Scan barcode
A review by whatyoutolkienabout
Spice and Wolf, Vol. 1 by Isuna Hasekura
5.0
Spice and Wolf is probably one of the first light novels I read, after I discovered what they were! So when I learned that they were coming out in Audiobook form and read by one of my favourite voice actors, J. Michael Tatum I became interested and I am so glad I did.
We follow Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant who knows how lonely that life can be. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine-that is, until one night when Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Bored and wearied of tending to the harvests in the countryside Holo, who takes the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, offers Lawrence a bargain he can hardly turn down. In exchange for letting her travel with him she will bestow upon him the cunning of ‘Holo the Wisewolf’ which will increase his profits. Well Lawrence would be mad to turn down such an offer, but he soon learns that having an ancient goddess traveling with you can be a bit of a mixed blessing.
The story itself is fun, entertaining and enjoyable. Yes some elements might not be the best, for example the economic sections of the trading sometimes leave a bit to be desired but when you are in a world of ancient wolf goddesses you cannot always apply real-life ideals to the world. Even if this world bears a vague resemblance to medieval Europe. The pacing and story keep you engaged but the real thing that I enjoyed with the narrator.
As I have already said J. Michael Tatum is one of my favourite voice actors from Sir Hammerlock in Borderlands to Sebastian in Black Butler and more I have always enjoyed the range he can bring to a role. His narration of Spice and Wolf volume one is no expectation. Each character is brought to life and given a voice of their own. The tone and clarity is lovely. It honestly was a joy to listen to.
A would definitely recommend it to fans of the series. It’s lovely to be able to listen while doing other things, be that working or just travel etc. I really hope the rest of the novels get the same treatment. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the audio ARC of this.
We follow Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant who knows how lonely that life can be. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine-that is, until one night when Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Bored and wearied of tending to the harvests in the countryside Holo, who takes the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, offers Lawrence a bargain he can hardly turn down. In exchange for letting her travel with him she will bestow upon him the cunning of ‘Holo the Wisewolf’ which will increase his profits. Well Lawrence would be mad to turn down such an offer, but he soon learns that having an ancient goddess traveling with you can be a bit of a mixed blessing.
The story itself is fun, entertaining and enjoyable. Yes some elements might not be the best, for example the economic sections of the trading sometimes leave a bit to be desired but when you are in a world of ancient wolf goddesses you cannot always apply real-life ideals to the world. Even if this world bears a vague resemblance to medieval Europe. The pacing and story keep you engaged but the real thing that I enjoyed with the narrator.
As I have already said J. Michael Tatum is one of my favourite voice actors from Sir Hammerlock in Borderlands to Sebastian in Black Butler and more I have always enjoyed the range he can bring to a role. His narration of Spice and Wolf volume one is no expectation. Each character is brought to life and given a voice of their own. The tone and clarity is lovely. It honestly was a joy to listen to.
A would definitely recommend it to fans of the series. It’s lovely to be able to listen while doing other things, be that working or just travel etc. I really hope the rest of the novels get the same treatment. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the audio ARC of this.