Shakugan no Shana: The Girl With Fire in Her Eyes (Novel) Book

As the first book in the series, The Girl With Fire In Her Eyes introduces us to the important details we need to remember from here on in. Fortunately, this book is a lot more than just an introduction. It presents us with a solid story that stands just as well on its own as it does as the beginning of a series.

The title character is a Flame Haze, a hunter of Tomogara. Tomogara, beings who cross into our dimension from another and consume peoples' Power of Existence, causing them to disappear from existence entirely, disrupt the balance of the world through their actions. Flame Haze seek to keep the world in balance. Every Flazme Haze is contracted by a King of Guze, who inhabits the Flame Haze's body and communicates with them through a specific item of the Flame Haze's choosing. Our Flame Haze is the contractor of Alastor, Flame of Heaven, who speaks through a pendant she wears around her neck. Because she has no name, she is given the name "Shana" after her special sword, the Nietono No Shana.

The one who gives her this name is Sakai Yuji. Yuji began his school day as if it were any other, but a fateful encounter with a Rinne (a servant of a Tomogara) and Shana herself opened his eyes to what happens in the world around us, without any of us even being aware of it.

He then learns he is actually dead.

What follows is a charming story of Yuji's attempts to cope with the reality of his existence as a Torch (a being put in place of a person whose existence was consumed) and his attempts to make friends with Shana, who is not used to interacting with other people. Shana initially elects to stay close to Yuji because of a special item concealed inside his form that is the target of a very powerful Tomogara named Friagne the Hunter, who has a plan to turn an animated doll in his service, Marian, into a fully existing, living entity. However, the more time she spends with Yuji, the more Shana comes to find herself warming up to him and treating him less like a mere Torch and more like a person.

The English translation of this story is well-handled (there are a couple of minor punctuation errors, but nothing more), and the book is pleasant to read and easy to follow. Illustrator Noizi Ito (also responsible for the illustrations in the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels) provides attractive, well-drawn characters to accompany the text (most are in black and white, though a few color illustrations are presented in the front of the book). Character development is mostly reserved for the main characters, but enough is provided to keep us from wondering who in the world is speaking during busier segments.

Fans of light novels and manga will find a lot to appreciate here.