What do you think?
Rate this book
新説 狼と香辛料 狼と羊皮紙 (Novel) #3
Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf, Vol. 3
Encountering a storm on their return from the pirate islands, Col and Myuri are forced to dock at Desarev, one of Winfiel Kingdom's major ports. Though a lively enough town, priests are in short supply thanks to an imminent war with the Church, hence Col's sudden designation as "The Twilight Cardinal," savior of the people! And as if a city's worth of religious problems isn't enough to deal with, suddenly Myuri is demanding to be Col's bride?! Meanwhile, a wool merchant named Ilenia approaches the "couple," confiding that she's the embodiment of a sheep, before asking for their aid with some secret agenda she has cooked up…Though unsure just what to make of this sheep in merchant's clothing, Col and Myuri can't ignore her once she mentions the Moon-Hunting Bear.
242 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2017
8 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 9, 2019
In Summary
Amid growing political and religious tensions come rumors of a monster to the far west. The reemergence of the name of the Moon-Hunting Bear seems abrupt in a very human conflict, but Hasekura-sensei weaves the story such that the interests of humans and nonhumans are intertwined, although not aligned. This brings to light a whole new aspect of the conflict between the Church and Winfiel and builds anticipation for the next step in Col and Myuri’s journey.
The Review
The world of Wolf and Parchment/Spice and Wolf is predominantly one of the humans. Even though the main cast includes nonhumans, the narrative treats them like creatures whose era is long past. As such, whenever the occasional new nonhuman enters the story, they’re generally striving to survive as a member of human society.
Volume 3 changes this dynamic. It begins with a storm forcing Myuri and Col to land in Winfiel’s town of Desarev. There, Col sees firsthand how Winfiel’s conflict with the Church has impacted ordinary citizens. As with so many stories in this series, religion and economics loom large in the details. In this case, because the corrupt Church has retreated from the kingdom, the populace reaps material benefits but also spiritual insecurity. On top of that, Winfiel’s king is demanding churches pay taxes as retribution. And it’s in the midst of this strife that Col and Myuri chance upon Ilenia, who’s the embodiment of a sheep, and rumors of the Moon-Hunting Bear.
In the Spice and Wolf series, the Moon-Hunting Bear was only found in dusty manuscripts, and I assumed it died like so many other creatures of legend. However, Ilenia tells of a recent naval expedition that was almost completely destroyed by a monster in a land far to the west. She’s convinced it’s the Moon-Hunting Bear. Moreover, she views that western land as a place where nonhumans can live freely.
At this point, the story takes on elements of the Age of Exploration in addition to aspects of the Reformation. On top of that, the one striving to go to the new world is a sheep girl who wants to create a county where beings like her can live in their true forms. This sounds like a massive hodgepodge, but Hasekura-sensei links everything such that the narrative not only makes sense, it sheds extra light upon previous actions of the Church and the Winfiel royal family. In addition, it also draws several non-human characters, new and old, into the narrative.
As such, this volume is a delightfully multilayered read from beginning to end. Even the troublesome element of Myuri’s obsessive crush is addressed satisfactorily when Col makes her realize that she’s unable to address him by any name except “Brother.” The only problematic detail is that smoke inhalation isn’t an issue in the dramatic final scene, but that aside, Hasekura-sensei combines a host of disparate elements into a cohesive, engaging story.
Extras include the first eight pages printed in color, world map, seven black-and-white illustrations, and afterword.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
Amid growing political and religious tensions come rumors of a monster to the far west. The reemergence of the name of the Moon-Hunting Bear seems abrupt in a very human conflict, but Hasekura-sensei weaves the story such that the interests of humans and nonhumans are intertwined, although not aligned. This brings to light a whole new aspect of the conflict between the Church and Winfiel and builds anticipation for the next step in Col and Myuri’s journey.
The Review
The world of Wolf and Parchment/Spice and Wolf is predominantly one of the humans. Even though the main cast includes nonhumans, the narrative treats them like creatures whose era is long past. As such, whenever the occasional new nonhuman enters the story, they’re generally striving to survive as a member of human society.
Volume 3 changes this dynamic. It begins with a storm forcing Myuri and Col to land in Winfiel’s town of Desarev. There, Col sees firsthand how Winfiel’s conflict with the Church has impacted ordinary citizens. As with so many stories in this series, religion and economics loom large in the details. In this case, because the corrupt Church has retreated from the kingdom, the populace reaps material benefits but also spiritual insecurity. On top of that, Winfiel’s king is demanding churches pay taxes as retribution. And it’s in the midst of this strife that Col and Myuri chance upon Ilenia, who’s the embodiment of a sheep, and rumors of the Moon-Hunting Bear.
In the Spice and Wolf series, the Moon-Hunting Bear was only found in dusty manuscripts, and I assumed it died like so many other creatures of legend. However, Ilenia tells of a recent naval expedition that was almost completely destroyed by a monster in a land far to the west. She’s convinced it’s the Moon-Hunting Bear. Moreover, she views that western land as a place where nonhumans can live freely.
At this point, the story takes on elements of the Age of Exploration in addition to aspects of the Reformation. On top of that, the one striving to go to the new world is a sheep girl who wants to create a county where beings like her can live in their true forms. This sounds like a massive hodgepodge, but Hasekura-sensei links everything such that the narrative not only makes sense, it sheds extra light upon previous actions of the Church and the Winfiel royal family. In addition, it also draws several non-human characters, new and old, into the narrative.
As such, this volume is a delightfully multilayered read from beginning to end. Even the troublesome element of Myuri’s obsessive crush is addressed satisfactorily when Col makes her realize that she’s unable to address him by any name except “Brother.” The only problematic detail is that smoke inhalation isn’t an issue in the dramatic final scene, but that aside, Hasekura-sensei combines a host of disparate elements into a cohesive, engaging story.
Extras include the first eight pages printed in color, world map, seven black-and-white illustrations, and afterword.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2018
I think despite being a good book, everything was lacking. The plot was clumsily thought out, the characters were few, and the conflict was once again not really resolved by human ingenuity in a crafty manner like with Lawrence. I'm really starting to feel that Isuna is getting Impatient with fully contemplating the plot before pumping it out. It feels more and more like Spring log is holding more weight than Wolf and parchment, and if this new Horo and Lawrence's Journey (pardon my spoiler) converge with Cole and Myuri with the end game actually being about the moon hunting bear, I'll forgive every shortcomming of this series thus far.
March 4, 2019
A reasonably strong entry into this spin-off / follow on series. Col and Myuri's ship is diverted to a norther port, where as expected they are caught up in events. There they meet another non-human who brings them word of a possible conspiracy that offers to complicate matters for any future travels. As expected given the length constraints of the LN format, the end wraps things up very quickly in a bit of a too neat package, but overall the story is quite good. We even get some fairly interesting reflection on the nature of the relationship between Myuri and Col.
January 10, 2020
The adventure continues...
If I have one criticism of these books it’s that the “whodunnit” bit - the solution, if you will - seems to happen in an epilogue when I feel it should really be in a chapter. Perhaps I’m just fussy but it seems to diminish the end of the story somewhat. But maybe that’s the idea? That the story is the journey and, in the end, the destination - however surprising or unexpected - is really just like a bonus. What a very non-Western way to write a book!
If I have one criticism of these books it’s that the “whodunnit” bit - the solution, if you will - seems to happen in an epilogue when I feel it should really be in a chapter. Perhaps I’m just fussy but it seems to diminish the end of the story somewhat. But maybe that’s the idea? That the story is the journey and, in the end, the destination - however surprising or unexpected - is really just like a bonus. What a very non-Western way to write a book!
January 27, 2019
A stop at a seaside town turns into something more as a mysterious plot unravels over the land. A chance encounter with a sheep deity who speaks of creating a country for pagan gods. Col and Myuri struggle to define their future as they learn more about the complexity of the world. A tale of merchants, faith and wits proving that the Spice and Wolf universe still has much to offer.
November 11, 2018
Solid story, thorough enjoyed it. Not a lot of character growth, per se, but interested to see if the non-human characters continue to appear or will take a break in the next volume.
September 10, 2021
Absolutely delightful
June 11, 2024
It's so funny how deep this series with anime covers gets into medieval religion and economics; never gets old. Author does his research
February 10, 2021
Insane volume. MORE WORLDBUILDING PLEASE, ITS SO GOOD
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews