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狼と香辛料 [Ookami to Koushinryou] (Novel) #17
狼と香辛料 XVII Epilogue
ホロとロレンスの旅、感動の結末とは──
シリーズついに最終巻が登場！
『太陽の金貨』 事件から数年。元羊飼いのノーラと女商人エーブは、ホロからの手紙を手に、北へと向かっていた。旅の途中、錬金術師ディアナも同じ馬車に乗り込んできて──。
果たしてホロとロレンスは、幸せであり続ける物語を紡ぐことが出来たのか？ 第16巻の後日譚を描く、ファン必読の書き下ろし中編のほか、電撃文庫MAGAZINEに掲載された短編3編も収録。
剣も魔法も登場しないファンタジーとして多くの読者に愛された賢狼と行商人の旅の物語が、今巻でついに完結！ 二人の旅の結末を、ぜひその目で見届けて下さい。
シリーズついに最終巻が登場！
『太陽の金貨』 事件から数年。元羊飼いのノーラと女商人エーブは、ホロからの手紙を手に、北へと向かっていた。旅の途中、錬金術師ディアナも同じ馬車に乗り込んできて──。
果たしてホロとロレンスは、幸せであり続ける物語を紡ぐことが出来たのか？ 第16巻の後日譚を描く、ファン必読の書き下ろし中編のほか、電撃文庫MAGAZINEに掲載された短編3編も収録。
剣も魔法も登場しないファンタジーとして多くの読者に愛された賢狼と行商人の旅の物語が、今巻でついに完結！ 二人の旅の結末を、ぜひその目で見届けて下さい。
280 pages, 文庫
First published July 10, 2011
26 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 29, 2024
I have officially completed all books from main story!!!!!!! All 17 of them! I'm soo glad I picked it up randomly.
Spice&Wolf is not you average anime trope. It is in the fantasy genre but you won't ever see ANYTHING supernatural in the story other than the beings that are Great animals taking the form of humans.
That's it. No magic, no witch, no sacred op items. Nothing! Instead, the story focuses more on economy.
You heard right. The principles of economy is the main theme and is consistent throughout the whole series as Craft Lawrence explains how the world of money and trade works to the Proud Wisewolf of Yoitsu,- Holo.
I fell in love with the characters in the first episode. Especially Holo. Loved the way she talks, moves, tease and reason. Love the way Lawrence and Holo interact.
Holo is no damsel in distress and it shows every now and then in the story. She is quite capable of taking care of herself. But being several centuries old, she despises loneliness. As she and Lawrence journeys in search of her homeland, Yoitsu, they come across numerous adventures in economy. The slow development of romance was lovely.
I first found it as the anime, the old one. Loved it so much I had to pick up the books. Since I watched the anime, as a bonus I got to see all expressions of Holo as she spams her slang "Tawake!" which I find waaay superior to "Baka" in general. Oh and Lawrence's VA was Lelouch so it was kinda cool.
Main story has 17 books. Out of which 4 books contain side stories which are soo cute to read. Pardon me for using the word cute, but these really are. Specially the book which has a story from the POV of Holo and what goes through her mind was lovely.
It definitely has a happy ending. The author started extended series called "Spring Log", and " Wolf&Parchment". I'll be reading them coz one CANNOT get enough of the realistic but cute arguments of Lawrence and Holo.
I love when an author writes a fiction based on the subject they actually studied. Another great example would be "Moribito" series where the author studied anthropology I guess.
Please give it a read.
Spice&Wolf is not you average anime trope. It is in the fantasy genre but you won't ever see ANYTHING supernatural in the story other than the beings that are Great animals taking the form of humans.
That's it. No magic, no witch, no sacred op items. Nothing! Instead, the story focuses more on economy.
You heard right. The principles of economy is the main theme and is consistent throughout the whole series as Craft Lawrence explains how the world of money and trade works to the Proud Wisewolf of Yoitsu,- Holo.
I fell in love with the characters in the first episode. Especially Holo. Loved the way she talks, moves, tease and reason. Love the way Lawrence and Holo interact.
Holo is no damsel in distress and it shows every now and then in the story. She is quite capable of taking care of herself. But being several centuries old, she despises loneliness. As she and Lawrence journeys in search of her homeland, Yoitsu, they come across numerous adventures in economy. The slow development of romance was lovely.
I first found it as the anime, the old one. Loved it so much I had to pick up the books. Since I watched the anime, as a bonus I got to see all expressions of Holo as she spams her slang "Tawake!" which I find waaay superior to "Baka" in general. Oh and Lawrence's VA was Lelouch so it was kinda cool.
Main story has 17 books. Out of which 4 books contain side stories which are soo cute to read. Pardon me for using the word cute, but these really are. Specially the book which has a story from the POV of Holo and what goes through her mind was lovely.
It definitely has a happy ending. The author started extended series called "Spring Log", and " Wolf&Parchment". I'll be reading them coz one CANNOT get enough of the realistic but cute arguments of Lawrence and Holo.
I love when an author writes a fiction based on the subject they actually studied. Another great example would be "Moribito" series where the author studied anthropology I guess.
Please give it a read.
June 11, 2019
If this book had only been the epilogue part, it would have gotten a 4/5 stars, for even as I found Enek's story to be poorly written, the rest of it was really interesting and just the everyday kind of life I like seeing in an epilogue.
But, this wasn't it. There were 3 more short stories in this book, each of them varying in quality and interest.
Without further ado, here's each of their reviews:
Epilogue, part 1:
I had trouble keeping up with this one. It felt really messy and kind of forced from the author's side. That said, I had the same trouble with the last story told by Enek.
Feels wrong to rate it, though, as it feels more like a chapter in a still unfinished book
Epilogue, part 2
This one was not hard to understand at all and I felt like I flew through it. It had both the feel of the first few books and the maturity of the latter.
All in all, I really liked it, and am so happy for it to have turned out the way it did!
5/5
Short 1: Traveling Merchanr and Gray Knight
A story saying a lot about the world and humanity, but it wasn't all that interesting and the writing was so wordy and messy!
Far from the best story Hasekura has ever told, I'm sorry to say
2/5
Short 2: Gray Smiling face and Wolf
This story was told from Col's POV, which was refreshing. Usually, there's always these ''could it be?'' ''Did it really mean?'' thoughts, telling us something is wrong but not always giving us enough info to guess what it is ourself. That wasn't the case here. Col was as clueless as I - even more so - which was refreshing.
Not to mention the style was easy to read
4/5
Short 3: White Path and Wolf
An interesting story. There wasn't all that much plot, but it held my consentration either way.
3/5
But, this wasn't it. There were 3 more short stories in this book, each of them varying in quality and interest.
Without further ado, here's each of their reviews:
Epilogue, part 1:
I had trouble keeping up with this one. It felt really messy and kind of forced from the author's side. That said, I had the same trouble with the last story told by Enek.
Feels wrong to rate it, though, as it feels more like a chapter in a still unfinished book
Epilogue, part 2
This one was not hard to understand at all and I felt like I flew through it. It had both the feel of the first few books and the maturity of the latter.
All in all, I really liked it, and am so happy for it to have turned out the way it did!
5/5
Short 1: Traveling Merchanr and Gray Knight
A story saying a lot about the world and humanity, but it wasn't all that interesting and the writing was so wordy and messy!
Far from the best story Hasekura has ever told, I'm sorry to say
2/5
Short 2: Gray Smiling face and Wolf
This story was told from Col's POV, which was refreshing. Usually, there's always these ''could it be?'' ''Did it really mean?'' thoughts, telling us something is wrong but not always giving us enough info to guess what it is ourself. That wasn't the case here. Col was as clueless as I - even more so - which was refreshing.
Not to mention the style was easy to read
4/5
Short 3: White Path and Wolf
An interesting story. There wasn't all that much plot, but it held my consentration either way.
3/5
August 20, 2015
Last book of the series, so I'll rate it on the whole.
Wonderful story that concentrates more on the interaction between the two main characters. Filled with great dialogue and tense situations. The way these two characters work together is executed beautifully giving the characters a real sense of personality that does not seem fictional, but real and relatable.
Also as to the romance in the book, its all soft. To the point of abstinence. So not until past volume 16 is there any real "action".
Highly recommended for anybody looking for a dialogue driven narrative with great characters. Plus Holo is awesome. And the length of 17 light novels is going to go by fast.
Wonderful story that concentrates more on the interaction between the two main characters. Filled with great dialogue and tense situations. The way these two characters work together is executed beautifully giving the characters a real sense of personality that does not seem fictional, but real and relatable.
Also as to the romance in the book, its all soft. To the point of abstinence. So not until past volume 16 is there any real "action".
Highly recommended for anybody looking for a dialogue driven narrative with great characters. Plus Holo is awesome. And the length of 17 light novels is going to go by fast.
January 15, 2014
Finally finished the series, and found it thoroughly adorable. A lot of what I appreciated most about the early books didn't flow through towards the end books (namely: reasonable human perspective and participation in economic story-problems).
Nonetheless, the characters and dialog shine, and help smooth over any disappointments I have.
Nonetheless, the characters and dialog shine, and help smooth over any disappointments I have.
January 22, 2022
The actual 'Epilogue' is pretty good and wraps up the series nicely. The rest of the stories in this collection aren't bad, but kind of fall flat since they come after what everyone comes to the volume for. Maybe the anthology would have flowed better if the Epilogue was at the end of the collection rather than the being the second story?
August 30, 2021
The most wonderful start to the short stories that finish their story together. Book 15 was a perfect finish for the series, but these short stories give the series a beautiful send off and I can't wait to read them all.
April 26, 2016
A perfect end to a great story. Read it. I can guarantee that if you like Spice & Wolf this end to the series will leave you satisfied.
February 10, 2021
The read of my lifetime. The main story ends here. For all of my existence, I'll never forget what joy I experienced, from the day I found S&W. Literal perfection in my teary eyes.
October 29, 2023
This series was really bad. The author writes a lot of fluff and nothing happens. The structure of each volume is the same: we go into a village, sometimes we listen to these characters dialogue incoherently between the authors dense monologues. This is the first 80% of the book. Then the last chapter is a time-skip where something happens off-screen and the book ends.
This author sometimes would like a more complex story, so he writes one of these in 2 books. In this case, it’s the same except both books are fluff except for the final chapter in the second book.
Despite being implied that this is about Holo the wise wolf, there almost no content about Holo. We never learn more of her background and character even after 17 volumes. The advertised theme of economics and commerce is barely present as well. If it is, it is impressive how unintelligible it is.
If any person would like to read this series, I would suggest the first 4 volumes and then
you can skip directly to the epilogue chapter in book 17. This would introduce to you most of the characters in the epilogue and will get the most out of this series with a reasonable investment.
Now I am going to show everyone how I read the story. But it is better than it actually is because I think what I wrote is more concise.
Merchant is driving on a road. There is a girl on it. The girl has brown hair and you will never find this girl anywhere because she has a plump brown tail that will make all Nobel women become envious. Yes, this person is holo and she is a wise wolf…
“Give me an apple”, says Holo, “for I am hungry”.
Lawrence sighed because he has no money but holo is trying to trick him and she knows what he is thing. He must be a fool. Suddenly he looks at holo and she is laughing.
“You are a foolish male”, she is implying but she does not say it.
Lawrence says “one apple is better that a pear on a spoon as many wise men had said”. He knows holo cannot be fooled by such simple words so he must work his brain.
Simply, this unusual pair is not a sight you may see everyday, for one of them is the wise wolf that can live very long and she has lost many and gained many in return. And once she has lived within the wheat.
“I am a wise wolf” said Holo, “I can not afford to lose my pride”
Her fair tail is always very honest and one can observe that it is moving very quickly.
“You can not lie to me, for your tail is more honest than your mouth”, Lawrence retorted.
Suddenly Lawrence felt a pain in his foot because holo has firmly planted her foot onto his. Lawrence signed despondently. The wise wolf that has lived inside the wheat is not fooled easily, and Lawrence had fell into the trap like a salmon swimming in a waterfall.
“You catch your prey at the bottom of the waterfall”, she said.
Lawrence is like the fish swimming down a waterfall, unknowing that there is a bucket trap at the bottom of it, and this trap is one set up by the wise wolf holo.
This author sometimes would like a more complex story, so he writes one of these in 2 books. In this case, it’s the same except both books are fluff except for the final chapter in the second book.
Despite being implied that this is about Holo the wise wolf, there almost no content about Holo. We never learn more of her background and character even after 17 volumes. The advertised theme of economics and commerce is barely present as well. If it is, it is impressive how unintelligible it is.
If any person would like to read this series, I would suggest the first 4 volumes and then
you can skip directly to the epilogue chapter in book 17. This would introduce to you most of the characters in the epilogue and will get the most out of this series with a reasonable investment.
Now I am going to show everyone how I read the story. But it is better than it actually is because I think what I wrote is more concise.
Merchant is driving on a road. There is a girl on it. The girl has brown hair and you will never find this girl anywhere because she has a plump brown tail that will make all Nobel women become envious. Yes, this person is holo and she is a wise wolf…
“Give me an apple”, says Holo, “for I am hungry”.
Lawrence sighed because he has no money but holo is trying to trick him and she knows what he is thing. He must be a fool. Suddenly he looks at holo and she is laughing.
“You are a foolish male”, she is implying but she does not say it.
Lawrence says “one apple is better that a pear on a spoon as many wise men had said”. He knows holo cannot be fooled by such simple words so he must work his brain.
Simply, this unusual pair is not a sight you may see everyday, for one of them is the wise wolf that can live very long and she has lost many and gained many in return. And once she has lived within the wheat.
“I am a wise wolf” said Holo, “I can not afford to lose my pride”
Her fair tail is always very honest and one can observe that it is moving very quickly.
“You can not lie to me, for your tail is more honest than your mouth”, Lawrence retorted.
Suddenly Lawrence felt a pain in his foot because holo has firmly planted her foot onto his. Lawrence signed despondently. The wise wolf that has lived inside the wheat is not fooled easily, and Lawrence had fell into the trap like a salmon swimming in a waterfall.
“You catch your prey at the bottom of the waterfall”, she said.
Lawrence is like the fish swimming down a waterfall, unknowing that there is a bucket trap at the bottom of it, and this trap is one set up by the wise wolf holo.
Read
September 23, 2022My only regret I never got to read this series when it first came out. Because I know there's a sequel series, Wolf and Parchment, and six more volumes to go for this series. My eyes would be cascading tears, because this truly was a great culmination of the series up to this point. We're given five stories in total, the last three being slice-of-life that focused on the misadventures of the cast.
The first two stories bring the reader six years into the future after the events of volume sixteen. We see the companions, specifically the ladies and women, Lawrence and Holo met journeying together to the North to celebrate the grand opening of Lawrence's shop. They start off hesitant and reserved but quickly become close as they share stories and experiences and feelings about the couple. It becomes a reflection on how they, being from different walks of life, are linked and were aided by the two.
The second of the two sees Lawrence and Holo living their daily lives in the Northern town Nyohirra. You can tell that in those years their bond has grown stronger, but continue to keep their acerbic playful banter alive and strong. They've learned to accept that time changes all, the world doesn't stop. Instead of petrifying before death, they choose to celebrate life together.
And speaking of celebrating life...Holo straight up dropped the "I'm pregnant" bomb right in front of their gathered friends! I shouted from my cubicle but didn't care when coworkers asked me if I was okay. Again, I knew it was coming, because the sequels are already out, but it didn't diminish the feelings of joy and happiness.
This series is invoked themes of time and change, how life is both brilliant and painful. That even if you fear change, it's better to meet head-on, even if you're a fool. And if you're lucky, with someone who loves the fool all the same.
The first two stories bring the reader six years into the future after the events of volume sixteen. We see the companions, specifically the ladies and women, Lawrence and Holo met journeying together to the North to celebrate the grand opening of Lawrence's shop. They start off hesitant and reserved but quickly become close as they share stories and experiences and feelings about the couple. It becomes a reflection on how they, being from different walks of life, are linked and were aided by the two.
The second of the two sees Lawrence and Holo living their daily lives in the Northern town Nyohirra. You can tell that in those years their bond has grown stronger, but continue to keep their acerbic playful banter alive and strong. They've learned to accept that time changes all, the world doesn't stop. Instead of petrifying before death, they choose to celebrate life together.
And speaking of celebrating life...Holo straight up dropped the "I'm pregnant" bomb right in front of their gathered friends! I shouted from my cubicle but didn't care when coworkers asked me if I was okay. Again, I knew it was coming, because the sequels are already out, but it didn't diminish the feelings of joy and happiness.
This series is invoked themes of time and change, how life is both brilliant and painful. That even if you fear change, it's better to meet head-on, even if you're a fool. And if you're lucky, with someone who loves the fool all the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2019
[Edited] The conclusion you deserve if you were a bit naughty, not the one you probably wanted.
After the conclusion at the end of volume 16, many fans (including myself) were certainly sad to the see the story wrap up, especially given the light volume format which meant there wasn't much room for anything after the rather emotional final passages.
Volume 17 starts with essentially as short novella taking up about half the volume which details events a few years later. While it is full of some touching interactions, I have to say it feels like the ending was written first and then the rest of the story was forced to fit into it. A number of odd choices are made by Isuna Hasekura in telling this story. Starting from the POV of a dog is the first (although a bit forgivable). However, in particular Lawrence comes across as denser than lead by the end which took a bit of the enjoyment out of it for me - after all the previous growth up through volume 16 would seem like he'd learn better. Additionally, the events and the interactions fairly directly contract the ending of volume 16 with no real explanation as to why... In a since, it feels like in the afterword when Isuna Hasekura writes that he really had written all he wanted to, that he was talking about volume 16 and that perhaps the events in the epilogue were simply tacked on either out of a conctractual issue or due to feeling something was owed to the fans
The remainder of the short stories present a reasonably nice recap although some of them do focus a bit excessively again on the issues around mortality and some may find some of them a bit depressing (particularly the very last one, I really wish the order was a bit changed). Overall I still enjoyed seeing a bit more of Lawrence and Holo, but when thinking about the events further I really do wish the epilogue was either left out or written differently.
After the conclusion at the end of volume 16, many fans (including myself) were certainly sad to the see the story wrap up, especially given the light volume format which meant there wasn't much room for anything after the rather emotional final passages.
Volume 17 starts with essentially as short novella taking up about half the volume which details events a few years later. While it is full of some touching interactions, I have to say it feels like the ending was written first and then the rest of the story was forced to fit into it. A number of odd choices are made by Isuna Hasekura in telling this story. Starting from the POV of a dog is the first (although a bit forgivable). However, in particular Lawrence comes across as denser than lead by the end which took a bit of the enjoyment out of it for me - after all the previous growth up through volume 16 would seem like he'd learn better. Additionally, the events and the interactions fairly directly contract the ending of volume 16 with no real explanation as to why... In a since, it feels like in the afterword when Isuna Hasekura writes that he really had written all he wanted to, that he was talking about volume 16 and that perhaps the events in the epilogue were simply tacked on either out of a conctractual issue or due to feeling something was owed to the fans
The remainder of the short stories present a reasonably nice recap although some of them do focus a bit excessively again on the issues around mortality and some may find some of them a bit depressing (particularly the very last one, I really wish the order was a bit changed). Overall I still enjoyed seeing a bit more of Lawrence and Holo, but when thinking about the events further I really do wish the epilogue was either left out or written differently.
April 20, 2018
So after a volume 16 that was meant to be the final book but didn't feel like a conclusion, the writer decided to do volume 17 with an 100 page epilogue and 2 minor side stories with some metaphors about endings.
To be honest, the 100 page epilogue could have easily been reduced to 30/40 pages and added as extra chapter on volume 16. However, a writer has to make a living I guess.
Anyway, it was a good ending... not great, but solid. For me, this is the true ending of my Spice & Wolf journey. The numerous side stories included in this saga always felt very poor compared to the real thing... so I will be skipping the Spring Log volumes because they are collections of side stories meant to celebrate the 10 years of Spice & Wolf and act as an intro to Wolf & Parchment (which should be more of the same but more religious centric I hear).
This series should have been cut down to 12 great light novels... It would have made for a better experience.
To be honest, the 100 page epilogue could have easily been reduced to 30/40 pages and added as extra chapter on volume 16. However, a writer has to make a living I guess.
Anyway, it was a good ending... not great, but solid. For me, this is the true ending of my Spice & Wolf journey. The numerous side stories included in this saga always felt very poor compared to the real thing... so I will be skipping the Spring Log volumes because they are collections of side stories meant to celebrate the 10 years of Spice & Wolf and act as an intro to Wolf & Parchment (which should be more of the same but more religious centric I hear).
This series should have been cut down to 12 great light novels... It would have made for a better experience.
August 6, 2018
Finally finished with the series I'm going to be sad to see it go. Thankfully I have one more short story collection to read. This particular volume got a bit of a bump in stat rating because of just how much I loved this series, Lawrence and Holo have such amazing chemistry and banter I can't get enough and watching their relationship and feelings for each other grow over these 17 books has been wonderful. I wish there was a little bit more to the epilogue but overall I'm happy with how everything turned out.
April 16, 2021
Finally!!!
The epilogue takes about half of this volume, it was quite good.
Then there's three short stories, didn't find them very interesting (the one from Cole's POV is the better one I guess).
Aaand after them there's a little extra, that was a nice surprise.
There's the spring logs left, but I don't think I'll be reading those, so this is the end for me. Glad I got to see it through!
The epilogue takes about half of this volume, it was quite good.
Then there's three short stories, didn't find them very interesting (the one from Cole's POV is the better one I guess).
Aaand after them there's a little extra, that was a nice surprise.
There's the spring logs left, but I don't think I'll be reading those, so this is the end for me. Glad I got to see it through!
November 6, 2017
Wonderful volume! I had mixed feelings about finishing such a fine series and having cared
for the characters so deeply. Then lo and behold another volume (XVIII) appears! I just received
it and eagerly await meeting old friends and even some new ones. :-)
for the characters so deeply. Then lo and behold another volume (XVIII) appears! I just received
it and eagerly await meeting old friends and even some new ones. :-)
October 22, 2017
OOO, Scooooooooooooooooore.
November 19, 2018
This is so amazing, the bun is in the oven. I'm so glad it's never a disappointment.
October 15, 2019
This was a decent epilogue. By far and away my favorite bit was the last story, with Col realizing that Holo and Lawrence just communicate in weird ways. Worth a read if you've gotten this far.
June 20, 2016
In Summary
If the romantic tension between Holo and Lawrence was what kept you reading Spice and Wolf, you’ll definitely want to pick up the last volume. It includes three side stories set during Holo and Lawrence’s travels together, but the main feature is Holo and Lawrence five years later. There is a business aspect to the epilogue, but by and large, it’s an illustration of what a happy ending between a merchant and wisewolf looks like.
The Review
I was somewhat surprised that the Coin of the Sun arc did not include an epilogue. Once Holo and Lawrence vow to live life together, the curtain closes without a hint of what that life looks like. As it turns out, this is because Hasekura-sensei needed more than a slim chapter to describe Holo and Lawrence’s post-journey life. Thus, we have Spice and Wolf Volume 17: Epilogue.
The series epilogue totals about one hundred pages split into two parts. The first, “Intermission,” is told from the perspective of Norah’s trusty dog Enek. Five years after Holo and Lawrence’s journey, Holo invites five of the women they encountered to the north for a celebration. Although Eve, Norah, Diana, Fran, and Elsa eventually wind up traveling in the same carriage, “Intermission” focuses predominantly on conversations between Norah, Eve, and Diana. The main topic of discussion is the couple that summoned them, and apparently, Holo’s not the only one to laugh at Lawrence’s expense. Female chatter aside, the chapter gives a detailed look at Norah’s life after the events of “The Shepherdess and The Black Knight.” Less information is provided on what happened to Eve following Kerube, but we still get a pretty good idea of her ever after.
The story then switches to Lawrence’s point of view for the second part, “Conclusion.” The events of the Coin of the Sun pretty much guaranteed him the means for his own business, and so we find him preparing for his grand opening. What is surprising is the location and type of business he’s going into. After all his talk of owning a shop, I’d thought he’d open a store in Lesko. Instead, he and Holo have settled in the hot springs town of Nyohhira to build an inn. As such, Lawrence continues to handle business matters but ones quite different from when he was a traveling merchant.
What hasn’t changed, however, is his inability to read Holo’s true intent. In fact, the women traveling to visit them seem to have a better grasp of what she’s plotting than Lawrence. Thus, we still have Laurence doing his utmost to please Holo but uncertain of what reaction he’ll get. One major shift, however, is that he now has the assurance that Holo will always be with him, which gives their relationship a sweet “married couple” feel despite the fact they are not officially wed. And even though “Conclusion” doesn’t include a wedding, the end is bound to delight Holo/Lawrence fans.
While the epilogue is too much to tack onto the end of a volume, it’s not quite enough to fill an entire book. As such, Hasekura-sensei wraps things up with three short stories. In ”Traveling Merchant and Gray Knight,” Holo remarks that Lawrence doesn’t speak much about his past, and that sets the stage for an anecdote about an eccentric, elderly knight Lawrence encountered well before Holo. “Gray Smiling Face and Wolf” tells of a profit-making scheme from Col’s perspective, and because Holo and Lawrence are more honest with the boy than they are with each other, it makes an interesting narrative. The final installment, “White Path and Wolf,” isn’t particularly exciting, but it does provide a quiet commentary on life and human existence, which makes a decent end to the closing volume of Spice and Wolf.
This light novel includes the first four pages of illustrations printed in color, world map, nine black-and-white illustrations, and afterward.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
If the romantic tension between Holo and Lawrence was what kept you reading Spice and Wolf, you’ll definitely want to pick up the last volume. It includes three side stories set during Holo and Lawrence’s travels together, but the main feature is Holo and Lawrence five years later. There is a business aspect to the epilogue, but by and large, it’s an illustration of what a happy ending between a merchant and wisewolf looks like.
The Review
I was somewhat surprised that the Coin of the Sun arc did not include an epilogue. Once Holo and Lawrence vow to live life together, the curtain closes without a hint of what that life looks like. As it turns out, this is because Hasekura-sensei needed more than a slim chapter to describe Holo and Lawrence’s post-journey life. Thus, we have Spice and Wolf Volume 17: Epilogue.
The series epilogue totals about one hundred pages split into two parts. The first, “Intermission,” is told from the perspective of Norah’s trusty dog Enek. Five years after Holo and Lawrence’s journey, Holo invites five of the women they encountered to the north for a celebration. Although Eve, Norah, Diana, Fran, and Elsa eventually wind up traveling in the same carriage, “Intermission” focuses predominantly on conversations between Norah, Eve, and Diana. The main topic of discussion is the couple that summoned them, and apparently, Holo’s not the only one to laugh at Lawrence’s expense. Female chatter aside, the chapter gives a detailed look at Norah’s life after the events of “The Shepherdess and The Black Knight.” Less information is provided on what happened to Eve following Kerube, but we still get a pretty good idea of her ever after.
The story then switches to Lawrence’s point of view for the second part, “Conclusion.” The events of the Coin of the Sun pretty much guaranteed him the means for his own business, and so we find him preparing for his grand opening. What is surprising is the location and type of business he’s going into. After all his talk of owning a shop, I’d thought he’d open a store in Lesko. Instead, he and Holo have settled in the hot springs town of Nyohhira to build an inn. As such, Lawrence continues to handle business matters but ones quite different from when he was a traveling merchant.
What hasn’t changed, however, is his inability to read Holo’s true intent. In fact, the women traveling to visit them seem to have a better grasp of what she’s plotting than Lawrence. Thus, we still have Laurence doing his utmost to please Holo but uncertain of what reaction he’ll get. One major shift, however, is that he now has the assurance that Holo will always be with him, which gives their relationship a sweet “married couple” feel despite the fact they are not officially wed. And even though “Conclusion” doesn’t include a wedding, the end is bound to delight Holo/Lawrence fans.
While the epilogue is too much to tack onto the end of a volume, it’s not quite enough to fill an entire book. As such, Hasekura-sensei wraps things up with three short stories. In ”Traveling Merchant and Gray Knight,” Holo remarks that Lawrence doesn’t speak much about his past, and that sets the stage for an anecdote about an eccentric, elderly knight Lawrence encountered well before Holo. “Gray Smiling Face and Wolf” tells of a profit-making scheme from Col’s perspective, and because Holo and Lawrence are more honest with the boy than they are with each other, it makes an interesting narrative. The final installment, “White Path and Wolf,” isn’t particularly exciting, but it does provide a quiet commentary on life and human existence, which makes a decent end to the closing volume of Spice and Wolf.
This light novel includes the first four pages of illustrations printed in color, world map, nine black-and-white illustrations, and afterward.
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2019
This offered a really satisfying and adorable conclusion to the series, though I look forward to the further shorts.
July 18, 2016
The final volume of Spice and Wolf. It has truly been a journey, watching both Lawrence and Holo grow together through their travels of Ploania. I believe that this short volume really does the series justice and gives it the nice, romantic ending that it deserves. In addition to the Epilogue, this volume also contains three more short stories including one from the perspective of Col.
Spoilers are incoming now.
If you managed to get this far into the series, then I’m sure that you will also enjoy this final volume.
Spoilers are incoming now.
If you managed to get this far into the series, then I’m sure that you will also enjoy this final volume.
April 26, 2015
5/5 - Rating for this book and for the series as a whole.
I decided on a whim to read the Spice and Wolf series after watching the anime with the same name. I had become invested in the Holo and Lawrence relationship and wanted to see it come to resolution. As a result, this light novel series turned into an unexpected gateway into the world of Japanese light novels for me
This an economics and romance story, not fast paced action thriller, but the plot is still engaging and interesting, particularly in the last half of the series.
I decided on a whim to read the Spice and Wolf series after watching the anime with the same name. I had become invested in the Holo and Lawrence relationship and wanted to see it come to resolution. As a result, this light novel series turned into an unexpected gateway into the world of Japanese light novels for me
This an economics and romance story, not fast paced action thriller, but the plot is still engaging and interesting, particularly in the last half of the series.
December 27, 2016
Reading this series has been quite a journey. I can't remember when I bought the first volume, but I have a Horo figurine on my bookshelf from when I visited Japan in 2009, so it's been a while. I loved the length of this story, and with so few light novel series being lucky enough for a translation, I'm thankful this work was deemed worthy.
Admittedly, the story has it flaws: the writing is a little clunky - either as a result of poor translation or the translator attempting to stay true to the original writing style - and it's fair to say there are very few genuinely exciting moments. However, what the Spice and Wolf series offers is the tale of two individuals (a travelling merchant and a wolf god in human form) and their relationship told through subtleties - even at the end I was unsure what was being implied and ended up deciding something for myself.
I'd also add, making it to the end has been quite a monetary investment. With 17 volumes at ~£10 you're spending £170 for this story. Is it worth that money? Hard to say. But I've enjoyed it and it helped that I didn't have to buy the books in one go!
Admittedly, the story has it flaws: the writing is a little clunky - either as a result of poor translation or the translator attempting to stay true to the original writing style - and it's fair to say there are very few genuinely exciting moments. However, what the Spice and Wolf series offers is the tale of two individuals (a travelling merchant and a wolf god in human form) and their relationship told through subtleties - even at the end I was unsure what was being implied and ended up deciding something for myself.
I'd also add, making it to the end has been quite a monetary investment. With 17 volumes at ~£10 you're spending £170 for this story. Is it worth that money? Hard to say. But I've enjoyed it and it helped that I didn't have to buy the books in one go!
April 22, 2016
Wonderful ending to a great series. It ends in a rather open-ended way, but in a way that feels correct. The epilogue lets you know what the future for Holo and Lawrence will be without specifying it in great detail. This leaves a lot to the imagination, but is still satsifying. The other short stories are interesting, and, while they don't have as strong of a connection to economics as earlier entries in the series, they are satisfying to read in their own right.
I've very much enjoyed the series, and would highly recommend it. The beginning of the series usually has very interesting economic connections, but the end focuses more on the characters (or at least, that's how I remember it). A fun read throughout.
I've very much enjoyed the series, and would highly recommend it. The beginning of the series usually has very interesting economic connections, but the end focuses more on the characters (or at least, that's how I remember it). A fun read throughout.
October 23, 2016
(Read/reviewed 13-17 as a lump.) In the end, I think I finally saw what was supposed to be going on with the Holo-Lawrence relationship, after fifteen volumes of grating annoyance. Coupled with a frequent tendency of the writing to cross from subtle to deliberately obtuse, spending several paragraphs not explaining things, this was occasionally a slog. The final intrigue of volumes 14 and 15 was up to the standards of the earlier novels, and the resolution satisfied without being trite. The world constructed along the way fascinated me, too.
October 21, 2025
This marks the end of the main story, so I'm writing my review for the entire series on this entry.
Honestly, I find it hard to rate this series. It's consistently good, but I very rarely got hooked by it. It's the kind of series I would pick back up whenever I didn't know what to read next, but wanted to read something, which explains why it took me 4 years and a half to read all of it. With that said, I would probably give it a 7.5.
Honestly, I find it hard to rate this series. It's consistently good, but I very rarely got hooked by it. It's the kind of series I would pick back up whenever I didn't know what to read next, but wanted to read something, which explains why it took me 4 years and a half to read all of it. With that said, I would probably give it a 7.5.
May 8, 2018
One of the most charming series of books I have ever read. I'm so happy this was translated all the way to the end, now they just need to animate the rest.
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