Minekura Kazuya - Saiyuki Reload, vol. 04 (Eng. trans.)

These are more random notes than anything else, given that I've already read it before in the Chinese trans. and written it up elsewhere (also as random notes).

( Spoilers for Reload 4 )

And now, I go off into my long, convoluted thoughts on Saiyuki and race and how it could be read as a commentary on race (have absolutely no idea if Minekura intended it and seriously doubt that she did).

Still spoilers up till Reload 4!

So.. In which I am heavy-handed:

( Saiyuki and Race )

Cherryh, CJ - Gate of Ivrel

An alien race once travelled everywhere via gates, but something in the technology made it so that a) the alien race didn't survive and b) the existence of gates still is a threat to the world.

Or, um, something like that.

Morgaine is a legend in Vanye's world, which explains Vanye's surprise when she appears in front of him after he's exiled from his clan. He becomes something like a bond-servant to her and her quest to destroy all the gates.

Unfortunately, I read this while my brain was going wonky, and as such, I don't remember much of it at all. The prose is rather old-fashioned in that old-fashioned fantasy way, and no one has a sense of humor. I really like Morgaine's type, but I had a difficult time getting in the story because of all the honor systems and assorted clans and the formality of the language, for some reason.

But I still want to read more books in the Morgaine cycle, just because of the ending of this book, which made up for much of the Clans and the language and etc.