Silver Diamond: Volume 8: After Death

by Shiho Sugiura, 165 pages

When a strange man named Chigusa drops into Rakan's garden and is soon joined by two more unfamiliar men and a talking snake, the lonely boy with the green thumb safely guesses his life won't be quite the same. But when another boy briefly appears--one who shares his face but not his gentle, loving nature--Rakan knows he has more personal questions that need answering. He goes with his new friends to their--and possibly his own?--home world to counter the evil of his twin and learn the truth about himself.

In this volume, Rakan and company encounter a majestic giant serpent that stirs Narushige's painful childhood memories. What's happening to all the great serpents and how do they fit into the Ayame Prince's prophecies? And what is shrewd Kinrei, supposedly the mute Prince's loyal mouthpiece, really up to?

I love the world-building in this series. Chigusa's home is a harsh, dry place devoid of sun or real vegetation and quickly heading down the path to total uninhabitability and ultimate destruction, if Rakan's lookalike the Ayame Prince's dire prophecies are true. Plants, therefore, hold a near-mythical symbolism to the few people still surviving in this caste-ruled wasteland. When they see Rakan's Sanome power of making plants grow with his touch, they're torn between fear and a desperate hope. The Ayame Prince, whose power is as opposite Rakan's as his heart, has promised protection to those who trust in him--and he's never been wrong before. Can Rakan really restore life to this dying world before it's too late?

I love the characters, too. Koh, the snake, makes me giggle, and his person, Narushige, is kind, dignified, and rational. Tohji, the third guy to drop into the garden, is proud and naive and the object of the sly, deviously fun Chigusa's mockery. And Rakan exudes gentleness with his instinct to love and aid every living thing he encounters, even when he's not so sure that's a good idea. The only time his eyes grow hard is when he's contemplating his opposite number.

As I may have admitted in other reviews, I'm a fan of stories of quasi-families and metaphorical group hugs, and this series fits snugly into that category. The imaginative set-up, clever dialogue, and pleasant art are just icing on the cupcake.