a cross section to pique readers’ interests. The more I read from Otsuichi, the more I like him, and ZOO just fuels my fondness for his work. It’s just a shame that it won’t be out for a couple more months; it seems like perfect reading for summer trips.

ZOO will be available on September 15th.