ACF 1678: BELKA, WHY DON’T YOU BARK? is now available from VIZ

Beruka, hoenainoka? (C) Hideo Furukawa, 2005

Originally published in Japan by Bungei Shunju
in 2005 (hardcover) and 2008 (paperback)

English translation Copyright (C) Michael Emmerich 2012

All rights reserved. Cover design by Sam Elzway

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL EPIC OF MAN’S BEST FRIEND DEBUTS IN

BELKA, WHY DON’T YOU BARK?

 

Novel By Celebrated Post-Modern Author Hideo Furukawa
Takes Readers On An Imaginative Adventure Through
 The Eyes Of Several Military Dogs And Their Descendents

VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint has announced a fantastic new tale of intrigue and the undying bond man shares with dogs with the recent publication of BELKA, WHY DON’T YOU BARK?, by author Hideo Furukawa. The hardcover novel carries an MSRP of $25.99 U.S. / $29.99 CAN. The eBook edition is available for $9.99 on the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, the Barnes & Noble’s Nook Books Store, and the Sony Reader Store.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.

BELKA, WHY DON’T YOU BARK? begins in 1943, when Japanese troops retreat from the Aleutian island of Kiska, leaving four military dogs behind. One of them dies in isolation, and the others are taken under the protection of U.S. troops. Meanwhile, in the USSR, a KGB military dog handler kidnaps the daughter of a Japanese yakuza. Named after the Russian astronaut dog Strelka, the girl develops a psychic connection with canines.  A multi-generational epic as seen through the eyes of man’s best friend, the dogs that are used as mere tools for the benefit of humankind gradually discover their true selves, and learn something about us.

“Hideo Furukawa has produced a thought-provoking adventure that tells the secret history of the Cold War as seen through the eyes of several military canines and their descendants,” says Nick Mamatas, Editor, Haikasoru. “Beginning during World War II, the novel continues through the Korean conflict, the Space Race, and even the collapse of Communism. Hideo Furukawa is widely acclaimed in Japan and often compared to the postmodern master, Haruki Murakami. Historical-based fiction fans as well as dog lovers everywhere will definitely enjoy this inspired new release from Haikasoru!”

Author Hideo Furukawa was born in 1966. He dropped out of Waseda Universitiy’s literature program. He was nominated for the Naoki Prize with Belka, Why Don’t You Bark? in 2005 and won Mishima Yukio Prize with Love in 2006. Furukawa has been active in giving readings as an expression of literature and has collaborated beyond the genre of fiction in fields including music, art, and dance.

For more information and to read an excerpt of BELKA, WHY DON’T YOU BARK?, visit the dedicated website at Haikasoru.com/belka-why-dont-you-bark/.

For more information on Haikasoru and other titles available from the imprint, please visit the website at Haikasoru.com.