Spice and Wolf is a Japanese light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura with accompanying illustrations drawn by Jū Ayakura. The series follows a traveling merchant, Kraft Lawrence, who peddles various goods from town to town to make a living in a stylized historical setting with European influences.[1] He meets a pagan wolf-deity girl named Holo who normally appears to be a fifteen-year-old girl, except for a wolf's tail and ears. Lawrence and Holo start traveling together, and as they travel, her wisdom helps increase his profits, but at the same time, her true nature draws unwanted attention from the church.
Originally, Hasekura entered the first novel in the series into ASCII Media Works' twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize in 2005 and the novel won the Silver Prize, placing third.[2] Seventeen volumes were published between February 10, 2006 and July 10, 2011 under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint.[3] In 2016, an eighteenth book in the series was published, along with the start of a new spinoff series entitled Wolf on the Parchment, focusing on the characters Cole and Myuri. Yen Press licensed the light novels in September 2008 for distribution in English.[4] The first volume was released in December 2009, and a new volume was released every six months, but in 2013 was changed to being released every four months. The tagline for the novel is "Merchant Meats Spicy Wolf.", an example of Engrish. The author of the novels has commented that what "meats" in the tagline means is kept a secret, alluding to a possible intentional misspelling of "meets".[5]
No. | Title | Original release date | English release date | |
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1 | — | February 10, 2006[6] 978-4-8402-3302-6 | December 15, 2009[7] 978-0-7595-3104-8 | |
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Lawrence meets Holo in the town of Pasloe. Holo feels that the townspeople of Pasloe have rejected her, and convinces Lawrence to take her back to her home in the north, Yoitsu. As they begin their travels together, Lawrence hears of a potentially profitable currency speculation deal, but soon, Lawrence and Holo get in well over their heads, and Lawrence has to decide if profit is worth sacrificing his newfound companion. | ||||
2 | — | June 10, 2006[8] 978-4-8402-3451-1 | June 15, 2010[9] 978-0-7595-3106-2 | |
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Lawrence, with Holo's help, has made a good deal in Poroson, transporting a load of armor to Ruvinheigen on margin. On arriving in Ruvinheigen he discovers that the value of the armor has plunged, leaving him bankrupt. He and Holo recruit shepherd Norah Arendt to assist them in a desperate scheme to save Lawrence from bankruptcy. However, Lawrence, Holo, and Norah soon learn that some business partners cannot be trusted. | ||||
3 | — | October 10, 2006[10] 978-4-8402-3588-4 | December 21, 2010[11] 978-0-7595-3107-9 | |
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Lawrence and Holo continue their journey to Holo's home - which Lawrence has heard was destroyed centuries ago, though he has hidden it from her thus far. In Kumersun, local merchant Amati falls for Holo, and forces on Lawrence a dagger-contract; he will pay Holo's (supposed) debt to Lawrence, free her, and propose marriage to her. Then, to make matters worse, Holo learns about Yoitsu's destruction, and distraught, lashes out at Lawrence, threatening to leave him for Amati. Lawrence hastily develops a plan to prevent Amati from fulfilling the contract, hopefully preventing Holo from leaving him for good. | ||||
4 | — | February 10, 2007[12] 978-4-8402-3723-9 | June 28, 2011[13] 978-0-7595-3108-6 | |
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Lawrence and Holo stop in the village of Tereo, hoping to learn more about the fate of Yoitsu and Holo's friends. As they near Holo's home - their ultimate destination - they must face some uncomfortable questions about their future together and what will happen between them after they reach Yoitsu. While in Tereo, they become entangled in a dispute between it and a neighboring town. Lawrence and Holo use their unique talents to rescue themselves and the town from financial ruin - or worse. | ||||
5 | — | August 10, 2007[14] 978-4-8402-3933-2 | December 13, 2011[15] 978-0-7595-3110-9 | |
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Holo and Lawrence reach Lenos, where they sense something is amiss. Lawrence's merchant curiosity soon gets the better of him, much to Holo's dismay, and he is presented with an incredible opportunity by a mysterious fellow merchant named Eve - one that could easily make his dream of owning his shop come true. However, it forces him to weigh his dream against his feelings for Holo. Meanwhile, Holo reveals one of her greatest fears to Lawrence and wonders if it is time for them to end their journey together. | ||||
6 | — | December 10, 2007[16] 978-4-8402-4114-4 | June 26, 2012[17] 978-0-7595-3111-6 | |
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Lawrence and Holo set off by boat in pursuit of Eve, who has pressed on with her scheme despite Lawrence withdrawing his support. During the trip, the two deal with the changes in their relationship brought about by Lawrence's confession of love to Holo at the end of the previous volume. While at a river checkpoint, Lawrence and Holo rescue a young boy from the north named Col and take him under their care, the three of them increasingly resembling a family. As they talk with Col and the other travelers they meet along the way, they learn more about what has become of Yoitsu and Holo's ancestors. | ||||
7 | Side Colors | February 10, 2008[18] 978-4-8402-4169-4 | December 11, 2012[19] 978-0-316-22912-8 | |
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A detour from the original storyline that presents several side stories featuring the series's main characters. One features Holo’s past hundreds of years before she arrives in Pasloe. | ||||
8 | Town of Strife I Tairitsu no Machi (Jō) (対立の町 (上)) | May 10, 2008[20] 978-4-0486-7068-5 | April 23, 2013[21] 978-0-316-24546-3 | |
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9 | Town of Strife II Tairitsu no Machi (Ge) (対立の町 (下)) | September 10, 2008[22] 978-4-0486-7210-8 | August 20, 2013[23] 978-0-316-24548-7 | |
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10 | — | February 10, 2009[24] 978-4-0486-7522-2 | December 17, 2013[25] 978-0-316-32236-2 | |
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Following the rumours of the legendary wolf bones, Kraft Lawrence, Holo, and Col begin their trek north toward the Kingdom of Winfiel; a land known for its flourishing sheep and wool. Upon arrival, they discover that the Abbey of Brondel (which is rumoured to contain the legendary wolf bones) is in dire financial straits, a precarious position that has garnered the attention of the powerful Ruvik Alliance, which seeks to subjugate its long sustained holdings. | ||||
11 | Side Colors II | May 10, 2009[26] 978-4-0486-7809-4 | April 22, 2014[27] 978-0-316-32427-4 | |
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In another detour from the main storyline of Holo and Lawrence's journey north, several stories featuring the main characters are featured. One pictures the wolf of the roam, Fleur Boland, and her upbringing as a young merchant before the events of Lenos. | ||||
12 | — | August 10, 2009[28] 978-4-0486-7933-6 | August 26, 2014[29] 978-0-316-32432-8 | |
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13 | Side Colors III | November 10, 2009[30] 978-4-0486-8140-7 | December 16, 2014[31] 978-0-316-33661-1 | |
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14 | — | February 10, 2010[32] 978-4-0486-8326-5 | April 21, 2015[33] 978-0-316-33959-9 | |
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Lawrence, Holo, and Col return to Lenos to prepare for their journey north as they await the delivery of the map to Yoitsu provided by Fran. While there, they unexpectedly meet Elsa (volume four) and her travelling companion Le Roi, a book merchant. Le Roi presents Lawrence with a profitable business proposition that will also serve to protect the lands where Yoitsu is located, but it will likely require Lawrence's early departure from Holo before they are able to reach Yoitsu together. Holo understands and encourages Lawrence to do the beneficial and practical thing, but Lawrence is gripped with disappointment and sadness even as he decides to accept the proposition. Seeing Lawrence's predicament, Elsa confesses her own conflicted interests between serving the church and wanting to marry Evan. But she then turns the tables on Lawrence demanding to know why he won't fight for what he truly wants - Holo. Inspired by Elsa, Lawrence decides to fight in the way he does best - a cunning scheme to fulfill his business obligation without having to travel apart from Holo. Failing to understand his actions taken to preserve their journey to Yoitsu, Holo broaches the "unspoken topic" and asks Lawrence why he wants to continue with her. Finally, their motivations become clear to each other and Holo confesses her true love for Lawrence. | ||||
15 | The Coin of the Sun I Taiyō no Kinka (Jō) (太陽の金貨〈上〉) | September 10, 2010[34] 978-4-0486-8829-1 | August 25, 2015 [35] 978-0-316-33961-2 | |
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16 | The Coin of the Sun II Taiyō no Kinka (Ge) (太陽の金貨〈下〉) | February 10, 2011[36] 978-4-0487-0265-2 | December 15, 2015[37] 978-0-316-33963-6 | |
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17 | Epilogue | July 10, 2011[38] 978-4-0487-0685-8 | April 19, 2016[39] 978-0-316-33964-3 | |
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18 | Spring Log | September 10, 2016[40] 978-4-04-892355-2 | June 20, 2017[41] 978-0-31-647167-1 | |
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19 | Spring Log II | May 10, 2017[42] 978-4-04-892891-5 | March 27, 2018[43] 978-1-97-530012-8 | |
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20 | Spring Log III | February 10, 2018[44] 978-4-04-893619-4 | October 30, 2018[45] 978-1-97-530278-8 | |
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21 | Spring Log IV | January 10, 2019[46] 978-4-04-912200-8 | December 31, 2019[47] 978-1-97-538680-1 | |
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22 | Spring Log V | December 10, 2019[48] 978-4-04-912904-5 | November 2, 2021[49] 978-1-97-531837-6 | |
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23 | Spring Log VI | September 10, 2021[50] 978-4-04-913942-6 | November 22, 2022[51] 978-1-97-534864-9 | |
24 | Spring Log VII | January 7, 2023[52] 978-4-04-914819-0 | August 22, 2023[53] 978-1-97-537031-2 |
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 10, 2016[54] | 978-4-04-892356-9 | November 28, 2017[55] | 978-0-31-647345-3 |
2 | March 10, 2017[56] | 978-4-04-892754-3 | May 8, 2018[57] | 978-1-97-532620-3 |
3 | September 8, 2017[58] | 978-4-04-893338-4 | October 30, 2018[59] | 978-1-97-532655-5 |
4 | March 9, 2019[60] | 978-4-04-912201-5 | December 3, 2019[61] | 978-1-97-535956-0 |
5 | May 9, 2020[62] | 978-4-04-912452-1 | April 27, 2021[63] | 978-1-97-532172-7 |
6 | March 10, 2021[64] | 978-4-04-913624-1 | March 22, 2022[65] | 978-1-97-534044-5 |
7 | December 10, 2021[66] | 978-4-04-914040-8 | November 21, 2023[67] | 978-1-97-535226-4 |
8 | August 10, 2022[68] | 978-4-04-914460-4 | May 21, 2024[69] | 978-1-97-536958-3 |
9 | July 7, 2023[70] | 978-4-04-915146-6 | September 17, 2024[71] | 978-1-97-539404-2 |
10 | April 10, 2024[72] | 978-4-04-915558-7 | April 15, 2025[73] | 979-8-85-541084-6 |