Yukikaze Kindle Edition

Sento Yosei Yukikaze originally appeared as a series of short stories on S-F Magazine between 1979 - 1983, and the compilation published in 1984. Haikasoru's Yukikaze is a translation of Sento Yosei Yukikaze <kai>, a revised version published in 2002, including the two essays by reviewers at the tail of the book. A glossary page is an addition to the translation version.

As a long time fan of the story, I welcome the English translation. I wish it gets a wide readership.

Unfortunately, it has many mistranslations. On average, I think there are about one questionable translation per page. I'll list some of them below, mostly from chapter 1 to keep this short.

"Were you on drugs?" (p.18) when it is "Do you need a sedative?" in original.
"He didn't take long to complete his inspection of Yukikaze, only another fifteen minutes or so" (p.24) whereas in original it is "It didn't feel long to wait fifteen minutes or so for Rei as he watched Yukikaze."
"He said it was Rei's "youthful zeal" that had convinced her, and while their moods were buoyed they set about analyzing how to turn their abstract idea into an actual success" (p.36) whereas in the original it is "He analyzed that it is Rei's "youthful zeal" -- somehow adequate but vague expression -- that convinced her."
"As he released the brake, he pressed down on the foot throttle." (p.44) whereas it should be "As he released the brake, the oleo strut stretched."
"You seem to be saying 'It doesn't matter' an awful lot lately, you know." (p.132) whereas in the original it's like "You say 'It doesn't matter', but you're quite talkative lately."

In the last few paragraphs of p.128, the translation is totally confused and mixes things up. It should be:
(General) "(...Read more ›

I first heard of YUKIKAZE after watching and enjoying the anime adaptation that was created and released some years ago by Gonzo. At that time, I never thought that the original novel written by Chohei Kambayashi would make it to these shores. I'm very glad to admit that I was wrong to assume that. I'm also very glad to say that the book is excellent, and hopefully there will be translations of the sequel GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE and UNBROKEN ARROW.

The plot of the novel is straightforward: over thirty years ago, a mysterious, gigantic column of mist appeared in Antarctica on the Ross Ice Shelf. In reality it was a passageway used by an alien race known only as the JAM for their attempted invasion of earth. Following a series of battles, a united mankind pushed the JAM back through the passageway to the alien planet on the other side named Faery. Over the years, humanity had generally forgotten about the JAM, but the war is still ongoing, with humans using advanced fighter aircraft as primary weapons against the JAM.

I loved this book--Kambayashi's themes of man and his relations to machines is front and center, and his writing is crisp and no nonsense (Neil Nadelman's translation is also very solid). Of course, there are events and characters in the book that did not make it into the anime, and the book itself has a vibe similar to Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR--war is hell, and the people fighting it often must deal with enemies that they do not understand. Of course, the jets and aerial combat gives it a TOP GUN flavor. I highly recommend this book, not just to fans of the anime who want to read the source material but to fans of military SF--or any good book--in general. Kambayashi is a popular, well-respected Japanese SF writer, and it is wonderful to see his work finally reach these shores. Hopefully more will follow.

I was pretty excited when I got it as a gift. For those who are familiar with the Gonzo/Bandai anime series YUKIKAZE, this is one of the novels from which the anime series was based on. The book is considered a modern classic in Japan, and it is a pity that this translated version could not have been released at the same time as the anime series. Translating from a foreign language is not easy, and I am happy that Viz decided to go ahead and give us this treat. I will not bore you by recanting the story, but the novel delves into more detail that was only touched in the anime. It is pretty hefty at over 400 pages. Fans will not be disappointed.

For those who are wondering about the cover artwork, it is based on the Japanese cover which depicts the original look of Rei's Super Sylph, Yukikaze, prior to the anime series.

RTB

I bought this book after reading and liking "All you need is kill" the light novel that "Edge of Tomorrow" is based upon.... Yukikaze and Good Luck Yukikaze were advertised at the back of the book and so I thought that I'd give them a try. Having finished Yukikaze in about two days I can firmly say that it is worth a read and is quite a bit lighter than the last scifi book I read prior to "All You Need Is Kill", "The Children of the Mind". It is thought provoking and yet quick and compelling..... A book that I will be recommending to my friends as a lighter choice to the usual scifi

Purchased the kindle version of this title and was surprised that I liked it very well. It is military based sci-fi but the characterization of Rei is developed more than expected in this type of genre. Never seen the anime but now interested thanks to book. The story of Rei and his dependence on his aircraft Yukikaze goes into detail of a mans psyche not seen usually in military sf. The ending had me hooked to buy the sequel. The concept of the alien JAM also very interesting as they are not typical alien invaders. Plus the planet faery where the story takes place ripe for exploring in other tales.