Bump.
It's been a long time, I figured it may be worth revisiting to gauge if interest has changed at all.
To avoid adding nothing new, here is a quick summary and review quoted directly from this Reddit post made around the same time as my original post here.
Broken Keel(折れた竜骨) 2011 Weekly Bunchun Mystery Award 2nd. 2012 Japanese Authentic Mystery Novel Award 1st. 2012 This mystery is awesome Award 2nd. 2012 I want to read Mysteries Award 1st. 2011 Japanese Authentic Mystery Grand Award final candidate.
Intro: This is the late 12th Century, the age of crusade, but with magic real and everywhere. Amina Aylwin always dreams world past the Solon isles, which is very remote, only reached by sailing the North Sea for three days from London. But as the daughter of the Laurent Aylwin, lord of the isles, that seems impossible. One day, her father gathers mercenaries and soldiers, saying the long-forgotten Immortal-Cursed Danes will invade the island. After just that, Sir Falk Fitzone of the Order of the St. Ambrosius Hospitaller Brotherhood and his page Nicola arrives at Solon isles. They warn about the Assassination Knights, renegade templars who studied Hashashin's assassination magics. One of the, Edric, has crept into the isles and plotting the murder of the Lord Laurent. A day later, Laurent is found dead at his operation room. Sir Fitzone announces the use of the forced creed, a magic that forces its victim to kill the designated target...
Review: My favorite book. I really wishes it could be turned into anime. Yonezawa successfully merges fantasy, medieval history, and classical mystery all together. The main characters and suspects are all iconic, memorable, and has hidden depth, plus acts like real medieval persons, not some modern person thrown in 12th Century.. Doubly enjoyable if you know the medieval history well(and triply if you enjoy the Assassins Creed series! - Templar, Hashashins, "Creed") The mystery element of this novel is very well planned, but its twist being rather predictable. The fantasy part features a giant robot, undead horde, german witchcraft while staying realistic. Also liked the novel's theme: "Using logic and reason to purge the restraints(symbolized by magic)". Has been adapted into manga by Famitsu.
