IG Book Club: Ico Novel to be Released This Month

Probably one of the most oft-used pieces of evidence used in the “video games are art” debate, the PS2 classic Ico has been adapted into a novel. Ico: Castle in the Mist, written by Miyuki Miyabe and translated into English by Alexander O. Smith, the novel seems like it follows the plot of the 2001 game relatively closely. Here’s the official synopsis on publisher Viz Media’s website:

“A boy with horns, marked for death. A girl who sleeps in a cage of iron. The Castle in the Mist has called for its sacrifice: a horned child, born once a generation. When, on a single night in his thirteenth year, Ico’s horns grow long and curved, he knows his time has come. But why does the Castle in the Mist demand this offering, and what will Ico do with the girl imprisoned within the Castle’s walls?”

Part of Ico’s primary features as a game was its minimalist design. An interesting side effect of this project is that ideas and elements that were communicated without words in the game will have to be expanded and expounded upon because of the very nature of what a novel is.

Even still, because Ico leaves so much open and unsaid, it should really give a gifted writer just enough fuel to pen a pretty epic fantasy tale. I have no doubt that the Ico novel will likely offer things to readers that the Halo series of books probably doesn’t.

The book goes on sale August 16, and retails for $15.99 in the US ($18.99 in Canada, £9.99 in the UK).

Via Viz Media