The official english website of Shinichi Hoshi 日本語

The Whimsical Robot

 The Whimsical Robot

The Whimsical Robot is a beloved collection of 'short-shorts,' wholesome science fiction made famous by celebrated Japanese author Shinichi Hoshi. The stories are almost a half-century old, yet they speak to current, very urgent matters of today.

Written for school-age children, the stories charm and challenge readers of all ages. Ever so gently, they rattle our deepest fears about humanity's blind embrace of science and technology. The collection is as much a moral argument as it is a literary joyride: fables for the high-tech era. Whereas Aesop employed animals, Hoshi's stories feature curious space aliens, dubious scientists, half-baked inventions, foolhardy investors and capricious machinery.

The Whimsical Robot is considered a true classic in Japanese youth literature. Many describe it as a perfect entry for young readers. This English version opens up the collection to an even wider audience of young - and not-so-young - next-generation Hoshi fans.

Included stories

  1. The Newly Invented Pillow
  2. The Prototype
  3. The Effect of the Medication
  4. A Demon
  5. The Disaster
  6. Operation Mynah Bird
  7. The Whimsical Robot
  8. The Doctor and His Robot
  9. Plant of Convenience
  10. The Nighttime Incident
  11. Hello Everybody on Planet Earth!
  12. The Sound of the Trumpet
  13. The Gift
  14. A Message from a Dream
  15. The Failure
  16. The Eye Drops
  17. Squion
  18. The Hat
  1. The Golden Seaweed
  2. The Instructions he Stole
  3. Medicated Dreams
  4. The Mysterious Robot
  5. Strange Medicine
  6. The Secret of the Circus
  7. The Bird Song
  8. Beware of Fire
  9. The Age of Speed
  10. Project Woodpecker
  11. Yukiko's Revenge
  12. A Baffling Broadcast
  13. The Cat
  14. Flowers and Secrets
  15. The Deal
  16. The Strange Monster
  17. The Dog in the Mirror
  18. Waaah, Waaah

Details

Translated by Marina Hoshi and Kim Hines
Foreword by Yoshimitsu Sawamoto
Cover illustration by Moona Whyte

Where to buy

Amazon Kindle Store

© 2009-2021 The Hoshi Library