Fuyumi Ono (小野 不由美, Ono Fuyumi) is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing the Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記, Juuni Kokuki) series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is Fuyumi Uchida (内田不由美, Uchida Fuyumi), but she writes under her maiden name.
Ono was born in Nakatsu, Ōita, Kyūshū in 1960. She graduated from Ōtani University in Kyōto with a degree in Buddhist Studies, and in 1988 was employed by the publisher Kōdansha. Her debut story is titled Sleepless on Birthday Eve.
Ono is married to Naoyuki Uchida (内田直行, Uchida Naoyuki), a mystery novelist who writes under the pseudonym Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻行人 , Ayatsuji Yukito).
Before she started work on Twelve Kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono wrote The Demonic Child (魔性の子), a horror novel about a boy from another world. She later worked certain events from this novel into the Twelve Kingdoms series. Short stories set in the various kingdoms include: Kasho, Toei, Shokan, Kizan and Jogetsu. In February, 2008, the first new Twelve Kingdoms short story, Hisho no Tori (丕緒の鳥) was published in Shinchosha's Yomyom magazine.
According to an interview at the Anime News Network, she is "currently rewriting a girls' horror series (she) wrote long ago."
Four short stories which take place in Fuyumi Ono's fictional 'ancient China lookalike' Twelve Kingdoms fantasy world.
All of the stories are narrated by ordinary people from different Kingdoms, from the view points of servants, low-ranking official and scholars etc. It helps us to get the closer look at the different ways of life in different Kingdoms. The author also sewed many realistic and delicate details into her story telling to enrich the world building. Although the anti-war, environmentalism and humanism messages are a bit heavy-handed, still I am satisfied with this short stories collection.
Twelve kingdoms series started in 1991 and this book, the latest was published in 2013. And yes! The new one(actually 4books!) is coming this fall(October and November,2019) I’m a big fan of this fantasy series so really can’t wait. So excited.
What a fascinating read. Four short stories centered around topics most people wouldn't give a second glance at, and yet extremely engaging.
Story 4: Starting with this one because it's the weakest, but probably because it felt too short. It's about a teen losing everyone in her life and ending up working at the manor of a man (plus three assistants) that work studying weather patterns to create almanacs for farmers. Weird, very intense at times, lovely characters.
Story 1: A man lost his passion about designing and making skeets for an archery event. He has to find new meaning in his art. It's beautiful and moving, you can feel his grief and understand the limit of his soul he's arrived at.
Story 2: A three way debate in between a judge and two ministers trying to do what's best for the kingdom, while the kingdom is begging them to make the wrong choice to placate their feelings of injustice and sorrow. It's a bit repetitive, but it serves to enhace the frustration of the protagonists and pull you into the debate with them.
Story 3: A plague starts affecting some trees in a way that raises the value of their wood, so neither the people nor the government feel the need to do anything about it. Only three men see how catastrophic this will be for the ecosystem as a whole long term, so they're racing to find a cure and make the newly crowned emperor care about it. I expected this story to have a happy ending, but it still made me hold my breath all throughout. Passionate characters and great use of the worldbuilding.
All in all, amazing. I loved this book. The situations it presented where so very specific, and yet easy to connect to.
More than epic tales of emperors and queens or heroic tales of generals, this was the kind of book that moved my heart. A story of everyday people just trying to do their best and live their life to the utmost.
- Hisho no Tori was about a low rank minister whose job is to make skeet (clay bird used for archery target) for ritual archery performance. A man who desperately wished to convey the suffering of his heart and the people to his sovereign. How I wish I could watch it in animation, it would've been a mesmerizing sight!
- Rakushou no Goku debated about the merits and demerits of death penalty from the perspective of judicial ministers. A heavy dialogue but one that everyone should give a thought into.
- Seijou no Ran was about a forest conservation minister trying to save beech trees from a mysterious disease. Strange as it may sound but this tales of saving trees actually brought tears to my eyes.
- Fuushin shocked me with the brutality inflicted upon commoners by the whim of a ruler. How a person can cope with such tragedy and still make the most of their life, it was such a beautifully heartrending story.