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The Stars Series Light Novel #1
星界の紋章Ⅰ: 帝国の王女 [Seikai no Monshō I]
惑星マーティンの平和は突如襲来した宇宙艦隊によって破られた。侵略者の名はアーヴ、遺伝子改造によって宇宙空間に適応した人類の子孫だという。彼らの強大な軍事力の前に全面降伏の道を選んだ惑星政府主席の決断は、その幼い息子ジントの将来を大きく変えた―運命のいたずらでアーヴの星間帝国の貴族となった少年の冒険行を、SFマインドあふれる設定と、息もつがせぬストーリーで描いた気鋭のスペースオペラ超大作。
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 16, 2014
3.5
I watched the anime for this quite some time ago, and when I found there were translations of the novels, I went right out to get them based on the quality of the story in the anime. (Because honestly: Epic Space Opera, I'm all in.)
Firstly, I like the translations- good use of slang, humor, wit, etc. The characters voices are subtle and believable, which is a hallmark of a good translation.
The actual content was not as smooth as I would hope. A lot of technical dumps, and aggressive use of their "made up language" which doesn't help immersion as much as one would hope (hitting the glossary every page).
The story is good, but the 3 novels in this series are pretty much 1 novel that the editor took a hatchet to, and split. This seems to be a thing with serialized Japanese light novels, so presumably its just something to be dealt with when enjoying this format.
Overall, I think I enjoyed the anime more, which is a shame- generally I prefer the written word to image based formats. It's still pretty good though.
I watched the anime for this quite some time ago, and when I found there were translations of the novels, I went right out to get them based on the quality of the story in the anime. (Because honestly: Epic Space Opera, I'm all in.)
Firstly, I like the translations- good use of slang, humor, wit, etc. The characters voices are subtle and believable, which is a hallmark of a good translation.
The actual content was not as smooth as I would hope. A lot of technical dumps, and aggressive use of their "made up language" which doesn't help immersion as much as one would hope (hitting the glossary every page).
The story is good, but the 3 novels in this series are pretty much 1 novel that the editor took a hatchet to, and split. This seems to be a thing with serialized Japanese light novels, so presumably its just something to be dealt with when enjoying this format.
Overall, I think I enjoyed the anime more, which is a shame- generally I prefer the written word to image based formats. It's still pretty good though.
July 8, 2020
Good, solid book. It doesn't add much to the anime, but it is fun.
The author does over explain some of the technologies and harps on the language WAY too much.
Worth reading.
The author does over explain some of the technologies and harps on the language WAY too much.
Worth reading.
November 30, 2019
Now this was a unique piece of science fiction. Rare is it for me to read something as original as Crest of the Stars. This was my first reading of Japanese science fiction and it did not disappoint. Morioka-sensei did an excellent job creating a history of this universe and then doing the world-building. I also loved the two main characters, Lafiel and Jinto. Of course something is always lost in translation (although it was excellently translated, in my opinion) but I loved the awkward conversations between the two; it made them more authentic for me. If I were a boy from a humble world and found myself in the presence of the princess of a galaxy-spanning empire, I would fumble for the right words and behaviors, too, haha.
In the US, this series may have been conceptualized as three separate books, but really this book is part one of a singular story. It ends in an extreme cliffhanger and I'm grateful that part 2 has already been translated into English!
As a linguist, it's worth it to mention one of the most unique aspects of this book; Morioka-sensei created an Abh language (Baronh) and it is used extensively in the English translation. I wanted to both give a star for the uniqueness of this conlang (constructed language) and take away a star for the burden it could be to some readers. For example, instead of calling it "Star Force", they say "Labule", "military academy" --> "Kenru", "bathroom" --> Gorv etc ad nauseam. Some words I got used to, some words I understood from context, but many words had me flipping time and time again to the English-Abh glossary in the back of the book. It does add a unique alien touch to the story, but it slows down the reading of it.
To give you a quick idea what this can feel like, read this short poem, "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. You can understand the gist, although you don't know what each and every word means. It's similar in this book, Crest of the Stars.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
This is a solid beginning of the story and I recommend it to any sci-fi fans. I absolutely can't wait to pick up part 2.
In the US, this series may have been conceptualized as three separate books, but really this book is part one of a singular story. It ends in an extreme cliffhanger and I'm grateful that part 2 has already been translated into English!
As a linguist, it's worth it to mention one of the most unique aspects of this book; Morioka-sensei created an Abh language (Baronh) and it is used extensively in the English translation. I wanted to both give a star for the uniqueness of this conlang (constructed language) and take away a star for the burden it could be to some readers. For example, instead of calling it "Star Force", they say "Labule", "military academy" --> "Kenru", "bathroom" --> Gorv etc ad nauseam. Some words I got used to, some words I understood from context, but many words had me flipping time and time again to the English-Abh glossary in the back of the book. It does add a unique alien touch to the story, but it slows down the reading of it.
To give you a quick idea what this can feel like, read this short poem, "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. You can understand the gist, although you don't know what each and every word means. It's similar in this book, Crest of the Stars.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
This is a solid beginning of the story and I recommend it to any sci-fi fans. I absolutely can't wait to pick up part 2.
August 23, 2015
Crest of the Stars 1: Princess of the Empire If you've seen the anime, then this only fills in some tiny gaps with regard to history and some other things the characters were thinking of.Overall the story is good. I don't quite like how we need a male vessel to tour the story with, but Lafiel is strong in her own right and Jinto just looks like an ass.Honestly I don't see how this is really "Space Opera" as it really only focuses on a small group of people, and to me a Space Opera, like a Soap Opera, focuses on groups of people.This book only covers up to about the middle of the Lyuf Klowal part, around episode 6~7.The only thing I find majorly wrong with this book is the use of Baronh all the time. It's like that one image:Only the TL note is brief and then you have to glossary hop.
January 16, 2025
The first half of the book was all set up and the second half felt like a prologue.
June 11, 2019
I'd actually given up hope on seeing the Seikai series get fully released in English after Tokyopop's death so I was extremely happy to see J-Novel Club actually manage to rescue this series after all these years.
A classic, the Seikai series still remains as one of the most imaginative works of science-fiction released in Japan. The Abh empire and people introduced in this work is probably the best depiction of a "benevolent dictatorship" I have read, with a really fleshed out world-building introduced over the course of the series. It even extends to the usage of "Baronh", which the author extensively introduces in the books.
This retranslation of Crest of the Stars is a full-rework, with the translator specifying he has actively avoided reading the original Tokyopop releases. This does result in a more "modern" feel to the wordings, but the tone is mostly keep accurate. I did have a few dislikes on some of the more "slang"-y language chosen, but admittedly it was limited to a single episode so I'm willing to cut them some slack on them.
The major difference here is that this release actively uses the Baronh words, but followed by parentheses that explain how to phonetically speak the words and its meanings, rather than putting extra lines to help the reader infer the the meaning of the words. This does actually feel jarring at times, especially on the first read due to trying to grasp the meanings of Baronh and remembering them for their subsequent appearances, so some may actually prefer the Tokyopop approach instead. I do think that JNC could have leveraged modern epub technology to annotate the Baronh words but I understand that it probably makes it harder when publishing it in physical form. Nevertheless, these are minor annoyances that also exist and it is definitely not the worst approach to the issue.
Content wise, the allure of the Abh is as strong as it was back when it was published at the turn of the millenium. In fact, maybe even more given the circumstances of world affairs at the moment. The introduction to the Seikai world is solidly done as part of the interactions between Jinto, the clueless reader's insert and the colorfully bold Abh characters, especially Lafier, and both play as good foils to each other.
This is definitely a work that has aged very well, even after over a decade since I have first read it, and I'm truly happy to see this work finally brought back to English readers.
A classic, the Seikai series still remains as one of the most imaginative works of science-fiction released in Japan. The Abh empire and people introduced in this work is probably the best depiction of a "benevolent dictatorship" I have read, with a really fleshed out world-building introduced over the course of the series. It even extends to the usage of "Baronh", which the author extensively introduces in the books.
This retranslation of Crest of the Stars is a full-rework, with the translator specifying he has actively avoided reading the original Tokyopop releases. This does result in a more "modern" feel to the wordings, but the tone is mostly keep accurate. I did have a few dislikes on some of the more "slang"-y language chosen, but admittedly it was limited to a single episode so I'm willing to cut them some slack on them.
The major difference here is that this release actively uses the Baronh words, but followed by parentheses that explain how to phonetically speak the words and its meanings, rather than putting extra lines to help the reader infer the the meaning of the words. This does actually feel jarring at times, especially on the first read due to trying to grasp the meanings of Baronh and remembering them for their subsequent appearances, so some may actually prefer the Tokyopop approach instead. I do think that JNC could have leveraged modern epub technology to annotate the Baronh words but I understand that it probably makes it harder when publishing it in physical form. Nevertheless, these are minor annoyances that also exist and it is definitely not the worst approach to the issue.
Content wise, the allure of the Abh is as strong as it was back when it was published at the turn of the millenium. In fact, maybe even more given the circumstances of world affairs at the moment. The introduction to the Seikai world is solidly done as part of the interactions between Jinto, the clueless reader's insert and the colorfully bold Abh characters, especially Lafier, and both play as good foils to each other.
This is definitely a work that has aged very well, even after over a decade since I have first read it, and I'm truly happy to see this work finally brought back to English readers.
September 15, 2020
Reading the 2019 J-novel Club translation. Not sure how it differs from previous translations but I haven't had to go look in a glossary like earlier reviews have mentioned.
Overall, I enjoyed the start of this sci-fi romance with the princess not be a complete damsel but actually a competent pilot who is aware of the world around her. Also helps that the pair have an almost immediate chemistry that can't be boiled down to a 'because you were nice to me' angle.
A minor hurdle is that the character names are spelled differently in the novel than in the associated anime subs. But once you accept that its no issue. Reading after watching the anime probably made the book easier to read but I did get some more perspective from the characters through their thoughts that weren't expressed in dialogue. Like how to Jinto the concept of a standing military is something from the distant past so his encounters the Anh is quite a shock to the system.
There is an issue of the author going off on tangents like several pages about the Anh line of succession which dumped a lot of new words and names in a few short pages that required me to reread a few times to get an understanding.
Overall, I enjoyed the start of this sci-fi romance with the princess not be a complete damsel but actually a competent pilot who is aware of the world around her. Also helps that the pair have an almost immediate chemistry that can't be boiled down to a 'because you were nice to me' angle.
A minor hurdle is that the character names are spelled differently in the novel than in the associated anime subs. But once you accept that its no issue. Reading after watching the anime probably made the book easier to read but I did get some more perspective from the characters through their thoughts that weren't expressed in dialogue. Like how to Jinto the concept of a standing military is something from the distant past so his encounters the Anh is quite a shock to the system.
There is an issue of the author going off on tangents like several pages about the Anh line of succession which dumped a lot of new words and names in a few short pages that required me to reread a few times to get an understanding.
December 12, 2019
I found this quite hard to read. It went rambling off into unnecessary detail about trivial things all the time, and was stuffed with pointless made-up language. So much that it really broke up what was happening, because the characters had to put a few phoney words in every sentence, and there were so many you couldn’t really learn them. On the other hand I thought Jint and Lafier were interesting characters, although they started out a bit clichéd. So, if you don’t find the style annoying you should stick with it.
August 6, 2019
Para ser el primer libro de una trilogía está bien, aunque la verdad es que la primera parte esta muy enfocada en el world building pero una este es establecido los personajes y la trama despejan tornándose más entretenido y placentero de leer, eso si, termino con un final bastante abrupto, no un cliffhanger en si, más. Bien siento que le faltó uno o dos capítulos más para concluir este arco, aún así tengo grandes expectativas para la segunda parte.
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October 8, 2019A very fine and deep sci-fi with surprisingly humane characters and extensive immersion into reality of fictional setting.
February 10, 2014
Haven't read a good space opera in SO LONG. This is littered with useless jargon, couldn't be bothered to check the glossary every two seconds. Skimmed through a lot of this book since it just wasn't very interesting. Contains a handful of parts where suddenly it seems like it'll start to pick up but then it just falls flat due to the jargon and just... "character development" that isn't getting anyone anywhere.
Everything seems to revolve around the Abh, which are fairly intriguing, but we don't get to see much of them in this volume. I don't know why they divide books into multiple installments in Japan, but this one definitely would've benefited from being a single volume. It just sort of ends when FINALLY something starts to happen (and no high hopes of getting the next volumes since Tokyopop closed and all).
Everything seems to revolve around the Abh, which are fairly intriguing, but we don't get to see much of them in this volume. I don't know why they divide books into multiple installments in Japan, but this one definitely would've benefited from being a single volume. It just sort of ends when FINALLY something starts to happen (and no high hopes of getting the next volumes since Tokyopop closed and all).
August 31, 2013
An interesting read and one I was looking forward to as I wanted to see what Japanese space opera was like. Morioka is very imaginative, dreaming up a whole new language and culture. The book is a bit stunted, ending abruptly, without concluding anything. But I took it as an introduction to a larger story.
I did find the dialogue a bit simple, which could have been a loss in translation. The characters were also a little aloof, but this could just be style for Morioka. Also, if I'm being picky, it isn't actually space opera--or at least a small one at that--as there are only two main characters both of which are together for most of the book. Maybe later books will expand the characters.
Overall, it was still a worthwhile read to experience Japanese SciFi.
I did find the dialogue a bit simple, which could have been a loss in translation. The characters were also a little aloof, but this could just be style for Morioka. Also, if I'm being picky, it isn't actually space opera--or at least a small one at that--as there are only two main characters both of which are together for most of the book. Maybe later books will expand the characters.
Overall, it was still a worthwhile read to experience Japanese SciFi.
September 21, 2014
Let's get one thing straight: there is a great story in Crest of the Stars. But rule number one of credible world building means that you don't replace English words to describe everything. A hat still needs to be called a hat, and that is where this book becomes a chore to read. The near constant stream of Abh culture descriptions are necessary but could be better laid into the flow of the story, but it's still solid stuff. I don't know if I'm going to grab the second and third books. I watched the show, and it was a faithful adaptation, and I don't recall the mountain of unnecessary phrases slowing it down.
January 22, 2015
It has been so long since I have watched & read this, but it was very enjoyable with credible settings, lovable characters, good action and plot twists.
The fact I really enjoyed it despite having watched the anime (so I knew pretty much what is going to happen) says how good this novel.
The thing I liked the most about this series is how credible the characters are and you can feel them.
Not much else to say!
The fact I really enjoyed it despite having watched the anime (so I knew pretty much what is going to happen) says how good this novel.
The thing I liked the most about this series is how credible the characters are and you can feel them.
Not much else to say!
April 14, 2012
I read this after seeing the tv series, which I enjoyed immensely.
The tv series was based on this novel and it did not disappoint. There are some things that did not make it into the tv series and they make the novel worth reading.
The tv series was based on this novel and it did not disappoint. There are some things that did not make it into the tv series and they make the novel worth reading.
May 15, 2017
Enjoyable read, highly recommend this series.
January 2, 2014
I love the Crest Of The Stars story, have watched the 3 Anime series and that's why I became interested in reading the Manga.
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July 29, 2007i did the "English Adaptation" of this book. go me!
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