Dragon Palace is a fascinating collection of short stories that revolve around themes of transformation and human behavior. In the first story we follow an encounter between a depressed young man and a person who claims to have once been an octopus. In Dragon Palace, a young woman is visited by her great-grandmother. Fox’s Den follows the relationship between a fifty-three-year-old caregiver and her elderly patient. The Roar chronicles a young boy’s life as he grows up in the successive care of his older sisters, each of whom is very different. We meet a woman who is in a relationship with her four-hundred-year-old ancestor in Shimazaki. A woman who was once a sea horse recalls her life on land, her yearning for the ocean and her thoughts about her husbands and children, one of whom is like her in Sea Horse. The stories are inspired by folklore and myth and heavily rely upon metaphors and magical realism.

Many thanks to Stone Bridge Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

*Dragon Palace* by Hiromi Kawakami is a collection of short stories blending magical realism, folklore, and everyday life. Kawakami's signature style often intertwines the surreal with the mundane, exploring the strangeness that lurks beneath the surface of ordinary existence.

In this collection, she delves into themes such as loneliness, human connection, and the elusive nature of reality. Her characters often find themselves in bizarre, dreamlike situations, encountering mythical creatures or experiencing inexplicable events that challenge their perception of the world. Each story in *Dragon Palace* offers a unique glimpse into these encounters, while remaining grounded in the emotional truths of human experience.

The stories often have a quiet, contemplative tone, leaving much to the reader's interpretation, and they highlight Kawakami’s ability to create a sense of wonder and unease in equal measure.

Dragon Palace consists of eight surreal short stories inspired by mythology and folklore. They take place in a world of shape-shifting creatures, animals living human lives, and places where time doesn't follow normal rules.

I've loved other pieces of Kawakami's writing, but this one wasn't a match for me. It was scattered through with abuse, incest, assault; this made it very difficult to get through and it was depressing to see these things written about casually and at times comically.

Thank you to Stone Bridge Press and Netgalley for this e-book to review.

"Dragon Palace" by Hiromi Kawakami is a collection of eight transformative stories that blend reality, myth, and human foibles in a world where the boundaries of time, space, and even species are fluid. Each story is a masterpiece of transformation, infused with humor, sensuality, and the universal search for love and beauty.

i don't know how much of this i could chalk up to awkward translation, but this collection just didn't do it for me. these magical realism tales draw from japanese folkloric traditions, but some of them read too bizarre without the proper elaboration. my favorite story in the collection was "hokusai," primarily because of the clarity of the piece--most of these stories had a sort of ambiguity that made the narrators tough to relate to. and i understand the need to not name protagonists for the sake of a myth, but when most of the stories refer to characters without a name, it's quite easy to get lost in the shuffle and not know how the story is talking about.

An intriguing set of short stories that merges more traditional fantasy concepts with more modern/"contemporary" conversations.

Unique collection of short stories with transfigurations!!

The author creates a word in which any can transform to anything in this short story collection that doesn’t form a format or become predictable.

The strange stories are sometimes funny, sometimes juicy, with wild little twists are about our search for love.

Short and amazing experience!!

Another proof that translated literature are the best ❤️

This was such an interesting story! I really enjoyed the unique plot and the characters. I look forward to the author’s next work!

Kawakami’s narrative style is not exactly to my liking yet I can’t help but read her work, which is her exquisite ability to have her supernatural/strange characters grapple with very contemporary and pressing issues regarding relationships, sex, and perhaps the meaning of life. This particular book wasn’t an easy read, but I did enjoy it.

‘Stories from a Japanese master of transformative fiction, where reality, myth, and human foibles meet shifting dimensions of gender, biology, and destiny.’

This is a collection of 8 very strange short stories - there are shape shifters and mythical creatures and some of the stories are quite sexually charged, some funny, quirky and just strange.

I really loved Kawakami’s previous books, Strange Weather in Tokyo and People From My Neighbourhood, and I’m a fan of magic realism. But it took me a long time to read her latest work. I had to keep rereading to follow the story. It’s an odd collection.

If you enjoy short stories and surrealism this collection is for you!!!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stonebridgepress for the ebook in return for an honest review.

#netgalleyreads #japaneseliterature #japanesefiction #shortstories #translatedfiction #magicrealism #surrealism #fiction #japanesewriter #japaneseauthor #hiromikawakami #dragonpalace

'I sometimes think back on the sea at night. It has been an eternity since I left.'

With your copy of 'Japanese Myths' to hand the reader can set about Kawakami's wonderful collection of shape-shifting beasts, animals and humans. At its core is the connection between humans and animals, in spirit and physical sense. A collection to dip into and enjoy and ponder. 4 stars overall - as ever with collections, some are stronger than others.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I enjoyed what I read of this, but it was archived before I got to finish it… I will be purchasing this so I can find out how it ends!

Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami ( translated by Ted Goossen) is a fascinating collection of short stories that revolve around themes of transformation, human behavior and emotion and surrealism.

In the first story Hokusai (3/5), we follow a strange encounter between a depressed young man and a person who claims to have once been an octopus. In Dragon Palace (4/5), a young woman is visited by her great-grandmother, who was once a god who used a creative method of manipulating her followers. Fox’s Den(3/5) follows the relationship between a fifty-three-year-old caregiver and her elderly patient. In Mole (5/5), we meet an anthropomorphized who holds an office job in the human world and shelters unhappy and lonely human beings in his home in an underground hole. We follow a married young woman, unhappy with her life and interactions with her boyfriend, neighbors and the deity that inhabits her kitchen in The Kitchen God (4/5). The Roar (3/5)chronicles a young boy’s life as he grows u in the boy grows up in the successive care of his older sisters, each of whom is very different. We meet a woman who is in a relationship with her four-hundred-year-old ancestor in Shimazaki (3.5/5). A woman who was once asea horse recalls her life on land, her yearning for the ocean and her thoughts about her husbands and children, one of whom is like her in Sea Horse (5/5).

With simple language and striking imagery and symbolism, the author takes us on an enthralling journey with unique characters and their interesting ( to put it mildly! ) backstories. The stories are inspired by folklore and myth and heavily rely upon metaphors and magical realism to present the human condition and the similarities and differences in human and animal instincts. Though I can’t say that I enjoyed all the stories in equal measure, overall, Hiromi Kawakami does not disappoint!

Many thanks to Stone Bridge Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this collection of stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This collection of stories was published on September 19, 2023.

This intriguing book delves into the depths of human nature, highlighting the fine line between our humanity and primal instincts. It offers a unique perspective by allowing us to view humans through the eyes of animals. This collection of short stories stands in a league of its own, where some messages are overt, while others linger, provoking profound contemplation. It's an unparalleled literary experience that defies comparison.

To be completely honest I wasn't able to finish all the stories. They just didn't click for me and I don't think this is a problem with the book at all.
Unfortunately the way the stories go and the theme didn't get me. So while I was reading I was frequently getting distracted. I think I had different spectations.
The author's write isn't bad or dull, but it simply didn't click with me.

Another hit by Hiromi Kawakami! 8 otherworldly short stories, each with their own interesting twists and turns. I especially loved Foxes Den.

Devoured this book in one sitting, great one for an October quick read!

Surreal, trippy, Dragon Palace treats us to eight stories all connected by the themes of transformation. There’s humor, romance, and turds. Yeah that’s right, turds. As always, I was won over by the weird factor. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found a writer whose work I want to further explore!

AHHHHH! I am so thankful to Stone Bridge Press, Hiromi. Kawkami, and Netgalley for sending me both a physical and digital copy of Dragon Palace before this baby hit shelves. I'm a slut for horror books and this one absolutely slayed my expectations.

A collection of 8 stories inspired by local folklore and focusing on transformation. some stories were more compelling than others, but all evoked a thought or reflection to one self.

What a wonderful , unnerving and thought provoking compilation of stories . I absolutely loved it !

Thank you so much for the eArc