List of Fullmetal Alchemist light novels
The "Fullmetal Alchemist" light novels are based on the manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa. "Fullmetal Alchemist" began serialization in Square Enix's monthly manga anthology "Monthly Shonen Gangan" its August 2001 issue and concluded in June 2010. Square Enix has published a series of six light novel adaptations based on the series, all written by Makoto Inoue with illustrations provided by Arakawa. The novels follow the Elric brothers on their continued quest for the Philosopher's Stone. The first novel of the series, "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand", was  used as the source material for episodes 11 and 12 of the first "Fullmetal Alchemist" anime adaptation. The first novel was published in February 2003, and the sixth in March 2007. Square Enix has also published novelizations of their three "Fullmetal Alchemist" PlayStation 2 action role-playing video games: "Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel", "", and "" and two Wii games: "Prince of the Dawn" and "Daughter of the Dusk" (in one volume). The first novel was written by Makoto Inoue; the next two by Jun Eishima, and the last by Sōji Machida. However, none of these have been published in  English. Viz Media acquired the license for an English language release of the light novel series simultaneously with the license for the original manga. The "Fullmetal Alchemist" novels were one of the premiere titles for Viz's new Fiction imprint and were translated by Alexander O. Smith. The first five novels were released in North America from October 2005 to December 2007. The sixth novel, translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash and Asumi Shibata, was released in October 2021. Starting from December 14, 2021 re-release of "The Land of Sand", Viz has begun publishing second editions of the first five  light novels with new cover designs, and unlike the original releases they are also available digitally. The new release is set to conclude with the new edition of "The Ties That Bind" on September 27, 2022. Reception. The first "Fullmetal Alchemist" novel, "The Land of the Sand", was well received by Jarred Pine of Mania Entertainment as a self-contained novelization that remained true to the characterizations of the manga series. He said that while the lack of backstory aims it more towards fans of the franchise than new readers, it was an impressive debut piece for the Viz Fiction  line. "Ain't It Cool News" also found the novel to be true to its roots, and said that while it added nothing new, it was compelling enough for followers of the series to enjoy a retelling. The reviewer said it was a "work for young-ish readers that's pretty clear about some darker sides of politics, economics and human nature". Charles Solomon of the "Los Angeles Times" said that the novel has a different focus than the anime series; "The Land of Sand" "created a stronger, sympathetic bond" between the younger brothers than is seen in its two -episode anime counterpart.