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The Ancient Magus' Bride (Light Novel) #2
Die Braut des Magiers - Light Novel 02: Das silberne Garn
A self-contained novel collection of stories for The Ancient Magus’ Bride!
The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Golden Yarn and The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Silver Yarn are collections of prose short stories that expand the beloved world and characters from The Ancient Magus’ Bride. In addition to stories by Kore Yamazaki herself, the books include works by prominent authors such as Yuuichirou Higashide, writer on Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Grand Order, and Yoshinobu Akita, author of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Each self-contained volume is a unique and magical addition to any bookshelf.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Golden Yarn and The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Silver Yarn are collections of prose short stories that expand the beloved world and characters from The Ancient Magus’ Bride. In addition to stories by Kore Yamazaki herself, the books include works by prominent authors such as Yuuichirou Higashide, writer on Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Grand Order, and Yoshinobu Akita, author of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Each self-contained volume is a unique and magical addition to any bookshelf.
329 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2017
30 people are currently reading
514 people want to read
About the author
Kore Yamazaki
66 books516 followersName (in native language) : ヤマザキコレ
Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.
Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
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March 28, 2020Excellent book! It's a collection of short fantasy stories. While connected to the Ancient Magnus Bride anime/manga, it doesn't require any previous knowledge. However, one of the short stories in this one continues on from one in the first book. I read most of this before The Golden Yarn, but wanted to read part 1 of Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg first.
First book is The Golden Yarn, this book is the second, it's The Silver Yarn. Both have gorgeous covers and each short story has a single illustration.
Again, it's a very light and fun read. 8 short stories. Somewhere around 50ish pages each. Writing a bit about all of them.
War at the Walshes's is about two different house fairies, brownies, like Silky, in neighboring homes. Dramatic and emotional, but a good read. This one is told a bit as if Elias and Chise, from the main series are learning the story. It's nice again to have a few extra moments of them. Most of the stories in these two books seem to me like they would be in the library Elias has.
Natural Colors was a great read. Very much a thinker, about a man who is lost in his way and craft who spends time with an herbalist. This one was very nice.
Children of the Battlefield was an interesting one. It's about WW2, with gremlins and golems, and magic between England and Germany. I'll leave it at that, and certainly stories like this were around at the time I'm guessing.
Beneath the stairs at Wald Abbey was a very nice read. It's a very Downton Abbey type story. About the people who own and live at a fancy mansion. Of course, there are some supernatural and mysterious elements at the mansion. Very deep read.
Love is a Troublesome tale is about cats, being the magical, in charge, incredible beings they are, and human family drama in a small town in England. The first time I barely got this one, but I decided to read it again. With more attention and care, I think I like this one a fair bit, but it's nothing too incredible. I think this place was briefly portrayed in the main anime series, but I'll have to go back to it.
Agnella's Song is a dark one. About a child at an orphanage. Relating to others, going to a fair. This one might raise a few hairs on your neck.
Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg (Part 2). Continuing from the story in the first book, the Golden Yarn. This did a great job in expanding and furthering the characters and story in the first part. It was a very satisfactory conclusion. I'm glad there was more and I got to spend more with this. It's a bit of an urban fantasy, a dragon egg, people with magic and crime in New York. Again, it feels like this could be it's own series. Leaves you wondering. Minor appearance of a character in the main series.
Flightless stars was a good one, about wanderers, magic silkworms, and life on the road. Looking for purpose, cycle of life, and more. This one was nice, though very quick and perhaps I'll have to read it again at some point.
Edit: I read it again. Liked it more this time. Tweaked my writing on it. Maybe a few of these I was a little sleepy and rushed the first time reading, but the second time they were better.
These two books are certainly staying on my shelf and it's very easy to read one story in a day.
First book is The Golden Yarn, this book is the second, it's The Silver Yarn. Both have gorgeous covers and each short story has a single illustration.
Again, it's a very light and fun read. 8 short stories. Somewhere around 50ish pages each. Writing a bit about all of them.
War at the Walshes's is about two different house fairies, brownies, like Silky, in neighboring homes. Dramatic and emotional, but a good read. This one is told a bit as if Elias and Chise, from the main series are learning the story. It's nice again to have a few extra moments of them. Most of the stories in these two books seem to me like they would be in the library Elias has.
Natural Colors was a great read. Very much a thinker, about a man who is lost in his way and craft who spends time with an herbalist. This one was very nice.
Children of the Battlefield was an interesting one. It's about WW2, with gremlins and golems, and magic between England and Germany. I'll leave it at that, and certainly stories like this were around at the time I'm guessing.
Beneath the stairs at Wald Abbey was a very nice read. It's a very Downton Abbey type story. About the people who own and live at a fancy mansion. Of course, there are some supernatural and mysterious elements at the mansion. Very deep read.
Love is a Troublesome tale is about cats, being the magical, in charge, incredible beings they are, and human family drama in a small town in England. The first time I barely got this one, but I decided to read it again. With more attention and care, I think I like this one a fair bit, but it's nothing too incredible. I think this place was briefly portrayed in the main anime series, but I'll have to go back to it.
Agnella's Song is a dark one. About a child at an orphanage. Relating to others, going to a fair. This one might raise a few hairs on your neck.
Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg (Part 2). Continuing from the story in the first book, the Golden Yarn. This did a great job in expanding and furthering the characters and story in the first part. It was a very satisfactory conclusion. I'm glad there was more and I got to spend more with this. It's a bit of an urban fantasy, a dragon egg, people with magic and crime in New York. Again, it feels like this could be it's own series. Leaves you wondering. Minor appearance of a character in the main series.
Flightless stars was a good one, about wanderers, magic silkworms, and life on the road. Looking for purpose, cycle of life, and more. This one was nice, though very quick and perhaps I'll have to read it again at some point.
Edit: I read it again. Liked it more this time. Tweaked my writing on it. Maybe a few of these I was a little sleepy and rushed the first time reading, but the second time they were better.
These two books are certainly staying on my shelf and it's very easy to read one story in a day.
July 5, 2022
Kurzgeschichten aus der Welt des Mangas "Die Braut des Magiers". Einige gefielen mir sehr, andere überhaupt nicht. Es war schön, mehr über bereits bekannte Charaktere zu lesen, auch wenn es nur Nebenrollen waren. Außerdem gehen einige Kurzgeschichten stärker in Richtung Grusel und Horror, anders als die Hauptgeschichte des Mangas.
Meine Eindrücke in Kürze:
1: Interessant und ein bisschen gruselig war die Geschichte der zwei Brownies.
2: Hier geht es um Achtsamkeit und darum, die Schönheit der Welt neu genießen zu lernen. Leider war mir die Geschichte zu langweilig.
3: Die dritte Geschichte gefiel mir überhaupt nicht. Ich war sogar versucht, abzubrechen und direkt mit der nächsten weiterzumachen, habe mich dann aber doch durchgebissen und die letzten 20 Seiten überflogen.
4: Die Geschichte um die Dienstboten und die unsichtbare Fee im Herrenhaus gefiel mir wiederum, obwohl einiges vorhersehbar war.
5: Das Katzenkapitel war toll und meine liebste Geschichte in diesem Band! Ich mochte schon im Manga die Geschehnisse in Ulthar.
6: Unheimlich und faszinierend zugleich.
7: Teil 2 von Jack the Flash war ganz cool, hat mich aber nicht umgehauen. Lindel und die Drachen mag ich und auch Nebencharaktere wie der Baron waren interessant.
8: Die letzte Geschichte hatte einen guten Ansatz, die Umsetzung gefiel mir jedoch nicht so gut. Aber wenigstens war sie sehr kurz.
Insgesamt waren meine Eindrücke also eher durchwachsen, weshalb ich leider nicht mehr als 2 Sterne geben kann. Obwohl ein paar wirklich schöne Geschichten enthalten sind! Empfehlenswert für alle, die tiefer in die Welt der Mangareihe einsteigen wollen.
Meine Eindrücke in Kürze:
1: Interessant und ein bisschen gruselig war die Geschichte der zwei Brownies.
2: Hier geht es um Achtsamkeit und darum, die Schönheit der Welt neu genießen zu lernen. Leider war mir die Geschichte zu langweilig.
3: Die dritte Geschichte gefiel mir überhaupt nicht. Ich war sogar versucht, abzubrechen und direkt mit der nächsten weiterzumachen, habe mich dann aber doch durchgebissen und die letzten 20 Seiten überflogen.
4: Die Geschichte um die Dienstboten und die unsichtbare Fee im Herrenhaus gefiel mir wiederum, obwohl einiges vorhersehbar war.
5: Das Katzenkapitel war toll und meine liebste Geschichte in diesem Band! Ich mochte schon im Manga die Geschehnisse in Ulthar.
6: Unheimlich und faszinierend zugleich.
7: Teil 2 von Jack the Flash war ganz cool, hat mich aber nicht umgehauen. Lindel und die Drachen mag ich und auch Nebencharaktere wie der Baron waren interessant.
8: Die letzte Geschichte hatte einen guten Ansatz, die Umsetzung gefiel mir jedoch nicht so gut. Aber wenigstens war sie sehr kurz.
Insgesamt waren meine Eindrücke also eher durchwachsen, weshalb ich leider nicht mehr als 2 Sterne geben kann. Obwohl ein paar wirklich schöne Geschichten enthalten sind! Empfehlenswert für alle, die tiefer in die Welt der Mangareihe einsteigen wollen.
February 1, 2022
"To see the beauty of the world, one must step off the beaten path."
"Every story is rooted in fate. Fate links the seasons together in an unending chain. To know what summer means you have to know winter, which requires an understanding of spring, and so on."
"Being alone wasn't isolation. Being the only one who knew what isolation felt like, now that was isolation."
"Their fingers twined, and their hands clasped together. I felt sure they'd make it work. That required no magic. Love was all the magic they needed."
"Every story is rooted in fate. Fate links the seasons together in an unending chain. To know what summer means you have to know winter, which requires an understanding of spring, and so on."
"Being alone wasn't isolation. Being the only one who knew what isolation felt like, now that was isolation."
"Their fingers twined, and their hands clasped together. I felt sure they'd make it work. That required no magic. Love was all the magic they needed."
April 23, 2019
charming and horrifying - leave it to a cat to state what those of us immersed in the AMB universe understand so clearly: "every story is rooted in fate." Not only is one of these stories narrated by a cat, another is by an owl, and both are decidedly more intelligent and capable than most people - and entirely magical, of course. All of these writers have their own 'feel' for AMB and their stories and characters, while their own, certainly fit into AMB, showing how much wider of a world it is than we might think. Two of them (one by a writer of Fate/GO and Fate/Apocrypha, no surprise) gave me nightmares, and one of those two was particularly terrifying - just goes to show how a universe so stunningly beautiful and romantic can also be shockingly brutal and deadly. This and its predecessor, The Ancient Magus' Bride: The Golden Yarn (Light Novel) 1, are a must for AMB fans.
April 12, 2021
Another collection of stories set in a magical world with gleams of our own. Loved the ending of the last story, a continuation from the first book.
May 9, 2025
No pensé que pudiera ponerle una calificación tan baja a algo relacionado a Ancient Magus Bride
Y es que pensé que esta novela tocaría aventuras fuera de la trampa principal sobre Elías y Chise, pero por lo contrario terminó siendo una antología de historias creadas por diversos escritores japoneses, las cuales a excepción de una todas me parecieron aburridas y poco interesantes
Aquí mi calificación individual a cada una:
- War at the Walshes: 3, mencionan a Elías y Chise
- Natural colors: 2.5, no le encontré trama, demoré un mes en retomar esta historia
- Children of the battlefield: 2, me dormí leyéndola
- Beneath the stairs at wald Abbey: 4, fue la única que me gustó. De una chica que termina siendo sirvienta y se encuentra con un hada
- Love is a troublesome tail: 3, no me llaman la atención los gatos
- Agnellas song: 2.5, muy perturbador el final
- Jack Flash and the rainbow egg: 2.5, una 2da parte que ni me inmuté en buscar la 1era parte
- Flightless stars: por el mangaka de Ancient Magus Bride, pero ¿a dónde quedó la trama?
Calificación final: 2.5. Una decepción
Y es que pensé que esta novela tocaría aventuras fuera de la trampa principal sobre Elías y Chise, pero por lo contrario terminó siendo una antología de historias creadas por diversos escritores japoneses, las cuales a excepción de una todas me parecieron aburridas y poco interesantes
Aquí mi calificación individual a cada una:
- War at the Walshes: 3, mencionan a Elías y Chise
- Natural colors: 2.5, no le encontré trama, demoré un mes en retomar esta historia
- Children of the battlefield: 2, me dormí leyéndola
- Beneath the stairs at wald Abbey: 4, fue la única que me gustó. De una chica que termina siendo sirvienta y se encuentra con un hada
- Love is a troublesome tail: 3, no me llaman la atención los gatos
- Agnellas song: 2.5, muy perturbador el final
- Jack Flash and the rainbow egg: 2.5, una 2da parte que ni me inmuté en buscar la 1era parte
- Flightless stars: por el mangaka de Ancient Magus Bride, pero ¿a dónde quedó la trama?
Calificación final: 2.5. Una decepción
June 29, 2021
Excellent anthology! I only have three criticisms so let's get those out of the way.
1. Children of the Battlefield. I enjoyed following the perspective of a familiar owl, though the circumstances of his nationality did not make much sense in the context of the setting. It would have been less jarring to pick just about anything else. I get the feeling that the author is very interested in the machines of the era, which shows because we stopped to name every single one of them. As someone who is also interested in both history and machines, this is fine! The problem arises when—and if you've ever read military sci fi, as I have, you know exactly what I mean—the story begins to rely on battleship maneuvering when it's supposed to be tense. It doesn't work very well when it's hard to visualize. White room combat, I am sorry to say. The premise was fascinating and I would have liked to see more of it, but the potential was capsized by the ship combat and the conclusion that it all amounted to diddly squat anyway. The antagonist's motivations and goals were so bizarre and stupid that I couldn't believe them. The viewpoint character was a lot of fun and had a subtle sense of humour, but the plot is spaghetti. I don't like spaghetti.
2. Agnella's Song. I'm not a Lovecraft aficionado myself, thus I have no idea if explicit references were made that I simply don't have the context to grasp or if this fell into the unspeakable horror trap. So unspeakable that we do not speak of it and I am left with no idea what I'm meant to infer from little is said. Still uncertain there was a point to anything that was included in it. Being vague can be a point unto itself, but it's one that frustrates me personally.
3. Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg, Part Two. Didn't care the first time, cared less the second time. This is another case when the protagonist is outshone by the supporting cast. I would much rather read about the Baron's day than anything Jack gets up to. I suspect this is due to the setting fixating on everything that's mundane about New York and barely scratching that magical underbelly. The reverse might have made it more interesting for me.
PHEW. That's it. Even those stories were still fun and atmospheric reads, they just had a few things about them that were distracting. I think my favourites out of the lot were the first two installments, War at the Walshes' and Natural Colours. In the first we got a neat little glimpse into fairy psychology! Worldbuilding! I would read about Rust Eyes again. This is also the story in which Elias and Chise make an appearance, which is automatic bonus points. The message of the second story is so important to me, even as someone who already knew it going in. I sense immediately what manner of fae was going to make an appearance here and was not disappointed! The setting was vivid and beautiful in a way that supported the theme, and the characters being so down to earth made this one feel the most like a TMA tale.
I would definitely recommend this, primarily to fans of the series. It's likely to get a few rereads from me.
1. Children of the Battlefield. I enjoyed following the perspective of a familiar owl, though the circumstances of his nationality did not make much sense in the context of the setting. It would have been less jarring to pick just about anything else. I get the feeling that the author is very interested in the machines of the era, which shows because we stopped to name every single one of them. As someone who is also interested in both history and machines, this is fine! The problem arises when—and if you've ever read military sci fi, as I have, you know exactly what I mean—the story begins to rely on battleship maneuvering when it's supposed to be tense. It doesn't work very well when it's hard to visualize. White room combat, I am sorry to say. The premise was fascinating and I would have liked to see more of it, but the potential was capsized by the ship combat and the conclusion that it all amounted to diddly squat anyway. The antagonist's motivations and goals were so bizarre and stupid that I couldn't believe them. The viewpoint character was a lot of fun and had a subtle sense of humour, but the plot is spaghetti. I don't like spaghetti.
2. Agnella's Song. I'm not a Lovecraft aficionado myself, thus I have no idea if explicit references were made that I simply don't have the context to grasp or if this fell into the unspeakable horror trap. So unspeakable that we do not speak of it and I am left with no idea what I'm meant to infer from little is said. Still uncertain there was a point to anything that was included in it. Being vague can be a point unto itself, but it's one that frustrates me personally.
3. Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg, Part Two. Didn't care the first time, cared less the second time. This is another case when the protagonist is outshone by the supporting cast. I would much rather read about the Baron's day than anything Jack gets up to. I suspect this is due to the setting fixating on everything that's mundane about New York and barely scratching that magical underbelly. The reverse might have made it more interesting for me.
PHEW. That's it. Even those stories were still fun and atmospheric reads, they just had a few things about them that were distracting. I think my favourites out of the lot were the first two installments, War at the Walshes' and Natural Colours. In the first we got a neat little glimpse into fairy psychology! Worldbuilding! I would read about Rust Eyes again. This is also the story in which Elias and Chise make an appearance, which is automatic bonus points. The message of the second story is so important to me, even as someone who already knew it going in. I sense immediately what manner of fae was going to make an appearance here and was not disappointed! The setting was vivid and beautiful in a way that supported the theme, and the characters being so down to earth made this one feel the most like a TMA tale.
I would definitely recommend this, primarily to fans of the series. It's likely to get a few rereads from me.
December 18, 2020
Un recueil de petites histoires fantastiques ! Elles font toutes environ 50 pages, je n'étais pas trop dans un mood lecture, mais j'ai malgré cela pris grand plaisir a en lire une tous les soirs ! Pout ne pas que cet avis ne soit trop long, je vais essayer de résumer chaque petite histoire et donner deux mots pour vous décrire ma lecture:
Bataille chez les Walsh de Yuichiro Higashide, dans cette première nouvelle, on suit Chisé et Elias, les héros de The Ancient Magus Bride, Elias fait découvrir l'histoire de deux fées de maison a Chisé. Cette histoire était addictive et originale, j'ai adoré en apprendre sur les fées du monde de The Ancient Magus Bride !
Natural Colors de Magumi Masono , dans ce second récit, on est spectateur d'un homme très créatif qui rencontre une magicienne, c'était une lecture vraiment légère et reposante, un vrai plaisir !
Enfants de la guerre de Chikashi Yoshida, raconte l'histoire de la seconde Guerre Mondial mais avec de la magie qui entre en jeu, j'ai beaucoup aimé voir certains éléments du passé changés grâce aux gremlins et aux golems.
Dans les profondeurs de Wald Abbey de Sako Aizawa, une histoire similaire à Downtown Abbey mais avec des éléments surnaturels et magiques bien sur ! Une lecture entrainante et captivante !
L'amour ne commande pas toujours à sa queue de Yoshinobu Akita, cette histoire parle de chats, je ne pouvais que l'aimer, elle est surprenante et mystérieuse !
La chanson d'Agnella de Suzuki Otsuki, est un récit est sombre, inquiétante et angoissant, on l'on suit une fille dans un orphelinat.
Jack l'éclair et l'œuf arc-en-ciel par Yu Godai, je dois avouer que je n'ai pas lu celle-ci car la première partie de l'histoire se trouve dans The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'or.
Une étoile moins filante de Koré Yamazaki, de loin mon histoire préférée ! Elle est passionnante et touchante. On suit un magicien qui va se poser de nombreuses questions sur lui-même, ce que j'ai adoré dans celle-ci est qu'elle a réussi à me faire poser des questions et c'est ce que je recherche dans mes lectures.
Vous l'avez compris The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'argent a été une merveilleuse lecture et maintenait j'ai très envie de lire le manga The Ancient Magus Bride et The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'or !
Bataille chez les Walsh de Yuichiro Higashide, dans cette première nouvelle, on suit Chisé et Elias, les héros de The Ancient Magus Bride, Elias fait découvrir l'histoire de deux fées de maison a Chisé. Cette histoire était addictive et originale, j'ai adoré en apprendre sur les fées du monde de The Ancient Magus Bride !
Natural Colors de Magumi Masono , dans ce second récit, on est spectateur d'un homme très créatif qui rencontre une magicienne, c'était une lecture vraiment légère et reposante, un vrai plaisir !
Enfants de la guerre de Chikashi Yoshida, raconte l'histoire de la seconde Guerre Mondial mais avec de la magie qui entre en jeu, j'ai beaucoup aimé voir certains éléments du passé changés grâce aux gremlins et aux golems.
Dans les profondeurs de Wald Abbey de Sako Aizawa, une histoire similaire à Downtown Abbey mais avec des éléments surnaturels et magiques bien sur ! Une lecture entrainante et captivante !
L'amour ne commande pas toujours à sa queue de Yoshinobu Akita, cette histoire parle de chats, je ne pouvais que l'aimer, elle est surprenante et mystérieuse !
La chanson d'Agnella de Suzuki Otsuki, est un récit est sombre, inquiétante et angoissant, on l'on suit une fille dans un orphelinat.
Jack l'éclair et l'œuf arc-en-ciel par Yu Godai, je dois avouer que je n'ai pas lu celle-ci car la première partie de l'histoire se trouve dans The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'or.
Une étoile moins filante de Koré Yamazaki, de loin mon histoire préférée ! Elle est passionnante et touchante. On suit un magicien qui va se poser de nombreuses questions sur lui-même, ce que j'ai adoré dans celle-ci est qu'elle a réussi à me faire poser des questions et c'est ce que je recherche dans mes lectures.
Vous l'avez compris The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'argent a été une merveilleuse lecture et maintenait j'ai très envie de lire le manga The Ancient Magus Bride et The Ancient Magus Bride : le fil d'or !
March 31, 2019
The 2nd part of the short stories collection set in the world of the Ancient Magus Bride, I've been looking forward to this after finishing the Golden Yarn earlier.
The main highlight of this book for me was the 2nd part of Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg, which painted a really great picture of how magic and modern society coexisted, in a very different way than the main story does. The ending for this story was a bit of a anti-climax of sorts, but I still greatly enjoyed it overall.
Unlike the first book, the new stories from this volume are a bit more darker, like Suzuki Ootsuki's Agnella's Song, which tells the tale of a changeling, abused by her surroundings and awakening to her true nature. It ends with quite a shocking twist too, which even I felt was extremely disturbing, on the level of Lovecraftian works.
Chikashi Yoshida's Children of the Battlefield has a pretty unique protagonist, an actual owl and is set in an even more interesting time period, namely the summer of 1940, at the beginnings of World War II and tells the story of an interesting skirmish between the Allied and Axis magical forces that would determine the course of the war in the future.
Sako Aizawa's Beneath the Stairs at Wald Abbey is another favourite of mine from this series which is quite possibly the brightest story of the collection too. Set in the sort of place you'd expect from a 1800's romantic novel, the atmosphere it evokes is one that I most easily enjoyed as well.
The rest of the stories are still good, but the ones here are the ones that left the strongest impression on me, so I've only highlighted them. All in all, this 2 volume collection of short stories is definitely worth the read, even if you're not a fan of the original Ancient Magus Bride as they are sufficiently stand-alone enough to be enjoyed on their own merits.
The main highlight of this book for me was the 2nd part of Jack the Flash and the Rainbow Egg, which painted a really great picture of how magic and modern society coexisted, in a very different way than the main story does. The ending for this story was a bit of a anti-climax of sorts, but I still greatly enjoyed it overall.
Unlike the first book, the new stories from this volume are a bit more darker, like Suzuki Ootsuki's Agnella's Song, which tells the tale of a changeling, abused by her surroundings and awakening to her true nature. It ends with quite a shocking twist too, which even I felt was extremely disturbing, on the level of Lovecraftian works.
Chikashi Yoshida's Children of the Battlefield has a pretty unique protagonist, an actual owl and is set in an even more interesting time period, namely the summer of 1940, at the beginnings of World War II and tells the story of an interesting skirmish between the Allied and Axis magical forces that would determine the course of the war in the future.
Sako Aizawa's Beneath the Stairs at Wald Abbey is another favourite of mine from this series which is quite possibly the brightest story of the collection too. Set in the sort of place you'd expect from a 1800's romantic novel, the atmosphere it evokes is one that I most easily enjoyed as well.
The rest of the stories are still good, but the ones here are the ones that left the strongest impression on me, so I've only highlighted them. All in all, this 2 volume collection of short stories is definitely worth the read, even if you're not a fan of the original Ancient Magus Bride as they are sufficiently stand-alone enough to be enjoyed on their own merits.
April 13, 2019
Kore Yamazki is back with the second installment of short stories “The Silver Yarn.” In this volume are another 8 short stories that take us deeper into the world of the Ancient Magus Bride and help us see new adventures through the eyes of new and interesting characters. Of the eight in this volume I fell in love with Natural Colors and Beneath the Stairs as Wald Abbey. There is even a clever story that gives a nod to Hitler’s obsession with the Occult during World War 2. If you love Ancient Magus Bride, or even if you are just interested in fantasy fiction, you will find these short stories worth reading.
September 12, 2019
I read the first short story collection, so I was pleased to find a second short story collection to go along with it! There is a lot of variety between stories here - which is a nice pacing change when moving between horror, magic, and action stories. I especially enjoyed the stories focused on World War II (but a magical perspective) and the town of cats. Although this book is not a manga, it is based off of a manga series, which is why I labeled it so.
April 16, 2019
Much like Golden Yarn this collection has stories of varying degrees of likability, entertainment, thoughtfulness, etc. Put even 5 people together and there would likely be some disagreement about which is best, worst, etc. But the collection as a whole was another fun adventure in the world of the Ancient Magus' Bride and if you are a fan of the series it is worth looking into.
March 1, 2021
This gets a five. I rarely give those out. This was amazing.
Every story was so unique and whimsical and dark, and I found myself wrapped up within the first page of reading. They all fit in a similar world setting, but were all so different as to stand-alone.
I loved them all! The first story with the brownies was my favorite. I highly recommend this.
Every story was so unique and whimsical and dark, and I found myself wrapped up within the first page of reading. They all fit in a similar world setting, but were all so different as to stand-alone.
I loved them all! The first story with the brownies was my favorite. I highly recommend this.
April 28, 2020
3.5 star rating
Most of the stories were lovely, but there were a couple that didn't resonate with me AT ALL!!! I do love this world so much, and continue to look forward to more stories in this universe!
Most of the stories were lovely, but there were a couple that didn't resonate with me AT ALL!!! I do love this world so much, and continue to look forward to more stories in this universe!
April 27, 2021
I'm so glad I gave this spinoff series a chance because compared to the first book, I absolutely adored the stories in this one. It's darker than the first and the tales in this book were infinitely more interesting.
September 3, 2024
I really enjoyed the manga and both The Silver Yarn and Golden Yarn are a great addition to the universe. Expect emotions and twists and wow! I wasn’t sure I wanted to read both of these light novels, I’m so glad I did!
April 17, 2019
A fun collection but many of the stories weren’t as connected to the manga or anime as the first volume, and there just wasn’t as much sparkly fun.
March 9, 2021
Set in the same world, but doesn't require you to have read the manga/watched the anime. Magical, leans towards spooky.
March 13, 2021
So beautiful
April 27, 2021
Loved the stories and enjoyed the twist and turns. Highly recommend.
December 29, 2021
Great read, had a hard time putting it down
February 26, 2025
I didn’t love this one as much as I did the first volume but this still had some wonderful and fascinating stories set in one of my favorite manga universes so I still enjoyed what I read immensely.
December 16, 2019
Like “The Golden Yarn”, I loved this collection of stories just as much as the first.
(My only complaint is that the short story “Children of the Battlefield” was boring, and did not give the Ancient Magus’ Bride feeling)
(My only complaint is that the short story “Children of the Battlefield” was boring, and did not give the Ancient Magus’ Bride feeling)
December 31, 2025
Another collection of heart warming fairy stories.
June 21, 2022
Can I read Silver yarn novel before Golden yarn? Will I spoil anything?
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