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Spice and Wolf


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Koji98



Joined: 13 Jun 2008
Posts: 112
PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:13 am Reply with quote
einhorn303 wrote:
Koji98 wrote:
einhorn303 wrote:
And putting out this disgusting thing, than charging 20.99 USD total for a paperback light novel?

It's $7.41 on amazon with a list price of $10.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Spice-Wolf-Vol-Isuna-Hasekura/dp/0759531048/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253849891&sr=8-2

Not sure where you got $20.99 from.


Including the cost of the December Yen Plus issue.

It's just an optional thing, really. If you don't want to shell out the extra cash, then don't. The insides will still be the same regardless, color images and all. All I know is that I want the piece of paper to cover my book and don't care about shelling out the extra money. Yen Plus isn't a bad read, only problem is I fell out of buying it 10 months ago.
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Richard J.



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis.
PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 2:18 am Reply with quote
I'd have preferred the same release style as Haruhi (paperback with less threatening cover and hardback with original one) but I can understand this move. I'm buying Spice and Wolf since I both find the story idea intriguing and I wan to support light novels.

Personally, I agree with Yen Press's reasoning on the marketing angle. Also I don't get the hate for this cover. It looks fine to me and I've got a rather severe 2-D fetish.

And as Koji98 and many others have pointed out, all the content is the same. A cover is just a cover people. Heck the original cover isn't even that great of an image of Holo to begin with.

Plus I already pre-ordered the novel during a TRSI sale for $6.60. I'm getting a bargin. (And I've been thinking about subscribing to Yen Press so I've even got an excuse to get the cover if I decide to!)
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InTraining



Joined: 30 Oct 2008
Posts: 11
PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:50 pm Reply with quote
I won't be putting this on my copy of Spice and Wolf.. =/
Quality is that of a poster pull out in any magazine, and it is attached to the inside page, so GL pulling it out without ripping.
[/img]
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Koji98



Joined: 13 Jun 2008
Posts: 112
PostPosted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 2:11 am Reply with quote
InTraining wrote:
I won't be putting this on my copy of Spice and Wolf.. =/
Quality is that of a poster pull out in any magazine, and it is attached to the inside page, so GL pulling it out without ripping.
[/img]

Damn, that's how they folded it? Well, I'll be sticking with just the book and not worry about buying the magazine.
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Kirkdawg
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 742
Location: California, USA
PostPosted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:46 pm Reply with quote
Wow, why did Yen Press decide to hire a model and do a remake of the cover? Give me the original cover please, geez. The new one doesn't look good at all. I might consider getting that 1 issue of Yen Press' magazine for the cover.
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wandering-dreamer



Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 1733
PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:07 pm Reply with quote
Is the December issue of Yen Press out now? Dang, I keep forgetting how they put it out a month early, hope I can still find it around Thanksgiving since I won't be able to get to a bookstore before then. And I'm not too worried about getting it out, I got the Soul Eater poster of of their fairly easily and worst come to worst I'll just do surgery with an exacto knife.
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synn



Joined: 11 Dec 2009
Posts: 24
PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:53 am Reply with quote
Cover looks much professional and attractive Smile

Last edited by synn on Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:49 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:17 am Reply with quote
Got this one in the mail yesterday. The cover does look nice in person, even if it isn't the original, and is certainly eye-catching. It stands a better chance of attracting non-anime fans than the original cover would have.

Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but expect a review from either me or someone else on staff before the end of the year.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:10 am Reply with quote
I recently read this, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. The setting is actually part of what won me over - I loved the pseudo-medieval world that the author created, with its elements of both Japanese and European history. I got a good chuckle out of the fact that the moneylenders all had vaguely Jewish names - did the author do that on purpose, do you suppose, or was he going for Germanic and I misinterpreted it? (I didn't find it offensive, for the record.) It actually added a nice touch of authenticity.

I do wonder about the hero's name, though - given the setting, Lawrence Kraft would make more sense. Presumably Yen Press wrote it as the author requested (like the whole Holo/Horo debacle), but, well, I actually found that more jarring than the heroine's name. Maybe I'm too picky.

Neither cover bothered me - the remake or the folded version - as far as images went. It was a bit of a pain to read with the dust jacket on, but that's an issue with hardbacks as well, so I don't really count it as a minus. What did bother me was that the book wasn't shelved in fantasy or YA. It was shoved in with the manga under "S." I don't know if the publisher gets any say in where their materials are put in stores, but Borders really undermined sales with their shelving in this case.

So what do the rest of you think about the official version?
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Tuor_of_Gondolin



Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Posts: 3524
Location: Bellevue, WA
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:34 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene,

I don't know why you got a chuckle out of the fact that most (if not all) of the moneylenders' names sounded Jewish. It's historical fact that most of the moneylenders in Europe (and certainly in Germany) *were* Jewish. This is mainly due to the Catholic Church prohibiting usury: loaning money with interest. Judism had no such prohibition between Jews and non-Jews.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:26 pm Reply with quote
Tuor, I got a chuckle out of the fact as a Jew in a sparsely Jewish region. Hell, most of MY ancestors were moneylenders. But I am unused to seeing us portrayed in Japanese popular culture (Black Lagoon being the notable exception), so it tickles me to actually see my culture show up. It was a good-natured laugh brought about by being pleased to be acknowledged. Believe me, I know the history - I just don't expect to see it in a light novel. Very Happy
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Tuor_of_Gondolin



Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Posts: 3524
Location: Bellevue, WA
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:07 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene,

I see. Usually, when someone says "I got a chuckle out of X", they're implying that X did something wrong, but it was wrong in a way the person found to be amusing. So, I thought you were implying that the author of Spice and Wolf got it wrong in using Jewish names for the moneylenders. My bad on that.

I really need to read the actual novels. I agree that the author taking such things into consideration is a good sign that the novel is just as good as the anime.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:25 am Reply with quote
That would be entirely my fault, Tuor. I guess I haven't gotten the knack of the forum yet. Smile (Did getting a job suck all my skill away??)

I found the research in the book to be enjoyably impressive. The entire city had a feel of Florence (I kept picturing it as I was reading), while the sewer scenes had a more fantasy feel. (Which for me was shades of the Forgotten Realms' Waterdeep, but then I am something of a Waterdeep-junky.) The church subplot was also a nice touch and felt very real. I actually considered teaching it in my course on fantasy literature this semester for the way it combines Eastern and Western fantasy tropes, but then I got carried away and ran out of syllabus space. Ah well, maybe next semester. Anyway, goofy cover issues aside, I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like historical fantasy.
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Richard J.



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis.
PostPosted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 6:08 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
I actually considered teaching it in my course on fantasy literature this semester for the way it combines Eastern and Western fantasy tropes, but then I got carried away and ran out of syllabus space. Ah well, maybe next semester. Anyway, goofy cover issues aside, I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like historical fantasy.
I would have loved to take a course on fantasy literature in general but using Spice and Wolf in it would be pure genius. (Plus every college kids needs a good lesson in economics.)

Between the novel and the anime version, I prefer the anime but the novel is very good and really gives that extra bit of insight into the characters. Little things like Lawrence remembering the old merchant's stories about talking horses and thinking about his loneliness really add a bit of text to what the anime can did with subtext. (I do miss Chloe though.)

Also nice of TRSI to include the slip cover with my order. (Properly wrapped around the book instead of badly creased too.)

I can't wait to get the next novel.
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Kirkdawg
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 742
Location: California, USA
PostPosted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:00 am Reply with quote
I literally finished reading the novel about 30 minutes ago, so of course I come here to post my thoughts while they're still fresh.

The reason it took me so long to get over this initial 'hump' to start reading this book was because I thought it was going to be mediocre (hence avoiding disappointment). However, I wasn't going to let my money go to waste so I decided to sit down one night and give it at least 10 pages.

Those "10" pages turned into a chapter read in one hour and I thought to myself "wow, you're an idiot". That was about 1 week ago, and through 4 (or 5?) 1 hour sessions I have managed to complete the first novel. It goes without saying that I enjoyed it quite a bit, despite already knowing the story from the animated series. I suspect if I went in without knowing anything, this would've been an absolute blast (and then I would've found out about the anime and watched it).

I remembered that the 2nd novel was "supposed" to be released April 2010, so I was looking forward to ordering it-only to discover that for some reason I have to wait another month before it's released Evil or Very Mad I'm pleased (as I'm sure many others are) with the way they handled this volume's cover-and I actually like the re-make cover they put together. Will for sure to follow the Spice and Wolf franchise as long as the journey continues!
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