An Indian orphan is haunted by his past in a most unusual way

The wait for books to be translated and released in a market other than the one in which it originated can be extremely frustrating.  Beyond the time it takes the translator to actually do the work of translating and regionalizing the material, there's extra layers of copyright and quality control that has to be attended to as well.  Anyone who has waited for a beloved anime or manga to make it to their own country, even after the rights have been picked up, knows this pain all too well,  But occasionally, the anticipation makes the results all the more enjoyable.  Such is the case with Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books, including his newest American release, The Midnight Palace.

This is more of a Stephen King style horror novel than the previously released The Prince of Mists. While there is still some introspection, as well as a supernatural villain, the majority of the book feels like a traditional supernatural thriller instead of the 'magical realism' that his adult books are so well known for.  

Our main character Ben is separated from his twin sister at birth and left at an orphanage in Calcutta.  His parents were killed by a man filled with almost unspeakable evil, and he wants to finish the job by killing the children as well.  This man's name is Jawahal, and after a brief meeting with the head of the orphanage, he promises to be back.

Ben must have been left at the best orphanage in Calcutta, because when we meet him again 16 years later, he's a fairly well-educated young man about to venture into adulthood.  He's made a group of friends and comrades-in-arms that go by The Chowbar Society, in the fashion of children's secret societies everywhere.  The members are fairly typical, from a bookish boy who wants to become a doctor (our narrator) to the spunky girl who wants to become a famous actress.  Ben is the adventurous type, but still prone to quiet spells, and everyone turns to him automatically as the leader of the group.

The story picks up as the members of the Chowbar Society are starting to age out of the orphanage.  Ian leaves first, on a ticket to medical school purchased by his friends.  That night, an old woman with a 16 year old girl come to talk to the headmaster, and history catches up with everyone.  We quickly learn the tale of Ben's origins, Seere's life growing up as something of a gypsy, and the origin of the man known as Jawahal.  But nothing in the ancient city of Calcutta is ever exactly how it seems

There is much to discover about Ben's father, his unfinished dream house, his distinguished career as a modern architect, and the mysterious Jawahal who brought it all down in a sea of flames.

To say anything more about the plot would ruin the joy of discovering it, so let's leave it there.

The actual prose of thee book is quite lovely.  This is one of Ruiz Zafon's earlier works, long before the amazing The Shadow of the Wind or The Angel's Game, so it's not quite as polished as those.  But even this early on, Ruiz Zafon knows how to pace a story properly and how to hide bits of information from the reader to reveal later without the reader feeling cheated.  While classified as Young Adult, The Midnight Palace will certainly please readers of all ages with its lovely characters and supernatural horror plot.

Highs:  Ruiz Zafon captures perfectly the magical, sad night at the end of youth when you realize you'll never see some of your best childhood friends again

Lows:  Several members of The Chowbar Society are very generic and not fleshed out well at all, probably due to length constraints

Verdict:  A great, scary read perfect for either the beach or a cozy chair

Further Reading:  The Prince of Mists, The Painted Boy

Manga Monday: Fighting demons to make himself whole

Osamu Tezuka is a legend in the field of manga for a reason.  Besides having been one of the men who developed the form from the traditional  4-panel comic strip to the graphic novel of today, he is also considered the creator of entire genres of the medium.  He helped get adults reading comics again with titles like Black Jack and Ayako.  He created the fictionalized biography Buddha years before Maus and Persepolis were taught in university classrooms.  He even created the half-boy, half-girl in manga idea with Princess Knight before Rumiko Takahashi began Ranma 1/2.  As he revolutionized shojo manga with Princess Knight, he also helped to create shonen manga with Dororo.

In Dororo Volume 1, Hyakkimaru has had a very unfortunate beginning.  His power-hungry Daimyo father promised a temple of 48 demons each a piece of his unborn son in return for being the ruler of the land.  They made good on their end of the deal, and when his son was born with no eyes, ears, limbs or internal organs.  And yet, his son refuses to die.

When he orders his son done away with, his mother sent him downriver in a basket.  Thankfully, while his father's prayers were answered and he comes into tremendous power in the area, so too do his mothers prayers for his safety.  Doctor Honma found the baby along the river, and was astonished at the the little creature inch its way across the floor to look for food.  Dr. Honma used a combination of medicine and magic to create the pieces that Hyakkimaru lacks, and raised him as a son.

Ever since Dr. Honma found Hyakkimaru, though, demons have been plaguing his house.  Eventually, when Hyakkimaru is old enough to look after himself, Dr. Honma has no choice but to ask him to leave.

Hyakkimaru eventually finds out his origins; a ghostly voice tells him the circumstances surrounding his birth.  And so begins his journey throughout the countryside, destroying the demons he fines to regain all that was taken from him.

Along the way, Hyakkimaru manages to pick up our titular character.  Dororo (babytalk for 'thief') is helped out by Hyakkimaru, and Dororo takes a liking to our hero,  He declares that he is the world's greatest thief, and that he is going to steal Hyakkimaru's sword.  That's going to be quite a bit more difficult than normal, as the sword is part of his arm prosthesis, but that doesn't deter our little sidekick.  Of course it's just a little street kid's excuse to tag along after a big brother figure, but Dororo's so likable that it's hard to mind.

Since this is such an early series, flaws that might be annoying in current manga are more easily forgiven here.  Panels of fight scenes are so cluttered that it's often hard to figure out where our heroes are in them, or what exactly is happening.  While a kid tagging along after the hero has been done over and over again, this might be given a pass the same way Ranma ½ is tolerable as a harem show because it is one of the first.  Also, anyone who has read manga, or any fantasy books at all, should know that something's up when Dororo won't bathe in front of Hyakkimaru.

Even when taken on it's own merit, without the Tezuka name attached, Dororo: Volume 1 is a good read.  As with many good shonen manga stories, there is more depth to it than it initially appears.  Themes of loss and rejection weave their way throughout many of the stories, along with the idea that everyone is flawed in some way.  The world is a hard place, and the heroes don't always get the credit and the credit that they are due.  They keep on, however, for their own reasons, and perhaps together they might both get a bit closer to what they're searching for.

Highs:  Watching Hyakkimaru's joy at regaining pieces of himself

Lows:  Many Americans new to manga might find the Japanese demons off-putting

Verdict:  The epitome of classic shonen, it's also a fun, compelling read

Further Reading;  Ode to Kirihito, Moribito

A liberated Sleeping Beauty would battle her wicked aunt in the dream world

While this is the 3rd book in the Elemental Masters series, it is certainly accessible to first time readers of the series.  While there are no real spoilers that I could tell, or anything beyond basic 'fantasy world magic' to know, there may be some that I missed, so be warned.  Otherwise, read on.

Manga Monday: New neighbors means new adventures

Chi's Sweet Home Volume 4 is, of course, the sequel to Chi's Sweet Home Volume 3.  The review of Chi's Sweet Home Volume 1 is here and the review of Chi's Sweet Home Volume 3 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Why don't adults get summer break too?

Note:  Yotsuba&! Volume 3 is, of course, the sequel to Yotsuba&! Volume 2.  The review of Yotsuba&! Volume 1 is here, and the review of Yotsuba&! Volume 2 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Bite-Sized Bits of Urban Fantasy

While this is the 12th book in the Newford world, it is certainly accessible to first time readers of Charles de Lint's work.  While there are no real spoilers that I could tell, there may be some that I missed, so be warned.  Otherwise, read on.

Manga Monday: A manga take on national stereotypes

When I finished Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 1, I hesitated to review it.  However, I'm sure that manga fans can be reasonable, and accept some criticism, so why not?


Parts of Hetalia were extremely funny.  It's hilarious to see characters based mostly on (Japanese) stereotypes of countries, and the interaction between countries is very amusing.  Each country involved in WWII is personified as young men, containing all of the stereotypes of personality that the country brings to mind.  France is a cowardly fool, Germany is arrogant (and a little bit of a perv?) and America is brash and thinks too much of himself.  The title character of Italy is divided between Northern Italy (Italy Veneziano) and Southern Italy (Italy Romano), harkening back to the relatively recent unification of Italy a century previous.


The story takes place some time between WWI and WWII, as the countries are getting to know one another in their current configurations, and friendships and fights spring up around the most petty things.


Watching the countries interact, especially with the liberal use of footnotes on nearly every page, is certainly funny to anyone who has even a passing interest in international politics.  Yes, at time, it seems like the leaders of other countries are acting like petulant brats, so it's fun to watch all the countries try to queue up at a grocery store.


The only reason I can't give this a firm recommendation is the absolutely horrendous artwork.  This started as a webcomic, and was never cleaned up for book release.  At times, it's even a bit hard to keep track of which characters are in the panel, as the art is so sketchy.  I stopped and restarted the first volume several times in frustration at the artwork.


If you're more patient than me, Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 1 has quite a lot of potential, but perhaps the anime is the best way to take in the series.


Highs:  The humor is right up my alley, with 'it's funny because it's true' moments throughout


Lows:  The art is just TERRIBLE.  Seriously


Verdict:  If you can tolerate looking at it, enjoy.  Otherwise, check out the anime


Further Reading:  Neko Ramen Volume 1, Maison Ikkoku Volume 1