The Voices of a Distant Star -Hoshi no Koe -
Incoming high-school freshman Mikako is drafted to fight the Tarsians, an alien race whose obscure intentions have led to conflict and whose technology has allowed humans to travel near light speed. Noburo is Mikako's best friend, almost boyfriend, and the two keep in touch via text messaging. As Mikako leaps further away from Earth, messages take an ever-increasing amount of time to reach Noburo: days pass for word to reach her while he waits years. Will their friendship and blossoming love survive? Adapted from the emotionally and visually astounding anime short, this stand-alonemangaprovides the same emotional rush while it fleshes out the alien conflict and the characters' separate lives, and delivers an alternate (but no less satisfying) finale. Sahara depicts spaceships and people with equal aplomb, and her spare style complements the sweep of the story. A meditation on the power of love with intergalactic trappings, this volume packs a punch.Robin BrennerCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved