Hello all,
Recently I decided to purchase both the Korean and Japanese eBook for The Fir and the Hawk, since I thought having the eBook one would be more convenient than having a book, since, for example, on a Kindle e-ink reader, you can highlight the words to learn their meanings (at least for the Japanese version).
It took a while to find a website for each language that had easily accessible eBooks that I could purchase, but I figured out two websites that were easy to purchase them from.
I used Rakuten’s Kobo for the Japanese eBooks, which use Adobe DRM (digital rights management). They’re published in epub format, and can be downloaded from the website directly, and using a software like Calibre, I could convert the format, remove DRM (which I believe is allowed if you are NOT redistributing the book), and put it on my Kindle (both device and the mobile app).
(If you are interested in doing that, you can follow this person’s tutorial, which I also used: https://jeremyfelt.com/2020/01/09/how-to-read-ebooks-purchased-from-kobo-on-a-kindle/)
For the Korean eBook, I used Kyobo eBooks. The link to the product page of the Korean book is here: https://digital.kyobobook.co.kr/digital/ebook/ebookDetail.ink?barcode=480D191213540
The Japanese eBook links are listed further down.
Note: I’m going to say up front that if you want the most current, in depth version of the stories, please check out the “Alternatives” section and visit the KakaoPage serialization of ArcheAge Chronicles. It is still written by Jeon Minhee, but it is a revised and updated version of the books.
Table of Contents
Chapter Differences between JP and KR
A note that I’d like to make is that the Japanese version splits the first book into five parts that you purchase separately, as shown:
The covers have a number on it so you can determine the order of the books easily.
In the original Korean book, it is divided into five parts as followed (excluding the prologue):
- 여신의 어린딸
- 눈의 새
- 그림자 성
- 오른쪽 검
- 맨발과 빈손의 세벽
Via the eBook table of contents:
Translated roughly using Google Translate:
- The Goddess’ Little Daughter
- Snow Bird
- Shadow Castle
- Right Sword
- Barefoot and Empty Hands
The Japanese books are as follows (links to the product page are provided):
- The Goddess’ Little Daughter (First Part) 女神の幼い娘(上)
- The Goddess’ Little Daughter (Second Part) 女神の幼い娘(下)
- Snow Bird 雪の鳥
- Barefoot Empty-Handed Dawn (First Part) 裸足と徒手の夜明け(上)
- Barefoot Empty-Handed Dawn (Second Part) 裸足と徒手の夜明け(下)
As you can see, the Japanese books only seem to reference parts one, two, and five in the Korean book. Parts three and four are not directly referenced with the Japanese titles, but both are five parts. What I’m thinking is that the Japanese books may be splitting and reorganizing the books in different ways. In Tales of the Twelve, we see that Kyprosa’s story is mentioned first. But in the novel, it is Gene’s (Kyrios) story that’s mentioned first.
However, I’ll explain how to obtain these books first.
Korean eBook Purchase
I checked multiple websites to see if I can purchase the original Korean eBook without ID verification, which would typically involve using a Korean phone number, IPIN; if you’re a foreigner residing in Korea, you can use a government-issued ID card. If you live abroad, you can use something like a passport or driver’s license. However, since I only wanted to buy an eBook, I did not want to do such a thing.
When I stumbled upon Kyobo eBooks, I found another person’s blog posting on how to register an account and purchase books on the website; that was just what I was looking for! You do not need to verify yourself using an ID, which is just what I was searching for.
You can view their tutorial posts here. The first one is how to register on the website.
And this one is how to add money to your account to purchase the book.
That post suggests using PayPal. But while checking out, I saw the option for using a foreign credit/debit card, but I used PayPal as the post did. Note that, with either PayPal or foreign credit/debit card, you cannot request a refund.
Again, the Korean book is here: https://digital.kyobobook.co.kr/digital/ebook/ebookDetail.ink?barcode=480D191213540 . You can read a preview of the book by clicking the button I circled in this screenshot:
I purchased the 10,000 won pack which was approximately 7USD. The book itself is 6800 won, so that equates to 4.76USD. When buying on Kyobo, it uses the point balance you have, which can be replenished when you need.
I did not need to supply a shipping address on Kyobo since I used PayPal.
To read the book, you will need to download their desktop application, or you can download the mobile app on Android and iOS. Installation on both will be in Korean. On the desktop application, it follows the same installation process as many other programs: click “agree” or “A” on the terms of service, select where on the computer you’d like Kyobo Reader to be installed, and let the installer do the rest of the work. On Windows, I can search up “Kyobo” in the start menu’s search bar and it will let me launch the app.
On either the mobile or desktop app, you’ll need to sign in to your account. I suggest trying it on the desktop app first, and install the Google Translate app on your phone. That way, you can take a picture of your desktop screen and then have the Google Translate app translate the text for you so you can click on the correct buttons. That way, you can try to memorize the Korean words/prompts when you do it on mobile.
On both, you’ll need to download the book into your local library. Look for a prompt that says “다운로드” (download) to do so.
Note: I’ve yet to find a way to download the actual epub file from Kyobo. I’m unsure where the application stores your local ebook files, or if it even does that. I see temporary folders pop up while I have the book open, but I don’t think they actually have what I need.
Also, Kyobo does not let you (easily) copy and paste the text on either platform. For that reason, I think it’s stricter than the Kobo (Japanese) version. However, there are plenty of other websites you can purchase the eBook from. Maybe there is one that sells the epub file itself, so you can save it to your computer. I’ve yet to try finding more because I get discouraged seeing that I have to verify my identity to purchase an eBook. It isn’t much work to verify, to be honest, but I am too lazy right now.
Kyobo mobile app also has a warning that pops up when you take a screenshot (I wanted to do a screenshot to put in Google Translate so it can translate my screenshot). It just warns you that distributing the book in any form without permission can involve legal action.
(ID verification involves a human being. For example, on Yes24, I think when you try to purchase without verifying yourself prior, you will be asked to do it. You’ll be asked to put in your mobile phone (if you have a Korean phone number and carrier), your IPIN, or if you’re a foreigner, your passport, driver’s license, or ID card (I think ID card is for foreigners living in Korea). There is a Twitter thread someone posted on how to do Yes24 verification; that person wanted to buy an album that was only available on there, so they went through that process. You’ll need to submit a 1-on-1 inquiry to do this.)
Korean Physical Copies
As mentioned in a post several years back, I purchased the Korean copy from an online bookstore called “BandiBook US”, which is based in the United States. They used to have a location in northern Virginia (which has closed, sadly), and another in California. Since I live near an area that has a lot of Korean businesses (bakery/cafes, restaurants, salons, grocers, etc), there’s bound to be another Korean bookstore I can visit.
Some bookstores let you put in an order for a book that may not be at the store. When I’m considering the shipping cost however, I think it’d be better if you request multiple books for the store to order for you. I’ll need to check my area to see if a store can do that.
If you wish to buy from Bandi Book US, you can go to this link. I purchased the book from there without a need for verification. http://www.bandibookus.com/front/product/detailProduct.do?prodId=3339438
When I purchased it back several years ago, it was less than 20USD for both the book and shipping, I believe.
You can also buy the book from Kyobo too if you want, but I think that would require you to verify identity. You can check out Yes24’s listing for it (http://www.yes24.com/Product/Goods/5430159) and Aladin (https://www.aladin.co.kr/shop/wproduct.aspx?ItemId=12577941), but be wary of the shipping costs and the need to verify your identity.
Contents of “The Fir and the Hawk” and “The Heirs”
The title itself refers to two of the characters that we know: Kyprosa (the “fir”, or perhaps “cypress”) and Gene/Kyrios (the “hawk”). One review on Yes24 gave the book a low rating because they claimed that the book was not “complete” (link to review: http://blog.yes24.com/blog/blogMain.aspx?blogid=area88ace&artSeqNo=12638561) since it didn’t mention anything besides, basically, Gene and Kyprosa’s origin stories. It does not mention anything about the other expedition members. But, this makes sense. Another review from 2012 (link: http://blog.yes24.com/blog/blogMain.aspx?blogid=dalaiaca&artSeqNo=6206195) mentions that the book hints at Kyprosa and Gene meeting after the events of the book. In addition, Kyprosa’s origin story is available online under the titles “눈의 새” (Snow Bird) and “그림자 성” (Shadow Castle). IIRC, ArcheAge when published by Trion did post about Kyprosa’s origin stories in greater detail but I cannot find it. But the second review does say that Snow Bird can be found on NAVER and Shadow Castle can be read on ArcheAge KR’s website.
But we know that there are two more books that follow The Fir and the Hawk, which is the two books in Heirs; with how the story goes, all of the expedition members are basically… heirs of the powers of the old gods. Both of the descriptions on either volume of The Heirs state that The Heirs is set three years after the events of The Fir and the Hawk.
The titles for volume one and volume two of The Heirs are 상속자들(상) and 상속자들(하), respectfully (상 is the topmost volume, whereas 하 is the bottommost volume, similar to 上 and 下 to denote the order of volumes in the Japanese ones).
So this means that if you wish to get the full story of what was written in “Tales of the Twelve” (link to ArcheAge Roleplay’s Shivtr forum with the text: https://archeageroleplay.shivtr.com/pages/twelve), you will need to read The Fir and the Hawk to understand the background stories of Kyprosa and Gene, and then The Heirs to learn what happens in detail when Kyprosa and Gene meet in Delphinad, as well as the other expedition members. In addition, according to Namu Wiki’s page on the book (link here: https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%A0%84%EB%82%98%EB%AC%B4%EC%99%80%20%EB%A7%A4), there are additional stories that follow, one being “Tales of a November Night” (this links to Namu Wiki’s page on that).
Also, I did not check for the eBook version of the volumes of The Heirs. I’m sure they’re around, though.
Alternatives (other places to view lore)
ArcheAge has uploaded ArcheAge Chronicles to KakaoPage, which I liken to the NAVER WebToon app, except it’s all text (no comics for ArcheAge!). The link to it is here: https://page.kakao.com/content/52223753 . It is in Korean and Google Chrome cannot translate it for you in the browser. If you can read Korean, this might be a good place to start.
You will need an account as well as money to read past the first five entries in this website. However, if you CAN read Korean (or find a way to translate the text when it cannot be highlighted from the website), you will be pleased to know that KakaoPage’s version contains The Fir and the Hawk (episodes 1-61), The Heirs (episodes 62-137) and the short story “Tales of a November Night” (episodes 138-144).
So, if you want a single place to read most of the lore, you should use the ArcheAge Chronicles on KakaoPage. They have an iPhone and Android app for this too, but I am unsure how well it works. I’ve used KakaoTalk before since my past few jobs were owned by Koreans, so we used that app for communnication.
And do not forget about ArcheAge KR’s website section, “Lucius Records”! (link here: https://archeage.xlgames.com/mboards/history) There are many lore entries there as well. You may have seen one of my posts: [ArcheAge Lore Series] – I: Dragons, Ospheros and the Nuons – that was (Google) translated from three of the entries in Lucius Records.
The author herself, Jeon Minhee, explained in her NAVER blog that the KakaoPage version (which she worked on) is an improved version of the eBooks, because even she claims that there were… what I’m guessing plot holes and discontinuities in her original writings. Jeon wanted to revise it, thus she made the KakaoPage version. Her post is here: https://blog.naver.com/enjolas/221427948826 . You can also view her other postings under her blog name “enjolas”.
Remember that there are also the books in game. Namu Wiki’s page on ArcheAge Chronicles (the overarching series) explains them: https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%95%84%ED%82%A4%EC%97%90%EC%9D%B4%EC%A7%80%20%EC%97%B0%EB%8C%80%EA%B8%B0
The Namu Wiki says only little bit of the actual storyline has been implemented into the game (about 1/20th).
Japanese eBook Purchase
I thought purchasing the Japanese copies was a lot less work than the Korean one. Again, here are the links to each part on Rakuten Kobo JP:
- The Goddess’ Little Daughter (First Part) 女神の幼い娘(上)
- The Goddess’ Little Daughter (Second Part) 女神の幼い娘(下)
- Snow Bird 雪の鳥
- Barefoot Empty-Handed Dawn (First Part) 裸足と徒手の夜明け(上)
- Barefoot Empty-Handed Dawn (Second Part) 裸足と徒手の夜明け(下)
They’re around 350 yen each, which was about 2.50 USD.
These you may have to put in a Japanese address and phone number in order to purchase the book. I used Tenso which allows me to create a free account and it gives me an address and phone number. Link here: https://www.tenso.com/en . If you are solely buying digital items such as ebooks, you do not need to verify. But if you wish to buy physical items, you will have to.
Please note that the Japanese eBooks do not have a physical counterpart.
The addressing system in Japan is a little tricky, so here are some websites/pictures to help (I’m providing these because you have to write the address you receive from Tenso correctly when signing up for Rakuten’s website; it may not allow you to purchase unless you have put a Japanese address on your account):
After that, you can visit your library: https://www.kobo.com/jp/en/library. If you don’t care about downloading it, you can read the books on your mobile device. For some reason, I cannot log in on Kobo’s desktop app for Windows, but it lets me sign in on my phone.
You can alternatively download the books.
Follow this tutorial: https://jeremyfelt.com/2020/01/09/how-to-read-ebooks-purchased-from-kobo-on-a-kindle/ . It will tell you how to use Adobe Digital Editions to convert the downloaded file into an actual eBook. From there, you can read it in Adobe Digital Editions, or import it into an eBook manager like Calibre. If you wish to go further and convert the format (which will remove the DRM on the eBook), you can. That tutorial explains it well. Make sure your app or device you will be reading on is compatible with the DRM and eBook file type. I want to read it on Kindle so using that tutorial, I converted it from an ePub which had Adobe DRM, to MOBI, which an Amazon e-ink Kindle can use.
I think there is a fix for this, but furigana formatting when reading on my Kindle is incorrect, since the furigana is placed with the body text instead of above, or to the side of the difficult kanji. Perhaps a plug in for Calibre can fix this?
Thoughts/Afterword
I’m certainly happy to see that purchasing the Korean eBooks is now available, because I recall many people wishing that there was an eBook version several years ago. If you see the eBook publishing dates for the Korean ones, they were only published in 2019. It’s more accessible to everyone now, but I don’t know how many of us have been actively searching. After all, there was no notice that the eBooks were posted.
I’ve been aware of the KakaoPage for the stories for about a year now, but I turned away since I cannot translate the text directly in the browser. Even if the artistic ability and writing style are lost, I still want to know what happens.
I am saddened to learn that, while writing this, that the Japanese books and The Fir and the Hawk only cover the events prior to the expedition members meeting in Delphinad. But for the ambitious ones who know Korean or are willing to learn it, there is a world of fun waiting for you in those books!
I know I’ve been saying that I’m going to learn Korean, but lately, it’s looking like a possibility that keeps trying to move away from me. I am going to start my bachelors soon (I just finished my associates back in May this year). Did you know that this blog started while I was in high school? I think I was either 14 or 15, but now, I’m turning 22 this year! I learned Japanese at my community college which is why I bothered buying the Japanese books. What I learned is definitely not enough but it’s enough to get me started.
If anything, I hope this post inspires some more people to get the eBooks. I turned off sharing on the hard copy I scanned into a PDF that I put on my Google Drive since I worried that redistribution may get me in trouble. I shared it only for maybe several hours, up to a day. Sometimes I still get emails of people requesting to view it lol. It was a pretty bad scan. I think the eBooks are much more easier to read.
For people curious to know what Korean netizens are saying about both books, I encourage you to visit naver.com and search for the Korean titles of the books. There is a plethora of results because Jeon Minhee is a popular fantasy author in Korea, so many read the books.
Hopefully in the future when time frees up greatly to the point I could start learning Korean to finally understand what happened in ArcheAge, I could help translate. But for now, I hope this is enough to encourage people to take a look at the books.
There is also a Chinese version, but I’ve yet to look it up.
Thank you all,
Percy
Percy Meets Archeage 