Format: Light Novel
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Amazon
Plot and Writing: 7/10
I rated the story a 7/10 because it was well written and thought out. The pacing was excellent, and didn't seem to leave anything out. Also the storyline didn't feel like a recycled plot.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I gave this story an enjoyment rating of 8/10 because it kept me interested from the beginning to the end, and made me laugh throughout.
Review
Told from a first person perspective, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi is centred around five students (including the narrator) who make make up a club called the SOS Brigade. The SOS Brigade was a club created by Suzumiya in order to research and study paranormal phenomena which she was interested in. It seemed that none of the club members freely joined the club, but were dragged into it by Haruhi somehow.This story has a couple of moments that make you wonder what just happened, but you quickly get over it, as they are explained shortly after.
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi is not a story to take seriously. It is a comedy with more than a dash of science fiction thrown in. From the very first page to the last, there was rarely a moment I didn't get a chuckle. The tone is set from the first page of the prologue which starts off:
When did I stop believing in Santa Claus? In truth, this sort of silly question holds no real significance for me. However, if you were to ask me when I stopped believing that the old man wearing the red costume was Santa, then I can confidently say: I have never believed in Santa, ever.
Sure, it's cynical and disparaging but that's what to expect when the narrator of the story is a boy looking back on his high school days, and his acquaintance with Suzumiya Haruhi and other strange members of the SOS Brigade.
I will admit this was the first light novel I had read, and I will continue to read light novels as they are a quick read and a nice break from traditional novel format. It was very dialogue heavy, but that seems to be a trait of light novels in general.
