10 Billion Days & 100 Billion Nights (Review)

Today, I want to present you with a novel of an idea.
 
I'm a devoted fan of all to do with SF, and have read – and continue to read – a lot of fictional books on the topic. It's a wondrously exciting zone worth delving your imagination into. 

There are many novels worthy of note on the topic of scientific fiction, but none other is as delightfully ingenious as 10 Billion Days & 100 Billion Nights, by Ryu Mitsuse. 

Reading this book, I felt like a first sentient being peering into its own awaking awareness, poised to travel an expose of time and space spanning eons. The vivid worlds that are presented throughout the story are brilliantly detailed, and somewhat familiar. Populated by characters of earth's history, we are witnessing a tale of humanity's past and future through key moments in their lives. 

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Determined philosopher Plato starts an expedition to find the lost continent of Atlantis. Sometime before that, he challenges the ideology of the Planetary Development Committee, only to witness the final minutes of Atlantis being swallowed by a sea of stars while burning in raging fires

Young prince Siddhartha takes a journey through imaginary space and arrives at coordinates 429.993. Before finding a key to his world’s salvation, demigod Asura informs the prince that galactic karma can be a horrendous whore. The, near dead, carpenter of Nazareth ascends from his cross, lifted by a cosmic being: Jerusalem experiences three hours of darkness, midday… 

Mitsuse-sama masterfully textures his tale using religious dogma, that will turn your preconceived notions into galactic sands to flood into this spiritually inclined story. His vast universe is made of spatial seas, galactic empires, and hight-tech theological constructs formed by extraterrestrial meditation. Celestial deities make their presence known amongst those worlds-within-words, as they war and scheme to keep the universe from tearing apart. 

In the beginning, SF elements such as superior technology are used sparingly. But they are there, always present. Not as artifacts or decorative creations, but real functional and purposeful tools. As the story expends into the (far) future and key players skirmish on far-off worlds, flexing their neuron-assaulting and gravity-collapsing powers, Mitsuse-sama's imaginative prowess will please the most futurist of readers. 

The narrative flows smoothly, and mirrors the syntax of the specific place in the story's timeline. The translation does not diminish any of the complex idioms that are native to Japanese language. For a book that was written in 1967, I found it surprising how relevant and original it felt. 

But then again, meditating on the scope and mystery of the universe never gets tiresome. The entirety of the story spirals with diligent poise, thanks to the masterful mind of Mitsuse-sama. This book is a shining star within the Sol system, a truly great read.