Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 10

銀河英雄伝説 [Ginga eiyū densetsu] #10

by Yoshiki Tanaka, Matt Treyvaud (Translator)

Having taken his devoted confidant Hildegard von Lohengramm as his empress, Kaiser Reinhard awaits the birth of his heir. Much remains to trouble him, from the ongoing campaign of terror by Church of Terra diehards to the machinations of an erstwhile landesherr, and there are ominous signs that his own condition may be graver than anyone suspects. Nevertheless, it seems that peace has finally come to the New Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, in the Iserlohn Republic, Julian Mintz, successor to Yang the Magician, resolves to begin the first and final battle fought on the republic’s terms—the world-shaking conclusion to the Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Light Novel, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera, Novels, Literature

234 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1987

About the author

Yoshiki 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.

Reviews

[DarkChaplain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to beat around the bush or try relativize my views here. I'll just say it straight up.

The Legend of the Galactic Heroes series stands tall as one of the most inspiring, thought-provoking, clever, touching, thrilling, powerful and human pieces of literature. It might not be as old as some other literary classics, being released throughout the 80s, but a classic it is, and one I'd rank more highly, considering it more relevant to this modern age, than many other, treasured novels.

It is a pity that it took over thirty years to conclude its English release history, and flying so far under the radar even then. It's commentary on topics such as the values and pitfalls of democracy, virtues and grievances of autocracy, religion, military, obedience and rebellion, friendship and loyalty, joy and grief - despite being set in a far future age where semi-modern democracy clashes with a pseudo-prussian autocratic galactic empire, none of its themes are out of place for discussion in our era. In many ways, they're near-universal to human history; that all of its narrative takes place on a sweeping, galactic stage in the best traditions of space operas does nothing to diminish Yoshiki Tanaka's words.

You may think me gushing, and you might be correct. And still, this is the only way I can speak of this 10-volume masterpiece - and a masterpiece it is. It's many messages, thought-nudges and characters of all stripes will stay with me for a long, long time to come.

My only regrets are as follows:
That I haven't been able to properly share this experience with more people these past few years, and that Haikasoru gave up on the audiobook format - which was narrated by the golden voice of Tim Gerard Reynolds, no less - after the third volume.

Neither have anything to do with the quality of the work, however, which remains impeccable, but with the relatively short reach of the publication. So I humbly ask: If you're to trust me on anything, believe me when I say that this series is worth reading to its conclusion, and that there is no better time to begin than right now.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a finish to the series. Definitely a bittersweet feeling.

I loved the pseudo-historical style to the story and really grew to like the characters as they reacted and instigated what was happening to them. It amazes me that this finale was published in 1987, and remains so relevant today in terms of what statement the author is making.

I highly recommend this series, and this book is the perfect finish.

[Nightfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieses Review bezieht sich auf die gesamte Reihe. Gesamtwertung: 4/5

Ich habe den Anime (sowohl die alte OVA aus den 80ern als auch die Neuauflage) schon sehr gern gesehen. Die Romanvorlage bietet da noch wesentlich mehr Details. Die besondere Stärke dieser Reihe liegt meiner Meinung nach in den Charakteren. Nahezu jeder hat eine Vorgeschichte und einen Background und somit seine eigenen Motive, für diese oder jene Seite zu kämpfen. Selbst bei Nebencharakteren werden kleine Anekdoten eingestreut, um sie greifbarer zu machen. Aber es gibt wirklich viele Charaktere und das muss man halt mögen. Schön finde ich auch, dass es in 'Legend of the Galactic Heroes' nicht wirklich Gut und Böse gibt. Auf beiden Seiten gibt es Sympathieträger und echte Unsympathen. Das Galactic Empire und die Allianz der Freien Planeten haben beide ihre Vor- und Nachteile und das schwingt eigentlich immer mit, vor allem am Anfang, wo viele Schattenseiten beider Systeme hervorgehoben werden.

Über die zehn Bände hinweg gibt es auch mehrere zentrale Wendungen, die man nicht kommen sieht. So wird es eigentlich nicht langweilig. Gerade wenn Yang eine neue geniale Strategie ersinnt, wird es eigentlich immer interessant. Auch gibt es eine detaillierte Vorgeschichte der Galaxie bis zur Ausgangssituation im ersten Band von 'Legend of the Galactic Heroes'. Wie die Menschheit den Weltraum eroberte, wie die Erde dabei zunehmend an Bedeutung verlor, aber natürlich auch, wie sich die Goldenbaum-Dynastie etablierte oder die Allianz der Freien Planeten gegründet wurde. Es ist alles da und man bekommt das Gefühl, dass Yoshiki Tanaka sich hier auch weitaus mehr überlegt hat, als dann in den Büchern erzählt wird.

Der Schreibstil ist bisweilen etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig. Ich hatte befürchtet, dass es sehr trocken wird wegen der ganzen Strategienbeschreibungen, aber das ist überhaupt nicht der Fall. Eigentlich liest es sich sogar recht flott. Warum gewöhnungsbedürftig? Immer wieder gibt es Verweise darauf, wie künftige Historiker diese Situation oder die Taten jenes Charakter bewerten. Gerade nach hinten raus werden dann auch persönliche Aufzeichnungen einiger Charaktere zitiert. Man bekommt hier bisweilen das Gefühl, eine historische Abhandlung zu lesen. Das ist an und für sich nichts Schlechtes, aber es ist halt ein wenig gewöhnungsbedürftig. Außerdem fiel mir auf, wie oft erwähnt wird, wie elegant und gutaussehend Reinhard doch ist. Das wurde mir irgendwann ein wenig viel des Guten^^

Die Reihe hat aber auch so ihre Schwächen. Man muss sie natürlich im Kontext ihrer Zeit sehen, doch in der Mitte hat es mich schon sehr genervt, wie weibliche Figuren auf ihre Rolle als Ehe- und Hausfrauen reduziert werden. Generell findet man hier nur sehr wenige weibliche Charaktere, gerade im Militär, wo man rund tausend Jahre in der Zukunft durchaus mehr Soldatinnen erwarten kann. Die paar Frauen, die anfangs eine aktivere Rolle einnehmen, dienen letztendlich nur als Love Interests und werden nach hinten raus extrem passiv. Das ist schade, denn Hilda, Frederica oder Karen hätten durchaus Potenzial für mehr.

Nach hinten raus baut die Handlung auch deutlich ab und es entstehen Längen. Hier wäre vielleicht weniger mehr gewesen. Doch trotz dieser Schwächen bleibt 'Legend of the Galactic Heroes' eine großartige Geschichte mit abwechslungsreichen Charakteren.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending of this space opera book series left me satisfied but still I had the urge to throw this book to the ground and yell "Prosit!" (Doing so with a wine glass would be unnecessarily dangerous.) The battles in LoGH were never restricted to those conducted between fleets of warships. This book asks our characters (and by extension, the reader), in the long run, what are you really fighting for? What do you do with yourself after the battle is over?

At its core LoGH is a love story between people, their individual definitions of freedom, and the pursuit of peace. Battles between a noble dictatorship and a corrupt democracy is just the side dish.

"What is it with people, anyway? Well, groups of people. How many billion liters of blood must be spilled just to settle something that can be resolved by talking?" (from page 195)

Overall I'm happy the books were released in English. While I could shell out for the limited edition bluray set of the classic anime, or start on the DnT reboot, it's a lot easier to get back into the story with the source novels. Reading is my preferred medium for this story, and my brain can mix and match how I want to imagine it; character designs from the classic anime, but ships from the reboot. Translations are tricky and some of Tanaka's writing style may not have been easy to adapt, but it's not like I never run into phrases that make me cringe in second-hand embarrassment for the author in novels originally written in English. I'm so glad the publisher was able to hang in there to release all ten books.

[Royden Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I good conclusion to the saga... although with all the asides all along from future historians (ex: "Two years later, this person would..."), I suppose I would have appreciated a bit of an epilogue.. although, I can also see why it ended where it did.

[Darth JarJar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is a masterpiece. An archetype of what soft sci-fi should look like.

It tackles many of the biggest questions society faces, including a corrupt democracy vs a benevolent dictatorship. Why nations fail, how some people have a capacity to do great things, the role of the Military in democracy, etc


Also a lot of good life lessons - why we fight for what we believe in when the odds are stacked against us, never giving up, loyalty to ones comrades,

The characterization is also superb.

Reimhard's desire and ability to do great things. His ability to rally others to his cause. The fact that work is the thing that keeps him going.

And his foil, Yang's external laziness, but the fact he is also motivated by his values in a different yet similar way.

All this is wrapped up in a compelling narrative that is sound at both the strategic (broad brushstroke) and tactical (maneuvers and battles), and excellent, sometimes poetic writing.

The main drawback is the misogyny - the fact that there are only 2 female supporting characters and all the admirals are male is inexcusable.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 10: Sunset - Yoshiki Tanaka (Highlight: 27; Note: 0)

───────────────

◆ CHAPTER 1: BIRTH OF THE KAISERIN

▪ History shows that a ruler’s downfall begins when he cuts himself off from unpleasant information and luxuriates only in pleasure.

▪ The Black Fox of Phezzan! I’ll skin his hide and use it to sole my boots; that way, I can tread on it every day. Just let him show himself!

◆ CHAPTER 2: INVITATION TO A RIOT

▪ One reason the Lohengramm Dynasty’s military was so strong was the belief that the enemies of the kaiser as an individual, the enemies of the state, and the enemies of the people were all one and the same. For them, Kaiser von Lohengramm was a liberator.

▪ Self-reflection, self-control: these were the qualities that had set Yang apart, and Julian had naturally inherited them too. Taken to extremes, of course, self-reflection could become timidity, self-control stagnation, and this was something else for those around Julian to worry about.

▪ If Reinhard showed respect for democratic republican governance, was that not because his greatest adversary Yang Wen-li had died to protect it? If Julian and the others could not show similar conviction, not only would they earn the kaiser’s contempt, they would also lose all hope of ever negotiating on equal footing with him.

▪ Allow the enemy to think that their wishes have been granted. At the same time, psychologically box them in until they are convinced that no other course of action exists—and don’t let them realize what you’re doing.

▪ Those mangy stray dogs on Iserlohn have been howling so long they’ve convinced themselves they’re wolves. The only thing a stray dog understands is the whip. Be strict when you train them, so they will never forget the limits of their power again

◆ CHAPTER 4: TOWARD PEACE, THROUGH BLOODSHED

▪ Just as Trünicht had used the structures of democratic republicanism and Rubinsky had used the levers of Phezzan’s economy, de Villiers was using the Church of Terra to advance his private ambitions

▪ These calculations by the Imperial Navy—or, more accurately, by von Oberstein himself—proved accurate, at least at first. Iserlohn erupted with concern, and representatives of the government and military, from Frederica and Julian down, gathered in a conference room to debate their response—although little was recorded in the first thirty minutes except several hundred colorful vituperations directed at von Oberstein.

◆ CHAPTER 7: CRIMSON STAR-ROAD

▪ Better to fight and rue the outcome than rue not fighting at all

▪ Traps are more successful when you can fool the enemy into believing that their predictions were correct or their hopes realized

▪ And so the Imperial Navy was trapped in a snare of its own devising. By closing off part of the communications network and ordering strict radio silence on the subject of the kaiser’s condition, they prevented the Iserlohn fleet from learning of it, but at the same time cut vital links in their own chain of command.

▪ Yang Wen-li had always said, “If I die, it’ll be of overwork. Chisel it on my tombstone, Julian: ‘Here lies an unfortunate worker killed by his job.’ ” Then he would wander off for a nap

◆ CHAPTER 8: BRÜNHILD THIRSTS FOR BLOOD

▪ Perhaps, Mittermeier thought suddenly, the kaiser demanded blood as proof that the republicans truly valued what they sought. If so, he surely would not accept any less ferocity of spirit than he had always shown himself.

▪ Come now, it wasn’t such a bad life. I had the chance to try my—what was the phrase?—foppery and whim against the kaiser himself.

▪ By Your Majesty’s leave, I will stand for our discussion.”
“Let us begin with your name.”
“Julian Mintz, Your Majesty

◆ CHAPTER 9: THE GOLDENLÖWE DIMMED

▪ But now Hyperion, too, had been lost forever in the Shiva Stellar Region. It had become the grave marker for Wiliabard Joachim Merkatz, another fine commander. That’s the best use for it now, she thought. Hyperion was lost, Iserlohn Fortress would be returned to the empire, and Frederica herself was without child, so Yang’s bloodline had ended with him. But Frederica would not forget. Julian would not forget. They would always remember that Yang Wen-li had lived—had been by their side. They would remember his face, his gestures, his way of life.
Frederica sat on the bed and picked up a photograph of her husband. “Thank you, my darling,” she whispered to him. “You made my life so very rich.”

▪ What is it with people, anyway? Well, groups of people. How many billion liters of blood must be spilled just to settle something that can be resolved by talking?

▪ Yes—for the survivors, the journey continues. It continues until the day we join our departed companions in death. Forbidden to fly, we must walk on until that day.

▪ For Julian, however, fighting had been the only way to bring about their current situation. Had they simply accepted the authority of the Galactic Empire immediately after the fall of the Free Planets Alliance, Yang Wen-li would have been murdered, and republican democracy would have been extinguished without a trace. So Julian thought, but of course those were Julian’s values; others approached life with different ones.

◆ CHAPTER 10: AN END TO DREAMING

▪ In a way, Kaiser Reinhard had imposed a painful trial on democratic republican governance. Your values have survived war, he seemed to say; now let us see if they can escape corruption in peacetime. Attenborough would spend his life

▪ Fate, Julian realized, was a marvelously convenient word. Even circumstances as involved as these could be explained to the satisfaction of others if fate was invoked. Could that have been why Yang had tried to never use it?

▪ Friendship comes in many forms. It begins in many ways, is sustained in many ways, and ends in many ways. What manner of friendship would arise between Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm and Felix Mittermeier? Would they become like Reinhard and Siegfried, or perhaps like von Reuentahl and Mittermeier? Mittermeier could not help wondering.

▪ It had taken over five hundred years and hundreds of billions of lives to achieve that “not much.”

▪ it was the responsibility and duty of the living to give those yet unborn more opportunities for judgment and reflection.

▪ And then would begin a long, long era of building and conservation. They would continue to negotiate with the mighty Galactic Empire outside the Baalat system, and cultivate a system of self-governance and self-determination within it. The winter would be long, and there was no guarantee that spring would ever come.
And yet Julian and his companions chose democracy anyway. Refusing to grant absolute power even to a genius like Reinhard von Lohengramm, the kind seen only once every few centuries, a group of unremarkable individuals would feel their way forward through trial and error, searching for better ways to produce better outcomes. That was the Long March that Ahle Heinessen had chosen, and Yang Wen-li had inherited.

▪ The legend ends, and history begins

[h’]

There are many things that make Legend of The Galactic Heroes hold a special place for me in the world in fiction; its vast pool of characters, the ideas that it discusses, the steady pacing, but most importantly, it is a story of men. It's not like regular fiction where one protagonist is being followed throughout his journey, it is a story many men suffering, experiencing and making history, and fighting in the most noble yet crimson colored ways.

The greatness of LoGH doesn't come without one major drawback, which is how it dealt with the relegious and spiritual idea. The nature of the story allowed for different ideologies to be expressed in their worst, most extreme conditions, and in their ideal states where they actually benefit people. The best example of that is autocracy and its brute embodiment of Rudolph contrasting with its perfect representation Reinhard. The story didn't simply adopt that "autocracy is bad", it gave the reader 10 volumes to think and decide for himself whether you should beleive in it or not. It did, however, implicitly portray the image that religion is an artifact of the past, because no real counterargument was presented to oppose the Church of Terra, unlike democracy and autocracy. This is specially apparent since the plot had a lot of narrative tools (like historians, the narrator, and characters), to utilize and to show that the relegious idea is not as bad as the Church made it look like.

I understand that this is, at the end of the day, a piece of fiction. However, I've became more sensetive to the ideas that can be silently passed with any medium. This criticism comes from the fact the story and its themes are indeed mature, have I not expected something developed from it, this point wouldn't be a matter of concern, but because I place it in a high regard the flaw can't go unnoticed.

I don't think that I can enjoy other pieces of fiction as much as I did with LoGH, a cosmic mosaic of characters each shining individually, swimming in the vast sea of stars that is the galaxy.

The Legend Ends, And History Begins.

[Kaoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. That would be the end then. While I'm not sure whether it is a satisfying ending, it probably is the most logical ending to where things stood at the starting point of this installment. One probably would have wished for the Julian faction to finally defeat the empire, but well, in a way he did. However, it did feel as if Tanaka was trying to have it both ways with the ending, so it feels a little like a cop-out. One could argue though that LofGH wasn't supposed to be a simple Good vs Evil story, but musings on democracy vs autocracy, more or less. It was all about the friends and philosophies we made along the way.

One could argue however how "deep" these discussions truly are. The series is too pulpy to be truly thought-provoking, but on the other hand it's too sincere and committed to the messages to be truly shallow. It might sit somewhere in-between, but it's difficult to fully assess if it's the fault of the original text or whether something got lost in translation, and I'm hardly the only one who ever complained about the work that was being done here. One sometimes can sense that certain sections read great in the Japanese version, but read somewhat stiff and stilted in the English release. Sometimes aphorisms that Tanaka came up with seem to be translated word by word, with little regard for what they were trying to say. What does "A song by a jackal is more than sufficent to serenade a boar" even mean and what is trying to convey? "Annerose felt her breast freeze up, heard the spiderweb cracks spreading out across it." Huh??

Ah well. I guess it's better than no translation at all, but I wonder how much bigger of an impact this series might have on the non-Japanese language reader if it had been a competent one. Or it really is just like that in the original text. Who can tell?

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In every time, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same.”

These lines open each episode of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA, and I have been saving them for this volume. As the epic conclusion to an expansive space opera, this volume delivers on everything that the series sowed. While many of the hanging immediate plot threads are resolved, the future is left ambiguous, as was the case from all the fictional historical excerpts included in the recounting of the tale. The history of the future, the conflict between democracy and autocracy, specifically how it plays out in in the soul of society, all of these are left if not hanging, up to the imagination of the reader and their own philosophies.

One thing that should be noted is the timelessness of this franchise, as expressed by how it has captured the imagination of a not insignificant portion of popular memory - written from 1982 to 1987, then adapted into an OVA from between December 1988 and March 1997, then the OVA translated into English by the legendary Central Anime for over ten years, then these novels officially translated into English (sometimes of dubious quality) from 2015 to 2019, then Die Neue These from 2017 to 2022... the themes and the characters have resonated across three generations already, and will continue to do so.

As thrilling as this series, it is so deeply human as well, whether it's at the level of a worthless toad like Lang or a truly great man like Reinhard, the series reaches the heights and depths of the human spirit. The randomness of history is explored even as the characters struggle to take control of their destiny. All that can be said is that this series is wroth reading to completion and watching to completion.

[José Luis Valenciano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally reached the end of Yoshiki Tanaka's "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" with a mixed feeling of sadness and hope. Sunset might be the tittle of the tenth and final volume of the saga, but it might be very well called Sunrise, as it provides a new starting point for the coexistence and mutual influence between former Free Planet Alliance and the Galactic Empire.
Much blood has been spilled in the previous volumes in defense of democracy and enlightened authoritarian rule. Yang Wen li's death was tragic and senseless but Kaiser Von Lohengramm has suffered too a fate similar to that of Alexander the Great. I can't help but to feel sympathy for friends and foes.
As a political science and history lover, I believe Tanaka's work is a must read to learn about the dynamic nature of politics. Any static system will tend towards stagnation and collapse.
I know there are some spin-off books based on the same universe, but not translated into English. I hope Viz Media will think about it if sales were enough. I must thank them for Haikasoru's edition.

[Francisco Blandón · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appropriate ending to the series. Anything not related the main trama was closed a little too quickly for my taste, but it remained coherent with the rhythm of the story and its logic. I'm prone to say that one more book would have been useful to finish things a little bit slower, but in the grander scale I can't even think of a better way to close the 10-book epic.

Long live Keiser Reinhard and long live democracy.

[Grant Mougin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final conclusion at last! A splendid series in television and on the page. A strong recommendation to any sci-fi fan.

While I like the endings for all of our characters, I felt that the ending was a tad rushed. I feel based on the timeline of events this is my personal critique for the series as a whole. Some times you need sudden developments, but when you look at how quickly things shifted it just felt like too much in such small of time.

Or maybe that’s just history as a whole…

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonable ending. Some parts of the book were odd

[Alejandro Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. It's phenomenal. It's easily one of the best space operas I've ever read.

[SR · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOD

(I have no coherent ... anything. My heart hurts.)

[Luís de Santa Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a lackluster, politically correct way for a promising story to end.

[Eric Kariuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a journey,
ready to finish the OVA now.

[Xiang Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

无法更改的命运 真是悲哀啊