Customer Reviews

Seikai: Crest of the Stars, Vol. 2: A Modest War

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Crest of the Stars: A Modest War picks up right where the first novel, Princess of the Empire, left off. Which is a good thing since Princess of the Empire ended off with a cliffhanger: Jinto and Lafiel were being held captive by Baron Febdash, who captured them when their desperate escape from the United Mankind fleet brought them to his orbital palace hoping to obtain fuel and supplies. Princess Lafiel has decided to take matters into her own hands and has started a rebellion among the Baron's vassals.

Just to give a quick recap, Seikai is an immensely popular space-opera series by Japanese author Hiroyuki Morioka. Anime and manga adaptations have been available in English translation for some time, but this is the first time the original novels have been translated into English. It was well worth the wait.

In the second novel we get more insight into the psyche and culture of the Seikai series' primary focus: the Abh. They are genetically engineered warriors who have made space their home, disdaining the planets inhabited by "landers." Over centuries they have built a massive empire based on both conquest and trade. We learn more about their history, including the terrible "original sin" which burdens the prideful Abh.

The real delight of this novel is to see the blossoming relationship between Princess Lafiel and Jinto, the "accidental noble" lander who had his Abh title thrust upon him when he was a young boy. Brought together by chance, they now find themselves fighting for their lives and their freedom as both war and treachery threaten them at every turn. They become refugees, trying to hide and survive in enemy territory. Though their friendship grows and they are able to work together, their radically different backgrounds too often get in the way. They are very much an odd couple, and old prejudices threaten to tear them apart. But each comes to find unexpected sources of strength in the other, and they are able to persevere together for another day.

The Crest of the Stars trilogy will conclude with the third novel "Return to a Strange World." But that will be just the beginning of a long epic, hopefully we will see the rest of the story that is still being released and enjoyed in Japan.

I enjoyed the second novel as much as the first. The adventure and conflict is peppered with delightful moments of humor and irony. Fans of the anime or manga series should note that it is in the second novel where we really start to see a great deal of material which never made it into the adaptations. We finally get the story complete and unabridged.

When "Seikai 1: Princess of the Empire" left off, Lafiel and Jinto - attempting to avoid getting caught the crossfire of a developing interstellar war - had been imprisoned while attempting to refuel their unarmed shuttle. This book picks up immediately where the first one left off, and describes Lafiel and Jinto's escape from the cluches of Baron Febdash, and completes their journey to Safugnoff. Sadly, the United Mankind arrived their first, and our intrepid duo are forced to crash-land on the planet and attempt to hide among the native population. For Lafiel, born and raised in space, this is an unsettling experience, as she has never so much as set foot upon a planet before. Jinto, however, if not exactly in his element, at least knows more about survival on planets and in cities than Lafiel, and so Lafiel is the one often unsure of herself, while Jinto takes the lead in their attempts to hide from the increasing efforts of the United Mankind to capture them.

When I first heard that the Seikai novelization, upon which the "Crest of the Stars" anime and manga were based, was being translated, I was pleased. It's not often that Americans get a chance to see the printed material upon which many popular animated titles are based, and I'm glad that Tokyopop has taken the risk of bringing this series across the Pacific.

This book gives greater detail about Abh history as well as the society of one of the planets ruled by the Abh, Clasbul in the Ssfugnoff system, in addition to furthering the development of the two main characters, Abh princess Lafiel and lander-turned-Abh-Nobel Jinto. Some really great character-building scenes in this novel.

My greatest complaint would probably be the word choice used by either the translator or the editor/rewriter; frequently characters whom one would expect to have very refined, elegant speech sound like they're in high school. It doesn't detract from the story so much as decrease my suspension of disbelief; I don't expect the empress of half of humanity to use phrases like "You're all in cahoots!" when dealing with high-level diplomats when the Abh are known for their elegance.

This novel is a good sci-fi read, whether or not you're familiar with the animated series. The concepts are easily within the grasp of young readers, and there is neither graphic violence nor "adult" situations. If you have seen the animated show, I'd recommend picking up this novel, and the first and third volumes, if only for the greater detail of characterization which can be packed into the written work compared to the visual interpretation. Some scenes from the anime don't make a lot of sense with only what is shown, but the added detail found in the novel makes some elements of the story easier to follow.

I have not read the book yet so I cannot honestly review it.

My rating is based on the Anime which is absolutely awesome.

It is clear though that neither the editorial review abowe nor the other reviews on this page refer to the novel "Crest of the Stars II"!