roxanamalinachirila's review
3.0
Back in 2016, when I bought the Fullmetal Alchemist box set, I got this book as a bonus. It isn't a manga volume, like the original series, but a light novel - more precisely, it's a text-only novella with a couple of illustrations, which is about the shape and size of a manga volume.
Somehow, I managed to put it on my "to read soon" shelf and leave it there for two years. Yesterday, after reading Eoin Colfer's "Iron Man: The Gauntlet" and feeling sorely disappointed by that comic book tie-in story, I decided to read "The Ties That Bind", either to wash the disappointment away or to get more disappointment over with, whichever.
In short, it's not bad. It isn't mind-blowing, either, but it's cute and it's entertaining, and the book is a pleasure to hold in your hands.
"The Ties That Bind" wasn't written by the author of the original series, Hiromu Arakawa, but by Makoto Inoue, about whom I know nothing - and Google isn't helping. From the afterword, though, it's pretty clear that Arakawa had some editorial input.
The story takes place right before Roy Mustang is transferred to Central. Ed and Al found discover a new possible trail towards getting their bodies back, in the shape of a forbidden book which they spot in the background of a photo. Unwilling to leave any stone unturned, the two go visit the town where the bookstore holding the book used to be.
The bookstore is still there, but the original owner has died, and now it's run by his daughter-in-law, while her husband is perpetually running across the country to find new books, leaving her and her adopted Ishballan young son to take care of things alone. Ed and Al get invited to stay until they find the book they're looking for and get to know their two hosts.
Of course, things are never as simple as they seem - the original author of the forbidden book is still alive and running his highly illegal and completely mad experiments on blood and bodily regeneration, sending his creepy chimeras to attack people for spare ingredients. And naturally, Ed, Al and even Mustang get involved for an adventure that's more about family ties than about illegal experiments.
Somehow, I managed to put it on my "to read soon" shelf and leave it there for two years. Yesterday, after reading Eoin Colfer's "Iron Man: The Gauntlet" and feeling sorely disappointed by that comic book tie-in story, I decided to read "The Ties That Bind", either to wash the disappointment away or to get more disappointment over with, whichever.
In short, it's not bad. It isn't mind-blowing, either, but it's cute and it's entertaining, and the book is a pleasure to hold in your hands.
"The Ties That Bind" wasn't written by the author of the original series, Hiromu Arakawa, but by Makoto Inoue, about whom I know nothing - and Google isn't helping. From the afterword, though, it's pretty clear that Arakawa had some editorial input.
The story takes place right before Roy Mustang is transferred to Central. Ed and Al found discover a new possible trail towards getting their bodies back, in the shape of a forbidden book which they spot in the background of a photo. Unwilling to leave any stone unturned, the two go visit the town where the bookstore holding the book used to be.
The bookstore is still there, but the original owner has died, and now it's run by his daughter-in-law, while her husband is perpetually running across the country to find new books, leaving her and her adopted Ishballan young son to take care of things alone. Ed and Al get invited to stay until they find the book they're looking for and get to know their two hosts.
Of course, things are never as simple as they seem - the original author of the forbidden book is still alive and running his highly illegal and completely mad experiments on blood and bodily regeneration, sending his creepy chimeras to attack people for spare ingredients. And naturally, Ed, Al and even Mustang get involved for an adventure that's more about family ties than about illegal experiments.
eatreadgamerepeat's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I think its hovering somewhere between a 2.5-3 for me but I'm so sad about it. I wanted to love this, I was so excited starting this I didn't know too much about what the plot was supposed to be or what the characters were up to (I also wasn't sure exactly where in the timeline this was set) but either way I was just looking for a fun time.
Unfortunately the words that comes to my mind when describing this book is "let down" - I don't think there is anything awful or bad about it per se, but in the same breath there also isn't anything that is great about it either?
I will say that there is one thing that im not sure if its because of the translation from manga storytelling to novel storytelling (which are two completely different skills which is why I think its great they asked a different author to write it) or if its just a translation issue as in from Japanese to English but there were just some things that read oddly to me. Its fine tho, like if you want a fun story featuring Ed & Al before the FMA manga storyline.
Unfortunately the words that comes to my mind when describing this book is "let down" - I don't think there is anything awful or bad about it per se, but in the same breath there also isn't anything that is great about it either?
I will say that there is one thing that im not sure if its because of the translation from manga storytelling to novel storytelling (which are two completely different skills which is why I think its great they asked a different author to write it) or if its just a translation issue as in from Japanese to English but there were just some things that read oddly to me. Its fine tho, like if you want a fun story featuring Ed & Al before the FMA manga storyline.
gap_py's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tjille1104's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
baudleaires's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
familiar_diversions's review against another edition
4.0
Do not read this book unless you've at least made it through volume 4 of the manga, episode 10 of FMA: Brotherhood, or episode 25 of the first FMA anime.
Edward and Alphonse are training with Izumi in Dublith when they spot a book, The Evolution of the Body by Balerea Dell, in an old photograph. The book was banned, and all copies of it should have been destroyed, but the brothers decide to travel to the town of Lambsear in the hope that the bookstore and that particular book are still there. It might contain a clue that could lead them to the Philosopher's Stone, or information relating to successful human transmutation. Meanwhile, there have been a bunch of chimera attacks in the area, and Roy Mustang has been tasked with investigating and putting a stop to them.
Man, this was kind of weird to read right after the fourth book and its "Roy, Armstrong, and Hughes go on a trip and end up doing chores for children" story. This fifth book very clearly takes place after
Of all the Fullmetal Alchemist light novels, this was probably the best, despite the almost B-movie monster ridiculousness at the end. It had heavy ties with one of the more emotionally impactful events in the series' timeline, the Ishbalan massacre, and dealt with more serious issues than I expected, considering what the last few FMA light novels had been like.
When Ed and Al found the bookstore, it was being run by the wife of the son of the original owner. She and her husband had taken in Kip, the son of an Ishbalan couple, when he was just a baby - he'd become separated from his parents during the chaos of the Ishbalan massacre. Shelley had come to think of Kip as her own son, and Kip thought of her and her husband, Luon, as his parents, but Luon was determined to reunite him with his birth parents. Kip was caught between worlds - he looked like an Ishbalan and had a few Ishbalan friends, but he'd been raised by Amestrisian parents and didn't have the gut level hatred of state alchemists that most Ishbalan survivors had.
I correctly guessed some of the ways Edward and Alphonse's part of the story would overlap with Roy's, but not all. While the revelations were good and had decent emotional impact, it was all a bit too similar to things that happened in the original manga. It took me a bit, but I finally realized that the reason why Luon and Kip gave me such a sense of deja vu was because they reminded me of a couple pairs of characters in the manga.
The whole "augmented blood" thing was so-so, and the one character's plans had holes you could drive a bus through. Also, the monster at the end wasn't so much horrifying as just ridiculous.
Well, I've now read all of the FMA light novels, or at least all of the ones that were translated into English. I'm pretty sure they all had slight typos and errors, and the writing was never more than serviceable, but overall I'm glad I read them. One of these days I need to reread (and actually finish!) the manga.
Extras:
One full-color illustration, several black and white illustrations throughout, an afterword by Makoto Inoue (who now has a Java Sparrow in addition to a chipmunk), and an afterword by Hiromu Arakawa with a four-panel comic featuring a scene from the book and a sketch of Roy.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Edward and Alphonse are training with Izumi in Dublith when they spot a book, The Evolution of the Body by Balerea Dell, in an old photograph. The book was banned, and all copies of it should have been destroyed, but the brothers decide to travel to the town of Lambsear in the hope that the bookstore and that particular book are still there. It might contain a clue that could lead them to the Philosopher's Stone, or information relating to successful human transmutation. Meanwhile, there have been a bunch of chimera attacks in the area, and Roy Mustang has been tasked with investigating and putting a stop to them.
Man, this was kind of weird to read right after the fourth book and its "Roy, Armstrong, and Hughes go on a trip and end up doing chores for children" story. This fifth book very clearly takes place after
Spoiler
Hughes' death.Of all the Fullmetal Alchemist light novels, this was probably the best, despite the almost B-movie monster ridiculousness at the end. It had heavy ties with one of the more emotionally impactful events in the series' timeline, the Ishbalan massacre, and dealt with more serious issues than I expected, considering what the last few FMA light novels had been like.
When Ed and Al found the bookstore, it was being run by the wife of the son of the original owner. She and her husband had taken in Kip, the son of an Ishbalan couple, when he was just a baby - he'd become separated from his parents during the chaos of the Ishbalan massacre. Shelley had come to think of Kip as her own son, and Kip thought of her and her husband, Luon, as his parents, but Luon was determined to reunite him with his birth parents. Kip was caught between worlds - he looked like an Ishbalan and had a few Ishbalan friends, but he'd been raised by Amestrisian parents and didn't have the gut level hatred of state alchemists that most Ishbalan survivors had.
I correctly guessed some of the ways Edward and Alphonse's part of the story would overlap with Roy's, but not all. While the revelations were good and had decent emotional impact, it was all a bit too similar to things that happened in the original manga. It took me a bit, but I finally realized that the reason why Luon and Kip gave me such a sense of deja vu was because they reminded me of a couple pairs of characters in the manga.
The whole "augmented blood" thing was so-so, and the one character's plans had holes you could drive a bus through. Also, the monster at the end wasn't so much horrifying as just ridiculous.
Well, I've now read all of the FMA light novels, or at least all of the ones that were translated into English. I'm pretty sure they all had slight typos and errors, and the writing was never more than serviceable, but overall I'm glad I read them. One of these days I need to reread (and actually finish!) the manga.
Extras:
One full-color illustration, several black and white illustrations throughout, an afterword by Makoto Inoue (who now has a Java Sparrow in addition to a chipmunk), and an afterword by Hiromu Arakawa with a four-panel comic featuring a scene from the book and a sketch of Roy.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
sammyshellstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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