When Volume 11 of the acclaimed Twilight Princess manga released in English in April 2023, fans across the world rejoiced that they would finally be able to witness the epic finale to Link’s six-year odyssey through Twilit Hyrule. It’s a true testament to the enduring power of Akira Himekawa’s work that the Zelda manga has become almost, if not just as, synonymous with the Zelda series as the games themselves. And it’s thanks to them that we have since come to appreciate the older manga penned by Ataru Cagiva, Yuu Mishouzaki, and Shotaro Ishinomori as well.
But something has always puzzled me: With the explosive popularity of Zelda manga over the years, why have we never seen any novels written about the series? Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to watch Link’s adventures unfold through gorgeous ink illustrations and speech bubbles, but I think my fellow bibliophiles would agree that a sweeping Hyrulean saga written by an experienced fantasy author would be the perfect companion with whom to while away a rainy afternoon. I did a little research, and it does look like a collection of five Zelda novels was published by Futabasha in the early ’90s. Unfortunately, I could only verify the existence of two of them – “Triforce of the Gods” and “The Count of Black Shadows” – and it seems that neither one has an official English translation.
If you’re absolutely desperate to scratch your literary itch though, there is a small silver lining to be found. Back in February of 1990, when the series only consisted of two games and there was no such thing as Sky Islands, Ganondorf, or even a Master Sword, one humble little Zelda story was written with English speakers in mind. The only catch? Its intended audience was children aged three-to-eight years old.
Do the words “Golden Books” spark a tiny fire in the forgotten corridors of your distant memory? My folks used to take me to these quirky thrift shops when I was a kid in the early 2000s, and I remember that the children’s sections of these stores were always littered with cheap plastic toys and these floppy picture books with a fancy golden spine. They weren’t groundbreaking or insightful – just short, comforting little tales with adorable characters and whimsical artwork that kids could lose themselves in while their parents contemplated the curios on the shelves.
Golden Books would frequently feature licensed characters from other franchises in their stories (Disney Princesses, Bugs Bunny, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc.), and as it turns out, the stars of The Legend of Zelda were given some time in the spotlight with their own Golden Look-Look Book entitled “Molblin’s Magic Spear.”
“Molblin’s Magic Spear” was written by American author Jack C. Harris, known primarily for his work at DC Comics in the ’70s and ’80s, and illustrated by Arthur and Kim Ellis; these three also collaborated on a Super Mario Bros. Golden Book published in 1989. The story takes place during Link’s journey to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in The Legend of Zelda, imagining an isolated encounter between the intrepid hero and one of Ganon’s many ferocious minions. It’s a classic tale of bravery and wit prevailing over brute strength, as Link must contend with a Moblin (who were known as “Molblins” at the time and more closely resembled bulldogs than pigs) who can magically materialize a new spear in his hand every time he throws one.
The illustrations do a decent job of mimicking the official artwork from the first two Zelda games, but one thing you may notice is that the character designs were derived from a number of different sources. Princess Zelda is still a dainty redhead with a pink dress like in the original game, but both Link and Impa appear as their older selves from The Adventure of Link, and Ganon’s pale yellow pig-goblin body is imported directly from the Legend of Zelda TV series. The latter point is particularly intriguing because this children’s book came packaged with an audiobook on cassette tape (known as a “Golden Story Book ‘n’ Tape”), and the recording features familiar cast members from the animated series – Jonathan Potts reprised his role as Link, while Len Carlson voiced Ganon, the Moblin, and the Old Shopkeeper. For some odd reason though, I can’t find a single bit of information about who played the narrator. If anyone reading this article knows the answer, please drop us a message or leave a comment on social media, and we’ll update accordingly!
Adding this charming piece of memorabilia to your ever-expanding Zelda collection may require you to fork over a significant amount of cash, depending on which items you’re most interested in. The book by itself seems to be readily available, with most listings falling into the $10-$20 range. But from what I’ve observed, the cassette tape is quite rare, so if you’re intent on owning it, be prepared for at least a fivefold increase in price. One listing with the book and tape loosely bundled together asks for $100, and another one that comes in the original Book ‘n’ Tape packaging requests a staggering $365. And that doesn’t even account for the $37 shipping charge!
While I think that this book would make for a nice, wholesome addition to a child’s personal library, I admit that its existence does puzzle me a little bit. Why did Nintendo only commission one Golden Book and not an entire series? Kids who have never heard of The Legend of Zelda would probably be confused by the overarching story, wondering why they didn’t get to see Link rescue the princess by the end. With a book franchise, young ones would have been able to learn about the land of Hyrule over time, cheer on the hero in green as he overcame multiple obstacles instead of just one, and then jumped for joy when he finally defeated the evil pig man and saved the world.
As is, I think this book would only appeal to kids who are already familiar with the Zelda games or to those who are fans of the animated series. And given how ungodly expensive the cassette tape is, I wouldn’t recommend bending over backward to get your hands on it. There are plenty of high-quality rips available on YouTube (like this one), so just slip on your headphones and let the ’80s nostalgia wash over you like a tidal wave!
