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狼と香辛料 [Ookami to Koushinryou] (Novel) #10
Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10
After the turmoil in Kerube, Lawrence and his companions make for the Kingdom of Winfiel across the sea. Their destination is the great abbey of Brondel, said to hold the wolf bones they seek. Arriving in the kingdom, they hear tell that the abbey, normally prosperous due to its great wool trade, has fallen into a financial crisis. Worse, the most powerful economic force in the world-the Ruvik Alliance-is entering the kingdom with its eye upon the abbey's land holdings...
280 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2009
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562 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 6, 2017
We finally get to see where this whole character development is going!
September 20, 2017
Not sure why I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others up to this point. It could be because I just finished Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb, and she writes with a strong sense of immersion and viewpoint, something Japanese light novel authors tend to lack in my experience. Really, though, I've been reading this series for the interactions between Lawrence and Holo almost solely. The economic plot, though sometimes fun, aren't something I'd have ever started reading this series for in particular, and I think the interactions between Lawrence and Holo in this volume were quite good, there just wasn't very many, and so the economic plot took center stage for most of the pages, and I suppose I was a bit bored by that.
That being said, Holo and Lawrence have a pretty good moment in this book in which their relationship takes on more depth which I liked quite a bit.
That being said, Holo and Lawrence have a pretty good moment in this book in which their relationship takes on more depth which I liked quite a bit.
December 7, 2018
I had a rough time getting into this book, but I don't know why.
Maybe it was the fact that the story is so slow going and round about, or maybe it is the general feel of the series.
I do like the writing style - although there were a lot of mistakes in this book. Like there was a new translator that didn't know the language quite as well, but I don't think there was (Can't be bothered to check right now). I find it easy to read and mostly with a good flow, even if it so often talk about things that can bee seen as heavy - like economy and politics in a made up world.
It may be the story, as said, as I feel there isn't much other than trading happening, one way or another, and I will admit that the reason I started reading this series in the first place was Holo. I want her to have more screen time!
So yeah, that may be it as well. This trend I've seen in the last few books of Holo staying behind and Lawrence and Col to go around doing the stuff needs doing.
So yeah. Not the best book in this series, but I am looking forward to reading the next one, if only because it is a collection of shorts and that makes it an easy read if I've ever seen one!
Maybe it was the fact that the story is so slow going and round about, or maybe it is the general feel of the series.
I do like the writing style - although there were a lot of mistakes in this book. Like there was a new translator that didn't know the language quite as well, but I don't think there was (Can't be bothered to check right now). I find it easy to read and mostly with a good flow, even if it so often talk about things that can bee seen as heavy - like economy and politics in a made up world.
It may be the story, as said, as I feel there isn't much other than trading happening, one way or another, and I will admit that the reason I started reading this series in the first place was Holo. I want her to have more screen time!
So yeah, that may be it as well. This trend I've seen in the last few books of Holo staying behind and Lawrence and Col to go around doing the stuff needs doing.
So yeah. Not the best book in this series, but I am looking forward to reading the next one, if only because it is a collection of shorts and that makes it an easy read if I've ever seen one!
June 16, 2018
I'm so glad Isuna decided to make Cole a passive character, I shouldn't have disliked him so, but his presence still means Lawrence won't get any action in the bedroom.
January 31, 2022
This is a return to form for the series. The Town of Strife two-parter was disappointing, and the first Side Colors was unusual (but definitely enjoyable!), and now we return to the good stuff. Here we have another economic problem for our two leads to puzzle out, and they puzzle it out themselves. In Town of Strife, they were oddly disconnected, like passive side-characters who didn't know what was truly going on. Here they are properly active.
Also, more supernatural stuff. The old gods are involved in this problem that the Kingdom of Winfel is experiencing. And not only that, but it relates to Holo's homeland issue. She and Lawrence basically know where Yoitsu is by now, but this story approaches the subject from a different angle. It's very interesting.
What we have here in this story is a three-way confrontation between Brondel Abbey, a very large landowner in Winfel as well as the chief producer of its biggest export, the king of Winfiel, and the Ruvik Alliance, which is a basically a conglomeration of trading companies. To give the reader a sense of the scale of this alliance of merchants, just one of its middle-managers, never mind its top rank, is equivalent to or greater than the head of the guild that Lawrence belongs to. Lawrence, Holo and Cole enter this confrontation seeking tales of wolf god bones. What I find most interesting is how the trio goes about doing this.
Their plan is to use human connections. One cannot simply walk up to a Christian abbey and ask them if they're storing the bones of a pagan deity. That's not going to work. So they learn about the local situation and find someone who can assist them in discerning if the wolf god bones are real and present. Their two main resources here are Piaksy, a merchant working for the Ruvik Alliance, and Huskins, a very old shepherd working for the abbey. However much they want to confirm the truth of the wolf god bones, neither Lawrence nor Holo want to use the force of a living wolf god.
That is what their relationship is like at this point. They recognize how much the other means to them, but that recognition is implicit. It is not enough for them to stay together at this point. Lawrence feels that he needs to be of use to Holo in order to continue traveling with her. He is a merchant with a merchant's mindset, and so his narration is about providing for her. There is one powerful and sweet scene where he confides in Cole about how he enjoys being the one she relies on (Holo is, of course, eavesdropping, and arranged for the scene to take place, and Lawrence only realizes these two facts after the embarrassing words have left his mouth).
It is scenes like these that make the series so enjoyable. It is never just about the economic puzzle of the book, or about finding Yoitsu or interacting with the mythic or real presence of the old gods. It is a blend of those things with aspects of Lawrence and Holo's relationship. Piasky, for instance, is held up as a foil of Lawrence as a good man and a merchant, but better. Simultaneously, Lawrence feels admiration for Piasky and a certain anxiety because he feels that Piasky is an "objectively better" choice for Holo. Who, for her part, is indirect at best about her unending loyal to Lawrence. Then this comparison blends with something else.
I'm looking forward to the next volume.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Spice and Wolf volume 10" an A+
Also, more supernatural stuff. The old gods are involved in this problem that the Kingdom of Winfel is experiencing. And not only that, but it relates to Holo's homeland issue. She and Lawrence basically know where Yoitsu is by now, but this story approaches the subject from a different angle. It's very interesting.
What we have here in this story is a three-way confrontation between Brondel Abbey, a very large landowner in Winfel as well as the chief producer of its biggest export, the king of Winfiel, and the Ruvik Alliance, which is a basically a conglomeration of trading companies. To give the reader a sense of the scale of this alliance of merchants, just one of its middle-managers, never mind its top rank, is equivalent to or greater than the head of the guild that Lawrence belongs to. Lawrence, Holo and Cole enter this confrontation seeking tales of wolf god bones. What I find most interesting is how the trio goes about doing this.
Their plan is to use human connections. One cannot simply walk up to a Christian abbey and ask them if they're storing the bones of a pagan deity. That's not going to work. So they learn about the local situation and find someone who can assist them in discerning if the wolf god bones are real and present. Their two main resources here are Piaksy, a merchant working for the Ruvik Alliance, and Huskins, a very old shepherd working for the abbey. However much they want to confirm the truth of the wolf god bones, neither Lawrence nor Holo want to use the force of a living wolf god.
That is what their relationship is like at this point. They recognize how much the other means to them, but that recognition is implicit. It is not enough for them to stay together at this point. Lawrence feels that he needs to be of use to Holo in order to continue traveling with her. He is a merchant with a merchant's mindset, and so his narration is about providing for her. There is one powerful and sweet scene where he confides in Cole about how he enjoys being the one she relies on (Holo is, of course, eavesdropping, and arranged for the scene to take place, and Lawrence only realizes these two facts after the embarrassing words have left his mouth).
It is scenes like these that make the series so enjoyable. It is never just about the economic puzzle of the book, or about finding Yoitsu or interacting with the mythic or real presence of the old gods. It is a blend of those things with aspects of Lawrence and Holo's relationship. Piasky, for instance, is held up as a foil of Lawrence as a good man and a merchant, but better. Simultaneously, Lawrence feels admiration for Piasky and a certain anxiety because he feels that Piasky is an "objectively better" choice for Holo. Who, for her part, is indirect at best about her unending loyal to Lawrence. Then this comparison blends with something else.
I'm looking forward to the next volume.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Spice and Wolf volume 10" an A+
December 27, 2020
Another great installment to the Spice & Wolf series! The conflict in this one was more subtle than the others, so the stakes weren't extremely high for Lawrence & co.. Even so, I always enjoy reading the trademark bantering between Lawrence and Holo, and now Col also. This volume itself wasn't quite as amazing as the others due to the main plot being a detour of sorts from the main story, yet the themes introduced truly provide integral setup for what may come to pass in future volumes and in the lives of our beloved merchant and wolf-goddess duo.
August 4, 2019
Para variar um pouco, uma Light Novel. Desta vez acompanhamos as aventuras de Lawrence, Holo e o seu novo companheiro Col numa nova cidade, uma ilha no Norte profundo deste mundo. Procuram os ossos que poderão ter pertencido a alguém da alcateia de Holo e, assim, dar uma nova pista na descoberta da aldeia de Yoitsu.
O ponto que para mim teve mais interesse neste volume foi a aparição de um outro deus desconhecido, um deus pagão que é uma ovelha. Esta personagem irá ajudar a nossa equipa a chegar a novas conclusões e a resolver problemas económicos com a igreja local. A descrição desta criatura é muito interessante e curiosa e deixa-nos água na boca para descobrirmos mais e mais sobre estes antigos deuses.
De resto, temos mais uma aventura económica com Lawrence, sendo que Holo é mais uma vez remetida ao silêncio a maior parte do tempo. Também não há grandes desenvolvimentos na sua relação, mas consideremos que ainda faltam muitos volumes para terminar esta história.
Foi um volume satisfatório que me deixou com vontade de ler mais e mais.
O ponto que para mim teve mais interesse neste volume foi a aparição de um outro deus desconhecido, um deus pagão que é uma ovelha. Esta personagem irá ajudar a nossa equipa a chegar a novas conclusões e a resolver problemas económicos com a igreja local. A descrição desta criatura é muito interessante e curiosa e deixa-nos água na boca para descobrirmos mais e mais sobre estes antigos deuses.
De resto, temos mais uma aventura económica com Lawrence, sendo que Holo é mais uma vez remetida ao silêncio a maior parte do tempo. Também não há grandes desenvolvimentos na sua relação, mas consideremos que ainda faltam muitos volumes para terminar esta história.
Foi um volume satisfatório que me deixou com vontade de ler mais e mais.
August 18, 2017
Probably one of the best entries in the series so far. We get a bit of Holo's true feelings about her homeland. Lawrence is Lawrence, but he is showing some growth. I did feel the conclusion was a bit rushed to keep it under 300 pages.
The merchant challenge this time involves the Church, a Merchant Alliance and the King... as usual, Lawrence is considerably out of his depths.
The shepherd Huskins is a really great secondary character and his story is really interesting and unexpected.
The ending has a massive hint at something big coming up in next volumes. Not really a cliff hanger, more like a game changer that the reader doesn't get told what it is.
The merchant challenge this time involves the Church, a Merchant Alliance and the King... as usual, Lawrence is considerably out of his depths.
The shepherd Huskins is a really great secondary character and his story is really interesting and unexpected.
The ending has a massive hint at something big coming up in next volumes. Not really a cliff hanger, more like a game changer that the reader doesn't get told what it is.
August 19, 2022
This installment was a return to form from the first few volumes: there's economic goings on, intimate moments galore, and some supernatural moments in surprising places. It's everything that I love about this series out in full force. And it ends with a foreboding sense that the future is going to be tumultuous for our lovelies.
September 9, 2024
The plot of each volume could be summarised in a sentence and yet keeps me hooked to the point that I always finish these in one sitting (OK, they are pretty short).
Love the verbal sparring, dying to know what it's like in the original but I don't think I'll ever learn Japanese to the level of understanding subtle dialogue.
Love the verbal sparring, dying to know what it's like in the original but I don't think I'll ever learn Japanese to the level of understanding subtle dialogue.
July 23, 2017
One of the best volumes in the series. Kept my attention throughout.
March 11, 2018
Isuna Hasekura never fails to reignite and fuel my inner flame of buying low and selling high.
August 22, 2021
This one had a beautifully magical ring to it. Magnificent.
April 14, 2025
Good volume, the start is a little slow and I'm not a fan of the story resolution being In the epilouge, but I like how Holo and Lawrence are getting more flirty.
May 31, 2024
Read my review here:
https://fantasticfictions.com/spice-w...
https://fantasticfictions.com/spice-w...
March 18, 2014
In Summary
The economics aspect has been lacking in this series’ last few volumes, but it returns with our trio’s journey to Winfiel, a kingdom whose trade policies have caused the value of its currency to plummet. Add in a medieval-type conglomerate, a couple of uncharacteristically vulnerable moments on the part of both Holo and Lawrence, and an encounter with a supernatural sheep, and we have a truly engaging installment of Spice and Wolf.
The Review
Lawrence and Holo have made some detours on their journey to Yoitsu, but now they head entirely in the opposite direction, leaving the mainland to journey west across the sea to Winfiel. However, they’ve reason enough to go so far out of their way; according to Eve, the wolf bones they’ve heard rumors of are at the island kingdom’s great Abbey of Brondel. They go hoping to forge a way into the abbey using letters from Eve and Kieman. What they find is a stalemate between the local church authorities and the Ruvik Alliance, an economic force so powerful it makes the players in Kerube look like gnats.
Although the Rubik Alliance is larger than anything yet encountered in the series (with the exception of the Church), the source of tension is much easier to understand than the Kerube crisis. The root of the problem is a national trade imbalance. Simply put, the kingdom of Winfiel has been importing more than it is exporting, and Hasekura-sensei injects a bit of the economic bent that has been lacking from the series as of late. But after a brief lesson on the effects of a devalued currency, we launch into the consequences: a religious institution on the brink of financial ruin and a foreign conglomerate itching to gobble up the assets. Unlike the crises in Kerube and Lenos, this is a dilemma that truly has nothing to do with Holo and Lawrence, one they can easily walk away from. The only reason they get involved has nothing to do with money and everything to do with sentiment.
It’s been a while since Lawrence and Holo encountered another creature akin to Holo. What makes the great sheep of Brondel really interesting is that he is senior to Holo. Generally speaking, Holo’s the oldest and wisest person around, thus she always gets the last word. So it’s fun to see someone talking down to her. In addition, he is in a sense a glimpse into Holo’s future. While she is unsure whether her homeland still exists, the sheep lost his home centuries ago to the Moon-Hunting Bear and has had to create a new home and means of survival. It hasn’t been an easy path, and readers will hardly blame Holo for losing control when she learns how the sheep’s altered his diet.
The great sheep also calls out Lawrence and Holo’s relationship for what it is, which is nice because Holo is always so quick to belittle her traveling companion. Lawrence, for his part, is unusually candid about his feelings in this volume. Once it’s because of alcohol, and the second time is because conversing with the much younger Col forces him to be more direct with his speech than he normally is. In any case, these scenes are likely to delight Holo/Lawrence fans.
Sadly, there’s one moment between our odd couple that Hasekura-sensei makes as maddeningly vague as Lawrence’s parting scene with Eve in the previous volume. Perhaps he is leaving those details up to his readers’ imagination, but there are several other scenes, such as Lawrence’s conversation with Piasky, where dialogue tags and descriptions are sorely lacking. It’s unclear whether that failing is inherent in the original text or a translation shortcoming, but I also caught a number of typos including a misspelling of Lag Piasky’s name in an illustration caption.
This light novel includes the title page, three two-page spreads, and the table of contents printed in color as well as eight black-and-white illustrations, and a world map.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
The economics aspect has been lacking in this series’ last few volumes, but it returns with our trio’s journey to Winfiel, a kingdom whose trade policies have caused the value of its currency to plummet. Add in a medieval-type conglomerate, a couple of uncharacteristically vulnerable moments on the part of both Holo and Lawrence, and an encounter with a supernatural sheep, and we have a truly engaging installment of Spice and Wolf.
The Review
Lawrence and Holo have made some detours on their journey to Yoitsu, but now they head entirely in the opposite direction, leaving the mainland to journey west across the sea to Winfiel. However, they’ve reason enough to go so far out of their way; according to Eve, the wolf bones they’ve heard rumors of are at the island kingdom’s great Abbey of Brondel. They go hoping to forge a way into the abbey using letters from Eve and Kieman. What they find is a stalemate between the local church authorities and the Ruvik Alliance, an economic force so powerful it makes the players in Kerube look like gnats.
Although the Rubik Alliance is larger than anything yet encountered in the series (with the exception of the Church), the source of tension is much easier to understand than the Kerube crisis. The root of the problem is a national trade imbalance. Simply put, the kingdom of Winfiel has been importing more than it is exporting, and Hasekura-sensei injects a bit of the economic bent that has been lacking from the series as of late. But after a brief lesson on the effects of a devalued currency, we launch into the consequences: a religious institution on the brink of financial ruin and a foreign conglomerate itching to gobble up the assets. Unlike the crises in Kerube and Lenos, this is a dilemma that truly has nothing to do with Holo and Lawrence, one they can easily walk away from. The only reason they get involved has nothing to do with money and everything to do with sentiment.
It’s been a while since Lawrence and Holo encountered another creature akin to Holo. What makes the great sheep of Brondel really interesting is that he is senior to Holo. Generally speaking, Holo’s the oldest and wisest person around, thus she always gets the last word. So it’s fun to see someone talking down to her. In addition, he is in a sense a glimpse into Holo’s future. While she is unsure whether her homeland still exists, the sheep lost his home centuries ago to the Moon-Hunting Bear and has had to create a new home and means of survival. It hasn’t been an easy path, and readers will hardly blame Holo for losing control when she learns how the sheep’s altered his diet.
The great sheep also calls out Lawrence and Holo’s relationship for what it is, which is nice because Holo is always so quick to belittle her traveling companion. Lawrence, for his part, is unusually candid about his feelings in this volume. Once it’s because of alcohol, and the second time is because conversing with the much younger Col forces him to be more direct with his speech than he normally is. In any case, these scenes are likely to delight Holo/Lawrence fans.
Sadly, there’s one moment between our odd couple that Hasekura-sensei makes as maddeningly vague as Lawrence’s parting scene with Eve in the previous volume. Perhaps he is leaving those details up to his readers’ imagination, but there are several other scenes, such as Lawrence’s conversation with Piasky, where dialogue tags and descriptions are sorely lacking. It’s unclear whether that failing is inherent in the original text or a translation shortcoming, but I also caught a number of typos including a misspelling of Lag Piasky’s name in an illustration caption.
This light novel includes the title page, three two-page spreads, and the table of contents printed in color as well as eight black-and-white illustrations, and a world map.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
Lawrence, Col, and Holo travel via sea to find the wolf bones, only to find themselves in another situation that could lead to trouble. But they also feel obligated to help. Good book.
April 28, 2014
Spice and wolf is personally one of my favorite animes. Since I have watched the whole anime, I decided to read the novel. I started with this book since the first book wasn't available. But, I thought I would get the story well. Well, I was wrong. There is a new character I never saw before. Col is such a sweet character that seems to play very well with Lawrence and Holo. Overall, I enjoyed reading this in a new aspect. I recognized some parts of this story but it was fairly new to me. Its a charming, suspenseful novel. Being a merchant had a lot of stress to it. I thought this book was quite cute and had advances with Lawrence and has partners. I didn't dislike anything from reading this novel. Sometimes it could be plain but it can't always be exciting. Its a laid back book and can be considered as a romantic book at times. At least that's how I consider it.
December 4, 2014
At this book's halfway point, I was truly frustrated, thinking that the 10th volume of Spice and Wolf was nothing more than another stack of "will they, or won't they?" sitcom nonsense. However, not long after the point when I almost tossed my book across the room, this book had a major turn around. Without a doubt, this is one of the most pivotal volumes of the series so far, dealing seriously with the world's religious politics, mythology, and economic culture. The interpersonal relationships may not do a great deal of shifting until the annoyingly vague epilogue, and even then, it's nothing romantic, but if you're trying to streamline the series, this is not a volume to skip. The slow first chunk of the book is hiding an excellent second half that takes full advantage of having nine previous volumes of setup.
December 13, 2015
First of all, I'd like to say that I believe that the cover of this novel is the best cover in the entire series (based on the 16 volumes that I currently own). It probably has to do with the fact that my favorite season is winter, but I digress. Now, onto the actual story. What was truly exciting about this story is that in this one, Lawrence has a very huge role in this novel. I think he has an even larger role than in the previous novel. The entire problem is solved by him without having to rely on Holo for help (only encouragement). This is also why I really liked this novel, because you get to see the growth of Lawrence that really wasn't present in the other volumes except for maybe volume 4 .
May 26, 2015
The economic part of the entire series was lacking until now. Spice and wolf is about a trader and a wolf. The trader in the past books showed the economic stand point of him and others. In this light novel, the group travels to Winfiel, a kingdom whose trade policies have caused the value of its currency to plummet. Small interesting parts do show up, but as the light novel continues they meet a supernatural sheep, which is no surprise with all the other mystical beast roaming the spice and wolf world. Anyway, this was a good light novel that focused more of what made the spice in "Spice and Wolf".
August 14, 2019
Gave this a 4 as the setup does drag a bit. While the story does include some economic elements, like the last few volumes they are much toned down compared the the initial volumes and the main resolution is a much political (at the small level) as economic. However, while the development is slow, coming from the later volumes it is important in understanding the series conclusion. We also see Holo and Lawrence open a bit more up in their banter, although those hoping for more direct romantic aspects are going to be disappointed.
December 27, 2013
Very enjoyable. Holo and Lawrence's banter continues to be very good, and the plot was sufficiently interesting, although the climax was perhaps not as exciting as in other books in the series.
March 24, 2014
Good story, but the author focused too much on the build-up and put the conclusion in the epilogue.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews