What do you think?
Rate this book
覇剣の皇姫アルティーナ [Haken no Kouki Altina] (Novel) #1
覇剣の皇姫アルティーナ [Haken no Kouki Altina I]
「あたしは皇帝になる。あなたの叡智が必要なの」 覇剣の皇姫と読書狂の青年の覇道英雄譚、開幕!
剣も弓も苦手で、本ばかり読んでいる落ちこぼれ軍人のレジス。
左遷された辺境で、彼は運命を変える少女と出会う。
赤い髪、紅い瞳を持ち、覇者の大剣を携えた皇姫アルティーナ。
落胤が故に、十四歳にもかかわらず、辺境軍の司令に任じられていたが、彼女は己の境遇を嘆くことなく、とある大望を抱いていた。
「あなたを信じるわ」少女から軍師として求められたレジスは共に困難へと立ち向かっていく。
覇剣の皇姫と、読書狂の青年が織り成す覇道戦記ファンタジー!!
剣も弓も苦手で、本ばかり読んでいる落ちこぼれ軍人のレジス。
左遷された辺境で、彼は運命を変える少女と出会う。
赤い髪、紅い瞳を持ち、覇者の大剣を携えた皇姫アルティーナ。
落胤が故に、十四歳にもかかわらず、辺境軍の司令に任じられていたが、彼女は己の境遇を嘆くことなく、とある大望を抱いていた。
「あなたを信じるわ」少女から軍師として求められたレジスは共に困難へと立ち向かっていく。
覇剣の皇姫と、読書狂の青年が織り成す覇道戦記ファンタジー!!
276 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2012
About the author
Yukiya Murasaki
101 books53 followersSee also >むらさきゆきや.
In April 1st 2009, received 1.st GA Bunko Encouragement Award for the work "I don't see any ghosts!" or "幽霊なんか見えない"
In April 1st 2009, received 1.st GA Bunko Encouragement Award for the work "I don't see any ghosts!" or "幽霊なんか見えない"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 9, 2019
A fun, enjoyable read. Good characterizations. Competent descriptions. Believable dynamics between the characters. This is a fantasy world without magic. No amazing Japanese high school students transported into a fantasy setting with amazing, godlike powers. Though it didn’t break any new ground if you are already familiar with the high fantasy genre, it was still enjoyable from beginning to end. I liked the main character, Regis, and felt emotionally invested in his development as a tactician. Also, there was Clarisse.
April 6, 2020
This review is for the whole series (ongoing)
While the first few books (around 1 - 3) are enjoyable, the rest should be seriously considered mandatory school reading - yes, it's that good.
The series is filled with ideologies given equal consideration then practice. It's amazing especially when you consider how the author balances the tone of light as a fluffy cake and serious as war. Usually you see something like communism and then the whole book or series revolves around that but here you see the merits of Imperialism, Pacifism, Democracy and they're not just shallow explorations either! You see characters with these ideologies directly moving the lives of millions of people based on their ideologies and how they make national, international and military decisions.
The most amazing part? The explorations of these ideals are so good that they can be textbook companions. This is honestly the first book I've read that have a perspective on pacifism where it's not just "we won't fight." The characters are strong, the world fleshed out and nothing is shallow; just like the real world.
While the first few books (around 1 - 3) are enjoyable, the rest should be seriously considered mandatory school reading - yes, it's that good.
The series is filled with ideologies given equal consideration then practice. It's amazing especially when you consider how the author balances the tone of light as a fluffy cake and serious as war. Usually you see something like communism and then the whole book or series revolves around that but here you see the merits of Imperialism, Pacifism, Democracy and they're not just shallow explorations either! You see characters with these ideologies directly moving the lives of millions of people based on their ideologies and how they make national, international and military decisions.
The most amazing part? The explorations of these ideals are so good that they can be textbook companions. This is honestly the first book I've read that have a perspective on pacifism where it's not just "we won't fight." The characters are strong, the world fleshed out and nothing is shallow; just like the real world.
September 5, 2023
God, I don't know. It's OK I guess? The Sword Princess series is currently fourteen volumes long, and still not done, and the author's allegedly still writing it, but he's also writing How Not To Summon a Demon Lord, an extremely trashy but much more popular series that's fifteen volumes long and still growing, and last I heard he said he couldn't finish the fifteenth volume of Altina because he had writer's block, so I hope nobody's expecting Murasaki to actually finish this damn thing.
Uh ... the main characters are kind of charming, I guess? The male lead keeps reminding us how underage the princess is, in a "She's so cute, but also thirteen years old, so I mustn't fall in love with her!" sort of way. I don't know how old the male lead is supposed to be. It's not like it offends me to read romance stories with teenagers, but when your ambiguously-aged male lead is explicitly saying the age gap is a problem, you're kind of *making* it a problem. Fortunately, romantic feelings remain firmly in the margins, so it's not as off-putting as it could be.
Mainly, this book is just crushingly uneventful. There are scenes that are fine individually, but taken as a whole, it feels like the first half of a longer novel. Maybe the first third. I read the first Slayers light novel semi-recently. It told an entire, self-contained story: Lina and Gourry find themselves pursued by the sinister sorcerer Zelgadis, who is trying to steal a magical artifact they possess. When it turns out that Zelgadis's grandfather wants the artifact for nefarious purposes of his own, the three must put aside their differences to stop him. Bam. Beginning, middle, end, complete with a plot twist, all in one novel. Such things are possible! You don't need to read novels where nothing happens in the hope that something *might* happen in a *future* novel!
Uh ... the main characters are kind of charming, I guess? The male lead keeps reminding us how underage the princess is, in a "She's so cute, but also thirteen years old, so I mustn't fall in love with her!" sort of way. I don't know how old the male lead is supposed to be. It's not like it offends me to read romance stories with teenagers, but when your ambiguously-aged male lead is explicitly saying the age gap is a problem, you're kind of *making* it a problem. Fortunately, romantic feelings remain firmly in the margins, so it's not as off-putting as it could be.
Mainly, this book is just crushingly uneventful. There are scenes that are fine individually, but taken as a whole, it feels like the first half of a longer novel. Maybe the first third. I read the first Slayers light novel semi-recently. It told an entire, self-contained story: Lina and Gourry find themselves pursued by the sinister sorcerer Zelgadis, who is trying to steal a magical artifact they possess. When it turns out that Zelgadis's grandfather wants the artifact for nefarious purposes of his own, the three must put aside their differences to stop him. Bam. Beginning, middle, end, complete with a plot twist, all in one novel. Such things are possible! You don't need to read novels where nothing happens in the hope that something *might* happen in a *future* novel!
January 25, 2021
Altina es una princesa adolescente, cuarta en la línea de sucesión al trono de Belgaria, no demasiado brillante pero apasionada terca, con un alto sentido de la justicia, cuyo principal mérito es manejar una gran espada.
Se ve envuelta en las políticas a la sucesión al trono y por ello Es exiliada como una inexperta a dirigir un fuerte en la frontera del país. debido a que ya es consciente de sus limitaciones decir buscar un asesor, un estratega.
Y conoce a Regis, un ratón de biblioteca que no tiene la menor idea de cómo sea una espada, no sabe montar a caballo, carece de condición física, pero es un magnífico estratega.
la combinación de estos dos jóvenes buen lugar la fórmula mágica para convertirla en emperatriz.
Con muchas novias dijeras está ambientado en una especie de historia alterna, Belgaria es una mezcla entre Francia y Bélgica de principios del siglo XIX, cuando las guerras se lo llevan aún con espada y arcabus la tecnología ya viene en el horizonte, rifles de repetición, barcos de vapor, ferrocarril, etc.
El éxito de joven estratega es conocer el mundo que viene.
Este es una novela de estrategia,e intrigas palaciegas con un leve toque de romance.
Desgraciadamente el autor dejó a la novela en el volumen 9, y aún no sabemos si la va a retomar.
Se ve envuelta en las políticas a la sucesión al trono y por ello Es exiliada como una inexperta a dirigir un fuerte en la frontera del país. debido a que ya es consciente de sus limitaciones decir buscar un asesor, un estratega.
Y conoce a Regis, un ratón de biblioteca que no tiene la menor idea de cómo sea una espada, no sabe montar a caballo, carece de condición física, pero es un magnífico estratega.
la combinación de estos dos jóvenes buen lugar la fórmula mágica para convertirla en emperatriz.
Con muchas novias dijeras está ambientado en una especie de historia alterna, Belgaria es una mezcla entre Francia y Bélgica de principios del siglo XIX, cuando las guerras se lo llevan aún con espada y arcabus la tecnología ya viene en el horizonte, rifles de repetición, barcos de vapor, ferrocarril, etc.
El éxito de joven estratega es conocer el mundo que viene.
Este es una novela de estrategia,e intrigas palaciegas con un leve toque de romance.
Desgraciadamente el autor dejó a la novela en el volumen 9, y aún no sabemos si la va a retomar.
February 10, 2022
A simple children's story
Not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to me a military story of some sort but it falls far short of what that genre typically has.
This is actually a light hearted tale of the beginning of a story that will eventually take on epic proportions. However, in this book we only get some vague descriptions of what is going on, overly drawn out simple politics, extremely simplistic military tactics, and nonsensical military organization.
There is no real depth here. Everything is shallow and paper thin. All of the characters are simply common Japanese anime archetypes put to pen with very little to recommend them. The protagonist is a typical harem protagonist who is so incompetent and bumbling that you struggle to understand how they are a functioning human, much less someone who attracts such female attention.
Unless you want what is essentially a children's story set in a vaguely medieval anime world, stay away.
Not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to me a military story of some sort but it falls far short of what that genre typically has.
This is actually a light hearted tale of the beginning of a story that will eventually take on epic proportions. However, in this book we only get some vague descriptions of what is going on, overly drawn out simple politics, extremely simplistic military tactics, and nonsensical military organization.
There is no real depth here. Everything is shallow and paper thin. All of the characters are simply common Japanese anime archetypes put to pen with very little to recommend them. The protagonist is a typical harem protagonist who is so incompetent and bumbling that you struggle to understand how they are a functioning human, much less someone who attracts such female attention.
Unless you want what is essentially a children's story set in a vaguely medieval anime world, stay away.
November 23, 2019
The character interactions are believable. The setup is interesting. The main characters are character types that we have found before. This novel didn't cover a lot of territory. It was the setup so that we would get know the characters. I believe a little more could have been accomplished...
Honestly, this is one of those books that wets your appetite without going anywhere.
The rest of the series is going to be interesting or terrible. At this point, no one knows. The author will have to decide if a massively long series with no real movement or ending is the goal, or if a series that actually goes somewhere is a better bet.
It will be interesting to see which way the author goes.
Honestly, this is one of those books that wets your appetite without going anywhere.
The rest of the series is going to be interesting or terrible. At this point, no one knows. The author will have to decide if a massively long series with no real movement or ending is the goal, or if a series that actually goes somewhere is a better bet.
It will be interesting to see which way the author goes.
March 31, 2020
Quite enjoyed this. She’s a headstrong and beautiful princess who wants to change things but is banished to the front lines of the kingdom. He’s physically inept, but has lots of book smarts and tactical know-how. Pretty much writes itself.
I like that this is a fantasy realm, but copied after our medieval times rather than being littered with magic and monsters. There is the barest whiff of it with regards to Altina’s sword, but it’s only there if you squint at it.
Promising start and some antics. I already picked up the second volume; sometimes a simple story told well is exactly what one is in the mood for.
I like that this is a fantasy realm, but copied after our medieval times rather than being littered with magic and monsters. There is the barest whiff of it with regards to Altina’s sword, but it’s only there if you squint at it.
Promising start and some antics. I already picked up the second volume; sometimes a simple story told well is exactly what one is in the mood for.
February 28, 2020
A different story concept
I like the store so far. Hopefully in future he will get more confident and although he is not a fighter that he become more forceful in what he do. The princess is wonderful, hopefully she will get stronger were she can hold her own better. I like the other characters also. I do hope that Jerome will work with both of them and that her group will form a strong bond to trust and fight together.
I like the store so far. Hopefully in future he will get more confident and although he is not a fighter that he become more forceful in what he do. The princess is wonderful, hopefully she will get stronger were she can hold her own better. I like the other characters also. I do hope that Jerome will work with both of them and that her group will form a strong bond to trust and fight together.
March 18, 2024
This book was not very deep, but makes up for it by being a fun tour de force between fun and interesting characters. Main characters here are Regis, a bumbling yet competent strategist, and Altina, a red-headed princess with a hot-headed personality, but with great skill with a sword as big as her.
Just don't expect much, as this is a very light read, and just a small part of an ongoing novel series.
Just don't expect much, as this is a very light read, and just a small part of an ongoing novel series.
September 20, 2022
Novela sencilla de leer, con una premisa bastante común pero que bien utilizada podría ser un éxito. El problema con este libro es que el autor no utiliza su premisa de forma innovadora se siente como una historia más del montón. No es suficiente para interesar en el siguiente volumen.
November 23, 2019
Promising first novel
I have high hopes for the rest of this series. The story is interesting and well told. The characters have depth and are easy to identify with.
I have high hopes for the rest of this series. The story is interesting and well told. The characters have depth and are easy to identify with.
December 8, 2019
Honestly some of the best military fantasy I've read.
June 8, 2020
Great Series
Picked the book up on a whim, and wasn't disappointed. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Picked the book up on a whim, and wasn't disappointed. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
January 13, 2021
A fun read; I loved the conversations between Altina and Regis!
Also, I felt with Regis so much most of the time.
Altina is a strong female character, which I like.
Also, I felt with Regis so much most of the time.
Altina is a strong female character, which I like.
April 30, 2022
This is one of my favorite light novel series, even though title of the story does not necessarily reflect a "great story"...It is about a 4th Princess, that is "outside" the range and ability to become the new Empress. She inquires about a tactician and hires the main character Regis, a bookworm, clerk that spends all of his free-time reading novels...
In this Light Novel series, there is good governance, geopolitics, and some battle skirmishes with bandits and later on with Barbarians menacing the borders...
I like this Light Novel Series a lot, in part because it is not Fantasy, not magical in any way (no mana/magic or magical/spirit beings). It is also not an Isekai. Altina the Sword Princess was first published in 2012. So it is already 10 years old and has currently 18 volumes translated and published in the West, in English.
Regis is low-key, honest and a man of principles. It is extremely hard to find Japanese and Asian Light Novels of honest, honorable and ethical main characters. The usual is incapable, whiny, arrogant main characters that are Over-Powered without ever having earned the right to those abilities or skills. The authors reflect the main characters that they create, most promote slavery, promote sexual assaults and or sexual harassment. Others, lack organization, lack imagination, lack skill, to be able to create a Fictional World that has a political organization, military, religious, commerce, economy and war.
The author of this story keeps everything "real", while not promoting extreme violence, profanity, blood and gore, indecent sexual situations or delusional harem-retinues...
This is a story where the good guys do the right thing and try to win and I do recommend this light novel series.
In this Light Novel series, there is good governance, geopolitics, and some battle skirmishes with bandits and later on with Barbarians menacing the borders...
I like this Light Novel Series a lot, in part because it is not Fantasy, not magical in any way (no mana/magic or magical/spirit beings). It is also not an Isekai. Altina the Sword Princess was first published in 2012. So it is already 10 years old and has currently 18 volumes translated and published in the West, in English.
Regis is low-key, honest and a man of principles. It is extremely hard to find Japanese and Asian Light Novels of honest, honorable and ethical main characters. The usual is incapable, whiny, arrogant main characters that are Over-Powered without ever having earned the right to those abilities or skills. The authors reflect the main characters that they create, most promote slavery, promote sexual assaults and or sexual harassment. Others, lack organization, lack imagination, lack skill, to be able to create a Fictional World that has a political organization, military, religious, commerce, economy and war.
The author of this story keeps everything "real", while not promoting extreme violence, profanity, blood and gore, indecent sexual situations or delusional harem-retinues...
This is a story where the good guys do the right thing and try to win and I do recommend this light novel series.
February 4, 2015
This gets a weak 2 from me. It the smart young strategist meets young swords girl...but so far lots of issues.
1) main character is seemingly made out to be really smart and notice things and come up with good plans but it seems more to be...is not an idiot compared to everyone else.
2) the princess is okay...I'm wondering when the magic used for sword fights is going to come in otherwise my disbelief alarms are already going off when a 14 year old girl being able to fight against a war hero at all even close...in the slightest.
That all being said book 1 was very much all a prologue that just set up the basics of the characters this might become good later but right now meh.
1) main character is seemingly made out to be really smart and notice things and come up with good plans but it seems more to be...is not an idiot compared to everyone else.
2) the princess is okay...I'm wondering when the magic used for sword fights is going to come in otherwise my disbelief alarms are already going off when a 14 year old girl being able to fight against a war hero at all even close...in the slightest.
That all being said book 1 was very much all a prologue that just set up the basics of the characters this might become good later but right now meh.
October 5, 2018
The difference between a 12 year old reader and a 16 year old reader is the difference between a child and an adult. That aside this isn't the difference between Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. This book's writing target audience couldn't possibly be older than 12, it's like I was reading a Cam Jansen picture book. The setting and concept was well thought out and interesting, but it quickly went downhill from there. I really wish there are stamps on the front of books for age groups like they do for games : a big R for retard so we'd know not to buy them.
September 30, 2017
Although at the beginning I hated Regis character, he's always mocking himself, considering himself a loser and doesn't have any confidence in himself, but maybe Altina is gonna be the key factor that will make us witness the born of another Zhuge Liang!
November 26, 2019
A wonderful translation!
One of my favorite light novel series. Glad to see it finally getting a legitimate localization, and can't wait for the next volume :)
One of my favorite light novel series. Glad to see it finally getting a legitimate localization, and can't wait for the next volume :)
July 29, 2020
Good story but a little short.
I liked this story a lot and would have given five stars if it was not so short. Regardless I would highly recommend it.
I liked this story a lot and would have given five stars if it was not so short. Regardless I would highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews