Black Butler, Vol. 10
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 7/19/2012
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 7/19/2012 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I've been enjoying the manga Black Butler (aka Kuroshitsuji) - not to mention the anime, of which I have Season 1 on DVD - so I picked up this volume as soon as I saw it at Barnes and Noble.
The series is set in a slightly alternate-reality Victorian London (cell phones, magic), and features the adventures of a 12-year-old boy trying to run his family business while catching criminals for the queen - all with the help of his demonic butler.
In this volume, the tenth in the series, the author continues the tradition of ornamenting the inside front cover with a variation on the cover-pic; here, the cover shows the mysterious house steward Tanaka in his normal attire (though in the series he seldom if ever actually serves tea - or does much of anything else, come to that), while the inner cover shows him as a magician in a bow tie, blithely balancing an orange on one finger.
This volume picks up in the middle of the dramatic events of Volume 9, in which it seems that Sebastian has been murdered - one of several deaths in the guest-filled mansion on a dark and stormy night! One of the guests, young writer Arthur (who's been dabbling in mystery stories featuring a scientific-minded detective), has become close to Ciel, and is trying to help solve the crimes - though when hints of vampiric involvement turn up, it seems things are just getting weirder!
We see more examples of how devoted the household staff is to Sebastian, who gave each of them a new sense of responsibility and belonging; their grief at his death is quite touching. (The author can't resist throwing some humor into the middle of the drama - when searching Sebastian's quarters they unearth his collection of cats, the one type of living creature that he shows any fondness for. The kittens happily bounding away made me laugh out loud!)
The plot gets more intricate, and the number of in-house detectives increases - lots of nods to Victorian detective fiction, and not merely that written by Arthur. There is a delightful chapter-heading double-page image showing the cast all wearing deerstalker hats and wielding magnifying glasses or Meerschaum pipes...
This volume ends with a dramatic and highly satisfying unmasking, setting us up for Volume 11.
[For more about the manga and the anime adaptation, see the TV Tropes page - but beware of spoilers! Also, note that the plot of the anime departs rather drastically from that of the manga, though that happens later in the series than this volume.]
The series is set in a slightly alternate-reality Victorian London (cell phones, magic), and features the adventures of a 12-year-old boy trying to run his family business while catching criminals for the queen - all with the help of his demonic butler.
In this volume, the tenth in the series, the author continues the tradition of ornamenting the inside front cover with a variation on the cover-pic; here, the cover shows the mysterious house steward Tanaka in his normal attire (though in the series he seldom if ever actually serves tea - or does much of anything else, come to that), while the inner cover shows him as a magician in a bow tie, blithely balancing an orange on one finger.
This volume picks up in the middle of the dramatic events of Volume 9, in which it seems that Sebastian has been murdered - one of several deaths in the guest-filled mansion on a dark and stormy night! One of the guests, young writer Arthur (who's been dabbling in mystery stories featuring a scientific-minded detective), has become close to Ciel, and is trying to help solve the crimes - though when hints of vampiric involvement turn up, it seems things are just getting weirder!
We see more examples of how devoted the household staff is to Sebastian, who gave each of them a new sense of responsibility and belonging; their grief at his death is quite touching. (The author can't resist throwing some humor into the middle of the drama - when searching Sebastian's quarters they unearth his collection of cats, the one type of living creature that he shows any fondness for. The kittens happily bounding away made me laugh out loud!)
The plot gets more intricate, and the number of in-house detectives increases - lots of nods to Victorian detective fiction, and not merely that written by Arthur. There is a delightful chapter-heading double-page image showing the cast all wearing deerstalker hats and wielding magnifying glasses or Meerschaum pipes...
This volume ends with a dramatic and highly satisfying unmasking, setting us up for Volume 11.
[For more about the manga and the anime adaptation, see the TV Tropes page - but beware of spoilers! Also, note that the plot of the anime departs rather drastically from that of the manga, though that happens later in the series than this volume.]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Little Free Library, 65 Main St. in Wilton, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, May 14, 2017
GoryDetails at Little Free Library, 65 Main St. in Wilton, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, May 14, 2017
Released 6 yrs ago (5/14/2017 UTC) at Little Free Library, 65 Main St. in Wilton, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the handsome LFL on this rainy day; hope the finder enjoys it![See other recent releases in NH here.]
*** Released for the 2017 April Showers/May Flowers release challenge, for the tiny black rose logo on the cover. ***
*** Released for the 2017 Mother's Day release challengefor the butler serving tea. ***
