Zaregoto 1: Book 1: The Kubikiri Cycle (Paperback)

~ NISIOISIN (Author)
Key Phrases: Sonoyama Akane, Seven Fools, Kunagisa Tomo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—Written by a manga-novel author, Zaregoto uses a manga style in the format of a novel. Ii, a 19-year-old college student, accompanies his friend Kunagisa Tomo, a computer engineering genius, to Wet Crow's Feather Island, home of wealthy exile Akagami Iria, who surrounds herself with the best and the brightest. The island's other guests include a painter, a fortune-teller, a chef, and an all-purpose genius, as well as live-in maids and other caretakers. The geniuses bicker regularly and immerse themselves in expressing their mutual hatred for each other. On the third evening of Ii's visit, a powerful earthquake draws the tense discussion short. Ii and Kunagisa discover Ibuki Kanami, the painter, beheaded in her studio. Akagami Iria takes control of the murder investigation, refusing to call the police, and rumor surfaces that this crime is far from the first, and could very well not be the last. Zaregoto reads like a combination of Fantasy Island and Clue, and as it continues, readers can't help but wonder if Akagami Iria has set up this dangerous game as a way to entertain herself in her exile. With no graphics to rely on, the story suffers from an overwhelming amount of dialogue but still offers a challenging mystery that will keep readers guessing. Libraries with manga fans craving something beyond the typical graphic novel and Japanophiles searching for something new should consider this for purchase, as well as Hiroshi Ishizaki's Chain Mail: Addicted to You (Tokyopop, 2007).—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
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Product Description

It’s the vacation of a lifetime, a trip to a remote island filled with geniuses–and murder.

On Wet Crow’s Feather Island, a tiny speck in the Sea of Japan, lives Akagami Iria, the exiled daughter of a powerful family. Born into great wealth, she was a princess of the highest pedigree–until she was cut off by the leader of the Akagami Foundation. For the last five years, she’s lived on Feather Island with her maids. But she hasn’t been alone. She has invited the best minds Japan has to offer to come and stay with her.

And so nineteen-year-old college student Ii-chan and his best friend, computer genius Kunagisa Tomo, find themselves as Iria’s guests at her elaborate mansion. Surrounded by fascinating women–a chef, a fortune-teller, a scholar, and an artist, not to mention his own friend Tomo–Ii-chan is feeling a little overmatched intellectually. But the sudden discovery of a grisly murder sends the island into shock. And Ii-chan discovers that he does possess a bit of genius: the ability to discover what is real and what is fake . . . who is who they claim to be–and who is a killer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345504275
• ISBN-13: 978-0345504272
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elementary, my dear Iria., July 29, 2008

By	T. D. Paddock - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you aren't into illustrated covers (or Manga, for that matter) don't let the cover throw you. You need not fear harmless little Kunagisa Tomo or her blue hair (mosty). There will be so much going on in the course of this novel, you'll be far too busy to notice.

Likewise, if you are not accustomed to Japanese names, the book title and character names may seem intimidating. Don't let it get to you! You're a serious reader. No sweat!

Wet Crow's Feather, with its expansive mansion, is the exclusive island home of wealthy and powerful Akagami Iria, an heiress of 'highest pedigree'. And if she invites you to come, you get to vacation for free! Hell, she'll even pay you for your time! A great deal! There's only one little catch: only geniuses need apply. If you're the undisputed best at what you do -- a master artist; a savant hacker; a culinary prodigy -- or if your name has frequently been attached to words like 'laureate', 'Nobel', or 'paradigm shift' your cheque may already be in the mail.

Iria-san is something of a collector. Since she never leaves her island home, what better way to keep from getting bored than to surround herself with the world's best and brightest? And why not? She has money to burn. But given that only geniuses make the grade, college student Ii finds himself feeling out of place. He's accompanied his often delicate (but always freakishly brilliant) friend Kunagisa. *She's* an infamous computer genius; *his* presence is merely tolerated.

Maybe Ii is much more ordinary than the illustrious women he finds himself amidst -- an exiled heiress; a famed scholar; a master chef; a celebrated artist; an uncannily accurate fortune-teller/mindfreak; and, well, then there's Kunagisa.

However, when heads start to roll, the question isn't only 'who dunnit', but who among them possesses the skills to solve murder among geniuses?

If you like math-logic, murder mysteries, plot-twists, or interesting characters, you may want to take a serious look at this fun and entertaining book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Zaregoto is Excellent!, February 22, 2009

By	David Cummins (Wellsville, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book after reading Nisioisin's Death Note: Another Note, and just like that book, this one is fast-paced and very clever. The writing style is smart, quick and to the point, these characters don't beat around the bush much. The characters are incredibly vivid and unique. The Japanese names took a bit of getting used to, and the lack of "He said" or "She said" in the dialogue made some passages of extended dialogue just a little confusing to follow. (There were a couple times I had to back up a little to figure out which character was talking). All in all, however, the fact that Nisioisin cut a lot of that makes the dialogue flow faster and more naturally.
This Japanese author is brilliant and I can't wait for Book 2 to be released in English.