Shining Tomorrow Volume 1: Shadow Heart

Shining Tomorrow is the story of Irma, a young woman living in an alternate history American where the Axis defeated the Allies. A member of YELOW (Young Elegant Ladies of the West), she is caring, giving, and a paragon of femininity, so what is she to do when her beloved city and friends come under attack? Surely becoming a masked superheroine to take up piloting a giant mech is out of the question! But Irma also has heart and strength, and these give her the resolve to step forward and take up the mantle.

The first volume in author Rawle Nyanzi's retro remix world is a nod to not only Man in the High Castle but Peter Tieryas' acclaimed United States of Japan series. His knowledge of Japanese culture and anime is deftly balanced and blended with American sci-fi tropes and norms for a creative reading powerhouse. Well-written, well-edited, and well-received, it is surely a welcome addition to any bookshelf. This is the kind of fiction that evokes a more golden age of science fiction when things were less complicated and the world more defined.