Light Novel - Attack on Titan
The great success of the Attack on Titan anime series directed by Tetsuro Araki and the original manga created by Hajime Isayama has led to the publication of a variety of spin-offs and stories in various kinds of media and formats, especially in the light novel market. Here are some of the recent Attack on Titan light novel publications with a brief summary.
Before the Wall
Attack on Titan: Before the Wall is a light novel written by Ryo Suzukaze and illustrated by Thores Shibamoto. It was originally published by Kodansha on December 2, 2011 and ran until June 29, 2012 and spanned three volumes. Its story acts as a prequel to the original story and was written and illustrated by the original author, Hajime Isayama.
Summary
This light novel is set 70 years before the events in Attack on Titan. It is divided in two parts: the first one focuses on a character named Angel Aaltonen, the inventor and developer of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, the device used by many soldiers to fight against the Titans. The second part follows the life of Kuklo, a boy who was found in a pile of Titan vomit when he was a baby. He was born inside a Titan after a victim had already been eaten, thus, giving him the name of “Titan’s son”. Kuklo was imprisoned during his youth, but was eventually freed by his owner’s daughter, Sharle, and ends up joining the Survey Corps.
Harsh Mistress of the City
Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City is the second light novel series based on Attack on Titan. It was written by Ryo Kawakami and illustrated by Range Murata. It was published between August 1, 2014, and May 1, 2015 by Kodansha and came in two parts. In North America, Vertical released the novels in 2014 and 2015.
Summary
The same day that Wall Maria was breached, a Garrison recruit named Rita Iglehaut tries to help with the chaos while half of the population of the Quinta District is escorted to Wall Rose. She attempts to help the citizens to escape and finds a young child that she decided to protect before rejoining her comrade, Wilco. Once they arrive at Quinta, Wilco is killed in an accident during the Garrison’s attempts to force the Titans that were approaching back. Rita puts the girl she rescued in charge of a middle-aged woman upon their arrival. Fighting breaks out among the citizens when the order to close the inner gate of Quinta is given. However, despite all of her losses, Rita tries her best to keep things in order over the citizens.
Setting of Attack on Titan Light Novels
The Attack on Titan light novels officially take place in the same universe as the original story. As such, the only major differences between the two are the time each novel series takes place and the characters that are involved. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall is a prequel to the main manga series, while Attack on Titan: The Harsh Mistress of the City is a novel series about a young commander that helps bring a different perspective of the events that were happening in the main manga. In the original series, the lives of those that survive that attack on Wall Maria were explained (though it focuses on the main characters, Eren, Mikasa and Armin, though, in this novel, the audience can come to understand the harsh task that the Garrison had to deal with, as the novel shows a more direct perspective of the angry and scared victims of the attack.
Since all of the light novels are supposed to exist within the same universe as the proper series, some fans might consider it to be canon. As such, the reader can connect the stories of the light novels to the manga and create a deeper, more complex understanding of the Attack on Titan universe.
Other light novels
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls was written by Hiroshi Seko and published on December 9, 2014. It includes three short stories featuring Mikasa and Annie Leonhart titled “Lost in the cruel world”, “Wall Sina, Goodbye” and “Lost Girls”. The English version was released by Vertical in 2016. The first two stories are based on the visual novels of the same names that were released on the Blu-ray copies of the anime. The third story was a new release and was also adapted into a manga by Kodansha. The two novels were included originally as bonus features in the Japanese Blu-ray releases, while the introduction and the titular story are unique to the book.
Garrison Girl: An Attack on Titan Novel was a novel created by the American writer Rachel Aaron and published by Quirk Books on August 7, 2018. The novel was translated into Japanese by Kodansha as Attack on Titan: Roses on the Wall on April 4, 2019. This new story is set in the dystopian universe of Attack on Titan and features many adventures, romances, and battles. It features all-new characters and would be considered a parallel story that occurs at the same time as the original Attack on Titan story. “Garrison Girl” tells the story of a young woman who decides to defy her wealthy family and join the Garrison Regiment to battle against the enemies of humanity.
On December 3, 2018, Kodansha Comics announced that four light novels based on Attack on Titan would become available as ebooks on digital platforms like BookWalker, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, and Nook the very next day, December 4th.