Survivors

The Deer King #1

by Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano (Translator), Masaaki Yamamoto (Artist)

Van, a former soldier made slave, toils away endlessly in a salt mine. An expected chance at liberation drops in his lap when a pack of infected dogs pass through, killing everyone but him and a young girl called Yuna. Van hopes to make a peaceful life for himself now that he’s escaped. However, the disease that cleared out the mine is rapidly spreading, placing him and his ward at the center of a conflict greater than any the world has ever seen.

Genres: Fantasy, Japan

368 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Nahoko Uehashi is the author of ten books in the Moribito series, which have sold more than a million copies and won many major literary awards in her native Japan. An associate professor at a Japanese university, she has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and studies indigenous peoples in Australia. She lives near Tokyo, Japan.

Reviews

[... · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25* In this fantasy series that revolves around diseases, medicine, ecosystems, and colonialism, Nahoko Uehashi does not disappoint (and neither does the translator, Cathy Hirano, for that matter). Those who read The Beast Player should have some idea what to expect from the author. Can't wait to read the second volume.

I confess I've grown particularly attached to one of the protagonists, Hohsalle - and can you blame me? Yen Press, please publish 鹿の王 水底の橋（鹿の王、＃３） aka the volume about him! (Please pester Yen Press about it :')

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the imprint fool you - this isn't really a light novel. It's a fantasy musing on colonialism, germ and vaccine theories, and what we owe the land.

[Ryofire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really complex and interesting first novel in a neat series about the spread of disease, colonization, war, integration, generational trauma, revenge, and cultural exchange, among others. The cast is expansive and full of people with interesting backstories and things to bring up, and the different clans and factions are all neat to learn about. Unfortunately, though, while I think the English translation reads well (and have no idea how accurate it is to the original Japanese), if I didn't like the movie adaptation so much, I'd have dropped this quite fast, and I certainly wouldn't be continuing it, because it's just kind of boring.

Uehashi creates a beautifully complex fantasy world of interconnected peoples in a way that feels real, and the way she describes how they engage with and affect each other is really fascinating. The way she also describes how less technologically advanced peoples might deal with disease is also really fascinating. In a way this gave me Nausicaa (the manga) vibes about people who became so advanced that their own hubris allegedly destroyed them, and now the surviving population must deal with the results, and that's not a criticism. It's fun to see that narrative in the hands of another writer.

My favorite character continues to be Hohsalle, who has a sort of trickster energy to him in the novel he doesn't have as much of in the movie. He's a bit impish and playful around Makokan, and it's a delight to see. The way he tries to be fair about looking at different situations is also really fun, and I always love fantasy stories that star doctors who aren't assholes. Makokan is a fascinating character in his own right, with a developed backstory I look forward to exploring more in volume 2, and his relationship with Hohsalle is a lot of fun.

Van is also very interesting, in his sort of "I know how to do most things" personality, and how he doesn't back off from doing a lot of things a lot of other fantasy novels would silo off to be women's work or something. He's less compelling as a protagonist and I honestly found his sections with Yuna kind of boring, but the discussion of the world-building in his parts were really neat.

While the movie was definitely a very cut-down version of the dense narrative we get here (many groups were erased entirely from the plot, including most of Hohsalle, Makokan, and Sae's backstories, not to mention a large chunk of the cast), it's still far more appealing, and offsets the heavy world-building with good visuals. The story just sort of drags as you learn a whole lot of world-building, and outside Hohsalle, while the character backstories are interesting in their own way, there's no one who really has his charisma (there are plenty of likable characters, but they're drowning in exposition, whereas Hohsalle is almost immediately likable), whereas the movie takes those bits of character and gives them some nice light. I think it would have been fun if this book had gotten the Moribito treatment, but then again, maybe I wouldn't have liked it as much. Still, if you like the movie, give the movie (and the manga) a shot! They're decent additions if you can stand how much was cut to make them.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are numerous threads here, plots and subplots, which in this book at least have not gone anywhere concrete, which make it feel unfinished as a book, not just as the beginning of a series. Of course the story is not going to be complete in the first installment. Despite having only a few perspectives, it can seem too long between their parts so that a tense action scene has all of its tension eliminated for being cut in half and split across a quarter of the book while an entirely different thing is happening in a different place. In a few places there are time skips without any signification which were a bit confusing.

I like going on a deep dive into the spread of the disease. I am intrigued by the concept of priest-healers, which are obvious upon reflection. Why would priests not be involved in matters of mortality? Yet, when priests are allowed in there, they might prioritize the religious part over the medicinal part, leading to problems. IRL there are people who refuse various treatments for religious reasons, and there have been cases in the state where I live of children dying due to parents' refusal to give them medicine. We saw with COVID how adamantly many Americans refused vaccination and plenty of people died as a result. What would happen with a worse, more lethal disease in a population that refuses to take medicine for religious reasons? I enjoyed the frustration of the doctors encountering such stubbornness, and please note I have absolutely no respect for "faith" in itself. If it kills people, shut up and accept medicine. There is more room for that conflict to grow in further volumes.

We only got a brief glimpse of the things happening with Van and Yuna, and presumably others. This especially felt underdeveloped, just a hint of something, a big climactic event and then absolutely nothing for the rest of the book. Very strange choice.

The political situation was at times confusing. The king and governor were often referred to, but only rarely as king or governor of something. How do they compare in terms of authority and powers? Do they do separate things, or do their domains overlap? They are rivals in some way, but it is not clear how or why. With the third group in the same land there is even more confusion.

In short, there are good things here with some unusual choices and some lack of clarity in the details.

[Sasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my "Judge a Book by Its Cover" pick for r/fantasy 2024 Bingo challenge and what is seemingly a brilliant start to a new series.

[Arabic thoughts to follow]

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To me personally, Uehashi Nahoko is an automatic buy kind of author to me. And therefore, I don't read the synopsis of her books, nor do I care because more often than not, they will be enjoyable to read for me.

Which in turn, made The Deer King a perfect choice for this book after the disappointment of the original pick.

My main attraction to her style of writing, or stories in general is her world building. Being an anthropology professor promises a possibility of a focus on culture, legends, mythology if there is any, gender roles, different kingdoms, different orders / organizations or history in general of the world I'm going to be engaged in for the entirety of this story.

And she doesn't disappoint.

I got to see a focus on racism, country or tribe specific cultures, learn about how they make a living, learn about herding, get a glance at the different creatures in this world and learn about the different mindsets of the supposed healers of this world. Moreover, I also got to see some supernatural elements, found families, second chances, learn about their flora and fauna and also investigate the pandemic with them.

At first, I thought that COVID-19 spurred the writing of this one, but given that the original released was in 2014, followed by a second released in 2017, put those thoughts to rest. While making it all the more interesting to see some of the characters try to get to the bottom of the potential pandemic and how to also potentially create a cure for it.

This in turn showcased a huge conflict between the two orders of healers in this world and the differences between their thoughts, with one point of view trying to work to the best of their ability despite this pushback.

But that's not the only point of view, or plot line the book/series has.

There is a desperate cry for second chances and a normal life and seeing how the characters in that point of view were trying was just as interesting because of the showcase on culture, herding and how different tribes do different things.

The plot lines don't interact in this book outside of the brief beginning, which I personally was surprised by, but definitely don't dislike given what I was able to see because of it.

And to that end, this is what this book talks about, these two aspects and the slow progress in learning / seeing more of them. Which to me, was pretty fun and got me to immediately pick up the second volume to wrap up the story.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book and had that feeling of "Well what do I do with my life now?" I was not ready to leave this world nor the characters, so I'll be eagerly awaiting the translation of volume 2.

As with other works by Nahoko Uehashi, one of the major themes is found family. This book also deals with themes of colonialism, disease, medicine, and survival. Uehashi's background in anthropology really shines through here, and lends such a unique voice. Its clear that being an anthropologist informs what is important for her to convey in her world building. And that is for all the better, as her worlds feel rather real, despite the fact that sometimes I do wish she'd go into more descriptive detail about the people in it.

Uehashi strikes a tantalizing balance between the slow and exciting parts of the story. The sort of slice-of-life segments of this book are so beautiful I don't want to leave, until she finally gifts us with an exciting action scene in which the fantasy elements are thrust to the forefront once again.

Truly I loved this one. I only deduct one star because I felt that the balance between POVs was off to me -- that is to say, I felt we spent too much time with a certain POV when the main POV could have used more "screen time."

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the premise, I expected this book to be more adventurous. The author has a doctorate in cultural anthropology and history, and the content of this book certainly reflects her fields of interest. Too much of the book focused on exposition for my liking. The explanations regarding medical theories (especially relating to vaccination and disease) quickly became repetitive. If, like me, you have already taken several classes in medicine, all of this will probably be all too familiar to you. For me, the weakest part of this story was the plot (there was too little of it). The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I don't feel compelled to read the next book.

Despite all of that, there were still parts of this book I found enjoyable. The characters are likeable and the father-daughter relationship between Van and Yuna is quite cute. The character interactions in this book are generally wholesome. The environmental descriptions do an excellent job of painting a picture. Although I said I didn't enjoy the excessive amounts of exposition, some of the information was interesting. I hope this book finds it's audience, but it's not for me.

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nahoko Uehashi’s fantasy epic The Deer King is the story of two characters who have found themselves caught in an ongoing conflict fought on two fronts – an imperial war for conquest, and the spread of a mysterious disease.

The story works best when it focuses on its primary viewpoint character, a middle-aged warrior named Van who lost his homeland in battle and escaped from slavery after having rescued a small girl named Yuna. Van is a careful observer of the world around him, and his perspective allows the reader the appreciate the details of the lush natural environment while learning about the cultures of the people who live on the borders of the empire.

Unfortunately, the story becomes borderline incomprehensible when it shifts to the secondary viewpoint character, a young and brilliant physician named Hohsalle who seeks to combat a deadly disease spread by phantasmic black wolves. What could have been an interesting medical drama is instead little more than a series of exposition dumps filled with decontextualized fantasy words, and the poor pacing of these sections renders the novel difficult to follow.

What I’d strongly recommend is for anyone interested in the premise of The Deer King to check out the animated cinematic adaptation, a breathtakingly beautiful film that’s easily on par with Princess Mononoke in terms of the quality of its art, animation, and scriptwriting.

[Daniel Simmich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the title of the book fool you, the main character isn’t Van but instead is the burgeoning disease. Uehashi’s anthropology expertise is perhaps most apparent in this book series, and I for one love it

[Audrey S · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg i love this book so much - Uehashi never lets me down

what an amazing way to finish the 2023 reading year <3

[Carleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the art and plot very cute

[amax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format read: Kindle
Reading time: A couple of months (it was on hiatus for way too long)
Tags: translation, trauma, friendship, found family, medicine, disease narrative, ecocriticism, colonialism, adventure
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 7/10

Review:

As he watched the birds that would soon make for his home, he thought, Tell the mountains and streams of my homeland that I'm here and somehow surviving.

Nahoko Uehashi's The Deer King, Vol. 1 (novel): Survivors series is highly acclaimed in Japan, and with good reason. This book tackles questions of colonialism, slavery, disease, dying earth scenarios, and much more. The book alternates between two points of view: Van, the Lone Antler, and Hohsalle, the genius doctor. Book 1 tells us their separate yet interconnected stories, but the two never meet.

Van belongs to a mountain tribe, but was kidnapped by the Zolian Empire as a prisoner of war and enslaved to work in mines. One day, a pack of wolf-like creatures attack the prisoners, spreading a terrible illness in their wake. Van finds himself the sole survivor of the attacks in the mines and thus a target for both the Zolians and the young doctor who seeks a cure for the illness.

Hohsalle, on the other hand, is the grandson of a famous Otawalle doctor and of royal lineage and, as the head of the clinic himself, Hohsalle is called to work on numerous difficult cases, including the Black Wolf Fever that plagues the land. Hohsalle wishes to catch up to Van so that he can create a serum from his blood to treat other afflicted, but Van wants nothing to do with anyone other than his tribesmen and his adopted daughter, the orphaned and fellow disease-survivor Yuna.

While a whole host of characters fill the pages, the narrative really focuses on Van and Hohsalle's quests. Everything in book 1 is meant to drive them closer to one another through their shared desire to understand and defeat the unforgiving wolf plague.

I preferred Hohsalle's chapters because his were the more political and scientific ones compared to Van's slice-of-life adventures in the forest. I think Van's narrative picked up towards the last quarter of the book when his condition developed into something less tangible and more fantastical/metaphysical. I'm very curious to see what this disease-caused transformation means, and how Van will develop as a character now that his human consciousness is tied to the earth's life.

Overall, I will definitely keep reading and see where the narrative goes. I'm waiting to read more before I watch the animated film adaptation, but I'm very excited to see all the characters on screen.

[CatSidhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a translated Japanese novel whose atmosphere reminded me a lot of Studio Ghibli movies, in particular Princess Mononoke.

The protagonist is a former guerilla leader called Broken Antler Van who was enslaved in a salt mine after being captured by the invading empire he was fighting. But then a mysterious disease kills everyone in the mine except him and a little girl, allowing him to run away and try to live an anonymous normal life with his new adopted daughter.

However, neither the people who created that disease for use as a bacteriological weapon against the empire or the well-meaning doctors trying to find a cure against it are going to allow him to retire in peace. And there is something odd with the disease itself, which may have a mind of its own.

I loved that one for its likeable characters, interesting worldbuilding, and complex politics where no one was exactly the bad guys.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uehashi's world building and storytelling are smart and inviting and nuanced!