(Contains major spoilers for The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.)

Yes, it is time, once again, for me to review a Haruhi Suzumiya light novel! Oh, but what's this? This time, it's Kyon who wants to stir things up? Oh, this is quite intriguing! What's also intriguing is that, for the first time ever, I'm reviewing a Haruhi Suzumiya light novel that covers not a collection of short stories but one full story! (I started my Haruhi reviews with The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, in case you're wondering.) Now, I wonder how this will fare? (God, I wish I had a time machine, so I'd be able to travel forward in time and know how.)

Attention, aliens, time travelers, and espers! Please read my review of the seventh light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series, The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa! (Don't worry, ordinary humans. I'll allow you to read it, too.)

If you aren't familiar with this series, allow me to explain. Kyon, real name still withheld for some reason (especially considering how hates his nickname), is just your average guy who, upon entering high school, meets Haruhi Suzumiya, who is not your average girl. Some proof of this fact is how she is only interested in aliens, time travelers, and espers; she completely rejects normal humans. Bizarrely enough, Kyon ends up becoming acquainted with Haruhi. One conversation after another ensues, and eventually, Haruhi's forcing Kyon to join a club she just formed. What's the name of this particular club, you ask?

The Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, or for short, the SOS Brigade!

To carry out the activities of the SOS Brigade, Haruhi secures the literary club room, as well as its only member, the stoic bookworm Yuki Nagato. She also recruits Mikuru Asahina, a shy and adorable second-year girl, and Itsuki Koizumi, a "mysterious transfer student". The SOS Brigade's goal, according to Haruhi, is to "find aliens, time travelers, and espers and have fun with them!" However, little does she know that this goal has already been achieved; Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki are respectively an alien, a time traveler, and an esper. They are all here specifically because of Haruhi, which leads to more proof of Haruhi not being your average girl; she unknowingly has the god-like power to destroy and recreate the world when she's bored of it. Thus, the rest of the SOS Brigade must go along with all of Haruhi's crazy schemes to avoid the apocalypse.... and in the meanwhile, Kyon gets more and more involved in things that are commonly seen in the sci-fi genre, such as time travel, thanks to his bizarre fellow club members.

Speaking of time travel, that is an especially important factor of the novel I am reviewing today. That is a fact that was obvious from the prologue, when Kyon, Yuki, and Mikuru go back to December eighteenth to fill in a gap from when Yuki changed the world the way she did in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. (It makes more sense than it sounds.) However, the real story in this novel starts a month after this little time-travel adventure, when Kyon finds Mikuru inside of the broom closet in the club room; she claims that she was sent from eight days in the future by Kyon himself (which, of course, confuses Kyon). This leads to Kyon receiving letters from the older Mikuru - the one from further into the future than the Mikuru everyone knows and loves - instructing him to complete a certain number of tasks over the course of the week. He does these tasks alongside the Mikuru from eight days later, as he was instructed to take her along.... and ends up saving a certain someone from a certain organization. (I'm not going to name any names to avoid spoilers. If you haven't read this novel and have a guess on who the "certain someone" or the "certain organization" is, your guess is probably wrong.)

Please excuse me for the pun I'm about to make, but this novel was intriguing in more ways than one! For example, two new characters, although they're currently unnamed, were introduced, and I'm interested in seeing what kind of role they'll play in the rest of the series. (One of those new characters is quite irritating, though.) The entire concept of this novel was interesting, as well; every little thing that happened served a purpose that, in the end, made all of those puzzle pieces fit together nicely. (I'm also a fan of the concept of time travel, so that might also have something to do with it.) The character development was also great in this novel, and I enjoyed how Kyon and Mikuru interacted throughout the story, especially considering how much I love Mikuru! However, I did notice a significant lack of Haruhi, another character I love, but hey, even though her name is in the title, she can't have every ounce of the spotlight, right?

Overall, I really loved The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya! It's an absolute must-read for all Haruhi fans. There's one question that must be asked, however; will a possible season three of the anime adaptation be as intriguing, or perhaps even more? I guess we'll only find out if one is announced in the future! (Seriously, MAKE IT HAPPEN.)