A Review of The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 1
High above the blood- and mud-soaked trenches, a young girl pits herself against army mages in high stakes aerial duels with bullets, spells, and bayonets. Her name is Tanya Degurechaff and she is the Devil of the Rhine, one of the greatest soldiers the Empire has ever seen! But inside her mind lives a ruthless, calculating ex-salaryman who enjoyed a peaceful life in Japan until he woke up in a war-torn world. Reborn as a destitute orphaned girl with nothing to her name but memories of a previous life, Tanya will do whatever it takes to survive, even if she can find it only behind the barrel of a gun!
Plot
I listened to this book as an audiobook of the light novel adaptation of the Japanese manga. Between the adaptation and the translation, it’s not a surprise that the storytelling fell short of what one might expect from this genre. The story relies on internal monologue and dialogue to tell the story, rather than descriptions and scenes. This made it difficult for me to feel engaged in the story as it slowed down the pacing.
Characters
Tanya as a main character is designed to be unlikeable, as she’s an old, jaded soul living in a young girl’s body. I do enjoy an unlikeable character in third-person novels but being in Tanya’s brain was difficult, as I struggled to find any common ground with the character to connect myself to. I did enjoy the supporting characters however and thought the author did a great job building the dynamic between Tanya and her subordinates.
Setting
The alternate world war 2 era setting the story sets up was my favorite part of listening to this story. The magic system was fun and enjoyable, especially in the setting of a Nazi-Germany-esque world. Tanya’s abilities were interesting to explore as well as learning about other characters’ powers. There were also some unique social commentary through Tanya’s world and the situations she’s put in.
My Recommendation
The Saga of Tanya the Evil is the first volume adapation of a lightnovel based on a Japanese manga, which has been turned into a popular anime show and movie. I can definitely see how the story appeals to lovers of manga and anime, but unfortunately I didn’t think it translated well to a novel or audiobook format, due to its reliance on internal monologues. While I couldn’t connect to the main character and narrator of the story, the world and magic system established were a lot of fun to learn about.
