Customer Reviews

Seikai: Crest of the Stars Volume 1: Princess of the Empire (Seikai Trilogy) (V. 1)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Princess of the Empire is the first novel in an epic science fiction series by Japanese author Morioka Hiroyuki. The Seikai series has been very popular in Japan, prompting multiple reprintings and spawning both manga and anime adaptiations. This is the first time the original novels have become available translated into English.

The story begins on the distant planet of Martine, which was colonized centuries ago by a group of interstellar travellers. Their splendid isolation from the rest of humanity is rudely shattered by the sudden arrival of a vast armada of warships. They are the Abh, an empire of genetically-enhanced warriors. Their commander unceremoniously announces that Martine is now part of the Empire.

The story focuses on Jinto, the young son of the President of Martine. Through a supremely Machiavellian political deal, Jinto has been given nobility status in the Abh empire in exchange for Martine's surrender. We pick up with Jinto several years later after he has gone through several years of training to prepare him for entry into the Abh military academy. Though his teachers have thoroughly drilled him in the Abh language, the Abh themselves remain largely a mystery to "landers", what the Abh call planet-dwellers. The Abh call themselves Kin of the Stars, and never set foot on planets, so very few have even seen them. Jinto has little idea what to expect.

The Abh and their society are the real masterpiece of this series. Morioka paints a fascinating and incredibly detailed picture of these proud yet ruthless people. In this novel we see them largely through the eyes of Jinto, who is desperately trying to make sense of the new environment he has been thrust into. He sees a people who are supremely human and yet have set themselves apart from the rest of humanity. At this point we have mostly just tantalizing glimpses into the Abh culture, but it is clear that we are glimpsing pieces of a very rich and well-conceived background, with promise of more to come. Rarely have I seen a fictional human culture realized in such a believable and compelling fashion. It is comparable to something like the Draka series by S.M. Stirling.

One aspect of the Abh culture which Morioka has developed very well is their language, and perhaps a word on translation is in order. In the original Japanese text, words unique to the Abh were written both in Chiniese characters which give their approximate meaning and in phonetic characters which give their pronunciation. This presents a challenge when translating into English, but the translators have done a great job of integrating the Abh language into the text in a way which is both natural and easy to understand. Nevertheless, they have provided an extensive glossary of Abh terms. There are also other appendices giving some historical background and information on Abh military organization. Hardcore space opera and fantasy fans will be in Appendix Heaven.

The first Abh who Jinto meets is Lafiel, the titular Princess of the Empire. It is largely through Jinto's conversations with her that we gain insight into the Abh mentality. Despite their wildly different backgrounds the two of them quickly become good friends. It is clear that the relationship between these two characters is going to become a central part of the story as the epic continues. Jinto has entered the empire at a time when war is looming, so Jinto's introduction to the Abh way of life is likely to become a baptism of fire.

The series is probably best described as space opera with a hard-SF flavor. Morioka is meticulous about how he presents everything from the interstellar drives of starships to the culture surrounding genetic enhancements the Abh make to their children. He has populated his world with many interesting and engaging characters. And like the start of any good epic, it leaves us anticipating more to come.

I greatly enjoyed the Crest of the Stars anime, and when I found that the original Japanese sci-fi novels were translated, I was elated. Unfortunately, there is little positive to be said about the results of this endeavor. While the translator has consulted the fan community about the complex world and language that Hiroyuki Morioka created, she is incapable of producing good English prose. The poor choice of words, use of colloquial terms in formal context and general lack of skill cause this book to read like fan fiction off the Internet. I have no idea how any of this ever passed an editor. Add to this cheap paper and basic binding, and I cannot in good conscience recommend the English novels. I can only hope that these works will eventually be retranslated to the standards they deserve.

I first saw the Sekei trilogy on one of the cable networks. I really enjoyed it -- more than most Anime. I have since bought the 3 series on DVD and the corresponding Manga, but I have been looking forward to the translation of the novels on which they are based. This is the first installment and is full of details that had to be left out of the Manga and videos. I really enjoyed it, but I wish they had translated more... My only criticism is that there is a heavy use of the Abh Baronh language in the book. There is a glossary, but I would have prefered seeing the English term with the Abh (in parens, or as a footnote) -- referring to the glossary gets a bit tedious. Otherwise the novel was great and I'm looking forward to Seikai 2.

I'm not sure how much of it is the translation and how much is culture barrier, but I didn't like this book at all. I couldn't even finish it. The book is the same size as your average manga, and the typeface is quite large. The prologue is pure info-dump, and very long info-dump at that. Unfortunately, this happens often in the book.

The characters don't seem very likable, even Jinto, who walks the edge of whining too often for my taste. The created culture is fascinating (which is why this gets two stars instead of one), but it's swamped under the author's con-lang.

Words were created purely for being 'alien'--all the cultures involved derived from Earth, so why is it necessary to have 'new' words for 'coffee' or 'chopsticks' when the original words are used on multiple worlds? The parenthetical asides get distracting, and having to flip to the glossary in the back, sometimes several times for one page, is frustrating. I kept losing track of the storyline because I had to keep looking things up. Character names and character titles were sometimes very similar, just a few letters difference, which added to the confusion.

I understand this is a fan-favorite, and that a succesful anime has been made of it. Perhaps it works better on screen, or for those who've seen the anime.

The anime does a very good job of translating the story to the "big screen". For most people I would recommend the anime over the novel except for those who are looking for two things: [a] If you're looking for more details and insight into the Abh culture, technology, etc. and [b] if you're looking for a little more behind the characters motivations. If you're a hard-core sci-fi fan the Abh terminology in the books will be slightly annoying but not anything you haven't seen before. The characters thoughts are obviously more apparent in the novels but the essence is conveyed very well in the anime also.

Its like the Anime, except for the detais of the people tinkns.
Really good to read it, to those who are fans, have a lot of Abh(main race of the book) speachs, and a dictionary at back. That part i don't liked very much, and have some words (like coffe) that wasn't need for a abh word to refeer. Its pretty boring at the half of the book to see the dictionary one time per 30 words.
Still a excelent space novel history.

The book is an entertaining read, with a fairly straightforward story arch taking place in an incredibly complicated universe. Character interaction and development is solid, even among the supporting cast and "villains."

On the whole, this is good classic science fiction of the "golden age" variety. The only real complain I have is that the decision to use untranslated Abh words in the dialogue simply doesn't work. Instead of creating a more absorbing experience, it threw me out of the story by forcing me to flip to the dictionary in the back of the book.

Still, a good read, particularly for people that have seen the anime.