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Kieli Novels (キーリ ライトノベル) #1
Kieli, Volume 1: The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness
Kieli is a reclusive girl isolated by her ability to see ghosts. Her only friend is her "roommate," Becca, the precocious spirit of a former student still residing in Kieli's dorm. Everything in Kieli's life changes suddenly when the girls meet the handsome but distant Harvey who, like Kieli, can see ghosts. He also turns out to be one of the legendary Undying, an immortal soldier bred for war now being hunted by the Church. When Kieli joins Harvey on a pilgrimage to lay to rest the spirit of a corporal possessing an old radio, as unlikely as it seems, she feels she may have finally found a place where she belongs in the world. And in Kieli, Harvey may have found a reason to live again.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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891 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 6, 2017
Absolutely loved this. LOVED this.
This is the story of a girl named Kieli. She drifts through life. She sees ghosts. The way she lives, she might as well be a ghost herself. She then meets a man named Harvey and ends up traveling with him to help put a spirit possessing a radio to rest. As she travels, she meets newpeople ghosts.
Kieli is an amazing character. Within this volume she goes from a girl who doesn't really care about her own life to someone willing to risk her own life in order to save others. She's willing to see ghosts as people and help them. She's willing to see past what's on the outside to see the person in front of her. She is a great character to see this world through.
Harvey is also interesting. At the start, he just seems like a grump who really doesn't want Kieli around. Later, we discover that he's... still a grump, but there's a reason behind it. The more and more of his back story you see, the more and more you like him. Same goes for the Colonel.
Speaking of the Colonel, he reminds me a lot of Hermes from Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World, but that could be because they're both talking tech that shouldn't be.
The story within this book is self-contained, so you even get a nice and neat ending!
I highly recommend this.
This is the story of a girl named Kieli. She drifts through life. She sees ghosts. The way she lives, she might as well be a ghost herself. She then meets a man named Harvey and ends up traveling with him to help put a spirit possessing a radio to rest. As she travels, she meets new
Kieli is an amazing character. Within this volume she goes from a girl who doesn't really care about her own life to someone willing to risk her own life in order to save others. She's willing to see ghosts as people and help them. She's willing to see past what's on the outside to see the person in front of her. She is a great character to see this world through.
Harvey is also interesting. At the start, he just seems like a grump who really doesn't want Kieli around. Later, we discover that he's... still a grump, but there's a reason behind it. The more and more of his back story you see, the more and more you like him. Same goes for the Colonel.
Speaking of the Colonel, he reminds me a lot of Hermes from Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World, but that could be because they're both talking tech that shouldn't be.
The story within this book is self-contained, so you even get a nice and neat ending!
I highly recommend this.
April 3, 2017
Do you ever read a book, recognize it as being loved by most, and ask yourself: "What must I be missing?"
That is precisely how I feel about this book.
I absolutely want to like it - to be honest, I want to love it. But I didn't and I don't.
Point of fact, I've read this book twice, more than five years apart, and both times felt the same at the end. That feeling was simply "meh?"
This book has unreal reviews and highly favorable ratings and, currently, sits at a massively respectable 4.20/5.00. For a site with a readership that gives Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the lowest rated 'Harry Potter' book on GR) a 4.36/5.00 you intrinsically know you're either a) missing something or b) not this book's target demographic.
As someone who truly enjoys most kinds of books (from The Housekeeper and the Professor to The Forgotten Soldier) to be that out of sync with the majority of reviewers is bizarre. This book must simply not be my cup of tea.
That said, I'm glad this book has its fans. There are things I liked about it: I enjoyed the radio-inhabiting Corporal, Harvey's real sense of apathy, and the truly smothering oppressiveness of The Church - for being mostly in the background of the story, The Church always felt like it was watching our protagonists from the shadows. There was even a nod to a wider, anti-church element within the world hinted at by the Corporal's passion for rock music (now banned) and his frequent playing of pirate radio stations. Color me intrigued.
However, the writing didn't grab me and the action scenes were hard to follow. While I think the world was supposed to be large, it felt small. One important "ghost" scene (that doubled as backstory for Harvey) felt incomplete and choppy. The book lacked tension (until the very end) and killed off what could have been a series-viable villain. Unfortunately, despite being a story of an immortal soldier, a girl who can see spirits and a radio-haunting ghost it fell largely flat.
Where the story really loses me is in its being (at least according to the back-cover) something of a "romance." Our female protagonist is, what, 15? Harvey, our grizzled and sunken-eyed antihero is, what, 100? I don't need to explain the massively creepy and troubling problems with that particular age gap, do I?
That is precisely how I feel about this book.
I absolutely want to like it - to be honest, I want to love it. But I didn't and I don't.
Point of fact, I've read this book twice, more than five years apart, and both times felt the same at the end. That feeling was simply "meh?"
This book has unreal reviews and highly favorable ratings and, currently, sits at a massively respectable 4.20/5.00. For a site with a readership that gives Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the lowest rated 'Harry Potter' book on GR) a 4.36/5.00 you intrinsically know you're either a) missing something or b) not this book's target demographic.
As someone who truly enjoys most kinds of books (from The Housekeeper and the Professor to The Forgotten Soldier) to be that out of sync with the majority of reviewers is bizarre. This book must simply not be my cup of tea.
That said, I'm glad this book has its fans. There are things I liked about it: I enjoyed the radio-inhabiting Corporal, Harvey's real sense of apathy, and the truly smothering oppressiveness of The Church - for being mostly in the background of the story, The Church always felt like it was watching our protagonists from the shadows. There was even a nod to a wider, anti-church element within the world hinted at by the Corporal's passion for rock music (now banned) and his frequent playing of pirate radio stations. Color me intrigued.
However, the writing didn't grab me and the action scenes were hard to follow. While I think the world was supposed to be large, it felt small. One important "ghost" scene (that doubled as backstory for Harvey) felt incomplete and choppy. The book lacked tension (until the very end) and killed off what could have been a series-viable villain. Unfortunately, despite being a story of an immortal soldier, a girl who can see spirits and a radio-haunting ghost it fell largely flat.
Where the story really loses me is in its being (at least according to the back-cover) something of a "romance." Our female protagonist is, what, 15? Harvey, our grizzled and sunken-eyed antihero is, what, 100? I don't need to explain the massively creepy and troubling problems with that particular age gap, do I?
November 17, 2014
Kieli is an isolated girl in a world where everything is controlled by the Church of a God she doesn't believe in. Driving and complicating her views and life is her odd ability to see ghosts. But soon she will meet one of the legendary Undying, perfect soldiers from the last great war made from lost technology but of no further use to Church or State, and her world will change…
The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness is an excellent, melancholy story about two complex, compelling leads in a fascinating world. I was struck right away by the illustrations at the beginning. They're gorgeous and give a very different feeling to Kieli than the manga art did. There's a more subdued air to her here. I like this design just slightly better, but a more energetic feel to the character was the right choice for the short manga series. Not super important - just something I found interesting.
The prose gets off to a impressive, slick start as the prologue (Why isn't God here?) establishes the atmosphere well and conveys a ton of information about both Kieli and her world in a few short pages. The momentum continues throughout the book. There's great intensity and atmosphere maintained and the author's pacing and general writing style makes it a smooth, gripping read. Kieli and Harvey are perfect leads, both likable yet three dimensional and flawed. The supporting cast (most notably Becca and the Corporal) are equally intriguing and contribute a lot to the story.
Another highlight is that the author is particularly great at knowing how to reveal that things didn't quite mean what they first seemed to earlier in the narrative. It adds a ton of depth and enjoyment to the already intricately layered stories. The chapters are a mixture of an overarching plot and side stories that flesh out the characters. It all unfolds naturally and builds to a strong conclusion that finishes this story while setting up the series nicely.
As should be obvious I adored this first volume of Kieli. It's right up with the Book Girl series as the best light novels I've ever read. Can't wait to see what's next.
The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness is an excellent, melancholy story about two complex, compelling leads in a fascinating world. I was struck right away by the illustrations at the beginning. They're gorgeous and give a very different feeling to Kieli than the manga art did. There's a more subdued air to her here. I like this design just slightly better, but a more energetic feel to the character was the right choice for the short manga series. Not super important - just something I found interesting.
The prose gets off to a impressive, slick start as the prologue (Why isn't God here?) establishes the atmosphere well and conveys a ton of information about both Kieli and her world in a few short pages. The momentum continues throughout the book. There's great intensity and atmosphere maintained and the author's pacing and general writing style makes it a smooth, gripping read. Kieli and Harvey are perfect leads, both likable yet three dimensional and flawed. The supporting cast (most notably Becca and the Corporal) are equally intriguing and contribute a lot to the story.
Another highlight is that the author is particularly great at knowing how to reveal that things didn't quite mean what they first seemed to earlier in the narrative. It adds a ton of depth and enjoyment to the already intricately layered stories. The chapters are a mixture of an overarching plot and side stories that flesh out the characters. It all unfolds naturally and builds to a strong conclusion that finishes this story while setting up the series nicely.
As should be obvious I adored this first volume of Kieli. It's right up with the Book Girl series as the best light novels I've ever read. Can't wait to see what's next.
March 13, 2016
To be clear, the manga I reviewed earlier in July (volume 1 and volume 2) covers the complete story of this first novel. The novel (like the manga) is split into smaller portions that make up the journey Kieli, the Corporal and Harvey make together.
Interestingly I found that I liked Kieli a little better because she didn't immediately gloom onto Harvey as it seems in the manga. I didn't sense her feelings about Harvey (the slight misgivings and such) in the manga as much as in the novel. Also Becca seems more...apparent. Her actions and reactions to things and Kieli's misunderstanding of things.
The translation is pretty good as far as I can see. At times it seems a little stilted, but I'm not sure if that's because the translator wanted to go for accuracy vs. readability or if the author wrote in such a fashion to begin with. The book has an almost dreamlike pace--each event floating into the next without any trouble, but seeming to exist outside of time (only a week passes during their travels, maybe a little less).
Since this is a future world topical references or cultural references are pretty non-existent. The only caveat is that Kieli is almost blasphemous in her opinions about 'God' and the planet's religious observance. The 'Church' plays a big part in the everyday society of the planet, with religion being a big focus. Kieli doubts the existence of God (in the beginning, or at least his existance on their planet) and by the end of it has two thoughts on the matter--1) that an all-knowing, treats everyone equally sort of God is useless and 2) that maybe the God the Church believes in isn't the God that exists on the planet at all.
I devoured this book in about two hours, but then its a Japanese 'Light' novel (what the Japanese consider to be a young adult novel pretty much). There is quite a bit of complexity of motivations and character emotions, so I look forward to seeing Yen Press release more of the series!
Interestingly I found that I liked Kieli a little better because she didn't immediately gloom onto Harvey as it seems in the manga. I didn't sense her feelings about Harvey (the slight misgivings and such) in the manga as much as in the novel. Also Becca seems more...apparent. Her actions and reactions to things and Kieli's misunderstanding of things.
The translation is pretty good as far as I can see. At times it seems a little stilted, but I'm not sure if that's because the translator wanted to go for accuracy vs. readability or if the author wrote in such a fashion to begin with. The book has an almost dreamlike pace--each event floating into the next without any trouble, but seeming to exist outside of time (only a week passes during their travels, maybe a little less).
Since this is a future world topical references or cultural references are pretty non-existent. The only caveat is that Kieli is almost blasphemous in her opinions about 'God' and the planet's religious observance. The 'Church' plays a big part in the everyday society of the planet, with religion being a big focus. Kieli doubts the existence of God (in the beginning, or at least his existance on their planet) and by the end of it has two thoughts on the matter--1) that an all-knowing, treats everyone equally sort of God is useless and 2) that maybe the God the Church believes in isn't the God that exists on the planet at all.
I devoured this book in about two hours, but then its a Japanese 'Light' novel (what the Japanese consider to be a young adult novel pretty much). There is quite a bit of complexity of motivations and character emotions, so I look forward to seeing Yen Press release more of the series!
August 24, 2015
I'm not the best person to review this because the audience does appear to be mostly teenage girls. But hey, anyone can read a book.
I found this book quite boring. The setting and premise were both very good. It's set on a planet that is a future colony of Earth, presumably. The only strange aspect is that despite humanity's obviously amazing progress in space travel, they still use steam trains. Go figure.
The love interest of our protagonist, who's lack of personality allows readers to self insert, is a moody and mysterious immortal. He also has a radio with a ghost inside it somehow. The logic of this book's world is best left unquestioned. Wondering how anything works would be a waste of your time.
Anyway, the story is pretty episodic, with the trio going from place to place and exploring the world. I like how the world is developed but the overarching plot is non-existant for the most part (if there is one) so it feels like that despite all their movement, nothing is really going anywhere.
Overall, if the moody and mysterious type guy is your type and you like the industrial era, give it a go. Otherwise, there isn't much here to see.
I found this book quite boring. The setting and premise were both very good. It's set on a planet that is a future colony of Earth, presumably. The only strange aspect is that despite humanity's obviously amazing progress in space travel, they still use steam trains. Go figure.
The love interest of our protagonist, who's lack of personality allows readers to self insert, is a moody and mysterious immortal. He also has a radio with a ghost inside it somehow. The logic of this book's world is best left unquestioned. Wondering how anything works would be a waste of your time.
Anyway, the story is pretty episodic, with the trio going from place to place and exploring the world. I like how the world is developed but the overarching plot is non-existant for the most part (if there is one) so it feels like that despite all their movement, nothing is really going anywhere.
Overall, if the moody and mysterious type guy is your type and you like the industrial era, give it a go. Otherwise, there isn't much here to see.
February 21, 2019
الكاتب أبدع في تقديم العالم.
بدأت الرواية وأنا أعتقد بأنه قصة غموض تجري أحداثها في عالمنا وفي زمننا هذا.
لأكتشف بأنها قصة من مستقبل بعيد وفي كوكب آخر.
وصراحة أبدع الكاتب في تقديم هذا العالم وتقديم الشخصيات بسلاسة وذلك يشفع عن القصة العادية.
بدأت الرواية وأنا أعتقد بأنه قصة غموض تجري أحداثها في عالمنا وفي زمننا هذا.
لأكتشف بأنها قصة من مستقبل بعيد وفي كوكب آخر.
وصراحة أبدع الكاتب في تقديم هذا العالم وتقديم الشخصيات بسلاسة وذلك يشفع عن القصة العادية.
July 4, 2019
Best light novel I have tried so far. Really enjoyed the setting most of all. The writing was also simple but pleasant. I only hope that (if there IS romance in the sequels) the main character grows up to be an adult before any romantic stuff happens. I do enjoy age gaps, but not when It involves minors.
August 6, 2016
I bought this book months ago when I was in my gotta-buy-every-light-novel-I-can-find phase, finally read it. I feel mixed about this.
This is a tough book to review. It's not a bad story, but for me it wasn't all that enjoyable either. I like the idea of a girl who sees ghosts traveling with a guy who can't die and a ghost radio, but that was all there was for the majority of the book. Sure there was mention of God, of how they traveled through space to get to this world ages ago, a war, and nifty ghost powers (and other stuff). But the actual plot for this book was just these three people traveling towards a destination and randomly meeting people/ghosts on the way. It just wasn't exciting, but I'll get more into that later.
- First, the cover is beautiful, and the illustrations are nice (though I am surprised how much text is shown on the opening illustrations).
- The relationship Kieli had with Becca was nice and complex, they were friends but didn't always get along.
- Kieli's thoughts on God remind me of something I would've thought of. She sees the world so literally, and she's just so young.
- Each chapter feels almost like a short story/snippet where Kieli meets a random ghost, hangs with it (she doesn't actually do anything most of the time but acknowledge the ghost), then moves on to the next stop of her and Harvey's journey. The pacing is so slow, it feels like nothing really happens until the last two chapters. I guess we learn some stuff about Harvey's past and the different usages of Kieli's power, but there's no real urgency. They're just taking their time enjoying the scenery as they travel. That's it. I was both bored and soothed by this.
- Romance, what romance? Like the back of the book says, this is an uncommon romance. I am so glad the author didn't try to force the romance. For one thing they just met and traveled for like one week, mostly not talking to each other, so glad they weren't all I love you. For another, Harvey is over 80 years old and Kieli is a teenager. So I'm really really glad the author seems to be taking his (?) time developing their relationship.
My main problem with this book was how passive the characters and even the story itself seemed. It wasn't until the last two chapters that everything switched from passive to active (is that the right word?). I'm not sure yet what I feel about Kieli, because she was so passive for most of the book. By the end she changed, she took charge and thought about what she planned to do next (rather than just going through the motions like she was for most of the book), but it happened too near the end for me.
I bought the second book ages ago so I plan to read it. I don't know if this series is for me, but I did like this book and if the next book is less passive I think this series could be pretty interesting. But it's too early to tell.
This is a tough book to review. It's not a bad story, but for me it wasn't all that enjoyable either. I like the idea of a girl who sees ghosts traveling with a guy who can't die and a ghost radio, but that was all there was for the majority of the book. Sure there was mention of God, of how they traveled through space to get to this world ages ago, a war, and nifty ghost powers (and other stuff). But the actual plot for this book was just these three people traveling towards a destination and randomly meeting people/ghosts on the way. It just wasn't exciting, but I'll get more into that later.
- First, the cover is beautiful, and the illustrations are nice (though I am surprised how much text is shown on the opening illustrations).
- The relationship Kieli had with Becca was nice and complex, they were friends but didn't always get along.
- Kieli's thoughts on God remind me of something I would've thought of. She sees the world so literally, and she's just so young.
- Each chapter feels almost like a short story/snippet where Kieli meets a random ghost, hangs with it (she doesn't actually do anything most of the time but acknowledge the ghost), then moves on to the next stop of her and Harvey's journey. The pacing is so slow, it feels like nothing really happens until the last two chapters. I guess we learn some stuff about Harvey's past and the different usages of Kieli's power, but there's no real urgency. They're just taking their time enjoying the scenery as they travel. That's it. I was both bored and soothed by this.
- Romance, what romance? Like the back of the book says, this is an uncommon romance. I am so glad the author didn't try to force the romance. For one thing they just met and traveled for like one week, mostly not talking to each other, so glad they weren't all I love you. For another, Harvey is over 80 years old and Kieli is a teenager. So I'm really really glad the author seems to be taking his (?) time developing their relationship.
My main problem with this book was how passive the characters and even the story itself seemed. It wasn't until the last two chapters that everything switched from passive to active (is that the right word?). I'm not sure yet what I feel about Kieli, because she was so passive for most of the book. By the end she changed, she took charge and thought about what she planned to do next (rather than just going through the motions like she was for most of the book), but it happened too near the end for me.
I bought the second book ages ago so I plan to read it. I don't know if this series is for me, but I did like this book and if the next book is less passive I think this series could be pretty interesting. But it's too early to tell.
August 14, 2017
It was a little hard to get into the mood of this novel since it's obvious it was translated and there was a lot of repetition, clunky wording, and odd sentences.. Still, the novel was well-written and I loved the world and the steampunk and gothic elements. It was a lot more gory and violent than I'd anticipated, and the ending arc alone was what decided 4 stars instead of the 3 I was planning on giving it.
I sincerely hope Kieli is older when the romance starts because it's obvious it will become a big part of the series. She's 14 while Harvey, the Undying Soldier has lived for 80+ years and is described as looking like an adult or a young man.
If you want to get into light novels, I'd highly recommend Kieli and Spice and Wolf. Most light novels sold in the US (other than Galactic Heroes, Pandora Hearts, Baccano, shojo light novels,etc.) serve as cheap smut that romanticizes incestual relationships or thinking, and after reading several of them I can't say they offer much variety.
I sincerely hope Kieli is older when the romance starts because it's obvious it will become a big part of the series. She's 14 while Harvey, the Undying Soldier has lived for 80+ years and is described as looking like an adult or a young man.
If you want to get into light novels, I'd highly recommend Kieli and Spice and Wolf. Most light novels sold in the US (other than Galactic Heroes, Pandora Hearts, Baccano, shojo light novels,etc.) serve as cheap smut that romanticizes incestual relationships or thinking, and after reading several of them I can't say they offer much variety.
November 10, 2018
At the beginning of last year I read both manga volumes and was really upset when I had finished them because there were no other volumes. Luckily I quickly found out about the light novels and ordered all of them - only by the time they started arriving, things got busy in my life and then I forgot about how much I had loved the manga. I wanted a quick read and took it off my shelf all to fall in love with it all over again.
It is well written and translated (with a few mistakes here and there). From what I remember this book covers both volume 1 and 2 of the manga books.
I'm not a big fan of "immortals" meeting someone younger and hanging around them, but this one is different. I love Harvey and Kieli (Who does act her age) and the world they live in, but I was extremely glad to see The Corporal again (Especially his radio on the cover)!
I'm excited to read more in the future, but I do hope that if this is going in the romance direction that Kieli will be older because that's what always puts me off of these kinds of books.
It is well written and translated (with a few mistakes here and there). From what I remember this book covers both volume 1 and 2 of the manga books.
I'm not a big fan of "immortals" meeting someone younger and hanging around them, but this one is different. I love Harvey and Kieli (Who does act her age) and the world they live in, but I was extremely glad to see The Corporal again (Especially his radio on the cover)!
I'm excited to read more in the future, but I do hope that if this is going in the romance direction that Kieli will be older because that's what always puts me off of these kinds of books.
March 6, 2025
“She was a virtuous and devout believer. But to Kieli, ‘devout believer’ was not a complement.” (9)
“It baffled Kieli as much as ever that so many people would gather in reverence of a mother planet who’s name they couldn’t even remember, and a God who’s name they’d long since forgotten, but she didn’t speak thoughtlessly or those things the way she use to.” (11)
“Walking corpses, with perpetually moving power sources instead of hearts.” /// “They would never die or grow old, and no matter how many times they were killed; they would get up and slaughter until there was nothing left…” (29)
“It baffled Kieli as much as ever that so many people would gather in reverence of a mother planet who’s name they couldn’t even remember, and a God who’s name they’d long since forgotten, but she didn’t speak thoughtlessly or those things the way she use to.” (11)
“Walking corpses, with perpetually moving power sources instead of hearts.” /// “They would never die or grow old, and no matter how many times they were killed; they would get up and slaughter until there was nothing left…” (29)
April 27, 2021
I SO WISH that I had found this series when it first came out. I went into a frenzy trying to purchase all 9 books, but have been unable to get #5, 7 and 9 in paperback form. It's no longer published, but it would be so amazing if it could be. The writing is wonderful, it's a very unique story and I love the characters Kieli, Harvey and the Corporal. The author did an amazing job at describing in great detail.
You can still buy this series as an ebook, but I really don't like to do that if I can avoid it.
You can still buy this series as an ebook, but I really don't like to do that if I can avoid it.
January 5, 2018
A really inventive story that combines sci-fi and the supernatural effortlessly. It was kind of like Pumpkin Scissors but with a paranormal twist.
The first part of the story is made up of bittersweet fluffy stories. As Kieli and Harvey continue their journey, the stories become more connected to Harvey's past and the history of the war and the Church's involvement. I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume, and might also track down the manga adaptation as well.
The first part of the story is made up of bittersweet fluffy stories. As Kieli and Harvey continue their journey, the stories become more connected to Harvey's past and the history of the war and the Church's involvement. I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume, and might also track down the manga adaptation as well.
January 12, 2018
I liked the world building and the characters. I disliked some of Kieli’s heroics and how the book was cut down to 6 short stories.
I did like the sci-fi mixed with supernatural, and some stories of the dead were really sad.
I guess in summary, I loved the ideas, but not the writing or how some concepts played out. But I am curious about book 2 and how this series will evolve
I did like the sci-fi mixed with supernatural, and some stories of the dead were really sad.
I guess in summary, I loved the ideas, but not the writing or how some concepts played out. But I am curious about book 2 and how this series will evolve
November 10, 2020
THe main character's name is Kiiri and not ki-ehl-ee that some people would think it is.
The girl in this actually does things and isn't written like "She's a girl thus can't" she even manages to haul a full grown man somewhere *gasp*. If this book was written by a man she'd need to be saved every 5 minutes and wouldn't even be able to lift a feather.
The girl in this actually does things and isn't written like "She's a girl thus can't" she even manages to haul a full grown man somewhere *gasp*. If this book was written by a man she'd need to be saved every 5 minutes and wouldn't even be able to lift a feather.
March 28, 2020
It is one of those books that is better to be read in one sitting, or only a few. It was very entertaining and enjoyable to read.
May 3, 2020
This is one of those "why did I wait to long to read it" books. From the setting to the characters I loved this book.
Want to read
October 12, 2021Light novel
November 30, 2022
It took some time to get into the story but once I did I couldn't put it down. I wish parts weren't so nondescript and others were explained a bit better. I hope to read the other eight books.
February 2, 2018
This was an interesting book with ghosts, undying, and a strange amalgamation of science fiction and religion.
Kieli is a girl who can see ghosts. She meets Harvey an Undying. He was created as a soldier by the Church to fight the war. Now they are being hunted and killed.
Kieli and Harvey's adventures begin with this book.
The writing at times is a bit stiff, but that's only from the tranlation. It has a great description of world and people without being too heavy.
Kieli is a girl who can see ghosts. She meets Harvey an Undying. He was created as a soldier by the Church to fight the war. Now they are being hunted and killed.
Kieli and Harvey's adventures begin with this book.
The writing at times is a bit stiff, but that's only from the tranlation. It has a great description of world and people without being too heavy.
August 30, 2011
Kieli doesn't believe in God. Oh, she's not an atheist, mind you. She thinks God's out there somewhere, just not here -- here being a far-distant colony world that's fallen on hard times. In Kieli's reasoning, God must've gotten bored and returned to Earth while the colony ship was crossing the void.
The problem with her view is twofold -- (1) Kieli's world is controlled by a totalitarian theocracy, and (2) she's an orphan living in a church-run boarding school. However, this is a rather nebulous issue that she's learned to live with. Her more immediate problem is her roommate, who is suffering a slight case of death.
See, Kieli has the power to see ghosts -- this is, in fact, what convinced her that God's not involved with the world -- and this has attracted Becca, the spirit of a student who died several years previously, to her room. Becca's a nice girl but somewhat mischievous -- not to mention her habit of interrupting Kieli while studying.
At the start of the Colonization Day break, Kieli and Becca go to the train station as part of a game Becca likes to play where she pretends she's a real girl going home to visit her family. At the station they encounter Harvey, a man who can also see spirits. This is the first person Kieli's met with the power other than her now-deceased grandmother, and naturally she wants to talk to him about it. Harvey's less than pleased to have a 16 year old girl tagging after him, and we soon learn why -- although he appears only a few years older than Kieli, he's actually the veteran of a war that ended 80 years ago.
This war was fought over the planet's limited resources, but perversely ended up crippling the colony's industrial base. While the central administrative districts still cling to an advanced IT infrastructure and 21st Century technology, the outlying areas have fallen to 20th and even 19th Century levels.
Harvey has with him a radio that's possessed by the ghost of a soldier he killed, whom he is trying to return home so the spirit can pass on to the next plane of being, or whatever it is ghosts do. Through a series of misadventures, Kieli ends up accompanying Harvey and the Corporal on this journey.
The book is reminiscent of King's The Gunslinger with its odd mixture of science fiction, fantasy and Western, of high tech and low, of vast unpopulated lands and ancient artifacts in a world that's breaking down. Harvey feels like a less-gruff version of Roland with Kieli filling the role of Jake -- there's even a sequence where Harvey and Kieli have to pass under a mountain.
Although the copyright page doesn't provide any information, this appears to be a fix-up novel (another parallel with The Gunslinger. The first four chapters read like short stories featuring the same characters rather than a continuing narrative, and its only in the last 60 pages that the plot comes into focus.
This is the first volume of a series, and the ending suggests that the next book will involve sailing across a sand ocean that's infested by sandworms. It's like Yukako Kabei has a list of everything I find cool and is putting them in this series.
The problem with her view is twofold -- (1) Kieli's world is controlled by a totalitarian theocracy, and (2) she's an orphan living in a church-run boarding school. However, this is a rather nebulous issue that she's learned to live with. Her more immediate problem is her roommate, who is suffering a slight case of death.
See, Kieli has the power to see ghosts -- this is, in fact, what convinced her that God's not involved with the world -- and this has attracted Becca, the spirit of a student who died several years previously, to her room. Becca's a nice girl but somewhat mischievous -- not to mention her habit of interrupting Kieli while studying.
At the start of the Colonization Day break, Kieli and Becca go to the train station as part of a game Becca likes to play where she pretends she's a real girl going home to visit her family. At the station they encounter Harvey, a man who can also see spirits. This is the first person Kieli's met with the power other than her now-deceased grandmother, and naturally she wants to talk to him about it. Harvey's less than pleased to have a 16 year old girl tagging after him, and we soon learn why -- although he appears only a few years older than Kieli, he's actually the veteran of a war that ended 80 years ago.
This war was fought over the planet's limited resources, but perversely ended up crippling the colony's industrial base. While the central administrative districts still cling to an advanced IT infrastructure and 21st Century technology, the outlying areas have fallen to 20th and even 19th Century levels.
Harvey has with him a radio that's possessed by the ghost of a soldier he killed, whom he is trying to return home so the spirit can pass on to the next plane of being, or whatever it is ghosts do. Through a series of misadventures, Kieli ends up accompanying Harvey and the Corporal on this journey.
The book is reminiscent of King's The Gunslinger with its odd mixture of science fiction, fantasy and Western, of high tech and low, of vast unpopulated lands and ancient artifacts in a world that's breaking down. Harvey feels like a less-gruff version of Roland with Kieli filling the role of Jake -- there's even a sequence where Harvey and Kieli have to pass under a mountain.
Although the copyright page doesn't provide any information, this appears to be a fix-up novel (another parallel with The Gunslinger. The first four chapters read like short stories featuring the same characters rather than a continuing narrative, and its only in the last 60 pages that the plot comes into focus.
This is the first volume of a series, and the ending suggests that the next book will involve sailing across a sand ocean that's infested by sandworms. It's like Yukako Kabei has a list of everything I find cool and is putting them in this series.
April 3, 2017
more book reviews here: Books Are My Lovers
“Right now, my life’s generally not so bad, so don’t worry about me. I enjoy what I can wherever I am, and I have someone who’s making my life good. But… I’m fed up with it already. Just imagine, every single person I meet up with dies, leaving me behind.”
The story is set in a fictional planet different from ours. A planet where the ruler is an institution they call the Church. It was said that the first people of the planet were saints from a mother planet who came riding a huge spaceship. Many years ago, the planet was progressive because of the high abundance of energy source. But then a war happened. The energy sources dried out. The planet was on the brink of destruction. To end the war, the Church invented the Undying – the immortal soldiers. They were the tools to finish all the soldiers. They killed mercilessly. But when the war ended, the Church didn’t have any much use for them anymore so they began to hunt them. The history of the war was even changed. Making them the villains. The Demons of War. The scapegoat.
Many years later, the story began with Kieli, a teenage girl who can see ghosts. She can even see the memories of the spirits she comes in contact with. Before the colonization week – a long holiday in their planet – she met Harvey who she later learned was an Undying. She also met Corporal, a spirit inside an old radio. The adventure began when Kieli joined Harvey in a journey to bring Corporal’s spirit to where his remains were.
Being a light novel, the story was fast paced. There seems to be something happening in every page and I like it that way. This volume was full of adventures, ghosts and action. The world building was not rushed but I can easily imagine the world the characters were living in. But what I love most about this book is the deep history behind the story. Especially Harvey’s past and his connection to the Corporal. I can feel that there are still many revelations about their planet in the next volumes of this book.
I also love the vintage, nostalgic feel of KIELI. It was beautifully written and heart-wrenching. I like the concept of the Undying. I love Harvey as well as the sorrowful vibe I can feel just by reading about him. I also like Kieli who, thankfully, was not the annoying type of heroine. There were many times that I felt a sting in my eyes while reading. It was a tragic story of a dystopian society. Of an outcast girl who can only make friends with the dead. Of a soldier who was tired of seeing all the people he cared for growing old while he still looks the same. And even though I have my doubts, I wish deep in my heart that this story will have a happy ending. That Harvey, in his long immortal life, could someday find the happiness he so much deserves. There are still a lot of volumes to go, though. So I’m still not sure. But what I am sure of is that out of the few Japanese light novels I’ve encountered so far, Kieli is one of my favorites.
“Right now, my life’s generally not so bad, so don’t worry about me. I enjoy what I can wherever I am, and I have someone who’s making my life good. But… I’m fed up with it already. Just imagine, every single person I meet up with dies, leaving me behind.”
The story is set in a fictional planet different from ours. A planet where the ruler is an institution they call the Church. It was said that the first people of the planet were saints from a mother planet who came riding a huge spaceship. Many years ago, the planet was progressive because of the high abundance of energy source. But then a war happened. The energy sources dried out. The planet was on the brink of destruction. To end the war, the Church invented the Undying – the immortal soldiers. They were the tools to finish all the soldiers. They killed mercilessly. But when the war ended, the Church didn’t have any much use for them anymore so they began to hunt them. The history of the war was even changed. Making them the villains. The Demons of War. The scapegoat.
Many years later, the story began with Kieli, a teenage girl who can see ghosts. She can even see the memories of the spirits she comes in contact with. Before the colonization week – a long holiday in their planet – she met Harvey who she later learned was an Undying. She also met Corporal, a spirit inside an old radio. The adventure began when Kieli joined Harvey in a journey to bring Corporal’s spirit to where his remains were.
Being a light novel, the story was fast paced. There seems to be something happening in every page and I like it that way. This volume was full of adventures, ghosts and action. The world building was not rushed but I can easily imagine the world the characters were living in. But what I love most about this book is the deep history behind the story. Especially Harvey’s past and his connection to the Corporal. I can feel that there are still many revelations about their planet in the next volumes of this book.
I also love the vintage, nostalgic feel of KIELI. It was beautifully written and heart-wrenching. I like the concept of the Undying. I love Harvey as well as the sorrowful vibe I can feel just by reading about him. I also like Kieli who, thankfully, was not the annoying type of heroine. There were many times that I felt a sting in my eyes while reading. It was a tragic story of a dystopian society. Of an outcast girl who can only make friends with the dead. Of a soldier who was tired of seeing all the people he cared for growing old while he still looks the same. And even though I have my doubts, I wish deep in my heart that this story will have a happy ending. That Harvey, in his long immortal life, could someday find the happiness he so much deserves. There are still a lot of volumes to go, though. So I’m still not sure. But what I am sure of is that out of the few Japanese light novels I’ve encountered so far, Kieli is one of my favorites.
December 3, 2014
OMG. This book! This book!
I cannot contain my happiness for this book! It was SO GOOD. Like I seriously cannot contain my fangirling over this book.
I read a part of it while waiting for class to start and I swear I think people were staring at me funny because I had such a wide grin on my face(It was during one of the funny parts).
*cough* Anyway. Onto the review!
So the story is about Kieli, a girl who can see ghosts and an Undying guy named Harvey. After some events in the beginning the two go on an adventure to bring Corporeal, a ghost haunting a radio to his grave site in some old abandoned mines.
Kieli is a great heroine. She's young and acts like it when the scary situations pop up. I don' see anything wrong with it though. She's never been in any kind of situation like this before so I was a-okay with her attitude. Plus she acts when it counts, always a plus in my book.
Harvey? For anyone that watches anime, he is that loner character that gradually opens up. Not really much to say. Horrible backstory and whatnot(the usual for characters like him, haha) but I loved him for it. I went dawww whenever he was cute and worried for him.
I was so scared that the book was going to pull a Sunday without God on me but thankfully that did not happen. I don't think my heart could take it(especially during the final section)
What else to mention....
Oh! One thing that annoyed me was the cover. Now,the reason I knew of this series existence was because of a blogger who was reviewing the books. I didn't read her reviews for fear of spoilers but based on the various covers I saw, I really thought the books were going to be straight up horror or something along that nature.
I will say I was incredibly surprised to open the front cover to see the beautiful illustrations inside. Obviously this was a light novel(?) series in Japan. The first illustration looked to be the cover for the book and I really wish that was the cover instead. Sorry but I love the cover art more than the simple, plain American cover. Also the art style reminds me of a bit of the Flaming June(Jun Maeda+Nagi Yanagi) Love song series art. The eyes are slightly off though. There's also one piece of art(the one of Harvey and the house) that looks like it comes straight out of the song series!
Anyway, I really want to get my hands on the second book to see what happens next!
I cannot contain my happiness for this book! It was SO GOOD. Like I seriously cannot contain my fangirling over this book.
I read a part of it while waiting for class to start and I swear I think people were staring at me funny because I had such a wide grin on my face(It was during one of the funny parts).
*cough* Anyway. Onto the review!
So the story is about Kieli, a girl who can see ghosts and an Undying guy named Harvey. After some events in the beginning the two go on an adventure to bring Corporeal, a ghost haunting a radio to his grave site in some old abandoned mines.
Kieli is a great heroine. She's young and acts like it when the scary situations pop up. I don' see anything wrong with it though. She's never been in any kind of situation like this before so I was a-okay with her attitude. Plus she acts when it counts, always a plus in my book.
Harvey? For anyone that watches anime, he is that loner character that gradually opens up. Not really much to say. Horrible backstory and whatnot(the usual for characters like him, haha) but I loved him for it. I went dawww whenever he was cute and worried for him.
I was so scared that the book was going to pull a Sunday without God on me but thankfully that did not happen. I don't think my heart could take it(especially during the final section)
What else to mention....
Oh! One thing that annoyed me was the cover. Now,the reason I knew of this series existence was because of a blogger who was reviewing the books. I didn't read her reviews for fear of spoilers but based on the various covers I saw, I really thought the books were going to be straight up horror or something along that nature.
I will say I was incredibly surprised to open the front cover to see the beautiful illustrations inside. Obviously this was a light novel(?) series in Japan. The first illustration looked to be the cover for the book and I really wish that was the cover instead. Sorry but I love the cover art more than the simple, plain American cover. Also the art style reminds me of a bit of the Flaming June(Jun Maeda+Nagi Yanagi) Love song series art. The eyes are slightly off though. There's also one piece of art(the one of Harvey and the house) that looks like it comes straight out of the song series!
Anyway, I really want to get my hands on the second book to see what happens next!
March 8, 2015
Primul lucru pe care îl vei percepe şi care te va atrage citind Kieli este atmosfera aparte. Poate pentru că acţiunea se desfăşoară pe o planetă îndepărtată, îmtr-o lume uşor distopică, având trenuri cu aburi şi vapoare pe oceane de nisip; o planetă cu oameni simpli, dominaţi de clerici. Sau poate pentru că personajele principale sunt o fată care poate vedea spirite, dar nu interacţionează bine cu ceilalţi oameni din cauza asta; un soldat nemuritor cu probleme de atitudine; şi un radio posedat de spiritul unui caporal care a murit într-un război demult uitat. Sau poate, pur şi simplu, pentru că nu ai mai citit niciodată ceva atât de neobişnuit.
Kieli este un novel scris de Yukako Kabei şi cuprinde nouă volume, fiecare având în jur de 250 de pagini. Primul volum a fost adaptat şi într-o manga ilustrată de Shiori Teshirogi, manga ce are, la rândul său, două volume. De asemenea, prima carte din seria novel a câştigat Dengeki Novel Prize.
Fiecare volum se deschide cu nişte pagini ilustrate colorate şi lucioase, surprinzând un moment esenţial din acţiune. Pe parcurs, apar şi ilustraţii alb-negru, nu la fel de reuşite ca cele din manga, ce-i drept, dar suficient încât să-ţi creeze o imagine asupra personajelor. Scrisul este relativ mare şi datorită ritmului echilibrat, te vei trezi că ai terminat deja un volum după trei-patru ore.
Povestea în sine e uşor de citit şi se bazează în aceeaşi măsură şi pe desfăşurarea acţiunii, şi pe dezvoltarea personajelor. De-a lungul ei, se desprind rapid trei fire narative principale: cel al războiului din urmă cu şaptezeci de ani, la care a participat Caporalul; cel al soldatului nemuritor Harvey şi al celorlalţi nemuritori, care se asociază cu clerul şi se vânează între ei; şi cel al trecutului părinţilor lui Kieli, pe care ea nu i-a cunoscut niciodată. Fiecare volum este, practic, călătoria celor trei personaje (Kieli, Harvey, Caporalul), călătorie ce dezvăluie câte puţin din viaţa fiecăruia. Acţiunea este detaliată, dar nu excesiv de complexă, şi este suficient de bine închegată încât să te facă să dai paginile mai departe. De asemenea, apare şi o oarecare tentă de romanţă între Kieli şi Harvey.
Recomand această serie celor pasionaţi de steampunk şi sci-fi, celor pasionaţi de lecturi uşoare şi neobişnuite şi celor cărora le place să citească romanţe. De asemenea, recomand manga adaptată după primul volum din această serie.
Kieli este un novel scris de Yukako Kabei şi cuprinde nouă volume, fiecare având în jur de 250 de pagini. Primul volum a fost adaptat şi într-o manga ilustrată de Shiori Teshirogi, manga ce are, la rândul său, două volume. De asemenea, prima carte din seria novel a câştigat Dengeki Novel Prize.
Fiecare volum se deschide cu nişte pagini ilustrate colorate şi lucioase, surprinzând un moment esenţial din acţiune. Pe parcurs, apar şi ilustraţii alb-negru, nu la fel de reuşite ca cele din manga, ce-i drept, dar suficient încât să-ţi creeze o imagine asupra personajelor. Scrisul este relativ mare şi datorită ritmului echilibrat, te vei trezi că ai terminat deja un volum după trei-patru ore.
Povestea în sine e uşor de citit şi se bazează în aceeaşi măsură şi pe desfăşurarea acţiunii, şi pe dezvoltarea personajelor. De-a lungul ei, se desprind rapid trei fire narative principale: cel al războiului din urmă cu şaptezeci de ani, la care a participat Caporalul; cel al soldatului nemuritor Harvey şi al celorlalţi nemuritori, care se asociază cu clerul şi se vânează între ei; şi cel al trecutului părinţilor lui Kieli, pe care ea nu i-a cunoscut niciodată. Fiecare volum este, practic, călătoria celor trei personaje (Kieli, Harvey, Caporalul), călătorie ce dezvăluie câte puţin din viaţa fiecăruia. Acţiunea este detaliată, dar nu excesiv de complexă, şi este suficient de bine închegată încât să te facă să dai paginile mai departe. De asemenea, apare şi o oarecare tentă de romanţă între Kieli şi Harvey.
Recomand această serie celor pasionaţi de steampunk şi sci-fi, celor pasionaţi de lecturi uşoare şi neobişnuite şi celor cărora le place să citească romanţe. De asemenea, recomand manga adaptată după primul volum din această serie.
November 16, 2015
"Not sleeping meant that the world never pauses; there's no sense that today will end and tomorrow will come."
Kieli, Vol. 1, is a lovely light novel! The concept immediately made me curious (well, a kind of steampunkish, almost post-apocalyptic ghost-story - this combo is pretty much screaming at me to read it...).
On the other hand, I ceased liking those typical YA romance stories over the past few years and I was very much afraid that "Kieli" would end up being just that. There are tons of light novels with almost exclusively such plots, after all. Guess what? I was wrong!
The story talks about a lot of different subjects. War, power, ageing, loneliness are the first themes that come to my mind. However, we also encounter some really nice action- and spooky elements. I thought it a pity that towards the end of the book, especially, during those scenes, I found some things were progressing to simply or did not make 100% sense. On the other hand, I am very hard to persuade and fast in questioning things. Also, this is a light novel that wants to be read as such and it is very good for a light novel!
The characters are very likeable which surprised me, since I usually have a hard time sympathizing with the protagonists (I normally start caring about secondary characters and end up following mainly their story).
First of all, we have Kieli, a girl who can see ghosts. That, of course, scares other people away from her and leaves her to the sole company of ghosts.
Then, we have the Colonel, a rather sassy ghost residing in an old radio and, let me tell you, this guy alone is worth reading the story! He is simply awesome!
Last but noch least, there is Harvey, an 80-year-old undying (zombie-)soldier. Now, the "zombie" comes from me and the story very carefully avoided that subject. But let me explain my idea: Those undying soldiers were created by putting an especially developed power source into corpses. Thus, Harvey is at least 2/3 zombie! ;) He is a calm, generally grumpy character, has a well developed past story and I really liked him.
However, at some point in the story I was worried about the whole romance part, because the differences between him and Kieli are quite significant. The author, thankfully, chose to take it slowly and I am really curious to see how this topic will progress in the next books.
As you may have already guessed: I am 100% going to continue the series.
Kieli, Vol. 1, is a lovely light novel! The concept immediately made me curious (well, a kind of steampunkish, almost post-apocalyptic ghost-story - this combo is pretty much screaming at me to read it...).
On the other hand, I ceased liking those typical YA romance stories over the past few years and I was very much afraid that "Kieli" would end up being just that. There are tons of light novels with almost exclusively such plots, after all. Guess what? I was wrong!
The story talks about a lot of different subjects. War, power, ageing, loneliness are the first themes that come to my mind. However, we also encounter some really nice action- and spooky elements. I thought it a pity that towards the end of the book, especially, during those scenes, I found some things were progressing to simply or did not make 100% sense. On the other hand, I am very hard to persuade and fast in questioning things. Also, this is a light novel that wants to be read as such and it is very good for a light novel!
The characters are very likeable which surprised me, since I usually have a hard time sympathizing with the protagonists (I normally start caring about secondary characters and end up following mainly their story).
First of all, we have Kieli, a girl who can see ghosts. That, of course, scares other people away from her and leaves her to the sole company of ghosts.
Then, we have the Colonel, a rather sassy ghost residing in an old radio and, let me tell you, this guy alone is worth reading the story! He is simply awesome!
Last but noch least, there is Harvey, an 80-year-old undying (zombie-)soldier. Now, the "zombie" comes from me and the story very carefully avoided that subject. But let me explain my idea: Those undying soldiers were created by putting an especially developed power source into corpses. Thus, Harvey is at least 2/3 zombie! ;) He is a calm, generally grumpy character, has a well developed past story and I really liked him.
However, at some point in the story I was worried about the whole romance part, because the differences between him and Kieli are quite significant. The author, thankfully, chose to take it slowly and I am really curious to see how this topic will progress in the next books.
As you may have already guessed: I am 100% going to continue the series.
July 12, 2011
I read this book after stumbling upon an article about it online. Thoroughly taken with the description of it, I immediately got it. It was the first light novel I have ever read and I probably could have finished it within a day, but paced myself so I could enjoy and pick out the small complexities. At times the language got confusing but there was something so wistful and elegant in it. The descriptions or the way it was stated would not be how I would have worded it, but then again I am a terrible writer.
I really liked the idea of Kieli and the book questioning the placement of God and the control of the church, it is a topic I have always found interesting, especially when you throw in a sf base and some dystopia. Another aspect of the book that makes it worth while to read is the way the protagonist's, Kieli, perspective on things. She is very naive but at the same time harden by being an outcast and seeing the flaws within the system. This leads her to view God and other institutions with a childlike perspective, (this is not all a bad thing). I say this because she questions the religion that is forced on her and sees the truth behind the facade of adult life, but from that she comes up with naive conclusions. I think it gives a fresh look on the relationship with religion and God that is rarely explored in literature, and it is not at all overbearing.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopia novels, sf, steampunk, adventure, and a good questioning of religious basis. With all this going on some might think it is a very confusing plot, but it is an easy and fast read. The characters are likable and the story takes time building up their characteristics and then towards the end really testing them (trying to avoid spoilers). I have already gotten into the second novel and I am not disappointed at all, expect more action and answers behind the past of the characters.
I really liked the idea of Kieli and the book questioning the placement of God and the control of the church, it is a topic I have always found interesting, especially when you throw in a sf base and some dystopia. Another aspect of the book that makes it worth while to read is the way the protagonist's, Kieli, perspective on things. She is very naive but at the same time harden by being an outcast and seeing the flaws within the system. This leads her to view God and other institutions with a childlike perspective, (this is not all a bad thing). I say this because she questions the religion that is forced on her and sees the truth behind the facade of adult life, but from that she comes up with naive conclusions. I think it gives a fresh look on the relationship with religion and God that is rarely explored in literature, and it is not at all overbearing.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopia novels, sf, steampunk, adventure, and a good questioning of religious basis. With all this going on some might think it is a very confusing plot, but it is an easy and fast read. The characters are likable and the story takes time building up their characteristics and then towards the end really testing them (trying to avoid spoilers). I have already gotten into the second novel and I am not disappointed at all, expect more action and answers behind the past of the characters.
May 19, 2011
I picked this up because of the blurb on the back and the interesting front cover.
I have never read Manga, I see it at work ,flick through it think its odd but hey each to their own, but after reading this I might consider getting the Manga version of Kieli.
The story was exciting, interesting and rather intriguing, paranormal and sci-fi is close to my heart. I read it in a day because I just needed to know what happened. I liked the main chracters - the Corporal especially. The descriptions really gave you an idea of what the characters looked like and the picture here and there was also very handy... I actually looked forward to getting to it and picking it apart to get as much info from it as possible. It was a nice change to continuous script.
I felt that the only downfall was the translation so to speak as a lot was repeated, some parts didn't make much sense - the wording mainly - but I changed it in my head so it made more sense to me.
Overall though I thought it was very enjoyable and a different experience. Looking forward to the second installment and I might look into the real Manga books. . .I also had the niggling feeling that it would be a grat film/tv series but it might already be done...will look into that too if that is the case :]
I have never read Manga, I see it at work ,flick through it think its odd but hey each to their own, but after reading this I might consider getting the Manga version of Kieli.
The story was exciting, interesting and rather intriguing, paranormal and sci-fi is close to my heart. I read it in a day because I just needed to know what happened. I liked the main chracters - the Corporal especially. The descriptions really gave you an idea of what the characters looked like and the picture here and there was also very handy... I actually looked forward to getting to it and picking it apart to get as much info from it as possible. It was a nice change to continuous script.
I felt that the only downfall was the translation so to speak as a lot was repeated, some parts didn't make much sense - the wording mainly - but I changed it in my head so it made more sense to me.
Overall though I thought it was very enjoyable and a different experience. Looking forward to the second installment and I might look into the real Manga books. . .I also had the niggling feeling that it would be a grat film/tv series but it might already be done...will look into that too if that is the case :]
October 5, 2012
I just read this book over last night, it was perhaps the most cutest and sweetest romance novel I've read in a long time. The story is about a girl named Kieli who finds herself living in a boarding school on her own without any family or friends. She has the ability to see ghosts, but this ability costs her the chance to make any 'living' friends. The world that this story is set upon is another world far into the future where there is hardly any living plants and the society is firmly based upon fossil fuels. She meets Harvey who has the same ability as her to see ghosts as well as being an Undead soldier who has lived over eighty years since the end of the great War. She ends up following him on an adventure that takes her far away from her boarding school and seeing the world as it is. There is a manga adaptation, but the novel has illustrations that are done by another artist. This book was a beautiful story, and I really would love to read the other light novels in this series!
May 2, 2010
I LOVED THIS BOOK! 2010 can't come soon enough for Vol. 2. The characters are so wonderful and even though Harvey is a bit of a jerk (who doesn't love a jerk that doesn't mean to be?) you still don't want to him to disappear. The Corporal is the amusing one and not because he's possessing an old radio. Kieli is a bit whinny and overly emotional but what story can get by without one of those characters? She's got to tell us what we, as a reader, are supposed to feel.
Unfortunately, this is a book you have to start in complete quiet because otherwise you get a little confused and have to re-read to make sure you didn't miss something. The introduction of the antagonist is a little vague but surprising in a way that I don't want to describe so people will still read this fantastic story. JUST READ IT!
Unfortunately, this is a book you have to start in complete quiet because otherwise you get a little confused and have to re-read to make sure you didn't miss something. The introduction of the antagonist is a little vague but surprising in a way that I don't want to describe so people will still read this fantastic story. JUST READ IT!
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