| | |  | SHOP BY TYPE | Home » » Brave Story (Novel-Paperback) | | | | | | | Description: | | A young boy finds his destiny in a world of fantasy. L to R (Western Style). The Bravest Story Ever ToldYoung Wataru Mitani's life is a mess. His father has abandoned him, and his mother has been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life--a way to alter his fate.To achieve his goal, he must navigate the magical world of Vision, a land filled with creatures both fierce and friendly. And to complicate matters, he must outwit a merciless rival from the real world.Wataru's ultimate destination is the Tower of Destiny where a goddess of fate awaits. Only when he has finished his journey and collected five elusive gemstones will he possess the Demon's Bane--the key that will unlock the future.Charity, bravery, faith, grace and the power of darkness and light: these are the provinces of each gemstone. Brought together, they have the immeasurable power to bring Wataru's family back together again. Young Wataru Mitani's life is a mess. His father has abandoned him, and his mother has been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life--a way to alter his fate.To achieve his goal, he must navigate the magical world of Vision, a land filled with creatures both fierce and friendly. And to complicate matters, he must outwit a merciless rival from the real world.Wataru's ultimate destination is the Tower of Destiny where a goddess of fate awaits. Only when he has finished his journey and collected five elusive gemstones will he possess the Demon's Bane--the key that will unlock the future.Charity, bravery, faith, grace and the power of darkness and light: these are the provinces of each gemstone. Brought together, they have the immeasurable power to bring Wataru's family back together again. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9781421527734
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Miyuki Miyabe | | Paperback:
| 820 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| November 17, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421527731 | | Product Length:
| 8.94 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.4 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.47 inches | | Product Weight:
| 2.33 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.98 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.98 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.65 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.56 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 21 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 pulled in but then bogged downAug 19, 2010
I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that this story is like two mashed together. The real world setting in the beginning was interesting and pulled me into the story. Then around page 220 or so, Wataru enters Vision, the fantasy world seemingly modeled on RPG (role playing games). I was a little non-plussed with how things progressed here. But I gave it a shot. And yet, the story really bogs down in Vision. I reached page 380 (almost half-way) before admitting to myself that I was too bored to continue. And now, looking at the lower-rated reviews here, I'm agreeing with them. Too bad. I'm bummed I invested so much time into this story, but I have Serious Doubts that persevering will pay off.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Just beautiful.May 30, 2010
I picked this book up one day on a whim. I thought that since it was so long, (816 pages) it would last me a long time. Unfortunately, I was so immersed in the world it offered me, I finished it within three days. Well, so much for lasting me a while. But that just serves to show it's greatness, does it not? This book was beautiful. I am an avid fantasy lover and at first I thought that I would just be annoyed by the first 200 or so pages, as they were set completely in the real world and were only talking about his family troubles. However, once I began reading I forgot all about my hesitations. There were a few fantasy elements to satisfy some of my thirst, and there was wonderful writing to make up for the rest. I was happy when Wataru was happy, mad when he was mad, and defensive for him and sad when he was sad. It was as if Wataru had become a little brother to me. I was angry at his father for his incredibly selfish acts, and had to put the book down for a few minutes to vent my sadness and anger at times. When it came time for Wataru to travel to the world of Vision to reunite his family, I almost didn't want to go with him. However, I was happy I did. The story of Vision was just as amazing. I felt Wataru's friends became my brothers and sisters as well, and his enemies became my enemies. However, his rival, Mitsuru, was an enemy I could sympathize for. With such an awful life, I understood why he was the way he was and I felt bad for him, as he had no friends to turn to for guidance or help. I knew, however, that Mitsuru was an enemy and had to be defeated, and so I rooted for the heroes all the way. Even the most horrible villain at all, revealed towards the end of the novel, I could feel for. It was unloved and unwanted and thusly became what it was. Wataru's final decisions make me feel many conflicted emotions. I was angry at him, for losing an opportunity, but happy that knew what was truly right. Overall, Brave Story is my absolute favorite book I have yet to read. The only thing left to do with it now is to get my friends to read it, as they are turned off by the cover.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A fantasy story with a hero-apprenticeMay 21, 2010
This is a fantasy story with a hero-apprentice by the name of Wataru Mitani who is in the 5th grade. Wataru is a sweet and reserved young boy who goes to the local elementary school whose life gets more complicated as the story opens. He lives in an apartment with his mother and father but soon his father walks out on his mother and him for another woman. Wataru's life feels like it's falling apart. Meanwhile at school a new boy has arrived, Mitsuru Ashikawa, who is good-looking and brilliant and very aloof. Wataru realizes there is something different about him but he can't quite put his finger on it. Then one day Wataru is wandering by a "haunted" building and he hears stuff going on inside and he finds the school bully and his two sidekicks beating up Mitsuru. Wataru starts to get beat up too but manages to pull the tape off Mitsuru's mouth and Mitsuru says a spell and the bully and his two buddies are eaten by a monster. It is shortly after this that Wataru enters the world of vision through a portal that only opens every 10 years which Mitsuru has already entered. He is told upon entering that anyone from the real world who enters must assume the title of "traveler" which Wataru does.
During Wataru's travels through Vision he makes some friends, a giant talking lizard named Kee Keema and a young female kitkin named Meena who looks like a cat. The people who look like Wataru are called Ankh and in some places in Vision they believe they are superior to the others and treat the ones like Kee Keema and Meena horribly. Wataru also faces many challenges along the way as he attempts to collect 5 gemstones to put in his sword which will get him to the Tower of Destiny where the Goddess will grant his wish. This book is a real page-turner and I would stay up extra long at night because I couldn't find a good stopping point.
I highly recommend this book to anyone 10 and over especially if you like fantasy books and/or fairy tales and love being transported to another world. This was a wonderful book and Miyabe is a wonderful writer.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Not as climatic as it leads you to believeMay 13, 2010
The backstory (the first 250 pages) dragged a bit and could have been condensed down quite a bit.
However, when you get into the main part of the story, the protagonist, Wataru, is consistently weaker than the antagonist, and you spend a lot of time wondering how Wataru would ever make it if the two had to square off. The story seems to lead you to believe they will, only it kind of cuts a corner, and leaves the climax decidedly empty.
Furthermore, there is a scene in which a dragon tells Wataru he will only get "one" use out of a certain instrument... Only he gets more than one use. It was a big flaw that I couldn't seem to get out of my head for the rest of the story.
The only other thing preventing me from giving it more stars is that the "action" writing seems very unclear. Characters seem to get out of very tight situations in the story, but then you aren't exactly sure of how it happened. Maybe the author just didn't describe in quite enough detail, but for the most part, it seemed like characters went from being in danger to being rescued, without much explanation as to how. The rescue attempts all hinged on vague-details and events.
As for the pros of the book, the story has a lot of creativity and imagination. It's more complex than the typical adventure book, and the main point of the book is carried out through very nicely.
For what it's worth, I thought it was a good read overall, but it lacked clarity and a worthy climax for the better part of the book.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Overall Great Story :)Apr 10, 2010
First thing, I do wish this book was available on the Kindle... I've gotten used to the lightweight Kindle and this monster of a book was heavy and a bit uncomfortable for in-bed reading... but that has nothing to do with my rating.
I really enjoyed this book- I loved all the characters, especially Kutz. The real world theme of the story of finding your place in the world and questioning your life are things that I think any real life kid can relate to. As a child my parents were divorced and I found myself thinking back as I read this book to the sadness /I/ felt as a child with divorced parents. I loved the world of Vision and all the characters- each one had a special, unique background that could spawn separate books if the author really chose to do so. Kutz is one of those rare, strong heroines that I enjoyed and she plays a pivotal point in the novel. It's hard to find a young readers' book with a tough woman that wears the pants and looks great doing it. :)
I am stuck on whether or not to keep this book because I feel this special tie to it that I would love to share with others in the future, but at the same time it's thick and bulky and I am about to move... and lugging heavy boxes of books while moving is not fun (again I wish it was on Kindle...).
At times I felt like I was watching a RPG video game and some parts felt a little cliche and predictable. I would have liked to know what became of Trone.
I do hope that there is a sequel out, or in the works, for this novel.. maybe some spin-offs for the characters and their background stories. I would certainly enjoy reading about the pasts of ALL the characters in this book and there are certainly many more stories to be told.
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