The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys

Prolific and palindromic NISIOISIN won the 2002 Mephisto Prize at the age of only twenty for his debut mystery novel Decapitation: Kubikiri Cycle. Since then he has penned more than one hundred novels across numerous series, many of which have been adapted for manga and television. He is one of the best-selling Japanese authors in recent memory, and has been hailed for breaking down the barriers between mainstream literary fiction and so-called light novels.