I got this softcover at Barnes and Noble. I've been enjoying the manga Black Butler (aka Kuroshitsuji) for some time, starting with Volume 1 - and have also enjoyed Season 1 of the anime (though it departs dramatically from the manga). I haven't picked up more recent volumes as the storyline went in a direction I didn't like, but I couldn't resist the cover-art on this one showing demonic butler Sebastian in fighting form! (In an ongoing tradition, the flyleaves feature additional art: the front inner cover shows Sebastian in the same pose as the outer cover, but wielding a bizarre weapon, and the inside back cover shows the main characters garbed as... Power Rangers!)

The series is set in a slightly alternate-reality Victorian London (cell phones, magic), and features the adventures of a boy trying to run his family business while catching criminals for the queen - all with the help of his demonic butler, who's got dibs on the boy's soul... The storyline ranges from whimsical to gruesome to downright horrifying and back again, with an expanding set of fascinating characters.

Later: I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of this story is a flashback, taking place during the early months of Ciel's accession to the earldom and Sebastian's work in setting up his household and staff. The majority of the book is the origin story of one of those staff members, though I had no idea who until most of the way through the book - and I was utterly delighted at the surprise, so I won't give it away.

The first scenes show Sebastian charging a scruffy slingshot-wielding urchin, Rin, to accept a position with the young master. From there we flash back to Rin's youth, roaming the streets with two younger pals. The littler kids distract wealthy women by pleading for alms, while Rin - with amazing talent for long-range slingshot aiming - shoots jewels from their ears, at which point the little kids grab the goods and run. This works for a while, until they choose a target who is under the protection of a powerful criminal gang - and lo, poor Rin is forced to become their sniper, known as the Owl because Rin's long-range vision is excellent but short-range is very, very poor. When, some years later, the now-nearly-grown Owl is charged with assassinating Ciel, Earl Phantomhive, Owl's path crosses that of Sebastian...

The scene where Owl takes the shot is a marvelous one: Ciel's in bed, Sebastian has just opened the curtains and is carrying a tray of tea to his master's bedside. Owl takes the shot, and Sebastian twitches the tray just enough for the silver pot to deflect the bullet into the pillow beside Ciel, who is understandably startled. And Sebastian calmly pours out the tea - through the brand-new hole in the side of the pot - before taking off at demonic speed to collar the fleeing Owl. This is the classic mix of scary/funny that I loved about the earlier volumes, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

At the very end of the book, we return to what I gather is the current timestream, where "Owl" has had to choose between staying loyal to Ciel and Sebastian or accepting a new role. I had no doubt how that decision would go!

[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.]

I left this book in this Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

** Released for the 2023 e-less challenge, for the author's name. **

** Released for the 2023 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover challenge, for the illustrated endpapers. **