Salmonella Men on Planet Porno (Vintage Contemporaries)

There are many things I liked about Tsutsui's stories. They're dark, surreal, satirical, engaging, and yet, some how, it seems so often grounded in the mundane that you might feel like such ridiculous events might happen to you. Each story is unique and standalone, but are connected by common themes of death, sex, violence, and working the 9 to 5. The collection has a good range of lighthearted humor and biting social commentary, but never feels likes it's pushing its agenda. It's hard to pick a favorite as the stories each achieve different things, but I think the books high point is having "Bear's Wood Main Line" and "The Very Edge of Happiness" back to back.However, I think the book would have made a stronger impression as a whole if the story "The World Is Tilting" would have been omitted. It seems like a cautionary tale against the dangers of feminism and women in general. It would have been so much better if it didn't come off as completely sexist or if didn't have such atrocious puns for character names (I don't know how much of a role translation played in this fact). My other criticism is that many of the main characters in the stories feel trite. Most seem to follow the same formula: male, neurotic, unsatisfied wife, struggling to advance professionally. This is probably not a fair critique, as most of the characters fit into their respective plots, but it would have been nice to see more sense of character development.I'm still not sure what I think of the titular story. "Salmonella Men on Planet Porno" reads like a XXX version of Alice in Wonderland, including all sorts of strange creatures and weird wordplay. I'm sure others enjoyed that story more than I did, but you have to admit it's the kind of title that catches your eye.

Yeah, I am not big fan of Murakami, but yes, there is something common in the way how author tells a story. I mean short stories, cuz there is big difference in short stories and long ones. These stories are very well written and very interesting to read. Some of these stories are scary, but all of them are written with humor, very specific humor. At the first glance, stories looks quite fictional and even surrealistical, but after short thinking I could tell that most of these stories are very realistic, and very possible in our world. I think that the best story is "Commuter Army", which reflects real commuter world in multinational country like USA. "The Very Edge of Happiness" is quite exact snapshot of average middleclass family. "World is Tilting" and "Last Smoker" are very scary stories, but the same, with some sarcazm it reproduces general internal policies in USA Government institutions and some large american corporations.I do not know why, but it is not first book, where name of Murakami used as some measurement to author, and that is funny, because I think that Yasutaka Tsutsui does not need that comparision, he is great in his own way.I took one star off just because there are couple places, where, I believe, author cared more about appearance, which makes story shallow. However, I love that book and would recommend it.

A few of the stories are funny and tongue-in-cheek, such as the Dabba Dabba Tree, a story about a conical bonsai tree which, if placed at the foot of the bed, gave the occupants erotic dreams somehow spliced with reality, or Rumors About Me, a story about an unsuspecting salaryman who suddenly becomes the center of media attention, and Salmonella Men on Planet Porno, a story of scientists who try to study a different and seemingly obscene environment of animals, insects and people. Farmer Airlines and The Last Smoker were, I thought, the wittiest stories in the book.But there are a few satirical stories of the Japanese culture which I found rather disturbing, not so much because they painted the Japanese in an unflattering light, but more than the scenarios he chose to portray them in. Bad for the Heart, is a story of a man whose heart medication becomes the central focus of his life, and The Very Edge of Happiness, a story that subtly points to the results of stress on repressed individuals and the need to conform over individuality.There were a couple of stories I just didn't get.So on reflection, I think I'll give this stars. I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy surrealism, satire and witticism. However, for the amazing imagination of the author, I'm going to give 5 stars.

I picked up this book after reading an article about literary trends in the new wave of Japanese magical realism authors. Unsure of what to expect, I was delighted to find that the author possesses both a sense of whimsy and a morbid sense of humor. I was occasionally reminded of O. Henry short stories -- there are similar "aha" moments regarding the bizarre fruits of blind desire and irrational drives. Still, it's often hard to see the twist coming, even when there is one. The first two stories are considerably more light than the rest of the collection, but the author's snappy characterization and witty turns of phrase keep even the depressing stories from collapsing under their own weight. I was delighted to come across such an unexpected gem, and am only sorry that there's not more of the author's work available in English.

Couldn't put this book down.. It's one of those you wish you brought with you on the subway and the one you don't realize what stop you're at when you remember it. Highly recommend. Easy read with a modern day and ancient themes tied together wonderfully. Can't wait to get the second!

A set of slightly bizarre short stories that take unexpected but enjoyable turns.

What a great discovery Tsutsui has been! I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the stories contained in this volume, though I must say "Farmer Airlines" is possibly the best of them all. A great combo of zany sitcom, top flight literature and great dialogue.

Super excited to read the book, i've read one short story already and I can't wait to keep going. Thanks so much

It surprises me that this publication seems to have gone out of print in the UK, though it is available as an e-book. That presumably cuts down on the publisher's costs while maintaining his profit. But it's still available at Amazon.com under a US imprint (different cover, otherwise exactly the same content), if you want an actual book rather than a virtual one.Salmonella Men is a collection of mostly humourous short stories. Some of them are what could be called `laugh out loud', some are dark and foreboding, others just plain daft (`Bravo Herr Mozart' springs to mind). Sometimes the author seems to be `taking the Michael', and there's definitely an undercurrent of irreverence or even subversion throughout. I particularly loved the bizarre juxtaposition of the demure wife dutifully taking her husband's lunchbox to the front line in `Commuter Army'. There was a rare touch of affection there, however stupid. Particularly as it was the wife who persuaded him to go there in the first place.I am reliably informed that the ludicrous, nay cringeworthy puns on names in `The World is Tilting' are all there in the original Japanese; the translator's renditions of the bizarrely named creatures in the title story are works of art in themselves.All in all, it's a bit hit-and-miss, but there's enough quality in this collection to make it well worth having in hard copy - and reading more than once.

I won't go into any detail, but the stories in Yasutaka Tsutsui's "salmonella Men on Planet Porno" are a lot of fun, quite sexy in places and just wonderful escapism.It's not subtle, not smart, just well-written and the translation isn't overly Americanised.Get it

This collection of short stories is an odd mix of thought provoking tales. Off the wall in the true Japanese literary style this is a must read for those who like anime, manga style stories. For me some of the stories were a bit like ramblings of a teenager while others were actually quite hard hitting metaphors for the darker side of human nature. Still worth a read.....

This book is fantastic! I have really enjoyed reading this. It's made me laugh quite a lot in many of the stories. Some are very bizzare but still very entertaining!

Autore eccezionale (lo stesso di Paprika e La ragazza che saltava nel tempo), stupenda raccolta dei suoi racconti che purtroppo non sono ancora stati tradotti in italiano.Lo consiglio a tutti gli amanti del genere.