Death Note: Another Note (Novel) (Death Note) | 
| Author: Nisioisin
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
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Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 15477
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 176
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 6 x 0.9
ISBN: 142151883X
Dewey Decimal Number: 895.636
EAN: 9781421518831
ASIN: 142151883X
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
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Product Description
There's a serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles and the local authorities need help fast. For some reason the killer has been leaving a string of maddeningly arcane clues at each crime scene. Each of these clues, it seems, is an indecipherable roadmap to the next murder.Onto the scene comes L, the mysterious super-sleuth. Despite his peculiar working habits - he's never shown his face in public, for example - he's the most decorated detective in the world and has never tackled a cased he hasn't been able to crack. But this time he needs help. Enlisting the services of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, L starts snooping around the City of Angels. It soon becomes apparent that the killing spree is a psychotic riddle designed specifically to engage L in a battle of wits. Stuck in the middle between killer and investigator, it's up to Misora to navigate both the dead bodies and the egos to solve the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 Mixed Bag February 14, 2008
Mister Myst (Corona, California)
26 out of 34 found this review helpful
A prose novel spinoff of the popular manga?
It's about L instead of Light?
Huh. Sounds worth a look.
And it was...kind of.
This book is a prequel to the Death Note series. It covers the Los Angeles BB Serial Murders that are briefly mentioned in the manga. It tells of the first time L ever worked with FBI Agent Naomi Misora, arguably his greatest collaborator.
What's interesting is that, unlike a lot of whodunnit mysteries, this one is actually more effective with a second reading. As a Death Note fan, I found the first reading of chapter two mildly intriguing. When I reread it after finishing the book and knowing who the killer was, that chapter became much darker, creepier, and more engaging. The same can be said about other parts of the book, but it was most effective here.
Another unusual thing about this book is the way it's written. Essentially, its narrated by L's protege, Mello. He starts out by trying to write about the case like he was writting a true crime report; very straight forward and admittingly speculative. Very quickly though, his tone changes to that of a novelist. He ends up writing down what the characters are thinking or feeling. Only occasionally does he catch himself and revert back to the other style. Mello even interrupts the story at various points when he has a problem with how he worded a certain sentence or how he had a character speak. It gave me the feeling that I was looking over Mello's shoulder as he was writing it. This all provided some quirky, self-aware humor at parts where the book risked becoming too ridiculous. Also, it was an interesting way to provide infodumps and backstory when it was needed.
There were some problems though.
First, is a bizarre contradiction with the rules established in the Death Note canon. Not only that, but it's never really explained. Both Mello and the real author just expect us to accept it without question.
Second, when you finally get to the final chapter and realize what was truly at stake if the mystery wasn't solved, you want to yell out, "So What?" Although L admits in the manga that he's childish and hates to lose, his reasons (and Mello's justifications for those reasons) for getting involved in the BB case make him come across as uncharacteristically petty.
Third, the names of most of the characters are unbelievably stupid. The best example would be "Backyard Bottomslash" (no, I'm not joking). Unless Mello "changed names to protect the innocent", there is no reason for having such bizarre names. If they had been used in a comedic manner (much like Mello's inconsistent narration style), that'd be one thing. They weren't, and they really weakened the parts of the book that we're expected to take seriously.
This book is only recommended for fans of the manga. If you're a Death Note fan, you'll have certain expectations while reading the book which will make the twist ending that much more surprising. For anyone else, the twist will lose all of its power because they will not have said expectations.
This book was decent, but it "cooled" my enthusiasm for any future Death Note Spinoffs. If you want something truly great, stick with the original.
 Worth The Wait, L Fans.... February 9, 2008
Raphael Knight (York ME)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I preordered this book back in November...and it was worth the wait. It is easy reading, full of ingenius "riddles" for Misora and Ryuzaki to follow (left by the killer Beyond Birthday) (That was not a spoiler, BTW)
It's so interesting and gripping, you can't put it down. In my opinion...
The author did a great job on this, though I laugh at "Ryuzaki's" behavior. Scuttling around on all fours looking for clues the police overlooked, he reminds me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
I really recommend this book to all Death Note fans.
 Worth reading...but beware! March 31, 2008
Sekuiro (Lemont, IL United States)
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
If you're a fan of the anime/manga, this novel is definitely worth reading. The writing is funny, clever and engaging, the dialogue and characterization is spot on, and the plot kept me guessing. It's not without problems, though. Other reviewers have already mentioned the bizarre, distracting names--my "favorite" being "Blues-harp Babysplit" (Really, what the heck?) My biggest problem with this book, however, was the ending.
WARNING, HUGE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HATE SPOILERS.
I found the ending a huge disappointment. Why? I must admit a personal bias at this point. L is my favorite character. I bought this novel primarily because I thought it was about L, and this was not an inexpensive book--$18.00 for a lean 175 pages, which I devoured in one night. I thought I was getting my money's worth, but in the end, it's revealed that Ryuzaki--the character we're led to believe is L for most of the novel--is a fake. So in reality, L is hardly in this book at all. I actually felt cheated and tricked, since the introduction and inside cover seem to indicate that this novel is about him. And that's really the only reason this book didn't get five stars from me. Well, that and the names.
Keeps Getting Better April 1, 2008
James N. Smith (Memphis, TN United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I was really disappointed the fun was over after the Death Note series ended, so it was a no-brainer I'd pick up "Death Note: Another Note" when I saw it in a bookstore one afternoon. I had no expectations, and all I can say is "what a page turner it is!" This novel does what I wish more books would do when based on an existing property. It's fleshes out the backstory hinted at of major characters, and secondary characters that served their purpose in the main story, but you wanted to know more about. Best of all, you don't feel let down with the new knowledge. DNAN keeps up the suspense and tension that the original series had, and manages to throw in some unexpected twists that really surprised me, especially considering this is a prequel of sorts (you'll understand soon enough). Author, Nisiosin is to be commended on an excellent addition to the Death Note mythos, and I hope to read more translations of his work.
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