LUCKY CAT AND THE KAIJU HORDE

A war involving possessed, monstrous dolls heats up in this fourth volume of a series.

In a future world where three repressive superstates control the globe, a rogue faction of enchanted dolls and fox spirits fought back in a guerrilla conflict known as the Doll War. Now, in 2139, although peace has been restored by treaty, the superstates are still wary. Recently, lethal yet beguiling white roses have reappeared in the French Alps. The flowers also have a connection with Chika Ando, who was killed because of her opposition to the government. The secret police travel to Chamonix, where the roses are said to be growing again despite having been destroyed in 2078. But the investigation leads them into a trap, breaking the treaty and providing justification for the dolls to wreak all-out war. Aided by the human resistance Movement, the dolls use their supernatural abilities to attack in the form of gigantic monsters. As in previous volumes, Gray offers a trademark blend, where gory fights and the Japanese monster genre—known as kaiju—are combined with descriptions of subtle delicacy. For example, an enchanted, human-size doll holding a fan is surrounded by the smell of plum blossoms. As she attacks an enemy, “the edges of the fan’s ribs glittered in the dying sunlight, revealing small, dagger-like, silver points.” Similarly, an appealing little maneki neko (beckoning cat figurine) becomes “over 100 feet tall”; although “her fur seemed as fluffy as cotton candy…she would crush and kill anything in her path.” But events can be hard to follow even for those familiar with the series, and Gray leaves terms like kitsune (a Japanese fox spirit) undefined.

Surreal and poetic, this SF/fantasy series installment can be puzzling but still charms.