The Luminous Fairies and Mothra

In the afterword to the first English-language edition of this wonderfully weird 1961 novella that inspired the classic kaiju film Mothra, translator Angles describes the story as “written by relay,” with each author taking one section. Nakamura’s opening follows Chūjō, a linguist on a joint research expedition conducted by Japan and the fictional Rosilica (an amalgamation of the U.S. and Russia). New evidence suggests there may be an indigenous population on Infant Island, previously thought to be uninhabited and used as a Rosilican hydrogen bomb testing site. There, Chūjō encounters a “beautiful lady” of “fifty or sixty centimeters.” In the next section, by Fukunaga, intrepid reporter Fukada uncovers the island’s creation myth: divine lovers created a giant egg, Mothra, that lies dormant at the island’s heart as well as four Airena, or fairies. Tragedy strikes when Rosilican opportunist Nelson invades the island, takes the Airena captive, and forces them to perform in New Wagon City. Hotta provides the final and most politically pointed section, in which Mothra awakens, undergoes metamorphosis, and attacks. All three authors describe paranormal phenomena in blunt, even occasionally stilted prose, lending the novella a peculiar quality reminiscent of the oldest fairy tales. In the extensive and illuminating afterword, Angles dives into the story’s political context and the process of cinematic adaptation. Creature feature buffs will be thrilled. (Jan.)