Deserter

Twelve horror stories by Junji Ito make up this collection, all written between 1987 and 1990, when his career was just starting. It is a manga anthology, so each story stands alone and none depends on another.

The title story centres on a family that shelters a deserter from the army of the Second World War. For eight years after the war ends, they keep him hidden and feed him a false version of events in which the fighting is still going on.

The other stories range widely in situation. One involves two girls who look alike but are not twins. Another follows a man who will not sleep, afraid that his counterpart from the dream world will take over his body.

Some of the remaining titles are Bio House, Face Thief, Where the Sandman Lives and The Devil's Logic. Others include Scripted Love, A Father's Love, Village of the Siren and Bullied.

Because these are early works, the book shows the beginnings of the visual and narrative style Ito went on to refine later. It suits readers who want short, self-contained horror, and those curious about where his work started.