Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Isuna Hasekura (Author), Ju Ayakura (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Spice and Wolf | Publication Date: December 15, 2009

The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine-that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of "Holo the Wisewolf" to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Isuna Hasekura

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Yen Press (December 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759531048
• ISBN-13: 978-0759531048
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing translation, must-read for any S&W fan, December 28, 2009

By 

J. MURRAY (Ridgefield, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I'll keep this short and sweet. Fans of the anime will love reading the original story and will gain a greater understanding of Lawrence & Holo. Little gestures you may not have even noticed the first time you watched the series, become clear and meaningful after finishing the book.

If you haven't heard of Spice & Wolf before, then either this book or the anime series are good places to start. You'll get more life out of the series, but the book is a bit easier on the wallet. Despite the unusual premise this is a slower-paced and more dialogue heavy story, suited for an older audience. A healthy interest in economics isn't needed, but it'd be a plus.

EDIT: I just have to update this after completing Volume 5 of the Spice & Wolf...everything I originally said about the rocky translation was just wrong. Paul Starr is doing an AMAZING job, this is by far one of the best translated light novels I have read to date, it perfectly captures the tone of the series.

Five volumes down and I am even more in love with this series than before, here's hoping we get to see the rest brought over!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative, clever, and fun, February 3, 2010

By 

T. Smith (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

While one might not be surprised to find a wolf-girl and a fantasy setting in a book aimed at young adults, plots based on the principles of free-market economics are unexpected. Yet Hasekura combines a very unusual romance with economics and comes up a winner. Who'da thunk it?
The teasing romantic interplay between Lawrence and Holo is a delight. Two world-wise adults, albeit in different ways, they tease and flirt in an amusing and yet sexually-tense manner. You know that if either of them pushed things even a bit, they'd be...well, you know. But both are aware of the inevitable outcome of love between an immortal and a human. Not to mention Lawrence is a little afraid of being with a god (quite reasonably) and Holo has her near-arrogant pride to hold her back.
Anyway, a fun read. Note that it is for young adults, so don't expect Lord of the Rings. But for what it is, it's satisfying.
I'd like to note the translation was a surprise. It's excellent. Very smooth, vivid, and accurate. I might even say it reads better than the original (although I only read two chapters of that some years ago). A pat on the back to Paul Starr who deserves much more credit than a tiny line almost lost on the indicia page. In Japan translators are properly respected and their names are even on the front cover. Shame on American publishers for treating their essential contribution so poorly.
The front cover art is odd. I suppose they're trying to attract "mainstream" readers of light novels and maybe this is a way to do it. I suppose we'll see if that does any good, and the fans will buy it anyway. But Holo should at least have had fangs....

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True to the roots, February 17, 2010

By 

T. Carter - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

To keep this short:
This is not manga, this is a light novel. The events of the manga without as many pictures, in book form if you will. The translations are good and recreate the original story well. My only complaint with this is the fact the they changed the cover art. While this art is by no means bad, in it's own right, I just preferred the original STYLE much, much more.