General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)
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29 to JK(29 and JK, 29とJK) Light Novel
Synopsis: Yariba Eiji (29 years old with intimidating eyes), a corporate slave whose only hobbies are video games and manga, gets through life by spending his time off relaxing at net cafes. One day, he happens upon Minamisato Karen (a 15 year old high school girl) and ends up scolding her. This leads to her warming up to the 29 year old Eiji...! Not only that, Eiji's little sister (a lazy middle schooler), childhood friend (a nosy ex-girlfriend), and his subordinate (a cool and serious girl) are also becoming interested in him. Love is coming at him from every direction! Juggling between his work and his newly developed ventures into romance, will Eiji's peaceful days ever return?
Hero, How is the Water Temperature?(Hero-Sama, How is the Water?, 勇者様、湯加減はいかがですか？) Manga
Synopsis: The story of the former hero Loki and his time working at an onsen with his monster co-workers!
I Wanted to Play as a Temporary Joke Character but was Summoned to Another World Hentai(Neta Chara Kari Play no Tsumori ga Isekai Shoukan ~Mayoibito wa Josei no Teki ni Ninteisaremashita~, ネタキャラ仮プレイのつもりが異世界召喚 ～迷い人は女性の敵に認定されました～) Light Novel and Manga
Synopsis: Horikawa Kento, a 35 years old man was transported into a different world with online game skills. His character is a 15 years old boy with absurd skill. [handsome], [well protected], [womanizer] and [sexual prodigy]. In order to survive in this world of monsters, how will he use his skills?
The Church in Front of the Devil’s Castle(The Last Boss, the Church in Front of the Devil's Castle, Kochira Last Boss Maoh Jou Mae "Kyoukai", こちらラスボス魔王城前「教会」) Light Novel and Manga
Synopsis: After the Hero’s birth, Sacred, the youngest priest of the church is sent to take care of an abandoned chapel right across the Demon King’s Castle, for it to serve as a resting place in his quest. Thus, begins the relationship between a priest and the Demon Lord. Was the person with the right ability sent to the chapel or will their encounter bring forth chaos to the nation?
The Prodigy Hero and Older Sister Maids(Shindou Yuusha to Maid Onee-san, 神童勇者とメイドおねえさん) Light Novel
Synopsis: After defeating the Demon King and saving the world, Shion was exiled to the border. Here, the strongest Hero enjoyed his slow life with 4 capable onee-san maids.
Magic Marriage(魔法婚约) Manga
Synopsis: According to tradition, witches are supposed to be wed to demons as wives; the more magical power contained by the witches, the higher they are sought after by the demon races for prestige, power, bloodline, and fame. 16 year-old Sunya Velladonna decided to break this forced marriage herself, forced onto her by the demon world, and decided to escape to the human realm - only to end up as a runaway bride. While in the human realm, she encountered a recently divorced young doctor, Othder Hurvenss. In order not to be caught and sent back to demon realm, Sunya took the opportunity to make a magic marriage contract with Dr. Othder while he was sleeping. One of them is an escapee from a forced marriage, while the other is one who fell out of love, a disillusioned doctor. With both of them facing marital difficulties and having coincidentally met each other, what will happen to this pair?
Description from Mangadex
Hero And Demon Lord's Soul Passage (Extasis)(Hero And Demon Lord's Extasis, Yuusha to Maou no Konpaku Rekitei (Extasis), 勇者と魔王の魂魄歴程（エクスタシス）) Manga
Synopsis: A blessed Hero. A vicious Demon Lord. A common objective.
An epic battle between good and evil whose outcome will shape the new era the world will enter has reached its endgame...
However, things aren't what they appear to be and plans take an unexpected turn.A new high fantasy manga by ero mangaka GEN.
My Love Tiger(Me and Tigress, 나와 호랑이님) Light Novel and Manga
Synopsis: Sung Hoon was a normal High School student, but one day he finds himself with a cute little tiger girl. He is told that the world will end if he doesn't marry her. Thus the story begins with the cute smile of the tiger girl.
Love Grimoire ~The World Is Doomed Unless the Ultimate Virgin Hero Gets Married~(Love Grimoire ~Saikyou Doutei no Yuusha-sama ga Kekkon shinai to Sekai wa Metsubousurusou desu~, 恋愛グリモワール ～最強童貞の勇者様が結婚しないと世界は滅亡するそうです～) Manga
Synopsis: The hero had finally defeated the demon lord, sealing him. However, the seal he had used was only temporary. Should evil rise again, the descendants of the hero shall follow in his steps. At least... That was the plan. It's too bad that the hero is still a virgin! If he doesn't have children by 30, he'll become a wizard! And so, the hero desperately begins his journey to find a wife...
Time Stop Brave(The Time Stop Hero, Jikan Teishi Yuusha, 時間停止勇者―余命３日の設定じゃ世界を救うには短すぎる―) Manga
Synopsis: KUZUNO Sekai was transported to a medieval fantasy game-like world (isekai). He was given a game controller with the ability to stop time and a 3 days countdown timer. Now he has to figure out the mechanics of this game world and clear it in time.
The Fate of the Returned Hero(The Days After the Hero’s Return, Kikanshita Yuusha no Gojitsudan, 帰還した勇者の後日譚) Light Novel
Synopsis: One day, your average joe university student, Kashiwagi Yuuya was summoned to another world by a stupid goddess. His mission is
to do what any cliche Isekai MC does; become the hero, get the harem, defeat the demon lords, save the kingdom/other earth and go back to earth. After doing all those menial shit, he was granted to go back to his original world with only a second passed despite wasting 3 years in his "hero" life.Expecting himself to be an average joe again, much to his surprise, he still retains his powers as a hero. It seems his mission is just not over yet.
Isekai Yurutto Survival Seikatsu: Gakkou no Minna to Isekai no Mujintou ni Tenishitakedo Ore Dake Rakushou desu(異世界ゆるっとサバイバル生活 ～学校の皆と異世界の無人島に転移したけど俺だけ楽勝です～) Light Novel
Synopsis: I’m Shinomiya Hokage, a 3rd-year high-school boy who dreams of a survival life. One day, everyone in my school transferred to a mysterious island in a parallel world. I woke up in an unknown cave and I started moving on my own. Then, I met up with some of my classmates. My knowledge and tools in survival shines through. I was a plain guy in school but I’m the leader in this world.
Let's Buy the Land And Cultivate in Different World(Isekai de Tochi o Katte Noujou o Tsukurou, 異世界で土地を買って農場を作ろう) Light Novel
Synopsis: As our humble corporatist Itonami Norio is suddenly summoned to another world, it would look as if he'll be sent to a battlefield-- he, however, holds no skill to speak of, and as he is deemed to be useless. He negotiates with The King and receives a plot of land -- an empty, deserted plot of land, with no inhabitant in sight. Norio holds something he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone: The Master of Supremacy, a gift which will grant him the most comfortable of lives in this world. Hereby begins the Norio's colorful story -- having a mermaid he fishes declare herself his wife, becoming neighbors with the Undead King, this is his busy but enjoyable life -- and now a dragon appears ?!
I'm In Another World and I'm Growing Monsters.(Isekai desu ga Mamono Saibai shiteimasu., 異世界ですが魔物栽培しています。) Light Novel
Synopsis: One day, Kyouji Himuro hears a knock on his door. Opening it up, he finds that he is transported to another world. But his new life is not good. He has no fighting skill, no money, and no way to make food. While dumpster diving, Kyouji discovers seeds and comes up with a plan to grow his own food. However, his plans change when he realizes that these seeds grow monsters...
Kami no Techigai de Shindara Cheat Gun Zumi de Isekai ni Hourikomare Mashita(If he died by the god's mistake, he was thrown into another world with a cheat gun, 神の手違いで死んだらチートガン積みで異世界に放り込まれました) Light Novel
Synopsis: Tomoya Sadoshima died after a serious accident after returning to a convenience store. Then,
after regaining consciousness in a pure white world, a woman of divine beauty emerged, she introduces herself as "The Goddess of Creation." The goddess of creation prepared a remedy for his suffering, she offers him to reincarnate a different world than his own. But it was a world in a war situation with the demon king. Begins; a story of Tomoya and his adventure to defeat the demon king and get the harem he so desires.I Don't Really Get It but It Looks Like I Was Reincarnated in Another World(Yoku Wakaranai keredo Isekai ni Tensei Shiteita You Desu, よくわからないけれど異世界に転生していたようです) Light Novel
Synopsis: I am cute, but I was a middle-aged researcher in my previous life?!
Surviving in another world with magic and sciences!!The orphan Ren was riding the carriage after being sold, when she got involved into an accident, and got her previous life's memories back!
"I was... a middle-aged man!"
Indeed, she was a researcher in his thirties in her previous life, and had been living as an orphan girl up to now!
Ren will make use of her talents in magic and knowledge in science to survive in this harsh world in order to escape from the investor who bought her!
Ren, a ten year old orphan girl, was en route to being delivered to a corrupt merchant. However, bandits attacked the carriage she was on and caused it to plummet down the sides of a cliff. But the impact from the accident awoken her memories from a past life. She was from a world called Earth, and was once a male researcher in his mid-thirties who had died in an explosion resulting from an experiment gone awry. According to her memories for the past ten years, she had reincarnated in another world after dying and grew up in an orphanage. In order to escape a future where she would be enslaved by the merchant, Ren will draw upon the knowledge from her past life and magic aptitude for all elements, to create new forms of magic and survive in a harsh, new world alone.
Description from Mangadex
Virgin Road(Shokei Shoujo no Ikirumichi, 処刑少女の生きる道 （バージンロード）) Light Novel
Synopsis: In this world, there are Strays - people who arrived from another world's Japan. These Strays were responsible for a great disaster in the past so upon being spotted, they are meant to be killed by Executioners.
Menou, an Executioner, meets a Stray named Akari, who she kills without hesitation. Yet, Akari comes back to life. Searching for a way to kill her, this journey of Akari and Menou begins.
Kagaku na Yatsura(カガクなヤツら) Manga
Synopsis: Haruki is a teenage boy who has two friends that are not very ordinary. Ayana has been transformed to be part dog, as shown by her dog ears and tail. Ayana also has enormous lactating breasts. Airi, on the other hand, is a cyborg girl, and she's got tons of mechanical gadgets. The story begins when Ayana and Airi both want Haruki to join their club, and Haruki must pick one over the other. Ayana's science club has more to do with transforming living things, whereas Airi's has to do with more mechanical science. Their attempts to persuade Haruki to their side tend to be full of nudity and sexual arousal. Haruki is going to have a bizarre school life.
Fluffy Dungeon Strategy ~ My Different World Reincarnated Adventure Tan ~(ふかふかダンジョン攻略記 ~俺の異世界転生冒険譚~) Manga
Synopsis: A must read for all adventurers. The strongest and worst super-giant dungeon "Deep Unknown Labyrinth" (commonly known as the fluffy dungeon) that cannot be captured by multiple nations and the army. Jean, who challenges the strategy, was a former temporary worker who reincarnated in a different world by chance ...! A super royal road fantasy that "reincarnates" another world reincarnation drawn by KAKERU of "Magical Girl Pretty ☆ Bell"! !!
Deviant Love(Ijousha no Ai, 異常者の愛, 비정상인의 사랑) Manga
Synopsis: The demon in human form. An innocent girl sacrificed. Kazumi Ichinose. 16 years old. high school student. Midou Saki fell in love with him when he was an elementary school student. That was the beginning of hell. Jealousy. Obsession. Pools of Blood. Tears. Death. Common sense, words, nothing makes sense. Misfortune befell those loved by "him". Love starts with blood. This is the beginning.
Everyone's Plaything(Everyone's Toy, Minasama no Omocha desu) Manga
Synopsis: Tsukimiya is a dutiful kid who has been looking after his family since his mother's passing, and a popular pretty boy at school, but he rejects all those who confess to him due to an unrequited love he holds for one of his teachers. However he suddenly finds himself kidnapped by a group of beautiful women, who promise him a life of daily torture from now on.
This is a complete list of works that I guarantee fans of any and all kinds genres would love have too have printed too be in their collection.
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Hello,
Just to check, this is a topic to ask for any receive recommendations to what to read, and although there is nothing wrong with recommending titles for all to read, I just want to clarify that this is not a place to post license requests for J-Novel Club.
I only bring this up because you only recommended titles that are not currently licensed.
For more information please see the opening post.
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@Rahul-Balaggan Even so, would you still try too consider it?
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Sorry, unfortunately J-Novel Club does not comment publicly on any potential license acquisitions.
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@Rahul-Balaggan When it comes to copyright enforcement for licensed series that have been fan translated, does it fall on J-Novel Club to challenge it as the official English licensor or the original publisher in Japan?
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@mbuono
Sorry, that is not something I am personally knowledgeable about (as I am just a moderator), however it has been publicly stated that J-Novel Club had gone after illegal fan translations and direct rips in the past.
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@Rahul-Balaggan Well thank you for the response.
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@Rahul-Balaggan So, you won't consider it?
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To clarify a bit, I am just the moderator of these forums, I have no say in any license Acquisitions at all.
Sorry.
The people working at J-Novel Club have expressed in interest acquiring a broad range of Light Novels to add to their ever expanding catalogue, however they do not comment publicly on any license acquisitions.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a direct message.
Thank you.
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@Rahul-Balaggan Then what about Sexile that is now in Indigo Books Stores with J Novel Club written on as the publisher?
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As we are drifting a bit off topic I will send you a direct message to continue this conversation.
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As an Ascendence of a Bookworm fan for close to a year now.
I recently broke my addiction to it and now suggest people read Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
What got me started was watching the first 2 episodes of the anime.
Here's a trailer on this series on what to expect from this series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ1I7o_t4pc -
I second your endorsement- however readers should be aware, one of the features I love about Bookworm is the unusual 'tone' that I perceive. Often wholesome, atypical for LNs there's neither a focus on romance/harem building nor on violence/fighting/sports...there are elements of both present but that isn't the focus...Jobless Reincarnation does share the deep worldbuilding with Bookworm, but isn't 'wholesome'. The MC is a delightful little pervert in early volumes and
it is a good read, and I recommend it, but I'm hesitant to say if you liked Bookworm you'll like Mushoku Tensei -
Quick question, have any of you read any of the books on Novel Horizons?(https://www.novelhorizons.com/)
If you have, what's your opinion, are they worth it? They're OEL light novels, so can't exactly say my expectations are anywhere high, but I don't mind being proven wrong...Just asking as while checking on the latest Kodomo no Jikan kickstarter update I run across a campaign for one of their books(decided to pledge for it out of curiosity, and afterwards decided to check out their site);
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/novelhorizons/shadow-of-a-god-volume-1/ -
I have a question about "How not to summon a demon lord" LN. I watched the 1 season of the anime and today i saw the 2nd season. I was wondering how accurate LN and anime? I like to read Lazy Dungeon Master but i wouldnt watch it's anime. As a LN LDM and How Not to is similar? Should you reccomend to someone who like LDM?
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@crowdcontrol i think its too late now anyway. Its really hard to reccomend to someone who likes bookworm. Bookworm's story is rare to find. There is no action like classic LN action or the world is in danger or summoned hero has to be a hero and do heroic stuff etc etc.
What did you like about bookworm? The writing or general about the world?
If writing i would reccomend mushoku. Mushoku's world building, writing, character development are really good. But its ecchi, there is action all over the place, inventing stuff are not detailed like in bookworm. So its depends. If you give couple more examples what do you like, i(we) could give better advise.
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@korppi I clicked the link to Novel Horizons and noticed they didn’t bother to capitalize the word English at the top of the page. That does not bode well for their content...
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Before I begin, let me acknowledge that I'm too lazy to read through the whole thread, so I apologize if this has already been addressed.
Request
Please recommend series that are well-written. I'm not looking for a particular genre or style. My focus here is on works that are competently constructed.Background
I recently had the experience of trying out several new series (new to me, not necessarily newly published) only to be stymied by how poorly written they were. It was bad enough that it broke my willful suspension of disbelief. These series suffered from obvious flaws such as: bad sentence or paragraph structure, bizarre word choice, unnecessary exposition, telling rather than showing, arbitrary and even nonsensical plot points, characters that behave and react unlike any actual human being would behave or react, dialog unlike any that actual human-beings would engage in, etc.I understand that there is wide variation in LN quality. And I'm happy to acknowledge the subjectivity in such judgments. It certainly may be the case that other people take no similar issues with a series that bothers me. For this reason, I will refrain from trashing any series by name.
I'm not a literary critic. On the scale of artistic taste, I'm somewhere around "philistine". I'm cognizant that LNs are not meant to replace Shakespeare - students will not be reading them 100 years from now in a "Great Literature of the 21st century" class. I'm fine with that. All I'm looking for is an easy couple hours of escapism that doesn't feel like it was written by someone who has only ever observed other human beings from the top of a mountain through a telescope.
Positive Examples
- Ascendance Of A Bookworm - One of the best-written LN series that I've read. Those who recognize my username will most likely know me from the AoaB forums.
- Good I have such high praise for this series that it is difficult for me to analyze it objectively. Nearly everything about this series feels - to me - deliberate, planned, competently executed, and well-edited. The people feel human. The culture feels believably alien.
- Bad A bad series will come-off as a sequence of events seemingly chosen by random dice roll. Characters will be flat and robotic. Dialog will seem scripted.
- Overlord - Intentional manipulation and subversion of isekai tropes.
- Good Overlord does a few things very well, and is a surprisingly deeper story than you might at first expect. One thing that stands out to me is the deft way that the author, through careful story structure, tricks you into rooting for the bad guys. By the time you realize just how evil the denizens of Nazarick really are, it's already too late. That's a really hard trick to pull off and is a testament to the careful writing in the series.
- Bad A bad series will be one that doesn't challenge the reader in any way. The morality in all cases will easily correspond with modern western values, the good guy will be obviously good with only superficial flaws, and the bad guys will be obviously bad. No attempt will be made to analyze or deconstruct such judgments.
- Arifureta - It's OK to embrace the tropes.
- Good Perhaps a weird choice to include on this list. I include it to show that I'm fine with the zanier and less serious. What I like most about Arifureta is that even its tropiest most cliche scenes are always done with a nod and a wink. The author is in complete control of the narrative and has just made the eyes-wide-open decision to do the most cliche thing imaginable (usually with tons of style).
- Bad A poorly written series will fall back on tired tropes completely seriously and unironically. They will all be played straight with no meta commentary or self-awareness whatsoever.
- Ascendance Of A Bookworm - One of the best-written LN series that I've read. Those who recognize my username will most likely know me from the AoaB forums.
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@unknownmat since you haven't mentioned which series you've read, I'll just mention a few from JNC:
- The Faraway Paladin - one of the best written (and best translated) LNs, and a great starting point if you haven't read it yet. It has a very good introspective character development.
- Altina the Sword Princess - a more conventional fantasy military story. The author knows where he's going, and is able to use use comedy and clichés when it's appropriate. It's quite fun to read.
- Invaders of the Rokujouma!? - if you want something more lighthearted, it has 38 volumes and counting that was planned from the beginning. It takes a few volumes before the proper story starts, but after that I always want to know what happens next.
