General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)
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@MMOSimca-ddm6ono
I second everything @myskaros suggested...except for Her Majesty's Swarm which I found was too gore heavy for meAnd here are a few more:
From JNC Deathbound Duke’s Daughter —This is one of my favorites, and I want more people to check it out
This next one is rather light hearted at times but still retains some stakes during the action
The Tales of Marielle Clarac -
To everyone who replied to me, I just wanted to say thank you once again. I’ve been having a great time exploring your recommendations.
@HarmlessDave Oh! My apologies. I just saw your reply, even if my own previous reply went up afterwards. I’ll add non-JNC titles to my list shortly.
And for @MMOSimca-ddm6ono , all the JNC titles I can think of have already been mentioned, but might I suggest:
- “Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind” (Cross Infinite World) It follows the protagonist from infancy to a young woman, who originally is only interested in caring for her adoptive father and home, and later gets reluctantly embroiled in larger events to try and restore the disrupted balance of the world. If I recall correctly, it has some comedy, but the story is mostly driven by her expanding awareness of the world around her and commenting on the oddities of her nature. Some romance subplots involving side characters but not really for herself, at least as told so far.
- “The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash” (Seven Seas) Only one volume so far, so it’s hard to guess how the story might evolve as it goes forward, but at present it’s a fairly serious tale about a homeless eight-year-old girl struggling to get by on her own, out in the woods and on the streets. Given her age and circumstances, I’m not expecting to see a serious romance plot line anytime soon, given that the majority if the first volume only covers a span of a few weeks (as opposed to “Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind”, where the protagonist ages several years with each of the early volumes).
- “The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life” (Yen Press) Some romance, but it’s fairly quiet by light novel standards. Some comedy as well, but it’s more a story about the protagonist trying to build a life and a business for herself in a world she no longer quite fits into, and the impact her actions have on the city-state she calls home.
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Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! - despite the title, the formerly male MC seems like they were meant to be female all along -- in the flashbacks they seem happiest living as their female "gag" character and played it enough to reach a very high level. Only 2 volumes, but good. Not so much a "comedy" as being a mix of sweet and silly a bit like Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. (And if you haven't read KKKB you really should try it.)
Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister; Plenty of Service Will Be Provided! - sadly only one volume, but fun and not really yuri. It's the Abilities Average of elder vampires.
Deathbound Duke's Daughter yet another one that ends too soon at only 2 volumes, but they are very good and this is more serious than the two above
@Dawnaxis said in [General Reading Recommendation Thread
And for @MMOSimca-ddm6ono , all the JNC titles I can think of have already been mentioned, but might I suggest:
- “Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind” (Cross Infinite World)
- “The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life” (Yen Press)
I'll second these. Reincarnated is more sweet, Alchemist is more serious.
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@MMOSimca-ddm6ono Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online. Written by the author of Kino's Journey rather than the SAO author, it's a fun series about a bunch of girls playing video games, and shooting a whole bunch of other people. I definitely laughed at plenty of moments, but I don't think it's overall comedic.
@myskaros said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Dahlia in Bloom (JNC)
Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (JNC)I warn that these are both quite male-female romance heavy, since that seems to be another thing you dislike (which apparently covered the majority of the female MC novels I read, with comedic covering most of the rest).
Is Ascendance of a Bookworm (JNC) too romance heavy in the later volumes? It's definitely more than a minor plot point for other characters, but unsure for Myne herself -
@Dawnaxis thanks for adding the non-JNC.
Not on your list:
A Tale of the Secret Saint - silly, harmless fun.
Another World Survival: Min-maxing my Support and Summoning Magic - new publisher, this is promising so far but hard to tell if it will continue to be good or fall apart
Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life -- it's better than potions, and to me the LN is much better than the anime. I felt like the anime left out the best parts of the humor and dumbed down the rest while adding its own badly written replacements for some material.
Disciple of the Lich - isekai junk food, but if you run out of other things to read like I did it could fill the gap while you wait for something better. I enjoyed it more than JNC's Isekai Tensei but that's faint praise.
Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound -- sweet, and his little dog is still a good girl in her fenrir body
Fruit of Evolution - volume 2 out at the end of next month. The anime is silly but enjoyable and left me wanting to read more of the story.
I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - isekai...IN SPAAACE! It's a little like Me Aa Genius!? in that everything the MC does is misinterpreted. Silly fun.
Reborn as a Space Mercenary - another isekai...IN SPAAACE! It's junk food, but still enjoyable
The Otherworlder, Exploring the Dungeon - interesting isekai that's fairly serious where things don't always go well.
JNC's Gag character, Seriously Seeking Sister - mentioned above
Things you've already tried:
Loner Life in Another World (Tried the free sample, but I just found it off-putting. The reviews I saw didn’t convince me that it would improve on that front, either.)
They made (in my opinion) a very bad choice to have the flash-forward prologue. The battle there is nothing like the rest of the book. 90% of the book is more of a comedy about the main character's very different world view and strange language skills, it's closer to Zoolander and Monty Python mixed with Jason Mraz than Grimdark Deathbattle 3000.
Skeleton Knight in Another World (Tried the free sample, but just felt like the opening was one giant red flag. I ran for the hills and have never looked back.)
The attempted assault on the women at the start isn't a major ongoing thing, it's mostly a silly but flawed story of an overpowered lunkhead saving the day. It might be worth trying again or watching the anime but I'm only going to give a weak recommendation.
Of the two I'd rate Loner Life much more worthy of gambling on a full volume.
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For both @MMOSimca-ddm6ono and @Dawnaxis
Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem! - despite being a zombie apocalypse it's not really gory at all, it's lighthearted silly fun. It's complete with 2 volumes.
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Lately I've been in a bit of a binge read for Shoujou Romance... and with the last book I picked up I was faced a question:
The male leads fell in love with the main character because she doesn't really fit the preexisting molds. She doesn't conform to the rigid expected behavior of nobility, and that's exactly what attracted otherwise seemingly cold people to her.
And yet, some of the leads are not going to be chosen. At some point they are going to have to deal with their obligations. And I would love to read about how they go about that and how they may find (or not) love, or at least something resembling happiness.
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Been reading some light novels again, and figured out why I really just couldn't take in the power fantasy, which would be the classical Deus ex Machina. The stories I enjoy the most had the characters being better properly correlating to their efforts (accidental improvements also were fine, as long as it made sense and not overly excessive), as well as being able to see how they've come as far as they did. It doesn't necessarily have to be power; knowledge and wisdom also needs to have some substance to exist. This one thing is so easily broken in game format isekai stories, especially when the gimmick is to cheese it out with some particular exploit that only an AAA team or an innocent 12 year old dev would have accidentally exist.
I've been enjoying Tearmoon Empire and Ascendance of a Bookworm (understandably so) quite a lot lately, wonder if there's any other particular stories that gets the Deus ex Machina aspect under control.
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@22144418 well, if you are a fan of both Bookworm and Tearmoon than you might enjoy Apothecary Diaries: snarky MC uses her wit as knowledge as a Apothecary to begrudgingly solve mysteries of palace intrigue
a lot of us on the forum who enjoy both Bookworm and Tearmoon also like Apothecary Diaries so it's my go-to recommendation for people who say those two series are their favorites
Additionally if you like Bookworm you may like Dahlia in Bloom {caveat: Dahlia has a lot of descriptions of food & drink, which I love but YMMV}
Also you might like Altina the Sword Princess where one of the main characters is a humble tactician who is an inveterate bookworm and comes up with strategies based on the plots of various stories he has read
Finally, check out Deathbound Duke’s Daughter; it's one of my favorite series and I think more people should read it
Let me know if any of these are to your liking or if you would like more recommendations 😉
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@22144418 Are you willing to clarify your request a little - are there any particular genres or themes you’re hoping for, or just “anything that is a light novel”?
@Lily-Garden’s suggestions are good ones, but in case part of why you asked is because you’re still particularly hoping for something with more of a combat or “game format isekai series” aspect, here are a few more that might work:
- “To Another World… With Land Mines!” Despite the title, this is a fairly down-to-earth and pragmatic take on what it might be like to suddenly find yourself in a RPG-like fantasy setting.
- “Faraway Paladin” Less game-like than “Land Minds!”, but still a sword and sorcery isekai fantasy. And while the protagonist eventually outclasses most of his peers, the story makes clear the kind of time and effort it takes for him to get there. Plus he’s not necessarily more powerful than the main threats he needs to overcome. Also, there is a heavy emphasis on real, thoughtful human connections and interpersonal relationships, which may or may not be something you’re also craving from an isekai tale.
- “Rebuild World” Sci-fi instead of fantasy, which might be a plus or a minus for you. The protagonist might turn out a bit overpowered some day, but it’s proving so far to be a very slow and steady progression to get there, with a journey built on his personal efforts.
- It’s possible that “I Parry Everything” might fall in this category as well, but with only the first two parts of the first volume released so far, it’s way too soon to tell.
P.S. To everyone who helped me out a month ago, I just want to say thanks again. I’ve greatly enjoyed working through the recommendations you provided.
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@22144418 - besides the great suggestions above, (Faraway Paladin is one of my favorites) you might take a look at:
Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - despite the title, the MC has to work for every bit of power, in (to borrow from the Instant Death Cheat author) "an unforgiving world that rewards only effort"
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom - MCs main power is his knowledge of economics and politics, but it's more entertaining than that might imply. Although serious, it's nothing like the grimdark sex and violence of Game of Thrones.
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@Dawnaxis Anything that is a light novel, yes.
I just remembered about Deathbound Duke's Daughter, when's volume 3? I really liked it, and it hasn't even hit the main part (where the game actually takes place) yet.
Dahlia and Apothecary are both great. It does get a bit heavy with reading it thoroughly, so I'm still a volume or two behind. Especially when also having the other light novels occupying the same general head space, they do tend to bleed into each other at a certain point.
I'll take a look at some of the others, there's plenty of recommendations. Thank you all for the help!
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@22144418 said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
I just remembered about Deathbound Duke's Daughter, when's volume 3?
Sadly, it was cancelled in Japan, and JNC can't license webnovels for business reasons. All we can do is try to find and read a translation of the webnovel (posting links here is not allowed).
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@22144418 said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
I just remembered about Deathbound Duke's Daughter, when's volume 3?
The question I have been praying for for years...
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For J-Novel Club light novels, in addition to the other ones people have suggested, perhaps:
Crest of Stars - I haven't made it all the way through these light novels as the prose isn't the easiest going, considering there's a made up language that is translated into Japanese then into English. I think it's good though. I've enjoyed what I have read so far.
I have watched the anime. It's a sci-fi story that has space battles, but the focus is more on culture clash, and what it means to be conquered by an empire.
Redefining the Meta at the VRMMO Academy - This is one of the Sol Press rescues. I think it is a lighthearted fun series with relatively low stakes, and I enjoy reading about the main character's play style. It gets ridiculous, but I like that about it.
WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!!
This is a comedy that is not to everyone's taste, but it made me laugh out loud several times. The literary criticism duel was so bad.For light novels at other publishers:
Cross Infinite World
Obsessions of an Otome Gamer
This is an unfinished series, but I'm glad I read it. It is about a girl who studies piano in a world that resembles a game she used to play.Yen Press
Interspecies Reviewers
A NSFW series about people who review brothels in a fantasy world.Non light novels
Probably the best novel I read this year that was not a Japanese light novel was The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is the first novel-length story in her Penric series.
A romance author I like, who doesn't squick me with the tropes is Jackie Lau. I particularly liked The Unmatchmakers. There might be too much food in her books for you to like them. Food is usually incorporated into the plot somehow, for example in the Unmatchmakers, the parents of the romantic leads come up with a ridiculous plan to keep their children from spending time together at the cottage. They say they want smores, and the female lead goes to every store in town looking for graham crackers, where all such crackers have been mysteriously sold out. (The parents bought them.)
Some books that came out a few years ago:
I would also recommend the time travel mystery series starting with The Far-Time Incident by Neve Maslakovic
And also C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series and Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe series in general
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Hello everyone! I am pretty new to light novels and am looking for some completed series to read. The only series I have read is Full Metal Panic! So pretty much any suggestions will be something I have not read. Genre does not matter. I largely prefer world building and character development, but anything you think is great to read is fine, regardless.
The only requirement I have is that it has to have a happy ending, and largely be light in tone. It doesn't have to be completely happy the entire time but not intensely depressing, either. Thank you for your time.
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@Shenrai Welcome to light novels!
For a list of series that J-Novel Club has fully published in English, check out the filters on our Series page. Here's a direct link with the "Completed" filter already checked: https://j-novel.club/series?status=complete
Of these ones, the only one I've personally read is Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte, which is a short 2 volumes but very nice.For non-JNC series... most of the stuff I'm reading is ongoing, but here are some you could check out:
- The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria
- I haven't finished reading it yet, so not sure if it's a happy ending or not.
- Spice & Wolf (you might see a few random volumes come out periodically, but the main story is complete)
- The Holy Grail of Eris (same as above, there's a 4th volume that's set after the completed main story)
- The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real!
- The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria
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@Shenrai - complete and fun: Woof Woof Story -- if you like early FUNA (Abilities Average) or just like adorable little puppy dogs which the MC totally is for sure ;-) then you'll enjoy this light and (ahem) fluffy series.
Also, you might consider slice of life stories that are not "complete" but don't need to be because there are no cliffhangers. The early volumes of I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years are that kind of story, and so is all 12 of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
JNC's Smartphone may never end, but the main arc ended 6? books ago and you can stop there or the second "ending" which was wrapping up the relationships not a battle.
JNC's Why Shouldn’t a Detestable Demon Lord Fall in Love?! is complete at four volumes and the sweetness will give you cavities and/or diabetes.
JNC's My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World is clever, fun, and complete. The author's Instant Death Cheat series is probably nearing completion but no idea yet how happy the ending will be.
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@Shenrai
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte is a sweet 2 volume romcom about two high-schoolers who are doing a color commentary while playing an otome game when they realize that the Prince character can hear them, so they decide to help him realize that his fiancée, the "villainess" Lieselotte, is actually a huge tsundere who is easily embarrassed and has trouble expressing her feelings. The two high-schoolers decide two use their commentary skills to bring forth the happiest possible ending.Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance romcom about a boy and a girl who make a pact to help each other find the perfect Otaku date. They also end up as roommates. Sweet and 5 volumes long
A Lily Blooms in Another World single volume Yuri isekai series. Typical fantasy setting, girl whisks her lady love off to the countryside
Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress! after Tanya's sexist party leader kicks her out of the party she decides to get her revenge, and she ends up teaming up with a "wicked" sorceress who's less wicked in the sense of being evil and more wicked in the sense of being really cool 😎 Despite the main character's desire for "revenge" this is a lighthearted series; the tag line reads: "It's time to kick ass, kiss girls, and dismantle the patriarchy!"
Finally you might check out Lazy Dungeon Master which just finished; a fun mostly lighthearted isekai series with some good fantasy battles a lot of clever schemes from the main character, the eponymous lazy dungeon master
Moreover I wholeheartedly second the recommendation of Holy Grail of Eris; a great pair leading ladies in a story full of intrigue
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@Lily-Garden said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance romcom about a boy and a girl who make a pact to help each other find the perfect Otaku date. They also end up as roommates. Sweet and 5 volumes long
@Shenrai I will point out that this one is currently on catchup for this month. So you could try to binge the entire series if you're a member (or subscribe and try it out for a low price).
