General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)

[Rahul Balaggan]

Hello everyone,

Going forward let’s all use this topic for asking for and receiving recommendations to read.

*Please note this is not a place to request titles for translations, if you wish to suggest a title be picked up for translation please post a topic in the Licensing Suggestion Sub-Forum, also many titles have been suggested, and have their own topic, so please search for a title before suggesting. No worries if you post a duplicate topic, the duplicate will be locked down, and users will be pointed to the already established topic.

[Hikikostory]

While I’m anxiously awaiting the next installment being released now on Monday, I was wondering if there was another light novel you guys could recommend that matches the intelligence of the writing in this story, the beauty of its metaphors and setting descriptions, and the wonderfully developed characters. This series truly is a cut above the rest. Miya Kazuki is very talented. Is there anything else on this site of the same caliber?

[Rahul Balaggan]

@hikikostory I have moved your post from the Bookworm topic to a new generalized recommendation, this is just to keep the volume discussion topic from veering off. (Not saying it 100% would have I am just trying to be preventive)

As for my recommendation on similar stories I would say Cooking With Wild Game is decently similar.

One caveat Is that currently that series is not on catchup so the volumes available to read are limited. Other then that I think Myne and the main character of Wild Game, Asuta are quite similar...

They both are very passionate about a singular subject, and it can take over their entire being and shut them out from the rest of the world, they both care about family to a fault, and (spoiler coming about Wild Game from V1)

spoiler

There are more similarities but that would involve divulging more spoilers, much more in depth then the one above. However their are metaphors sprinkled around in bits and pieces (not on the same level as Bookworm) and the series is very descriptive and has a large amount of named characters that all get their own fair share of depth added to them (definitely on par with Bookworm)

P.S. Should you (or anyone) decide to read Cooking With Wild Game at some point please note the speech at the end of V2...it only happens once and not again(at least as far as it has been translated)

[Nosgoroth]

@hikikostory Unfortunately, as you said, Bookworm is definitely a cut above the rest, so it's not an easy ask. I'm not the most well versed in light novels, but here are a few things that I've enjoyed that feel good to read, not limited to JNC.

• Spice and Wolf - A traveling merchant meets a fox god of harvest, and they banter and bicker as they travel together and have adventures of commerce and trade. Exquisitely translated, definitely have a look at this. As a bonus, this one's finished, with some epilogues still going.
• The Monogatari series - A student has an encounter with the supernatural, becomes a half-vampire and gets roped into spiritual shenanigans. It's well written but the writer is very idiosyncratic, so your mileage may vary. Expect lots of wordplay.
• Sword Art Online Progressive - It may feel weird to see SAO in this list, but take a look at Progressive. It's an expansive and detailed retelling of the original story, written after a bunch of years of experience. It flows very well, and it takes its time to set things up and paint the world. Books are released over a year apart in average, so there's no need to hurry with this one.
• How A Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom - This one's here in JNC. I wouldn't say it's as well written as the ones above, but it's similar to Bookworm in that the main character brings their knowledge to a new world and through their actions changes it for the better, so you may enjoy it.

[Korppi]

@nosgoroth said in General Recommendation Thread:

• Sword Art Online Progressive - It may feel weird to see SAO in this list, but take a look at Progressive. It's an expansive and detailed retelling of the original story, written after a bunch of years of experience. It flows very well, and it takes its time to set things up and paint the world. Books are released over a year apart in average, so there's no need to hurry with this one.

Though you have to accept it will never conclude when diving in. Not because the author might abandon it, but simply because it's physically impossible, at least at the current pace (vol1 was two floors, vol2-4 were floor each, vol5&6 were floor 6..., the original story concluded on floor 75...). I'm satisfied if it at least manages to conclude the Elf War quest.

That said, it is a good recommendation and I actually prefer it to the main series which I'm reading at volume 7 currently.

[Nosgoroth]

@korppi It has to give somewhere, definitely, the numbers just don't add up. Either Kawahara starts pumping out a novel every two to three months (ha) or Progressive will have to stop midway or, I think more realistically, just skip floors.

[hopebestman]

Nice and usefull thread. Ok , i am looking similar to ascendance-of-a-bookworm series. It doesnt have to be isekai , i like that series world building , if you have something like that , please let me know.

Edit: I was searching LNs in JNC and i hope i found one. I finished the "first" prologue and its goes well. "By the grace of the gods".

[Nosgoroth]

@hopebestman Have a look at Realist Hero too, you might like it.

[Rahul Balaggan]

@hopebestman

The next time any of these series go on catchup I highly recommend them:

If you want huge amounts of World Building, combined with mystery, action, adventure, and a Shonen theme, I recommend Infinite Dendrogram

If you want huge amounts of World Building, combined with concepts of a harsh reality, brutal fights, a Seinen theme, and a bit of mystery, I recommend Record of Wortenia War

If you want a very unique approach to World Building, Unique in the sense that it does happen but it is detailed, and because it is detailed it is slower then other stories, I recommend Cooking With Wild Game, if you read my post above there will be more info on how similar I believe Cooking With Wild Game and Bookworm are.

[hopebestman]

@rahul-balaggan thank you. I will give those a shot. I just finished "by the grace of gods" which is kind a fine but that was only one volume. So i need more and those 3 would be fine.

[Rahul Balaggan]

@hopebestman I hope you enjoy!

[Paul Nebeling]

@hopebestman By the Grace of the Gods has seven volumes in Japan and appears to still be being published. Unless I looked up a manga by mistake.

[saskir]

@paul-nebeling Hopefully tha author does not reboot it again.

So generel recommendation. About books from here or somewhere else. Let's start with books from here

"Der Werwolf" is one of my favorite stories here. I like the idea of someone reincarnating into a different species (in this case a werwolf) and struggling with both sides of his. Although I am generally not a fan of dense heroes (be it in power, love or something else) it plays out well in this case.

"By the grace of the gods" is also a good story. We will see how it plays out in the future.

One of my all time Favorites here is "Smartphone". Although I am not a fan of the recent books (I liked more the beginning as an adventure, but maybe this is also partly to him becoming more OP and OP) I still re-read the books often

Also "Realist Hero" is a real good read.

The about othere companies (or in two cases fan translation).

I highly recommend "Dungeon Defense". Not an easygoing story with the premise of our MC being reincarnated as a new Demon Lord (and nope it is not realist demon Lord).

"Overlord" is always on my recommendation list

"Summoned Slaughterer" when you want a psychopatic (or more introvert with rules) protagonist whose first order was after being summoned to behead the king.

Never miss the Monogatari Series. Nisioisin has made a masterpiece

And if you love mystery horror stories I would recomment "Another"

[hopebestman]

@saskir Overlord is one of mine favorite too. As for the Smartphone , after that anime i cant find anything good to say.

For others i dont know but Der Werwolf is on my list.

[Paul Nebeling]

@hopebestman Smartphone's anime was generally panned, especially compared to the LN. People's opinion of the LN vary because Touya is extremely OP and some folks find that off putting. At least the harem resolution is a done deal. It's just a matter of waiting for when it will happen. Going to be hysterical, I suspect.

[hopebestman]

@paul-nebeling well my bad opinion comes from bad story telling. But not important :D in here how you defend and give examples about it , anime made enough damage to hurt me :D

[Serah]

@hopebestman when it comes to "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom", as a fan I can give you the tip to check out the manga if that opportunity occurs.

Currently the prepub for volume 3 is available for that, which is round about volume 2 of the novel. The really good thing about the manga: it is very close to the novel - so if you like the atmosphere there you will most likely enjoy the novels too. Though, if possible, start with volume 1 of the manga. It got my second most favourite story event through the entire novel.

[Nutaris]

I definitely have to second Der Werwolf. It seems to be little known despite being well written and entertaining. Tegonia has also bee pretty interesting but we're still on volume one so time will tell if it stays that way.

[saskir]

@paul-nebeling I kinda like the pace in the first two episodes of Smartphone. But then it goes downhill. Or more 1.5 episodes of it.

And for me it is not only the too OP aspect. It was more fun as he was an adventurer in my eyes. Now he is tied to his country (although he still goes from a to b). Or maybe I am still hung up about those frame gears. Smartphone ok, but why frame gears. Kinda a recipe like the director of Sucker Punch wanted with his movie. He put everything in it he found cool.

[Serah]

@saskir Not to mention the Overgears, the saiyajin-like apothesis, the VR simulators, the wacky race thingy, the gollems...

As a general recommendation...

if you like such an overpowered yet mild mannered hero story as seen as in Isekai Smartphone you might like also Death March to Parallel World Rhapsody

or

if you dislike such kind of hero story you better avoid Death March to Parallel World Rhapsody

Both are quite similar in story telling pace and style ~

I was already put off in How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom when the description of the hovercraft looked too mondern-realistic, that aside from having a hovercraft there in the first place (with proper explanation I do mind them having jet propulsion devices and carriers for flying mounts... the magic is weird there in the first place as often stated by the author themselves)

More interesting is how Isekai Smartphone and said Death March is so popular despite that kind of hero, that they even got anime and manga.