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銀河英雄伝説 [Ginga eiyū densetsu] #4
Stratagem
In the thirty-sixth century, humanity has conquered the galaxy and colonized countless star systems. The Galactic Empire, modeled along Prussian lines, and the democratic Free Planets Alliance are at war, and the fate of every human being in the universe
In the thirty-sixth century humanity has conquered the galaxy and colonized countless star systems. The Galactic Empire, modeled along Prussian lines, and the democratic Free Planets Alliance are at war, and the fate of every human being in the universe hangs in the balance. This classic Japanese space opera, adapted into a legendary anime, is finally available in English for the first time.
Remnants of the high nobility, manipulated by the third power of Phezzan, abduct the seven-year-old Emperor and, with the cooperation of the Free Planets Alliance, declare the establishment of a traditional Imperial government. Reinhard, however, has turned the tables by making a secret pact with Phezzan high officials, and plans a grand invasion of the Alliance by way of the Phezzan Corridor. So begins an epic battle to the death between Yang, who despite surmising Reinhard s true intentions must defend Iserlohn, and the Imperial Army s peerless fighter, von Reuentahl."
In the thirty-sixth century humanity has conquered the galaxy and colonized countless star systems. The Galactic Empire, modeled along Prussian lines, and the democratic Free Planets Alliance are at war, and the fate of every human being in the universe hangs in the balance. This classic Japanese space opera, adapted into a legendary anime, is finally available in English for the first time.
Remnants of the high nobility, manipulated by the third power of Phezzan, abduct the seven-year-old Emperor and, with the cooperation of the Free Planets Alliance, declare the establishment of a traditional Imperial government. Reinhard, however, has turned the tables by making a secret pact with Phezzan high officials, and plans a grand invasion of the Alliance by way of the Phezzan Corridor. So begins an epic battle to the death between Yang, who despite surmising Reinhard s true intentions must defend Iserlohn, and the Imperial Army s peerless fighter, von Reuentahl."
213 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1984
58 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Yoshiki Tanaka
595 books145 followersYoshiki Tanaka (田中 芳樹 Tanaka Yoshiki) is a Japanese novelist. He was born in Kumamoto Prefecture and took his doctorate degree in Japanese Language and Literature in the Graduate School of Gakushūin University in Tokyo.
His major works include the fantasy novel series Arslan Senki, also known as The Heroic Legend of Arslan, and the sci-fi space opera novel series entitled Ginga Eiyū Densetsu, also known as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, both of which were adapted as anime and manga. His fantasy works also include the novel series Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings that was also adapted as anime.
Tanaka is an avid fan of Chinese history and wrote some novels set in China. He also published two arranged-translations of Chinese literature: "Sui Tang Yanyi" ("Stories of Sui and Tang Dynasties") and "Shuo Yue Quan Zhuan" ("Telling the Complete Biography of Yue Fei") as "Gakuhi-den" ("The Story of Yue Fei"). He is also familiar with Persian history, which Arslan Senki is based on.
His major works include the fantasy novel series Arslan Senki, also known as The Heroic Legend of Arslan, and the sci-fi space opera novel series entitled Ginga Eiyū Densetsu, also known as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, both of which were adapted as anime and manga. His fantasy works also include the novel series Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings that was also adapted as anime.
Tanaka is an avid fan of Chinese history and wrote some novels set in China. He also published two arranged-translations of Chinese literature: "Sui Tang Yanyi" ("Stories of Sui and Tang Dynasties") and "Shuo Yue Quan Zhuan" ("Telling the Complete Biography of Yue Fei") as "Gakuhi-den" ("The Story of Yue Fei"). He is also familiar with Persian history, which Arslan Senki is based on.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 17, 2017
Review also published here
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Stratagem is the fourth of ten volumes in the classic japanese space opera series. Originally released during the 80s, it has only recently made its way to an english release. I could go on and on lamenting the sluggishness of US/UK publishers in picking up this well-loved classic, but I believe I've done that already. Right now I am actually happy that we'll be seeing the midway point later this year, and volume six by April 2018. Stratagem, being the most recent installment I got to read, has done nothing to blunt my enthusiasm for this series. If anything, I am more eager for volume five to find its way into my hands.
This being a good way into the series, expect spoilers for the first three books. I reviewed the previous volumes already, so if you're new to it, best to start there.
Unlike previous books, especially volume three, Stratagem focuses little on the Free Planets Alliance, and with it Admiral Yang Wen-li and his crew. Instead it turns the reader's eyes towards the Galactic Empire's capital of Odin, its semi-dictatorial ruler Reinhard von Lohengramm, and his dealings with the merchant-dominion of Phezzan. While I was initially a little disappointed with not getting to see as much of Miracle Yang and co, his role is a passive one in general. Unlike last time when he had to go up against a court of inquiry and rush back to Iserlohn Fortress in a last-minute defense against the empire, here he is stuck at the base, waiting for Reinhard to make his grand moves. He has little chance to take the initiative, which is in great parts down to the inertia of the Free Planets Alliance's bureaucracy and incompetent leadership.
So in my eyes it makes perfect sense to point the camera to where the history of the galaxy is being written: In the Lohengramm camp.
However, that is not to say that Yang and co have no relevance here. If anything, things are being set in motion to break the status quo at Iserlohn, in a multitude of ways, and put Yang on a path that has been hinted at for quite some time. For one, Julian Mintz, Yang's ward, is promoted and sent to Phezzan as a military attaché, on command of the bigwigs on the FPA's capital of Heinessen. Julian benefits from a good chunk of development throughout this novel, with more promised in the next installment, while Yang's own position is destabilized somewhat. Thankfully it is not all doom and gloom, and Yang, Julian and co offer some of the most amusing scenes in the series yet.
But let's turn towards Reinhard here. Last we saw, he had put down the nobility's rebellion, placed himself in the position of de-facto ruler of the Galactic Empire, while maintaining a seven year old child as the official emperor. Unable to deal with a child the same way he might with a full-grown despot, he is forced to wait for a chance to fully bury the old Goldenbaum Dynasty that has reigned for nearly 500 years. When Phezzan reaches out with an elaborate plan to abduct the child-emperor, Reinhard makes his move by allowing it to proceed and in doing so offer him a casus belli against the FPA and gain undeniable advantages in the coming war.
Almost the entire book deals with this situation, from inception to the military push spearheaded by Reinhard's fleet commanders Wolfgang Mittermeier and Oskar von Reuentahl. Both of these have been interesting to watch over the last few books, friends as they are, but here their paths might begin to diverge a little. Von Reuentahl receives the bulk of development, exploring his own ambitions and role at Reinhard's court. He goes up against big odds here, trying to prove his worth not only to the imperial marshall, but also himself. Tanaka is building up towards an eventful escalation over the coming book or two.
Meanwhile, Phezzan's meddling in the two big civilizations' respective political systems and businesses leads to quite a lot of tension. I loved seeing how arrogant and selfish the Phezzanese are depicted here. They are self-serving to a fault. This time they may or may not have miscalculated in their schemes, but then, we know from previous volumes that their real goals are far less obvious than people think.
Through Julian and some later chapters we actually get a good look at Phezzan's way of life, which I found to be an interesting contrast to the other two major powers. It also made it appear that, for all their mercantile talents, the Phezzanese might be living in a bubble of their own making.
Another thing that got satisfying developments was the relationship between Reinhard von Lohengramm and his chief secretary, Hildegard von Mariendorf. I really am quite fond of her, as she is presented as a character with a strong moral code yet also utterly loyal to her lord. Her role diminishes somewhat in the later chapters, but early on she scores a lot of points in my book. Her interactions with von Lohengramm are in a way reminiscent of those between the Golden Brat and his lost friend Siegfried Kircheis, who of course isn't forgotten either.
The big war efforts, however, are mostly confined to the later parts of the book, and most likely the next part. The book focuses instead on the build-up, the plan, the schemes that lead there and the way they may turn against their makers. This is the book where the breaking of the status quo between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance truly begins, but also that for Reinhard and Yang respectively. Things are inevitably going to change, and Tanaka made an impressive show of how that could be achieved.
While the book errs on the shorter end of the spectrum, clocking in at just over 200 pages, it was full of character development and even explorations of the historical background of the Galactic Empire and its former rulers. Some of these excursions into history were actually pretty shocking and gruesome, giving another reason to the reader as to why Reinhard might be justified in burning the Goldenbaum Dynasty to the ground. But while the end may be laudable, it is questionable whether the ends justify the means.
But then, this series has been building up towards a variety of role reversals for a while. Stratagem continues hinting towards these, just how previous novels have made the empire under Reinhard appear fair and heading into a more liberal direction, whereas the FPA keeps regressing towards political tyranny. This, in my eyes, is one of the coolest, most satisfying aspects about this entire series; the perversion of ideals, the realization that to do good in the long run you might have to do bad in the short term, the reader's deliberations on who is on the right side of history, it all adds up to a hugely engaging, pseudo-historical narrative the likes of which you don't see often.
Considering how strongly Stratagem continues the series' trend of excellent character building and leads right up to what should be the mid-series climax, my love for Legend of the Galactic Heroes just got reaffirmed. The pendulum of human history keeps swinging and I wonder what repercussions the counter-swing will have in the future.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Stratagem is the fourth of ten volumes in the classic japanese space opera series. Originally released during the 80s, it has only recently made its way to an english release. I could go on and on lamenting the sluggishness of US/UK publishers in picking up this well-loved classic, but I believe I've done that already. Right now I am actually happy that we'll be seeing the midway point later this year, and volume six by April 2018. Stratagem, being the most recent installment I got to read, has done nothing to blunt my enthusiasm for this series. If anything, I am more eager for volume five to find its way into my hands.
This being a good way into the series, expect spoilers for the first three books. I reviewed the previous volumes already, so if you're new to it, best to start there.
Unlike previous books, especially volume three, Stratagem focuses little on the Free Planets Alliance, and with it Admiral Yang Wen-li and his crew. Instead it turns the reader's eyes towards the Galactic Empire's capital of Odin, its semi-dictatorial ruler Reinhard von Lohengramm, and his dealings with the merchant-dominion of Phezzan. While I was initially a little disappointed with not getting to see as much of Miracle Yang and co, his role is a passive one in general. Unlike last time when he had to go up against a court of inquiry and rush back to Iserlohn Fortress in a last-minute defense against the empire, here he is stuck at the base, waiting for Reinhard to make his grand moves. He has little chance to take the initiative, which is in great parts down to the inertia of the Free Planets Alliance's bureaucracy and incompetent leadership.
So in my eyes it makes perfect sense to point the camera to where the history of the galaxy is being written: In the Lohengramm camp.
However, that is not to say that Yang and co have no relevance here. If anything, things are being set in motion to break the status quo at Iserlohn, in a multitude of ways, and put Yang on a path that has been hinted at for quite some time. For one, Julian Mintz, Yang's ward, is promoted and sent to Phezzan as a military attaché, on command of the bigwigs on the FPA's capital of Heinessen. Julian benefits from a good chunk of development throughout this novel, with more promised in the next installment, while Yang's own position is destabilized somewhat. Thankfully it is not all doom and gloom, and Yang, Julian and co offer some of the most amusing scenes in the series yet.
But let's turn towards Reinhard here. Last we saw, he had put down the nobility's rebellion, placed himself in the position of de-facto ruler of the Galactic Empire, while maintaining a seven year old child as the official emperor. Unable to deal with a child the same way he might with a full-grown despot, he is forced to wait for a chance to fully bury the old Goldenbaum Dynasty that has reigned for nearly 500 years. When Phezzan reaches out with an elaborate plan to abduct the child-emperor, Reinhard makes his move by allowing it to proceed and in doing so offer him a casus belli against the FPA and gain undeniable advantages in the coming war.
Almost the entire book deals with this situation, from inception to the military push spearheaded by Reinhard's fleet commanders Wolfgang Mittermeier and Oskar von Reuentahl. Both of these have been interesting to watch over the last few books, friends as they are, but here their paths might begin to diverge a little. Von Reuentahl receives the bulk of development, exploring his own ambitions and role at Reinhard's court. He goes up against big odds here, trying to prove his worth not only to the imperial marshall, but also himself. Tanaka is building up towards an eventful escalation over the coming book or two.
Meanwhile, Phezzan's meddling in the two big civilizations' respective political systems and businesses leads to quite a lot of tension. I loved seeing how arrogant and selfish the Phezzanese are depicted here. They are self-serving to a fault. This time they may or may not have miscalculated in their schemes, but then, we know from previous volumes that their real goals are far less obvious than people think.
Through Julian and some later chapters we actually get a good look at Phezzan's way of life, which I found to be an interesting contrast to the other two major powers. It also made it appear that, for all their mercantile talents, the Phezzanese might be living in a bubble of their own making.
Another thing that got satisfying developments was the relationship between Reinhard von Lohengramm and his chief secretary, Hildegard von Mariendorf. I really am quite fond of her, as she is presented as a character with a strong moral code yet also utterly loyal to her lord. Her role diminishes somewhat in the later chapters, but early on she scores a lot of points in my book. Her interactions with von Lohengramm are in a way reminiscent of those between the Golden Brat and his lost friend Siegfried Kircheis, who of course isn't forgotten either.
The big war efforts, however, are mostly confined to the later parts of the book, and most likely the next part. The book focuses instead on the build-up, the plan, the schemes that lead there and the way they may turn against their makers. This is the book where the breaking of the status quo between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance truly begins, but also that for Reinhard and Yang respectively. Things are inevitably going to change, and Tanaka made an impressive show of how that could be achieved.
While the book errs on the shorter end of the spectrum, clocking in at just over 200 pages, it was full of character development and even explorations of the historical background of the Galactic Empire and its former rulers. Some of these excursions into history were actually pretty shocking and gruesome, giving another reason to the reader as to why Reinhard might be justified in burning the Goldenbaum Dynasty to the ground. But while the end may be laudable, it is questionable whether the ends justify the means.
But then, this series has been building up towards a variety of role reversals for a while. Stratagem continues hinting towards these, just how previous novels have made the empire under Reinhard appear fair and heading into a more liberal direction, whereas the FPA keeps regressing towards political tyranny. This, in my eyes, is one of the coolest, most satisfying aspects about this entire series; the perversion of ideals, the realization that to do good in the long run you might have to do bad in the short term, the reader's deliberations on who is on the right side of history, it all adds up to a hugely engaging, pseudo-historical narrative the likes of which you don't see often.
Considering how strongly Stratagem continues the series' trend of excellent character building and leads right up to what should be the mid-series climax, my love for Legend of the Galactic Heroes just got reaffirmed. The pendulum of human history keeps swinging and I wonder what repercussions the counter-swing will have in the future.
January 12, 2024
A good continuation that sets up events and situations that have driven me onward into book 5.
However, at times it felt a little like all setup. Which isn’t what the book is, but luckily the book does not overstay its welcome and develops characters only as much as needed.
However, at times it felt a little like all setup. Which isn’t what the book is, but luckily the book does not overstay its welcome and develops characters only as much as needed.
March 15, 2024
Buildup for the big conflict
May 5, 2018
Not much I can say about it. Stratagem starts with Phezzan making a play to have Reinhard conquer the FPA once and for all by having the child Emperor escape (or abudcted depending on your point of view) to the FPA, thus giving him cause to launch Operation Ragnarök to "rescue" him. Thus, for a large chunk of the story we follow the comings and goings of the Imperials with Yang Wenli and Iserlohn being relegated to the role of supporting actors.
It's a bit of a shame since I always find the story more engaging when it follows Yang who's the clear underdog. Reinhard has competent officers, vast fleets and soldiers, and all the power he needs to deploy them as he wishes. Yang, on the other hand, has to deal with a government who barely tolerates him, openly distrusts him, and will almost certainly ignore his prudent counsel, what is a shame since Yang almost always accurately predicts Reinhard's ploys but is powerless to prevent them from coming to fruition. He doesn't have nearly as many talented officers as Reinhard and probably not even half of his resources so it's always a thrill to witness the magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat.
We do get to read more about Julian though as he slowly begins to take the spotlight for reasons that will become apparent in Book 6 or after. I'll admit I was surprised about his feelings for Frederica but, then again, she is ten years younger than Yang.
Book 4 is the first one translated by Tyran Grillo, as opposed to Daniel Huddleston who translated the first three volumes. Sadly, Grillo's translation leaves much to be desired of. While I can't read Japanese in order to compare against the original, one has but to read the translation to realize something's not quite right with the way certain phrases are organized, or descriptions about characters and places, or even errors in logic that become apparent to anyone who's following the story. For instance, at one point in the story, Julian leaves Iserlohn for his new post. Grillo makes the following translation, "At noon on September 1, Julian Mintz left for Iserlohn Fortress (...)" Here's a thorough list of the translation errors. While they didn't impede my reading, they were noticeable to distract me from it every once in a while. I can only hope the translation will get better with Books 5 and 6 since Grillo is also translating those.
In short, it's a good read but suffers from translation issues and not nearly enough Yang. Not to worry, at least the latter gets resolved in Book 5.
It's a bit of a shame since I always find the story more engaging when it follows Yang who's the clear underdog. Reinhard has competent officers, vast fleets and soldiers, and all the power he needs to deploy them as he wishes. Yang, on the other hand, has to deal with a government who barely tolerates him, openly distrusts him, and will almost certainly ignore his prudent counsel, what is a shame since Yang almost always accurately predicts Reinhard's ploys but is powerless to prevent them from coming to fruition. He doesn't have nearly as many talented officers as Reinhard and probably not even half of his resources so it's always a thrill to witness the magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat.
We do get to read more about Julian though as he slowly begins to take the spotlight for reasons that will become apparent in Book 6 or after. I'll admit I was surprised about his feelings for Frederica but, then again, she is ten years younger than Yang.
Book 4 is the first one translated by Tyran Grillo, as opposed to Daniel Huddleston who translated the first three volumes. Sadly, Grillo's translation leaves much to be desired of. While I can't read Japanese in order to compare against the original, one has but to read the translation to realize something's not quite right with the way certain phrases are organized, or descriptions about characters and places, or even errors in logic that become apparent to anyone who's following the story. For instance, at one point in the story, Julian leaves Iserlohn for his new post. Grillo makes the following translation, "At noon on September 1, Julian Mintz left for Iserlohn Fortress (...)" Here's a thorough list of the translation errors. While they didn't impede my reading, they were noticeable to distract me from it every once in a while. I can only hope the translation will get better with Books 5 and 6 since Grillo is also translating those.
In short, it's a good read but suffers from translation issues and not nearly enough Yang. Not to worry, at least the latter gets resolved in Book 5.
December 16, 2017
Still a lot of meat - fewer battles, more politics - but this one is sloppier than the first three in terms of scene transitions and establishing chronology and dialogue attribution. Not sure if it's a translation issue or what, just had to read several passages a few times over to figure out who was saying what when and where.
Julian is a precious child and I love him.
Julian is a precious child and I love him.
October 18, 2024
Slower than the previous one, since there were no space battles.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 4: Stratagem - Yoshiki Tanaka (Highlight: 15; Note: 0)
───────────────
◆ Chapter 1
▪ Mutations of history and consequences of victory are determined in an instant. Most of us live idly on as echoes of such instants, as they retreat into the past. Those cognizant of them are few, and those who willfully set them in motion fewer still. Unfortunately, the latter always win the day, bolstered by armies of malice.
◆ Chapter 4
▪ If it’s urgent, then surely it must be important,
▪ If the alliance was truly of a Machiavellian spirit, the time to take advantage of the dispute between the pro- and anti-Lohengramm factions would have been during last year’s Lippstadt War. Had the alliance intervened then, they might have reaped sufficient benefits while the imperials fought among themselves.
Having anticipated that very possibility with his enviable astuteness, Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm had brought about a coup d’état. In so splintering the alliance, he prevented their armies from taking part in the empire’s civil war. Now that Duke von Lohengramm’s authority was secure, there was practically no chance of his opponents recovering lost territories. Von Schönkopf had hit the mark.
▪ They restore the Goldenbaum family’s tyrannical power and call it justice? As Admiral Bucock said, we need a new dictionary
▪ However, a seven-year-old child emperor, unlike several emperors before him, was unlikely to snatch away the wives of his retainers for his own pleasure, have his own demilitarized people killed in the name of maintaining order, or murder the successors of rival families as infants.
▪ emnants possibly have anticipated?
Someone once said there were three kinds of thieves: those who rob by violence, those by wisdom, and those by law.
▪ Criminals require neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They possess neither the ability to, nor do they intend to, understand such things. Force alone will make them see their ignorance.
◆ Chapter 5
▪ everyone carried out their decisions based not on reason but on emotion. They supported him through sentiment, opposed him through visceral hatred.
▪ The idea that absolute good and perfect evil existed would always be a bane to the human spirit. Harmony and compassion were impossible so long as one side thought of itself as benevolent and of its enemy as nefarious.
▪ The worst sickness born in human civilization, thought Yang, was faith in one’s nation. It was nothing more than a mechanism by which to efficiently promote complementary relationships between those who lived in it.
▪ Only people without common sense make the mistake of proselytizing others by appealing to common sense
▪ Politics could make up for military failures but never the reverse. Military affairs were one part of politics—the most truculent, most uncivilized, and clumsiest part
◆ Chapter 6
▪ Your Excellency Chief of Staff, you can spin it however you want, but government has only one reality.”
Lang spoke emphatically, and von Oberstein had already been evaluating Lang’s speech from word one.
“Oh, and what might that be?”
“Control of the many by the few.”
▪ If the people number one hundred, fifty-one of them can claim majority rule. And when that majority is divided into so many factions, it only takes twenty-six of those to rule over that same hundred. In other words, it’s possible for a mere fourth to rule the many
◆ Chapter 7
▪ As Yang had once told him with a sigh, a life in which one could get by without doing things one didn’t want to do was as rare as pure metallic radium.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 4: Stratagem - Yoshiki Tanaka (Highlight: 15; Note: 0)
───────────────
◆ Chapter 1
▪ Mutations of history and consequences of victory are determined in an instant. Most of us live idly on as echoes of such instants, as they retreat into the past. Those cognizant of them are few, and those who willfully set them in motion fewer still. Unfortunately, the latter always win the day, bolstered by armies of malice.
◆ Chapter 4
▪ If it’s urgent, then surely it must be important,
▪ If the alliance was truly of a Machiavellian spirit, the time to take advantage of the dispute between the pro- and anti-Lohengramm factions would have been during last year’s Lippstadt War. Had the alliance intervened then, they might have reaped sufficient benefits while the imperials fought among themselves.
Having anticipated that very possibility with his enviable astuteness, Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm had brought about a coup d’état. In so splintering the alliance, he prevented their armies from taking part in the empire’s civil war. Now that Duke von Lohengramm’s authority was secure, there was practically no chance of his opponents recovering lost territories. Von Schönkopf had hit the mark.
▪ They restore the Goldenbaum family’s tyrannical power and call it justice? As Admiral Bucock said, we need a new dictionary
▪ However, a seven-year-old child emperor, unlike several emperors before him, was unlikely to snatch away the wives of his retainers for his own pleasure, have his own demilitarized people killed in the name of maintaining order, or murder the successors of rival families as infants.
▪ emnants possibly have anticipated?
Someone once said there were three kinds of thieves: those who rob by violence, those by wisdom, and those by law.
▪ Criminals require neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They possess neither the ability to, nor do they intend to, understand such things. Force alone will make them see their ignorance.
◆ Chapter 5
▪ everyone carried out their decisions based not on reason but on emotion. They supported him through sentiment, opposed him through visceral hatred.
▪ The idea that absolute good and perfect evil existed would always be a bane to the human spirit. Harmony and compassion were impossible so long as one side thought of itself as benevolent and of its enemy as nefarious.
▪ The worst sickness born in human civilization, thought Yang, was faith in one’s nation. It was nothing more than a mechanism by which to efficiently promote complementary relationships between those who lived in it.
▪ Only people without common sense make the mistake of proselytizing others by appealing to common sense
▪ Politics could make up for military failures but never the reverse. Military affairs were one part of politics—the most truculent, most uncivilized, and clumsiest part
◆ Chapter 6
▪ Your Excellency Chief of Staff, you can spin it however you want, but government has only one reality.”
Lang spoke emphatically, and von Oberstein had already been evaluating Lang’s speech from word one.
“Oh, and what might that be?”
“Control of the many by the few.”
▪ If the people number one hundred, fifty-one of them can claim majority rule. And when that majority is divided into so many factions, it only takes twenty-six of those to rule over that same hundred. In other words, it’s possible for a mere fourth to rule the many
◆ Chapter 7
▪ As Yang had once told him with a sigh, a life in which one could get by without doing things one didn’t want to do was as rare as pure metallic radium.
February 18, 2025
This volume suffers from an uneven translation and the sins of localization that really grind my gears. The plot is fine, it's excellent space opera fare, but I had to reread several sentences and paragraphs to grasp the original meaning because the translator fumbled his word processor every day. Goodreads says that this volume was translated not by David Huddleton, but by Tyran Grillo. His failures are severe, enough so that I am now looking at my cherished copy of Parasite Eve and wondering how much he screwed that one up twenty years ago.
The muddled translation work combined with the utterly incompetent and unnecessary change at one of the most iconic moments of this entire series took off an entire star. All you had to do, translator, is leave it as It was established in volume 1 that the Galactic Empire are giant Germanophiles. You'll live.
My deserved frustrations with the translation aside, this book is focused on maneuver. Reinhard in his role as prime minister of the Galactic Empire, Rubinsky as ruler of Phezzan, and Trunicht in his capacity as chairman of the Alliance are all making moves. The plot focuses on how each player seeks to accomplish their goals. Reinhard has been established to want the whole of the universe under his rule; Rubinsky ostensibly seeks economic dominance but in reality has other motives; and Trunicht wants to continue to enhance his power. Beneath these three big, there are countless other players who seek to accomplish their own goals. Watching each player try to take the lead by manipulating the interests and ploys of the others is great fun, especially the repercussions of their moves will ripple outward for far longer than just the immediate plays they are carrying out, as exampled by the Alliance taking Iserlohn Fortress in Volume 1 leading to their poorly thought-out invasion of the Empire leading to the destruction of their military might which leads to the Alliance military attempting a coup against the political leadership that sent them to their deaths (Volume 2) which eventually leads to Iserlohn becoming the only thing protecting them from Imperial subjugation (present). Having learned nothing, the Alliance is about to get its comeuppance.
The muddled translation work combined with the utterly incompetent and unnecessary change at one of the most iconic moments of this entire series took off an entire star. All you had to do, translator, is leave it as It was established in volume 1 that the Galactic Empire are giant Germanophiles. You'll live.
My deserved frustrations with the translation aside, this book is focused on maneuver. Reinhard in his role as prime minister of the Galactic Empire, Rubinsky as ruler of Phezzan, and Trunicht in his capacity as chairman of the Alliance are all making moves. The plot focuses on how each player seeks to accomplish their goals. Reinhard has been established to want the whole of the universe under his rule; Rubinsky ostensibly seeks economic dominance but in reality has other motives; and Trunicht wants to continue to enhance his power. Beneath these three big, there are countless other players who seek to accomplish their own goals. Watching each player try to take the lead by manipulating the interests and ploys of the others is great fun, especially the repercussions of their moves will ripple outward for far longer than just the immediate plays they are carrying out, as exampled by the Alliance taking Iserlohn Fortress in Volume 1 leading to their poorly thought-out invasion of the Empire leading to the destruction of their military might which leads to the Alliance military attempting a coup against the political leadership that sent them to their deaths (Volume 2) which eventually leads to Iserlohn becoming the only thing protecting them from Imperial subjugation (present). Having learned nothing, the Alliance is about to get its comeuppance.
February 20, 2022
Something striking about starting this book, putting it down to explore a completely different genre, and then coming back to it was how clearly this book doesn't really work. In an attempt to make it easier to follow, there's a list of major characters provided at the beginning of the book. Great. However, they're not the only characters who exist in the story of dozens upon dozens of characters, and even then the descriptions are laughably short. There's also the fact that the book doesn't stand alone. Sure, it's being number four in a series of ten gives it a bit of leeway in some people's minds, but I think it should stand alone to a certain extent. While the text does go out of its way to remind readers they're already familiar with some characters (how many times does it mention someone's heterochromatic eyes?), it doesn't do the same to contextualize the story's events within the overall narrative. But I think the most egregious sin here is the fact that a whole lot of nothing actually happens in the story. There are maybe four major events that happen in the story, but it's dragged out not for the sake of art or anything substantive but instead for the sake of spreading it out. This could have been shortened and used as the beginning section of the next book.
Despite all of this, I am still invested in the overall story. It's just that with this particular installment, not quite halfway through, I'm finally realizing why I didn't binge the whole series when I started it two or so years ago. Because the story and characters are interesting but the storytelling is boring.
Despite all of this, I am still invested in the overall story. It's just that with this particular installment, not quite halfway through, I'm finally realizing why I didn't binge the whole series when I started it two or so years ago. Because the story and characters are interesting but the storytelling is boring.
September 13, 2017
Definitely a set up novel, setting the stage for the conflicts in the next few books in the series which is fine not much happened but it wasn't terribly boring. The translation on the other hand gets 1 star it was absolutely atrocious it took one of my favorite stories and characters I love and just made the book a slog to get through, not from the content just the way it was presented. Even having never read the novels in the original Japanese I could tell several errors were made before looking them up just on the inconsistencies not just with the previous 3 books but within chapters of this book. Furthermore the new translator showed zero respect for the previous one changing established spellings of names and places which was completely unnecessary or even changing Mittermeyer and Reuenthal's nickname which comes up several times it's jarring and just made the whole experience difficult. The fact that this same man is translating the next two books has completely taken away all my excitement for them i can only hope the publisher comes to their senses and replaces him for the last four, say what you will about Daniel Huddleston's translations being dry at least those were readable.
September 19, 2019
Like the previous volume, this one also starts slow. Unlike the previous volume, it never really picks up. That's because this is the first volume in the series to not be a self contained story. It sets up the conflicts to be explored in the next volume.
Also, the entire series suffers from a problem that I haven't mentioned in my previous reviews, and which was more apparent in this volume: failing to follow accepted norms in formatting the dialogue. Generally, if there is a conversation, and the speaker changes, then either the new speaker should be identified, or there should be a paragraph break. In this series there are both paragraph breaks where the speaker doesn't change, and changes in speaker within the same paragraph. Both in cases where the speaker isn't directly identified! I'm guessing that this is a failure in translation, and that the Japanese original follows proper norms for written Japanese, but that the translator is being too faithful to the original and not making it more readable in translation.
These two issues combined caused me to lower my rating on this volume in comparison to the previous three volumes.
Also, the entire series suffers from a problem that I haven't mentioned in my previous reviews, and which was more apparent in this volume: failing to follow accepted norms in formatting the dialogue. Generally, if there is a conversation, and the speaker changes, then either the new speaker should be identified, or there should be a paragraph break. In this series there are both paragraph breaks where the speaker doesn't change, and changes in speaker within the same paragraph. Both in cases where the speaker isn't directly identified! I'm guessing that this is a failure in translation, and that the Japanese original follows proper norms for written Japanese, but that the translator is being too faithful to the original and not making it more readable in translation.
These two issues combined caused me to lower my rating on this volume in comparison to the previous three volumes.
February 4, 2023
This was the shortest book in the Legend of Galactic heroes series that I’ve read so far. It was only about 200 pages, but it took me an unreasonable amount of time to finish.
I’m not totally sure as to why it didn’t like it as much as the others. I think it’s because this book centers primarily around Phezzan and the Galactic Empire. We didn’t hear as much about the Free Planets Alliance in Stratagen. I find Yang’s storyline to be the most interesting. And I think that the characters on Phezzan are pretty boring overall.
I understand why this book was necessary, because the events here solidify Reinhard’s power and the reader gains a better understanding of what the man is capable of.
I think I might take a bit of a break before reading the 5th installment. I feel as though I might be getting a little burned out.
I’m not totally sure as to why it didn’t like it as much as the others. I think it’s because this book centers primarily around Phezzan and the Galactic Empire. We didn’t hear as much about the Free Planets Alliance in Stratagen. I find Yang’s storyline to be the most interesting. And I think that the characters on Phezzan are pretty boring overall.
I understand why this book was necessary, because the events here solidify Reinhard’s power and the reader gains a better understanding of what the man is capable of.
I think I might take a bit of a break before reading the 5th installment. I feel as though I might be getting a little burned out.
January 18, 2018
Strategem maintains the level of quality of the Legends of the Galactic Heroes series - which is to say it's a very good time.
Most of the book is focused on the political situation that exists between the Empire, the Free Alliance and Phezzan - but it's not dry expositionj and the plotting is very tight.
There are only a few battle sequences, but they are as good as anything the series has provided so far.
The farther I get into this series, the more I'm reminded of E.E. 'Doc' Smith. And that's a very Good Thing indeed.
Now all I need is for the Date Started and Date Finished trackers to let me enter something other than today's date (I finished Strategem yesterday, but I can only enter today's date for some unknown reason...).
Most of the book is focused on the political situation that exists between the Empire, the Free Alliance and Phezzan - but it's not dry expositionj and the plotting is very tight.
There are only a few battle sequences, but they are as good as anything the series has provided so far.
The farther I get into this series, the more I'm reminded of E.E. 'Doc' Smith. And that's a very Good Thing indeed.
Now all I need is for the Date Started and Date Finished trackers to let me enter something other than today's date (I finished Strategem yesterday, but I can only enter today's date for some unknown reason...).
June 23, 2017
If you have read the previous three books you know what to expect. The Europeon Wars of the 17 and 1800's in space with a emphasis on strategy and politics rather than gore and bloodshed. It is all highly entertaining and I will certainly by the next one.
I deducted one star because A. It is a setup novel...a big event I thought would happen in this book barely started upon this ones ending. And B. there was a translator change and the new one is not as good as the one who did the previous three. It wasn't a huge deal, but there was a couple of times I had to reread a passage to understand it fully.
That being said I can't wait for book 5!
I deducted one star because A. It is a setup novel...a big event I thought would happen in this book barely started upon this ones ending. And B. there was a translator change and the new one is not as good as the one who did the previous three. It wasn't a huge deal, but there was a couple of times I had to reread a passage to understand it fully.
That being said I can't wait for book 5!
May 2, 2018
I was pretty satisfied with quality of this English translation of this book until now. I have spotted a few paragraphs which do not make sense and deviate from the previous version I read. For example, when Julian and Yang first met. "When Julian was fourteen or fifteen, Yang asked himself whether having his ward take on additional duties would interfere with Julian’s love life." While the original meaning was that when he saw a 12-yr-old boy (Julian) showing up suddenly in front him, telling him they're both going to stay together from now on, Yang suspected he did something indiscreet with girl when he was 15, and so that he was now asked to take responsibility...
November 24, 2025
This is the least exciting part of the whole series so far. A lot of scenes followed the routine of expositing scenes that occurred no longer than a few chapters ago all throughput this novel. There were also a hefty amount of typos scattered here and there.
This book had a very slow pace that warranted a compensating payoff, but the most Stratagem could deliver was the free planets alliance now babysitting the former child emperor of the empire and the death of Rupert, one of the most uninteresting characters in Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
Overall, this felt like a rough draft that needed two more serious revisions.
This book had a very slow pace that warranted a compensating payoff, but the most Stratagem could deliver was the free planets alliance now babysitting the former child emperor of the empire and the death of Rupert, one of the most uninteresting characters in Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
Overall, this felt like a rough draft that needed two more serious revisions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2020
If you've made it this far in the series, you are reading to find out how things end up, not because of the style and plot itself. I am enjoying myself and the characters and setting. The plot holes and lack of explanation requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. The plot devices are hackneyed, but there is comfort in that. Makes for quick reading/skimming as you look to see how things turn out. Makes it so that I can identify and finish the books as opposed to getting fed up with it and leaving.
October 29, 2022
In comparison to Volumes 1 to 3, I feel like Volume 4 was a lot slower and with barely any real action to it. However, guessing at what is to come, it makes sense that this one was mostly build up. At this rate, I am very sure that Legend of the Galactic Heroes will end up being my favourite political-militaristic space opera due to how Tanaka tackles the themes explored and how he expertly utilizes his interesting yet rather flat and simplistic cast of characters (Note: I don't think simple characters are necessarily bad when your focus on them is the ideas they represent).
July 26, 2017
Slower than the others, but this was a more of a build up novel. The battle between the Alliance and the Empire is just getting started. My bet is an Empire victory. I've seen the anime, but can't remember how it ended. I remember critical parts, but not the ending. If there is 6 more to go, this is going to take some time...
January 30, 2020
Este tomo es de transición, después de tres libros llenos de acción, Strategem sirve como una pause para colocar las fichas en el tablero y empezar el juego nuevamente.
En se sentido fue más tedioso, en realidad el primer cuarto del libro se me hizo eterno, ya con la aparición de Yang la trama se volvió manejable.
En se sentido fue más tedioso, en realidad el primer cuarto del libro se me hizo eterno, ya con la aparición de Yang la trama se volvió manejable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2025
This one feels to me more like a transitional part of the series in some ways, partially because Yang feels somewhat sidelined compared to usual as we’re now bouncing around between more factions. But the central scheme involving the child emperor is excellent, and Phezzan finally becomes interesting. And the dramatic conclusion here is exhilarating. “Let’s go, Kirchies. The universe is ours.”
November 27, 2020
This is more of a chess piece moving book compared to others in the series as everyone is just moving their pieces in place for the events of the next book. Still an enjoyable book of an enjoyable series.
August 28, 2025
Not the best book in the series. I think (and hope) that this was a transitional novel and that the next one is back to what I've grown to expect from Tanaka. This one was less battle and less Yang, both things I really want more of, not less.
July 31, 2017
Over there's not much going on action-wise in this book, it's all political maneuvering. Overall however another good read.
September 7, 2017
My video review will go up first Wednesday of October.
February 8, 2018
The empire strikes back, as it were. Lots of pieces move around the board, but there's not much of a satisfying conclusion.
September 18, 2020
I know I say this every time I finish another lotgh book but I really am so glad there are 10 volumes in this series.
June 25, 2023
Man the translation really killed this series for me.
December 29, 2024
absolutely amazing
This volume of the galactic heroes saga was an amazing journey from beginning to end and left me wanting more!
This volume of the galactic heroes saga was an amazing journey from beginning to end and left me wanting more!
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