Author: Nahoko Uehashi, translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano
Arthur A. Levine, 2009
Best ebook deal: Not Available
| C4 Ratings.....out of | 10 |
|---|---|
| Language..... | 5 |
| Entertainment..... | 7 |
| Depth..... | 6 |
| Visual Presentation..... | 9 |
The first Moribito had all the trappings of a great YA adventure story. I bought it on a whim and found myself quite surprised at how good it was. A lot of the things that Moribito did well, relatively deep political undercurrents, strong characterization, quick action and sprawling adventure, its sequel does well too. Yet something feels a little off. Not unlike Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Moribito II feels like a story with familiar characters who are forced to be somewhere they shouldn’t. The story works, but it doesn’t feel as organic as the first, and the structural supports its predecessor so nicely blended and wove here show through and draw the reader out.
In this second adventure, Balsa returns to her homeland to clear her adoptive father’s name. He fled the land to save Balsa’s life, allowing his honor to be sullied by conniving and power hungry brothers. When she meets a young warrior and his sister in a legendary cave, she is re-thrust into a political drama set in motion when she first departed the land as a child. The story is strong and well thought out, featuring a plot by nobles to utilize the local spiritual lore in order to usurp the kingdom.
Much of the mystery and suspense that propelled the first story is lacking in this plot however. Where before Balsa was putting together the plot pieces while protecting a young fleeing prince, most of this story takes place in the same village, and most of the information is readily available to the reader from the start. So we are left to observe how different characters act upon different levels of knowledge, which is less satisfying in a YA adventure that it is in a more complex and literary book (such as The Voyage of the Narwal, which is an excellent example of such narrative suspense).
Also slightly irksome are the oddly utilized supernatural elements. Like in the first installment, the magical elements of the book that are subtly implemented (in this case mostly relegated to the segments within the Mountain King’s caves in the beginning and end of the book), work exceedingly well and help craft a compelling and unique setting. Here however, there are certain elements, namely the Brownie-esque ermine riders, that seem to have been included just because the other though some such element needed to be there. They are neither charming nor crucial to the story, and the book would be beter off without them.
This is not a bad book by any means. Like the first, it is a sound adventure with strong characters and plotting. (Also like the first, the artistic presentation of the book is excellently beautiful). However, Moribito II is seriously lacking in innovation and creativity. There are eight installments in the series (only two so far in English), so here’s hoping the coming installments focus more on adventure and expanding the beautiful world Uehara has created, on Balsa’s progression rather than on trying to link the novels through a revisiting of a past better left mysterious.
Other Books: Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit (Uehashi), Martin the Warrior (Jaques), The Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkein)
