This may be taking the whole "adaptation" concept to extremes, but I couldn't resist! I recently got hooked on the Death Note manga series, a fascinating crime/psychological-thriller/supernatural storyline with some unforgettable characters. There's an anime series that I've seen part of, also very good. And there's a two-part live-action film adaptation that follows the first six-and-a-half books of the series fairly closely before switching to an alternate storyline, though the end of the films kinda-sorta tie back in to the end of the manga.

And then there's L: Change the World, a live-action film that fits into the final events of the previous film, and that contains a storyline that isn't in the manga at all. But it does give the viewers a bit more time with the fascinating detective L (played wonderfully in the live-action films by Ken'ichi Matsuyama).

And then we get to this book, which is not a manga, but a text novel based on the film of the same name. The only illustrations here are on the cover and flyleaves - but they're choice ones, charmingly representative of L, and with nods to the key players in the original series. I bought this hardcover at a local Borders (they keep sending me these 33%-off coupons and I can't resist).

So this is an adaptation of a novel that's a spinoff/sequel to a live-action film adaptation of a part of a manga series. Whew!

First off, spoiler warnings if you haven't read the previous books or seen the films!
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OK then. This book opens at the point where L has triumphed over Light by using the Death Note on *himself*, giving himself 23 days to live. (Since he assigned his own latest-possible death date, this prevented Light from causing his death earlier - nice trick, though with quite a price to be paid. This is the film-version, btw, not the manga one.) So now he has a short time left to live, and wants to spend it solving as many cases as he can, what with being the world's three greatest detectives and all.

And then comes a huge case - international bio-terrorism, in which he has to protect a young boy who may be the key to an antidote, while preventing the spread of the virus.

While I did enjoy some aspects of the story, including tidbits of back-story and background information that weren't obvious in the manga or films, I found L getting a bit out of character here (and in the film), and overall it didn't have the impact of the earlier works. Ah, well!

[There's a TV Tropes page on this light novel, with a link to another on the film that inspired this book.]

I donated this book to the charity-sale bin inside the Hannaford's on Jenkins Rd. at around 5 or so. [They sell donated books for a dollar or two, with the proceeds going to benefit various charities.] Hope the buyer enjoys the book!

*** Released for the 2014 Spook-tacular Halloween Challenge, for "death". ***

*** Released for the 2014 TICK TOCK release challenge, for "death". ***

*** Released as part of the 2014 Movie release challenge. ***