| The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 1: Sea of Shadow | 
| List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $6.71
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 27 reviews)
Sales Rank: 220272
Category: Book
Authors: Fuyumi Ono, Akihiro Yamada, Alexander O. Smith
Publisher: Tokyopop
Studio: Tokyopop
Manufacturer: Tokyopop
Label: Tokyopop
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5 x 1.7
ISBN: 1598169467
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.56973
EAN: 9781598169461
ASIN: 1598169467
Publication Date: March 13, 2007
Release Date: March 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For high-schooler Yoko Nakajima, life has been fairly ordinary--that is until Keiki, a young man with golden hair, tells Yoko they must return to their kingdom. Once confronted by this mysterious being and whisked away to an unearthly realm, Yoko is left with only a magical sword; a gem; and a million questions about her destiny, the world she's trapped in, and the world she desperately wants to return to.More than just a fantasy story filled with horrific monsters, half-beasts, and magicians, The Twelve Kingdoms centers around a world reminiscent of Chinese mythology and rife with civil and political upheaval. Sea of Shadow, the first volume of this ongoing seven-volume epic, takes you on a wild ride that leaves you questioning the bounds of reality and fantasy."An exciting, fast-paced adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats."--BookLoons.com "This is a fantasy novel displaying a grand imagination and soaring adventure."--ActiveAnime.com"Fuyumi Ono weaves a bewitching tale of strength in adversity, bravery despite fear, courage above all, and trust a?" in yourself and in others."--Yabookscentral.comFuyumi Ono was born in Oita Prefecture, Japan. She graduated from Otani University with a major in Buddhist studies. During college she was a member of Kyoto Universitya??s mystery story club for readers and writers of the mystery genre. In 1988, she made her publishing debut in Kodanshaa??s teen-targeted X-Bunko Teens Heart series. Besides The Twelve Kingdoms, Ono has written other novels in such genres as mystery and horror.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Rapido e muito bom. September 20, 2008
O produto e otimo. A entrega foi feita antes do prazo previsto. Mas atencao: as paginas do livro sao de papel simples, parecem de HQ.
 A great read for young girls August 13, 2008
In the spirit of girl-power induced books and stories like Sailor Moon and Xena, you have the first of twelve books caled The Twelve Kingdoms. This tells the tale of Yoko, a red-haired schoolgirl outcast in modern day Japan with a traditionalist overbearing father and a mother who easily caves into him. That is until she is whisked away to a fantastical world similar to medieval China, a la Fushigi Yuugi.
It is here Yoko must fight evil using a Japanese sword specifically fitted to her. It is obvious from the uneven and often slow pacing of the story that this is to be the first in a long epic but it is still worth reading. The writing is well done and the creatures are interesting. I look forward to reading more.
Characters: A Yoko is a great role model for young girls struggling to fit in.
Plot: B The pacing is uneven but stil enjoyable.
Readability: A This is a translated version of a Japanese novel but it still rings true to its roots.
In short: B+ Buy it for a young girl who loves anime and warrior women or get it from your local library, but its still a good read.
twelve June 3, 2008
I was very happy to finally see the books upon which the anime was based. It's a quite enjoyable read, and I'm very eager for future volumes in the hopes that they'll complete the story that the anime left off.
wonderful March 30, 2008
I watched the anime version of this story several times. It is my favorite anime. The book is great too. After reading the book I understood the story line much better because it is in some situations quite distinct from the anime and in my opinion much clearer. I recommend this book for all twelve kingdoms fans. Unfortunately they just publish one volume in a year. And in this volume you don't know how Youko will act as an empress just how she becomes the empress. I have to wait another year or two.
AWESOME FANTASY/FOLKLORE! MUST-READ IF YOU LOVE THE ANIME!! March 26, 2008
This volume had some editing errors here and there, but otherwise well-written and not hard to read either.
For people who did not watch the anime (Japanese animation) of this series, this book is an introduction to a completely new world created by a Japanese author who studied Buddhism. The main character in this particular volume is a Japanese high school girl that is used to shutting up, fading into the background, and/or letting others walk all over her. She gets misunderstood a lot because of this, even by her own parents. The action starts when she meets this guy Keiki, who has her come with him (without adequate explanation) to what turns out to be a completely different world! The girl gets separated from her "abductor," who gives her some items for defense, and she ends up making a long, arduous journey to where he instructed her to go. I know, I'm not being so specific, but it's been a while since i read this book and I don't remember all the details that come in at this point. Anyhow, her journey, for me, dragged on like crazy, but I knew the basic story from the anime already and wanted to get on with it. However, you learn a lot more about the girl and what is going through her head as she journeys through an unknown land, trying to figure out who she can trust and who she can't, finding out what the customs of the land are and adhering to them, learning how to be a warrior, getting used to the sight/smell/feel of blood. At the end of her journey, things seem to speed-up plot-wise. My explanation does not do justice to the fantasy involved, nor the inner turmoil that the main character goes through. The descriptions in the book are much more in-depth.
For people who watched the anime like me, it was great to see that there were no annoying classmates in the main story of this novel, as opposed to the anime, which had two that accompanied her on her journey (sort of - watch the anime for details). Yoko is traveling on her own and you learn about her hardships, physically and mentally. The details, while unnecessary if you watched the anime, are just interesting to learn about, like about how Yoko met and got to know Rakushun and Shoryu. In a way that is also why it was a bit tedious to read through, in my opinion. I watched the anime and knew the general story, but Yoko's traveling in this volume seemed to go on forever! I just wanted to get to the part about En! Unfortunately, that is towards the end of the volume.
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