Spice & Wolf, Volume 8: Town of Strife I

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

Town of Strife I is the eighth volume in Isuna Hasekura's light novel series Spice & Wolf, illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura. The previous volume, Side Colors, was actually a collection of three side stories; Town of Strife I picks up the story immediately following Spice & Wolf, Volume 6. As indicated by its title, Town of Strife I is the first part of a two-volume story, a first for Spice & Wolf. Town of Strife I was originally published in Japan in 2008. Paul Starr's English translation of the novel was released by Yen Press in 2013. Spice & Wolf is a series that I have been enjoying much more than I thought I would. Although I wasn't particularly taken with most of Side Colors, I was interested in getting back to the main story again with Town of Strife I.

Having had quite the adventure on the Roam River, Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and Holo the Wisewolf, a centuries-old spirit in the form of a young woman, have finally made their way to the port town of Kerube with a new companion in in tow--Col, a young student they encountered along the river. Together the three of them are following a curious rumor: a search is on for the bones of a northern town's guardian deity. Many people think the story is some far fetched fairytale, but Lawrence, Holo, and Col know very well that there could be some truth behind the rumors. Upon their arrival at Kerube Lawrence seeks the aid of Eve, a former noblewoman and a skilled merchant in her own right. He's been burned once before in his dealings with her, but Eve's impressive network of connections may be their best chance of finding the bones.

One of the things that I have always enjoyed about Spice & Wolf is the relationship and developing romance between Lawrence and Holo. By this point in the series, Lawrence has lost some of his awkwardness when it comes to Holo. While I suppose this means he's grown as a character, I do miss the more easily embarrassed Lawrence. With the addition of Col to the mix, the dynamics of Holo and Lawrence's relationship has also changed. Their battles of wits and their good-natured bickering and teasing which once seemed so natural now feel forced as if the two of them are putting on some sort of performance for the boy. More often than not, Holo and Lawrence are verbally sparring for show in Town of Strife I and it's not nearly as entertaining. Ultimately I do like Col (everyone in Spice & Wolf likes Col), but his presence in the story is somewhat distracting.

Not much happens in Town of Strife I; it mostly seems to be setting up for the second volume in the story arc. Hasekura promises that Lawrence will get to be "really cool" in the next volume and Town of Strife I does end on a great cliffhanger, but I'm not sure that I'm actually interested in finding out what happens. Unfortunately, the series has finally lost its charm for me. The characters know one another so well and their conversations are so cryptic that the story is difficult to follow. The narrative lacks sufficient detail and explanations leaving readers to puzzle out the characters' motivations and actions. This has always been the case with Spice & Wolf but what makes it particularly frustrating in Town of Strife I is that the volume doesn't even have a satisfying ending and doesn't stand well on its own. Hasekura claims that he needed two volumes to tell this particular story, but considering how tedious much of Town of Strife I is, I'm not convinced.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 7: Side Colors

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

Side Colors is the seventh volume in Isuna Hasekura's light novel series Spice & Wolf, illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura. The volume is actually a break from the main series and collects three side stories together. The novella "The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers" and the short story "The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky" were first released online. The second short story, "Wolf and Amber Melancholy," was written specifically for the collection. Side Colors was originally published in Japan in 2008. Yen Press' English edition, translated by Paul Starr, was released in 2012. I am actually rather surprised by how much I have been enjoying the Spice & Wolf novels; I find that I am quite fond of the two leads--Lawrence and Holo. Since I have been following the series, it made sense that I would pick up the seventh volume.

Side Colors, begins with "The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers," which takes up the first half or so of the volume. Klass and Aryes, a young boy and girl, have recently been evicted from their home when a new lord takes over after the previous lord dies, apparently without publicly naming an heir. Their journey isn't an easy one and they are about to run out of food when they are approached by Holo, a wolf spirit, in the form of a young woman. The story takes place centuries before Holo meets Lawrence. It is probably because of that that "The Boy and the Girl and the White Flowers" was my least favorite story in Side Colors. Simply put, I missed Lawrence. But the story does show a younger Holo, one who hasn't yet been overwhelmed by a melancholy loneliness and who acts much more as a trickster character. Granted, she has always been and still is mischievous.

Happily, Lawrence is in both of the short stories included in Side Colors. "The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky" takes place during the first volume of Spice & Wolf, not long after Holo and Lawrence started traveling together. Of the three stories collected in the volume, this story most closely fits the mold established by the Spice & Wolf series proper and includes economic elements as a part of its plot. However, my favorite story in Side Colors is the final one, "Wolf and Amber Melancholy," which takes place during Spice & Wolf, Volume 2. Unlike the rest of Spice & Wolf, which is primarily told from Lawrence's point of view, this story is seen from Holo's perspective. It's a refreshing change and it's clear that Hasekura had a tremendous amount of fun writing it.

Technically, Side Colors is written in such a way that doesn't require much previous knowledge of Spice & Wolf. But at the same time, I'm not sure that the collection would actually appeal to someone who isn't already a fan of or at least familiar with the series. The stories really aren't that strong outside of the context of the novels. Because of this, "The Boy and the Girl and the White Flower" is probably the weakest of the three vignettes since it is the furthest removed form the series proper. Both "The Red of the Apple, The Blue of the Sky" and "Wolf and Amber Melancholy" read like they could be deleted scenes from their respective volumes. Although I wouldn't say any of the stories are essential reading, they do make a nice addition to the Spice & Wolf series.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 6

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

Isuna Hasekura's light novel Spice & Wolf, Volume 6 was first published in Japan in 2007. Yen Press' English edition of the novel, translated by Paul Starr, was released in 2012. It retains the color pages and illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura found in the original. The first volume of Spice & Wolf won the Dengeki Novel Prize, allowing it to be subsequently published. The novel proved to be popular enough in Japan to spawn a seventeen volume light novel series, both a manga and an anime adaptation, an Internet radio show, visual novel, and plenty of merchandising opportunities. In English, the light novels have been successful enough for Yen Press to license at least the first nine novels. (Initially, the license only covered the first six volumes of Spice & Wolf, but Yen Press was able to extend it.) I have been pleasantly surprised by the series--a light fantasy with both economic and supernatural elements to it--so I am glad to have the opportunity to follow Lawrence and Holo on their journey for at least a little while longer.

Lawrence's dealings with Eve in Lenos have gone sour. Although he has made it out of the situation alive he is considerably poorer, not to mention physically battered. Eve has taken all of his money and Lawrence has let the opportunity to realize his dream slip through his fingers. Instead of ending his life as a traveling merchant and settling down permanently in Lenos, opening his own business, Lawrence has chosen Holo and her safety over his own goals. Although he has admitted his feelings to her, she is not entirely pleased with his decision. A mortal falling in love with someone who many consider to be a goddess is a complicated matter. Lawrence has promised to accompany Holo on her way back to her homeland of Yoitsu; it seems as though that journey will soon be coming to a close. But first there is the matter of Eve. She has already left Lenos on her way to the port town of Kerube. If Lawrence wants to see any of his profit, he has no choice but to follow. And to have any chance of catching up with her, that means traveling by boat on the Roam River which presents its own set of unique challenges.

One of my favorite parts about the Spice & Wolf series has always been Holo and Lawrence's relationship and their frequent bantering and teasing of each other. Unfortunately, much of the sixth volume of Spice & Wolf is spent with Holo angry at Lawrence and not even speaking to him. So, instead of Lawrence and Holo spending their time together, it's Lawrence and Col, a young student--a boy, really--who the two meet on their river journey. Although I did miss Holo and Lawrence's interactions with each other, the reason for the shift in the story's focus is abundantly clear by the end of Spice & Wolf, Volume 6. Luckily, I also happened to like Col. He may be young and still fairly naive, but he's not an idiot. In fact, he proves to be a quick and earnest learner. Col's past is interesting, and his future should be quite interesting as well. His introduction also allows Hasekura to explore another aspect of the world that he has created--the lives of and trials faced by students and scholars.

The sixth volume of Spice & Wolf relies very heavily on the books that precede it in the series, particularly the fifth volume. There's not much of a recap in the sixth volume and the references to past events aren't thoroughly explained. It's probably best to read the sixth novel soon after finishing the fifth since their plots are closely connected. Unlike many of the previous volumes, the economic elements of Spice & Wolf, Volume 6 play a less prominent role in the story. However, Hasekura acknowledges this in the book's afterword and promises to make up for it in later volumes of the series. While economics isn't as critical in Spice & Wolf, Volume 6, it is still included. In particular, readers end up learning a bit about boat and river trade and shipping. The writing style in Spice & Wolf is rather sparse, with short sentences and short paragraphs. Due to this lack of detail, what is obvious to the characters is not always obvious to the readers. Even so, I'm still enjoying Spice & Wolf. The sixth volume may not be my favorite in the series, but there is still plenty of the journey left to go.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 5

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

Isuna Hasekura's light novel series Spice & Wolf has actually turned out to be a really nice series. I am very pleased that Yen Press continues to publish Paul Starr's translation of the novels, the fifth volume of which was released in late 2011. Originally, the fifth volume was published in Japan in 2007. Jyuu Ayakura works as the illustrator for the novels. The Spice & Wolf series has an anime adaptation which is also quite enjoyable, but I still think I prefer the original novels. I have been enjoying Spice & Wolf much more than I had initially anticipated. The series is an interesting and sometimes odd mix of economics, light romance, and fantasy, but Hasekura makes it work. The real highlight of the story is the two leads, Lawrence and Holo. If you don't like them, you won't like Spice & Wolf. I happen to adore the two, so it was an easy decision for me to pick up the fifth volume.

Although they have been traveling together for a relatively short period of time--Holo, being a wolf spirit, has lived for centuries, after all--Lawrence and Holo have come to enjoy each other's company. Lawrence's life as a traveling merchant may have become much more eventful after meeting Holo, his very life being put into danger on several occasions, but it has also become much less lonely. Both Holo and Lawrence are beginning to dread the end of their journey and neither one of them really wants to talk about it. But Lawrence is resigned to fulfilling his promise to Holo to find and accompany her to her homeland in the north, Yoitsu. Their path has led them to Lenos where they hope to discover clues to Yoitsu's whereabouts in the town's histories and chronicles. And although it isn't the point of this particular trip, as a merchant Lawrence always has his eyes and ears open for a profitable trade.

I've mentioned this in every review that I have written for Spice & Wolf, and will probably continue to mention it, but my favorite part of the series is Lawrence, Holo, and their relationship with each other. From the very beginning of Spice & Wolf, Hasekura has let their bond slowly, believably, and naturally develop. Well, as naturally as could be expected when dealing with a human and a near immortal. Lawrence is just beginning to realize the implications of that particular situation while Holo, with more years and more experience, has been quite aware of them since the time she first met Lawrence. Similar to the third volume in which Lawrence had to come to terms with how important Holo had become to him, in the fifth volume he must now come to terms with what that exactly means. Their relationship has deepened and matured nicely, but it is still not without its problems.

Compared to some of the previous volumes, there is very little action that happens in the fifth volume of Spice & Wolf, at least externally. Lawrence still has his personal inner turmoil to deal with. (He does still manage to come to bodily harm, though.) He is starting to get used to Holo's company more and more, which means he isn't flustered by her quite as easily. But when he is, it is incredibly endearing. I enjoy their mutual banter immensely. Overall, I think Hasekura's writing and Starr's translation work continues to improve as the Spice & Wolf series progresses. The narrative and speech in the fifth volume is not nearly as stilted as those in the earlier books and are generally much less confusing. I still find myself puzzling over the meaning of a line of dialogue on occassion, but for the most part conversations are much easier to follow. I continue to enjoy Spice & Wolf and look forward to the next volume in the series a great deal.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 4

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

The fourth volume of Isuna Hasekura's Spice & Wolf light novel series, illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura, was originally published in Japan in 2006, about a year after the author won the Dengeki Novel Silver Prize for the first volume. Yen Press released the English edition of the fourth volume, translated once again by Paul Starr, in 2011. I enjoyed the first two volumes well enough, but it was the third volume that convinced me that I had made the correct choice in pursuing the series. It's a light fantasy, focusing more on day-to-day life and economics rather than grand quests and high magic, although there is a little of that mixed in, too. But what really makes Spice & Wolf work for me are the two endearing leads: Lawrence, a traveling merchant, and his companion by chance Holo, a wolf spirit revered as a harvest goddess. Since I particularly enjoyed the third volume, I was looking forward to reading the fourth.

Following the trail of information that they discovered in Kumersun, Lawrence and Holo continue the search for her home in the north, Yoitsu. They have learned of an abbey near Tereo that is said to collect pagan stories. Although it sounds strange for the Church to be involved in something like that, they hope to find out more about what happened to Yoitsu while Holo was away for centuries. On their way to Tereo, Lawrence and Holo pass through the larger city of Enberch, unwittingly setting themselves up as scapegoats for someone else's schemes. The relations between Enberch and Tereo are strained and it won't take much for the situation to turn volatile. Unaware of this at the time, Lawrence and Holo continue on to Tereo, quickly realizing their trip was more dangerous than they bargained for.

While the Church has always been a prominent element of the world-building of Spice & Wolf, it is of particular importance in the fourth volume. Holo and Lawrence must deliberately seek out the abbey for more information even though it is much safer for them to avoid the Church entirely, Holo being the wolf spirit that she is. The Church is a powerful economic force, which makes it a powerful political force as well. For a largely pagan town like Tereo, this is very problematic and one of the reasons that Lawrence and Holo are treated with such suspicion. They are outsiders to begin with, but their interest in the abbey is particularly unwelcome. Tereo stands to lose a lot if the Church becomes involved in its affairs and so the less attention the town draws the better.

The relationship between Holo and Lawrence remains my favorite part of Spice & Wolf. In the third volume, Lawrence had to confront just how important Holo had become to him in such a short period of time. In the fourth volume, it is clear that the two of them have grown even closer and are more comfortable with each other. There is still plenty of good natured bantering and teasing, and Lawrence still embarrasses very easily (which I find adorable), but he has also gotten to the point where he can more readily read Holo's moods and wishes. Life as a traveling merchant is extremely lonely, and Lawrence and Holo's experiences in Tereo show just how dangerous it can be to be alone. They've both come to value each others companionship a tremendous amount. As a reader, I'm happy to watch their relationship continue to develop and deepen.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 3

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

I have been pleasantly surprised by Isuna Hasekura's Spice & Wolf light novel series. I read the first two books and enjoyed them much more than I expected I would, so it made sense for me to continue with the series and pick up the third volume. Spice & Wolf, Volume 3 was initially published in Japan in 2006 before being released in English by Yen Press in 2010. Once again, Paul Starr has provided the novel's translation and the original illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura, including several color pages, have been retained. Although I wasn't blown away by the first two books I did become quite fond of the two main characters, Lawrence and Holo, and their developing relationship. Even the economic theories that play such an important role in the books haven't managed to scare me off; I was genuinely looking forward to reading the third volume.

After narrowly escaping bankruptcy in Ruvenheigen, Lawrence turns his attention to fulfilling his contract with Holo, the wolf and harvest goddess travelling with him in human form. He has promised Holo to accompany her to her homeland of Yoitsu. Lawrence has heard stories that suggest the place has been destroyed, but he hasn't been able to bring himself to tell Holo that yet. Heading north, the general direction in which Yoitsu lies, the two of them stop in Kumersun in order to take in the winter festival and allow Lawrence the opportunity to research Yoitsu further. He hopes to narrow down its actual location and to discover evidence against its destruction. Unfortunately, finding Yoitsu is not the only thing he has to worry about--a precocious young merchant has fallen in love at first sight with Holo and will do all that he can to win her affection, even if that means ruining Lawrence in the process.

As I have already mentioned, one of my favorite things about the Spice & Wolf light novels is Lawrence and Holo's relationship with each other. And largely because of that, the third volume is probably my favorite book in the series so far because it focus on that relationship. I've always enjoyed their constant bantering and teasing, but in volume three Lawrence is forced to carefully consider how much Holo has come to mean to him and what his feelings towards her actually are. However, I will admit that it was initially disconcerting to see him refer to her as cargo several times. Ultimately though, taken in context, I decided this was more endearing than offensive. Lawrence can be a very awkward man, is easily embarrassed, and is a merchant through and through, meaning the way he expresses himself is not always particularly romantic or even polite. What is important though is that he cares tremendously for Holo and her well-being.

Not surprisingly, economics are still critical to Spice & Wolf even though the third volume tends to focus more on  the story's worldbuilding and Lawrence and Holo's relationship. Lawrence may not be literally fighting for his life this time around, but he is still obviously under a tremendous amount of stress and strain. The supernatural elements of the story are also still there but this time are downplayed in favor of the more realistic aspects of the world. I'm not sure if it's because Hasekura's writing has improved or if it's because Starr's translation has gotten better, but I found Spice & Wolf, Volume 3 to be much easier to follow than the previous volumes, both economically and otherwise. Although new readers might miss out on some of the complexities of Holo and Lawrence's relationship, the series can easily be picked up with the third volume without too much trouble.  I very much enjoyed Spice & Wolf, Volume 3 and seeing as the series continues to improve, I'll definitely be reading the next volume as well.

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 2

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

The second volume of Isuna Hasekura's Spice & Wolf light novel series was published in Japan in 2006, four months after the first volume. English readers had to wait a little longer--the second book was released in June 2010, six months after the series' English premiere. Once again, the English translation was executed by Paul Starr and the original illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura are retained, including a few color pages. I read the first award-winning volume of Spice & Wolf a few months after its initial release in December 2009 and while I wouldn't say I was blown away by the book, I did enjoy it as a lighter read and very much liked the characters of Kraft Lawrence and Holo the Wisewolf. In fact, I liked it well enough to want to read the second volume of the somewhat unusual series; I was interested in seeing what other hapless adventures Hasekura had in store for the traveling merchant and his cunning companion.

The second volume of Spice & Wolf picks up a few weeks after Lawrence first met Holo, almost immediately after where the first light novel ends. Lawrence is traveling with Holo to Poloson after a fiasco involving the purity of silver, having somehow come out ahead financially if a bit battered physically. His cargo is a single sack of pepper, a valuable commodity on which he expects to turn quite a profit and come closer to realizing his dream of owning his own trade shop in a town and permanently settling down. It seems that traveling with a harvest goddess has its benefits, even if she does spend a lot of his money on food. But when a business deal goes horribly wrong, Lawrence faces his worst nightmare--bankruptcy. Desperate and with nothing to lose, he devises a dangerous plan with Holo's aid to save himself. Even if he succeeds and comes out of this situation alive, it's still not going to be easy.

One of my favorite things about the Spice & Wolf series remains its characters. Lawrence isn't some exaggerated hero, he's just a regular guy. In fact, he's often the one who needs rescuing by Holo. And while he is softhearted, much to the delight and dismay of Holo, he is also a merchant and money and profit are usually at the forefront of his mind. Lawrence is not perfect--he can get greedy, and he makes mistakes and poor decisions. Except for her wolf tail and ears, Holo looks and acts much like a mature fifteen-year-old girl. Frequently however, her knowledge and experience earned over centuries shines through. Her loneliness, too, is readily apparent, just as is Lawrence's. Their growing attachment to one another is understandable and I love their constant teasing and banter. Poor Lawrence is usually the one on the losing end though; even a successful merchant is no match for a Wisewolf in most cases. He really does put up with a lot.

I think the second volume of Spice & Wolf is even stronger than the first novel. Dialogue is still heavily used to move the story along, which can actually be quite effective although occasionally there's a jump or a turn in a conversation that I don't quite follow. However, I also didn't find myself glazing over at some of the heavier economically involved details like I did during the previous book. I will admit that I wasn't entirely convinced by certain elements of the smuggling scheme, but I was completely convinced of Lawrence's desperation and willingness to try anything that might work no matter how unlikely. He and others were thrust into a life or death situation and I felt that. I really am enjoying this series and look forward to reading the third volume when it is released. Who would have thought a story about economics could be so absorbing and entertaining?

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Spice & Wolf, Volume 1

~written by Isuna Hasekura
~illustrated by Jyuu Ayakura
~translated by Paul Starr

In 2005, Isuna Hasekura won the silver Dengeki Novel Prize, one of the most prominent awards given to light novels, for his debut novel Spice & Wolf. The book was subsequently published the following year with illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura. Spice & Wolf was generally well received--in Japan there are currently fifteen volumes and counting of the light novel series released and the story has been adapted into a manga series, an Internet radio show, an anime series, and at least one visual novel. Yen Press has licensed both the manga and the light novels for English publication. I don't remember where I first heard about Spice & Wolf but the original light novel recently made its way into my hands.

Kraft Lawrence is twenty-five years old. He set out on his own as a traveling merchant seven years ago after working as an apprentice for six years. He's fairly successful but still hasn't been able to save enough to fulfill his dream of owning a permanently located shop of his own. The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one; moving around from place to place is more conducive to developing good business acquaintances than any sort of true friends. But Lawrence's life is bound to get a little less lonely and a lot more interesting when he discovers a girl with wolf ears and tail sleeping in the back of his wagon who turns out to be the incarnation of a local harvest god. Holo, suffering from loneliness herself, convinces Lawrence to allow her to travel with him and promises to increase his profits in return. It is a dangerous proposition, Holo could easily be mistaken for a demon by the Church and the two of them burned at the stake, but it's a calculated risk that Lawrence is willing to take.

Spice & Wolf shows how interesting and cutthroat economics can be. Actually, I probably didn't pay attention to the economics as much as I should have, especially considering how integral it is to Lawrence's character as a traveling merchant and to the plot of Spice & Wolf as a whole. I really enjoyed the characters of Holo and Lawrence--he is charming and she is delightfully mischievous and their interactions and teasing are utterly adorable. I can't say that I was surprised that the two of them ended up so attached to one another--I pretty much expected it to happen from the very beginning--but it does make me happy to see them together. I also really enjoyed Ayakura's illustrations and character designs. The artwork isn't particularly flashy, but it is sold and captures the feel of the characters nicely.

Paul Starr's translation of Spice & Wolf is serviceable although occasionally awkward. Overall though, it is pretty good. Sometimes it seems as though important information and details have been left out, especially during sequences with heavy action, but I think this may have been the case in the original Japanese as well. As common with many light novels, Spice & Wolf is driven more by dialogue than it is by description. It's a fairly straight-forward and uncomplicated story but the book is an enjoyable, light read. However, Lawrence and Holo do seem oddly omniscient of each other's thoughts and feelings; I can understand a harvest god having this ability, but it seems strange to me that Lawrence, an ordinary human, should be so sensitive. Regardless, I'm looking forward to picking up the next volume of Spice & Wolf and continuing their adventures, economic and otherwise.

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