香君 上 西から来た少女
Author: 上橋 菜穂子
Summary
Japanese
遥か昔、神郷からもたらされたという奇跡の稲、オアレ稲。ウマール人はこの稲をもちいて帝国を作り上げた。この奇跡の稲をもたらし、香りで万象を知るという活神〈香君〉の庇護のもと、帝国は発展を続けてきたが、あるとき、オアレ稲に虫害が発生してしまう。 時を同じくして、ひとりの少女が帝都にやってきた。人並外れた嗅覚をもつ少女アイシャは、やがて、オアレ稲に秘められた謎と向き合っていくことになる。 『精霊の守り人』『獣の奏者』『鹿の王』の著者による新たなる代表作の誕生です。
English (deepl from Natively, not reviewed)
Oare rice, a miraculous rice plant that was brought to Japan from Kamigo long ago. The Umarites built their empire with this rice. Under the patronage of “Koukun,” the living god who brought this miraculous rice and knows all things by its fragrance, the empire continued to grow, until one day, the Oare rice plants were attacked by insects. At the same time, a young girl arrived in the capital. Aisha, a girl with an extraordinary sense of smell, soon comes face to face with the mystery behind the Oare rice plant. A new masterpiece by the author of “The Guardian of the Spirit,” “The Beast Player,” and “The Deer King” is born.
Length: 435
Category: Fast
Natively link: 香君 上 西から来た少女 | L36
Availability
Amazon (original hardcover)
Amazon paperback part 1 and part 2
Kindle (now split into two parts)
Kindle part 1 and part 2
Bookwalker (now split into two parts)
Bookwalker part 1 and part 2
Audible
Personal Opinion
Uehashi Nahoko is a well known fantasy author who has written famous works like 獣の奏者 (read in an intermediate-level book club) and 精霊の守り人. This one is a bit longer and (based on the Natively rating, though only rated by @Naphthalene) a bit harder. I honestly have no idea what this one is about and plan to read it based on my love for 獣の奏者 alone.
Pros and Cons for the Book Club
Pros
- Author typically writes interesting, compelling worlds and fantasy flora/fauna.
- Book is broken into chapters and sub-chapters, so should be easy to make a fairly consistent schedule with good break points.
Cons
- Two volumes, so not sure how “complete” the first volume would feel on its own.
- Author tends to mix in the political aspect of her stories poorly.