Read Clockwork Planet Light Novel Vol 1 Yuu Kamiya Tsubaki Himana Sino Books

Product details Series Clockwork Planet (Light Novel) (Book 1) Paperback 320 pages Publisher Seven Seas (February 27, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1626927553

Clockwork Planet Light Novel Vol 1 Yuu Kamiya Tsubaki Himana Sino Books Reviews

• To call the two friends collaborate ing on this series eccentric is a wild understatement. Following them around on thier journey of mental discovery has been so much fun! Cant wait to see more of it. The literary world is praying fervently for mr Kamiya's complete recovery. Really, get well soon!!!
• Very good first volume, awesome concept and works well since the book has essentially 2 main protagonists along with many other main characters whom are enjoyable. I like the idea of this being written by 2 different authors and can't wait to continue with this series
• More detail than TV. episode series.
• Amazing book. Characters are so beautiful.
• Amazing!
• *Clockwork Planet* is a Light Novel series from Yuu Kamiya and Tsubaki Himana. Kamiya is known to audiences for his *No Game, No Life* series of novels, which I don't care for, but this is a different story.
  
  The basic premise of *Planet* is that it takes place in an alternate earth history where at some point the earth died out and could no longer support life. Things looked grim and the populace had resigned itself to death. But then, a genius clockmaker simply named "Y" came along and proposed to rework the entire planet into one clockwork mechanism, and use the energy thus created to continue to support life on the planet. This plan was adopted and the titular "clockwork planet" - earth - came about.
  
  Now, this sounds ridiculous in a way to rebuild the earth with gears or what not, and that ridiculousness is pointed out in the book, but by the time of the story, a whole 1,000 years after the building of the clockwork planet, this has been accepted by everyone, with no one giving a second thought. The absurdity of what was attempted, and apparently succeeded at, is no longer on anyone's mind.
  
  Into this cast of characters comes four players. They are Naoto Miura, the outcast boy obsessed with the gears and such that make up this planet, RyuZu, the "Initial-Y" series Automaton (artificial life-form), Marie Bell Breguet, a brilliant young Meister (the highest rank among clockwork engineers), and Vainney Halter, the former American soldier and a cyborg who is Marie's secretary, bodyguard, and an expert clocksmith himself, though not nearly to Marie's level. These four characters don't seem to have much in common, and especially not the latter three with Naoto, but they are soon thrown together in a race to stop an evil conspiracy that seeks to commit mass-murder to cover up it's own incompetence.
  
  The really interesting thing of this setting is that it is a combination of a "clock punk" setting, a modern setting, and a futuristic one at once. The clock punk is in the general use of clockwork gears for keeping the planet together, harvesting energy, clocks doing so much, etc. Yet, unlike much clock punk, it doesn't have a Victorian aesthetic. Clock punk and steampunk are really the same thing, just put clock in for steam power, and you have it.
  
  Well, a staple of clock punk and steampunk is the inclusion of very much a Victorian English type of background in everything. From the clothes and backgrounds to the manners and culture, it is very much a sci-fi type of Victorian setting. Here is different. Despite some very futuristic concepts and science to go along with this clock punk setting, it is actually a modern day type of setting that would not be out of place in most any series, whether with tech and clock punk or without it.
  
  I personally like clock punk and steampunk, so I don't think this is necessarily better, but it isn't worse either. It's actually quite imaginative to tell a story that has elements of modern, every-day problems and issues, anxieties, so on, overlaid on the clock punk, the futuristic tech, and the political and other intrigues.
  
  The characters are quite fun and each has a unique personaltiy. RyuZu has her unique, programmed personality, which is abusive but loving. Indeed, her abusive language is such that to gauge her *real* thoughts and feelings, you have to look at her body-language and read between the lines of her scalding statements. Meanwhile, Naoto is a prodigy who can understand concepts (though he's not trained in the science as Marie is), and can think outside of the box. He sees the absurdities and incredibleness of the world that everyone else takes for granted. He also is possessed of a level of super-hearing that helps him discern things no one else can.
  
  Marie and Halter are also forceful personalities. Marie is a prodigy - and one who actually knows the science, unlike Naoto - who is short-tempered, a bossy brat, and not always the nicest person. Yet she is agile, a genius, a pretty badass fighter, and underneath her jerkish exterior is a very good and kind young woman who wants what is best for others and will sacrifice anything to do the right thing. Halter is the secretary and bodyguard for Marie, but so much more. He values her, can talk to her in a way no one else can, and is loyal to her. In a very real way, he is her true friend and family. He is also much more badass than anyone else, bar RyuZu. And yet at the same time, he is the most sensitive of the group and best able to judge and perceive others' thoughts.
  
  I can't really say much more about this without giving everything away, so I'll just say that it is fun book with a great plot and some funny scenes. If you have read or seen the adaptations of, Yuu Kamiya's other work, *No Game, No Life*, you can tell it's the same author, at least in part. The use of the violence for comedy is the same, thought in this case it never really gets to violence (beyond what is necessary for the characters to save the day) at all, and is more verbal abuse and threats. At least so far. This possibly is due to the co-author's influence. But you can almost tell it's the same author and would almost think that he must really like old *Looney Tunes* cartoons or something.
  
  I really liked this book and I genuinely, Highly Recommend it.
  
  Rating 5/5 Stars.