The Legend of Kingdom Hearts Volume 1: Creation

Nice

I don't know much about this publisher ("Third Editions") but I have become a huge fan. I started with their "Legend of Final Fantasy VII" book about one year ago and to be honest I was not impressed. Since then I notice they crank out book after book about (mostly) Japanese role-playing games, which are a lifelong obsession of mine. I just had to give them another chance. I read and enjoyed their "Legend of Dragon Quest" and picked up this "Legend of Kingdom Hearts" soon after. (Note: the former title is probably the best history of the Dragon Quest series available in English).One word I would use to describe this book is "surprising." First of all, it's surprising to see such an expansive book written about Kingdom Hearts. I didn't realize when I bought it that this book contains nearly 400 pages of analysis. Secondly, the author's writing style has been a refreshing surprise. His tone is often conversational but erudite at the same time. In some books this kind of casual tone comes off gimmicky, but not in this case. He also includes an engaging level of interactivity. Without spoiling anything, the reader unwittingly plays a few word games while reading the book that are gradually revealed over time.A third surprise: the book begins with one of the most interesting histories of 90s Squaresoft I've ever read. The author does this to give some background about Tetsuya Nomura and give the reader some context for his analysis of Kingdom Hearts, but I was blown away by how much interesting info was included in the first ~100 pages of this book. I have been playing JRPGs since the early 90s and I picked a ton of new information about the heavy hitters in the genre. Especially impressive is the way the author draws a line from Kingdom Hearts back to earlier Square titles like Final Fantasy VI-VIII.I have to mention a fourth surprise, one that is not so glowing. The author tells us up front that he will not be citing sources throughout the book. This was disappointing, but to be honest, it hasn't affected my enjoyment of the book. I trust that he isn't making stuff up; however, it would be nice to refer back to his source material on my own.And a final surprise: this is allegedly the first book in a series the author is working on. I will stick around for the next one and if you like JRPGs I suggest you hop on board too. Fans of the genre are finally getting some quality books to enjoy and I'm thankful for it. That is partly what motivates me to write this review. Between Third Editions, Boss Fight Books, Psychology of..., etc. it feels like we are entering a new era of writing about video games. Next I will be reading the Third Editions book about Fumito Ueda as well as their Legend of Final Fantasy VIII. Keep 'em coming!