[UPDATED] Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 1 releasing in English on June 20, 2017; Kingdom Hearts: The Novel Volume 2 releasing in English on December 19, 2017

Nice, I've been planing to get the novels sooner or later. Hoping the localise the BBS novel as well, along with the DDD novel.

I think i had one of them when i was a kid, but eventually i want to get the whole collection

I should really get the other ones I would go look for them at Barns and Noble but I couldn't find them when they first got announced, oh well if I can't find them I can just get them from amazon.  Still I'm glad they are also locolizing the rest of the novels it seems

Ooh, this is interesting! Thanks for this news, human!

Well then, if I'm to obtain more knowledge about the humans and this "Kingdom Hearts" series, I must fill my eye and brain with the lore I require to have full access to this site's inner works! Therefore, this novel seems like it'll help me get one step closer to ruling this site! I should get the other two novels too, when I get the chance! But yes, it's good these books are coming out one by one...very good! B)

So I assume the split is JP 1&2 into EN 1, and JP 3&4 into EN 2. What are they going to do with the short story anthologies?

(This seems to be the only novel collection requiring a split; CoM, Days and BBS all came in threes, and CoM wasn't split for EN release.)

Anyone read the KH or CoM Novels? Are they worth my time?

Anyone read the KH or CoM Novels? Are they worth my time?

KH1 is mostly just a retread of the original game. Not bad, but I'd rather just play the game.

I've been debating on whether or not to create a thread praising the CoM novel for its writing and ways it got out of some of the problems the game(s) had. Like, for example, the idea that S/D/G completely lose all of their memories of each world they visit in Castle Oblivion past Traverse Town. In the novel, they only gradually lose their memories, Sora more quickly than Donald or Goofy. Oftentimes, it's Donald or Goofy that will remind Sora of a certain thing that happened in the first game and he's like, 'Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that...'

The novel also takes the best dialogue out of both the GBA version and PS2 version of the game. Of course, it added in Axel's famous catchphrase, 'Got it memorized?', which wasn't written until Kingdom Hearts II, but it also added in other lines that were originally from the GBA, like Axel saying he wanted Sora to give him a 'hell of a show!' 

Another cool thing about the novel is the Riku perspective on the story. Not just the real Riku, but the Riku Replica. It adds so much to his character in ways the game never possibly could. 

And my favorite part, I can read the CoM novel in Sora's KH1 voice and it works. I can't tell you how relieved I am to have a version of the CoM storyline that doesn't have the inconsistencies of the original and I can create the way Sora should sound in my head instead of having to hear Haley Joel Osment's older voice in his younger body. (I can give a pass to DDD since it's all a dream, anyway. Not so much Coded, though, which is why it's one of the other games I want to read a novelization of)

The only downsides I can say about the book is that the dialogue tends to make excuses for itself. Sometimes, Goofy will just go 'Huh? What's wrong, Sora?" to indicate that Sora has just been standing around thinking to himself without any real indication that that's what he's been doing since that's better presented in a visual medium. This happens a couple times throughout the book and it's kind of silly in its execution.

TL;DR: Yes, read the CoM novel. Also, read the KH1 novel if you want, but read CoM definitely.  

KH1 is mostly just a retread of the original game. Not bad, but I'd rather just play the game.

 

I've been debating on whether or not to create a thread praising the CoM novel for its writing and ways it got out of some of the problems the game(s) had. Like, for example, the idea that S/D/G completely lose all of their memories of each world they visit in Castle Oblivion past Traverse Town. In the novel, they only gradually lose their memories, Sora more quickly than Donald or Goofy. Oftentimes, it's Donald or Goofy that will remind Sora of a certain thing that happened in the first game and he's like, 'Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that...'

 

The novel also takes the best dialogue out of both the GBA version and PS2 version of the game. Of course, it added in Axel's famous catchphrase, 'Got it memorized?', which wasn't written until Kingdom Hearts II, but it also added in other lines that were originally from the GBA, like Axel saying he wanted Sora to give him a 'hell of a show!' 

 

Another cool thing about the novel is the Riku perspective on the story. Not just the real Riku, but the Riku Replica. It adds so much to his character in ways the game never possibly could. 

 

And my favorite part, I can read the CoM novel in Sora's KH1 voice and it works. I can't tell you how relieved I am to have a version of the CoM storyline that doesn't have the inconsistencies of the original and I can create the way Sora should sound in my head instead of having to hear Haley Joel Osment's older voice in his younger body. (I can give a pass to DDD since it's all a dream, anyway. Not so much Coded, though, which is why it's one of the other games I want to read a novelization of)

 

The only downsides I can say about the book is that the dialogue tends to make excuses for itself. Sometimes, Goofy will just go 'Huh? What's wrong, Sora?" to indicate that Sora has just been standing around thinking to himself without any real indication that that's what he's been doing since that's better presented in a visual medium. This happens a couple times throughout the book and it's kind of silly in its execution.

 

TL;DR: Yes, read the CoM novel. Also, read the KH1 novel if you want, but read CoM definitely.  

Consider me convinced. Thank you for the reply!

When you were a kid? Are you sure you're not just talking about the manga? Because the English versions of the novels were released in 2015, unless you've read the Japanese versions.

Two volumes?! O.O

KH2's original story must be very long.