To be honest, I didn’t know that Magus of The Library is based on the book called Kafna of the Wind. It was only when I bought the book that I noticed the mention on the cover.

Is it unusual to see an English book to receive a manga adaptation by a Japanese mangaka?

Well, the answer is no. There are many English novels that get adapted into manga.

One of them is Harlequin manga.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Harlequin manga, it’s a manga adaptation of the Harlequin novels, with most of them are best-sellers.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I do enjoy reading Harlequin manga. I even plan to talk about it on my blog too.

So, please stay tune to my post about Harlequin manga. The post will be available on my blog anytime soon.

What Magus of the Library is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

In the small village of Amun lives a poor boy named Theo. Theo adores books, but because of his pointed ears and impoverished life, he isn’t allowed to use the village library. As he endures the prejudice and hatred of the village, he dreams of going where such things don’t exist: Aftzaak, City of Books. But one day, Theo chances to meet a Kafna–a librarian who works for the great library of Aftzaak–and his life changes forever…

What got me to read the manga

Here’s the funny thing when I came across this manga for the first time on the Kindle store: I thought that it was a light novel.

It was only after I downloaded the book that I realized that the book that I bought was a manga, not a light novel.

Yes, I know that the book cover makes it clear that the manga is based on the book called Kafna of the Wind. But with the book title being the only thing that is visible enough in the thumbnail, it’s hard to know if it’s a manga or a light novel, right?

To be honest, I’m not sure why I thought that the book was a light novel. Is it because of the word library in the title that makes me think that way?

I guess it must be because I love Ascendance of a Bookworm so much that I thought that Magus of the Library must be a light novel too.

Even if it’s not a light novel, I will still buy this manga. It’s hard for me to resist when the story is about books and book lovers.

And yes, it was also on sale on the Kindle store when I came across the manga for the first time. That makes it even harder for me to resist not buying this manga.

What makes Magus of the Library worth reading

This manga somehow proves my point that reading is one of the best ways for you to gain knowledge. And anyone can benefit from reading regardless of their social status and age.

After all, knowledge is power. You can gain so many things and rebuild the things that you lost with the knowledge alone. It’s the one thing that will stay with you regardless of your situation.

How’s that even possible? Well, the story in Dr. STONE proves it all.

Of course, you can also apply the same principle to fiction books too since most fiction books do blend the fictional story with the real life knowledge.

I can’t count how many times I learn many new things through novels, manga, and light novels. While the nonfiction books I purchase tend to focus more on finding the solution to the problem and also as a reference for my writing, I learn other cool things through fiction.

That serves as reminder not just to those who discard reading as a waste of time, but also to those who are in the pursuit of gaining knowledge through reading.

So, yes, this manga was spot on when it comes to what reading can do for you, even if the books that you read are fiction books.

Of course, that’s not the only thing that the manga is focusing on. It even shows you a step-by-step guide on how to restore the condition of the books so then they will last for the years to come.

I can’t say for sure if that’s how you do it when it comes to restoring the old books. Even if it doesn’t, it’s amazing to see how much these characters emphasize the importance of looking after the books in your possession.

After all, books are a source of knowledge. So, we should treat all books with full respect.

What I didn’t expect when I read the manga

Remember when I mentioned that the manga is based on the book, Kafna of the Wind by Sophie Schwimm?

I thought that a little bit of digging would lead me to the original source.

But strangely enough, I couldn’t find the original source anywhere else, not even on Amazon. Heck, there wasn’t even a Wikipedia page about the book!

I thought that I could find the book on Amazon, thinking that the book page might still be there even if the book was no longer available for sale anymore.

But what I ended up getting was the search result filled with products that had wind in the title instead.

Does it mean that the book doesn’t even exist to begin with?

I have a rough idea why the book was nowhere to be found. But there was a kind soul who commented on the question posted on Goodreads, saying that the fourth volume did mention the original author of the book.

I can’t say much about this issue since I have yet to read the fourth book as I write this.

But at the very least, we can rest assured that the story isn’t based on a book that doesn’t exist.

If only we can get our hands on the book itself in any form or shape.

Who should be reading this book

If you enjoy reading a story that revolves around books and book lovers, mixed with the Arabian setting and culture, then you will certainly enjoy reading this manga.

After all, the setting that takes place in village with the Middle-Eastern flair. Same goes for the characters’ outfit, particularly the Kafna.

Of course, the story isn’t about Theo and the Kafna geeking out about books all the time. You’ll still get to see some fight scenes in between, similar to what you see in the fantasy genre. But it’s not going to be as intense as your usual fantasy fanfare, though.

Where to buy Magus of the Library manga

As always, you can buy Magus of the Library manga in print or in digital on Amazon. This is where I bought mine.

You can buy the manga right here:

Buy Magus of the Library manga on Amazon

Can’t buy the digital version of the manga on Amazon? You can also buy the manga on Bookwalker too.

Buy Magus of the Library manga on Bookwalker

Besides Amazon, you can also buy the print version of the manga on Wordery. I highly recommend people to buy books on Wordery because they offer free shipping worldwide.

You can buy the manga on Wordery right here:

Buy Magus of the Library manga on Wordery

Over to you

What do you think about Magus of the Library manga? Are you interested in reading the manga after you find out about it on my blog? Let me know in the comment below.

P.S If you’re someone who loves the idea of learning something new through manga and light novels and you also love a story that blends facts and fiction, then you may enjoy reading my Trigger Locked series.

The good news is you can now get the first book and the second book of the series at 50% off on Smashwords.

If you’d like to give the series a try, you can buy the light novels right here:

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins

Trigger Locked Book 2: A Silent Killer

This special promotion will only be available until March 31st, 2021.