Kieli, Vol. 1 (novel): The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness (Kieli (novel)) [Paperback]

Yukako Kabei (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kieli (novel) | Publication Date: July 14, 2009

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yukako Kabei

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Yen Press (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759529299
• ISBN-13: 978-0759529298
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic novel., July 5, 2009

By 

phoinos (WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kieli, Vol. 1 (novel): The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness (Kieli (novel)) (Paperback)

Many of the previous reviews are for the manga version of this series. I highly recommend the manga as well, as it is a faithful reproduction of this novel and has great artwork.

As for the novel:

As the summary states: Kieli is a young, orphaned girl with the ability to see ghosts. This has made her a bit of a social outcast at her school. Then one day she runs into Harvey, another young man with the same ability, and the Corporal, a ghost who has possessed an old beat-up radio. This is the first time she's ever met anyone else who can see the things she does, so she ends up following them, curious and longing for answers.

The novel itself is a quick but very enjoyable read. The characters are very interesting and complex. The short length of the book limits too much character development, but there really is a good amount of it here for a light novel. The description is vivid and it was incredibly easy for me to fall into the world of Kieli and "see" what was happening. But what was most surprising to me were the occasionally deep comments scattered throughout the story. Despite her young age, Kieli is disillusioned by what she alone has been able to see, and she has a rather jaded view of the hypocrisy of the religious society she lives in. The bond that forms between Kieli and Harvey is unlikely and yet stronger because of it, as they both offer each other something that they'd never really had before. It's a great story that I really couldn't help but get immersed in, and I couldn't put down the book until I'd finished. Now I can't wait for the next volume to be released!

The book itself is nice production-wise. There are some beautiful color pages, one for each chapter title page, at the front. Interspersed throughout the book are illustrations, as is customary for light novels.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys steam-punk, sci-fi, or really anyone who enjoys good stories with interesting characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful light novel!, November 12, 2009

By 

Alexandra Cenni "Poisoned Rationality" (hamilton, nj USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kieli, Vol. 1 (novel): The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness (Kieli (novel)) (Paperback)

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 existence 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!

4.0 out of 5 stars Kieli, October 31, 2011

By 

J. Ramirez - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kieli, Vol. 1 (novel): The Dead Sleep in the Wilderness (Kieli (novel)) (Paperback)

It has a very interesting argument: a young girls who can see ghost and an immortal soldier definitely make an appealing combination. It has a very interesting story but I have to say that the development seems a little awkward. Each chapter almost stands by its own with little (or a forced) connection to the next one; almost as if it was published by chapters rather than all together. Other than that it is a really good book.