I got this handsome softcover at Barnes and Noble, attracted by the gorgeous artwork. It's about a young woman who runs an airmail delivery service among the small islands of Japan's archipelago - and who takes up the search for a mythical "wandering island" that may or may not exist...

I really love the artwork here; it's incredibly detailed, whether dealing with closeup scenes of cluttered workshops or fishing piers, or long shots of ocean and sky and marvelous vistas. The story is simple enough so far: young Mikura lives alone with her cat Endeavor, and flies her battered airplane between the little islands delivering mail and packages. When her beloved grandfather leaves her an undelivered parcel addressed to an island that doesn't exist, she goes in search of the truth behind it, and spends a lot of time and energy trying to track the "wandering island". At one point it seems that she's found it - and then something falls from the sky (or was fired from a weapon?) and causes her plane to crash... When she comes to, she's told she was found in mid-ocean, no sign of land nearby. Does that dampen her enthusiasm? Heck, no!

For all the leisurely pace of the story, I found it quite compelling, not least because each panel is so delightful in itself. And when Mikura gets the bright idea to use tracking data from a friend's radio-collared dolphin, it seems that she might find her island after all...

As a bonus, there's a set of notes by Dark Horse editor Carl Gustav Horn, whose notes on the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service series impressed and delighted me. Here, instead of frame-by-frame translation notes, he provides an essay on the islands, the airplanes, and the mangaka - well worth reading!

I'm putting this book in the manga/graphic novel bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Enjoy!

Took out of Nimrodiel's manga/graphic novel bookbox

I liked the artwork and generally liked the characters (Endeavor the cat I liked the most). The story I feel like the reader was thrown in the middle of the story. I'm not sure if future volumes go further into detail into things a that happened in the past.

Released for the September Sapphire 2017 challenge.

When he looked up again Tas had gone. Rising to join the others, he caught sight of something small and abandoned on the floor. "Tas you forgot your pipe." He picked it up and then saw words carved into the wood he had not seen before. Find the music, find the magic.
"Did you carve this?"
Tas did not turn. "Yes," he said, reluctantly. "I have to leave it."
"But, Tas, why?"
Tas squared his shoulders as though firming some resolve. But still he did not turn. "Because the shepherd said that it could only be used once. Thats why I can't get the pipe to play that song-or any song. I've used the magic." He took a deep breath and went on. "And he said that once I found the magic I had the pass the pipe on." he paused and then he did turn, a scamp's humor in his long brown eyes. "It's going to be a long winter. I'm going to leave it here for someone else to find." "Snowsong" by Nancy Varian Berberick

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