The Twelve Kingdoms

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I don't particularly volunteer to read printed matter, much less pay for it. I even drop the two magazines I actually read (Wired and EGM) after a short time because I can't just sit and read.

However, I am very much looking forward to this fantasy novel, The Twelve Kingdoms. I was first exposed to this story by a few friends of mine who reccomended the anime version, which went on to rise to the top of my favourites. Like most anime based off of books or manga, there is much omitted or perhaps modified from the original. The anime version did not even complete the story, yet remains an incredibly immersive and atmospheric experience.

Tokyopop (who is publishing the book) has a preview up on their site (Click the image above where it says LAUNCH PLAYER), that lets you read a few pages into the first book. It stops you after 2 or 3 pages if you're not registered there (I didn't bother registering), but those 2 pages should give a small idea of the type of writing involved.

Those who have read the novels in some form have compared the world of Twelve Kingdoms to Narnia, Middle-earth and Earthsea. For what it's worth. This is the first time the novels will be officially available in English. Based on my experience with the entire anime and the brief section of the book, I can pre-reccomend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. People who want to get into writing great fantasies would do well to check it out as well.

For the first time since I read through Narnia when I was 8, I'm looking forward to reading a book.

I have seen a lost of the anmie(not all though) and thought it was an intresting story. I think i'll pick it up once it's realsed. Too bad my english teacher wont count it for reading pages because it's not a classic. They'll be intersting though.