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30 reviews
Overlord, Vol. 1: The Undead King by Kugane Maruyama
(1)
exhibit B world-building & game mechanics;
Overlord does a good job at its world-building! Exploration and adventure are vital aspects of the novel.
Furthermore, the game mechanics of Yggdrasil were lovely to hear despite the fact that it was exceedingly unrealistic. There are both mysteries and spoon-fed knowledge regarding the extent of the game's power system getting transferred onto the New World, and I found it quite enjoyable to read of small and various experiments to figure out what can and can't be done.
3.5
3.5 for the whole series (v1 - v14)
there are some individual volumes that i really enjoyed, while there are some that are below average; overall was fun, but there were only very few aspects that i found particularly memorable.
TL;DR
An example of a wasted potential. A lot of content has yet to be explored, but there are too little volumes left to probe them all. The character are interesting but they aren't being utilized properly. World-building is good! Some volumes were a bit of a bore, while some were truly enjoyable. Mostly a hit or miss overall, but a nice read if you'd like something with evil-aligned protagonists.
(1)
Story & Writing
Overlord is an isekai story, but it's vastly different from other types of media in this genre. It starts by presenting itself like a typical self-insert harem bait, with female characters that looked to be written for the sake of swooning over our protagonist, but it isn't much like that at all. While the infatuation was still noticeable later on, it's hardly the focus of the novel series. I'd say that the world-building and characters are the really charming aspects of the novel.
The general gist is exactly as the blurbs say - a Japanese man gets transported into an MMORPG and finds that the NPCs, that his guildmates created, turned into real, living beings with actual thoughts and motions. He then attempts to find his other guildmates and figure out what to do. Mixed with world conquering and misunderstandings: you get Overlord.
flaws
exhibit A unnecessary amount of detail;
One of the biggest flaws of Overlord is how it gives detail to the wrong aspect of the story or how it introduces subplots but never gives elaboration.
The author tends to dedicate a whole chapter or two solely for the daily life of an irrelevant/volume-exclusive character. While this isn't an issue itself, the problem comes from how these characters never end up having a significant role in the story. They end up getting thrown away or dead after their purpose, which renders all the exposition of their personality and life useless. On the other hand, the readers never get exposed to the daily life of the characters that are significant. For example, we only ever see the floor guardians and the Pleiades whenever Ainz is in the same room. They are only ever given a sentence or two about themselves and /their/ role, which in turn results to having minimal knowledge about the personality and backstories that were written to the NPCs.
Which is honestly a big shame, considering how the characters are by far the best part of overlord
exhibit B repetitiveness;
Every volume of this novel predominantly follows the same episodic map which goes - SpoilerA chapter about an insignificant throwaway character = The conflict starts to form at the end of this chapter = Ainz starts appearing and ends up on the main stage = Ainz prays and does whatever and his luck or subconscious intellect causes him to have things turn out favorable to him = Ainz is put under immense stress by the NPCs adoration and pretends to be intelligent in which they respond by being in awe of his intellect.
The general gist is exactly as the blurbs say - a Japanese man gets transported into an MMORPG and finds that the NPCs, that his guildmates created, turned into real, living beings with actual thoughts and motions. He then attempts to find his other guildmates and figure out what to do. Mixed with world conquering and misunderstandings: you get Overlord.
exhibit A unnecessary amount of detail;
One of the biggest flaws of Overlord is how it gives detail to the wrong aspect of the story or how it introduces subplots but never gives elaboration.
The author tends to dedicate a whole chapter or two solely for the daily life of an irrelevant/volume-exclusive character. While this isn't an issue itself, the problem comes from how these characters never end up having a significant role in the story. They end up getting thrown away or dead after their purpose, which renders all the exposition of their personality and life useless. On the other hand, the readers never get exposed to the daily life of the characters that are significant. For example, we only ever see the floor guardians and the Pleiades whenever Ainz is in the same room. They are only ever given a sentence or two about themselves and /their/ role, which in turn results to having minimal knowledge about the personality and backstories that were written to the NPCs.
Which is honestly a big shame, considering how the characters are by far the best part of overlord
exhibit B repetitiveness;
Every volume of this novel predominantly follows the same episodic map which goes - SpoilerA chapter about an insignificant throwaway character = The conflict starts to form at the end of this chapter = Ainz starts appearing and ends up on the main stage = Ainz prays and does whatever and his luck or subconscious intellect causes him to have things turn out favorable to him = Ainz is put under immense stress by the NPCs adoration and pretends to be intelligent in which they respond by being in awe of his intellect.
the whole running joke in the series about everything miraculously working out for Ainz becomes tedious when the characters only say the same thing in response to his so-called intellect. nevertheless, if you do enjoy the gag, you wouldn't find it too dull.
(2)
Characters & Setting
BEST PART!
strengths
exhibit A characters;
Most characters are extremely linear; Even so, they are intriguing and likeable enough to compensate for the lack of dimension. The ACTUAL characterization and development is done really slow at a rate of one character per arc, or none at all, but they are done decently when it happens. These characters all have a different moral compass that influences their decisions, and almost everyone in the cast is seen as evil or is evil. The novel follows a strict code of "The strong can trample on the weak", so if you'd like a change from all the good-aligned protagonists, Overlord is a good refresher.
exhibit A characters;
Most characters are extremely linear; Even so, they are intriguing and likeable enough to compensate for the lack of dimension. The ACTUAL characterization and development is done really slow at a rate of one character per arc, or none at all, but they are done decently when it happens. These characters all have a different moral compass that influences their decisions, and almost everyone in the cast is seen as evil or is evil. The novel follows a strict code of "The strong can trample on the weak", so if you'd like a change from all the good-aligned protagonists, Overlord is a good refresher.
the character designs are sososo good, even just looking at them is another form of entertainment in itself. I LOVE SO-BIN's ART
exhibit B world-building & game mechanics;
Overlord does a good job at its world-building! Exploration and adventure are vital aspects of the novel.
Furthermore, the game mechanics of Yggdrasil were lovely to hear despite the fact that it was exceedingly unrealistic. There are both mysteries and spoon-fed knowledge regarding the extent of the game's power system getting transferred onto the New World, and I found it quite enjoyable to read of small and various experiments to figure out what can and can't be done.
Lord of the Mysteries by 爱潜水的乌贼, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, Atlas Studios
5.0
4.5 ! objectively should be a 4, but it gets +.5 for the emotional attachment I have
REVIEW OF THE ENTIRE ENG-TRANSLATED WEB NOVEL
If you're just looking to see if you're the target person for this novel;
1. Do you like progressive fantasy?
2. Do you like lovecraftian, eldritch and supernatural horror?
3. Do you want to read something that starts off with slice of life and gradually gets heavier?
4. Do you like stories in which the concept and setting changes with every arc?
5. Do you prefer extensive worldbuilding and history over anything else?
6. Do you like power systems with a unique and clear set of rules and fundamentals?
7. Does the concept of "Great power is not without a price" intrigue you?
8. Do you like stories with a lot of characters?
9. Do you like characters that are heavily intelligent?
10. Are you ok with character development taking place late in the story?
If you answered yes to most of these, then you should give it a try! Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it, but feel free to try it out either way.
*-*
TL;DR
An outstandingly creative web novel that focuses on mystery and history with plenty of noticeable references to classics, other books, Gods and real-life happenings. While there are quite a bit of flaws, most of them come from the writing itself, and I do wholeheartedly recommend people to give it a try. Charming characters, excellent power system, and an overall entertaining read.
*-*
Writing & Story
The concept itself is not that unique, but the charm of Lord of Mysteries comes from it's setting and mystery. It's a story in which the readers are being brought along the main character as he progresses and learns more about the history of the current world – all while learning for a way to return home.
It presents itself like a generic transmigration novel; Starting off with a man named Zhou Mingrui waking up in an unfamiliar world. At the moment of waking up, he asks himself why and how he transmigrated as he looks for a way to return, and the readers are introduced to a compelling mystery within the first few chapters.
It's a long novel, equivalent to a whole book series, which means that each of the flaw is an element that you have to endure for a long time.
The Cons:
Unnecessary Narration
Lord of Mysteries is very slow on it's reveals and suffers a lot from infodumps and needless exposition that could be cut down to be a lot shorter. Early on the story, there are a lot of chapters dedicated for expounding the political figures, currency, and the state of living of the protagonist - which I feel is pointless since the story doesn't center around these topics. The given information from the earlier chapters do not make sense and seem like excessive filler that is written for the sake of appearing to be detailed, but the significance of these crumbs of lore are revealed later on. This requires a lot of patience, and it may be hard to get through the first 20 chapters especially if you prefer something to get to the point.
Stiff Writing?
I'm not too sure how to word it - but it's not about the writing itself, rather, the prose or the style. Due to the fact that translating from another language to English will never end up being perfect, a large amount of sentences have a bit of a disruptive flow.
Odd Pacing
Lord of Mysteries pacing fluctuates from draggingly slow to excessively fast. The start of the novel gave plenty of inessential information, the middle was just the right amount, but the ending's development felt rushed. A large deal of characters and possible plotlines that were given a high amount of spotlight were simply wasted due to the horrible pacing of the last volume.
The Pros:
Presentation
I normally don't like steampunk mixed with dark fantasy and lovecraftian horror, so I was pleasantly surprised at how this novel exceeded my expectations at the quality of the story from mixing multiple genres.
Lord of Mysteries is a near-perfect mix of suspense and horror, with mystery being a core genre of the story. It doesn't focus on the scares, but rather, the weird, monster-like aspects and the excitement that comes from the unknown. It's top-tier among other web novels when it comes to the presentation of the plot, and I love how it mixes comedy and anguish into the storyline. There is little to no filler throughout the whole novel and the lighthearted parts are meant to be significant in the future chapters. It's the type of novel that isn't that sad as you read through it, but the more you think about certain scenes, the sadder it becomes.
Creativity
Self-explanatory! You'll understand what I mean when I say that you can see how much the author researched and reworked history to fit into a fictional world. It's extremely well-thought of and the plot is nothing to scoff at either.
Characters & Setting
Characters
The story puts a big amount of spotlight to its worldbuilding, which takes away the details and progress of characters. The development exists, and is done in a subtle way, but they still feel as though they aren't given as much attention as the history and the world. The amount of chapters weren't enough to flesh them out, as we are only shown the shallow and external personality of the characters outside of the tarot club. Furthermore, there were many characters that were given a lot of potential but were utterly wasted.
That being said, the characters are still a vital part as to what makes this novel great. They are a big pro as they are a con.
There are many interesting side characters with their own set of dynamics between each of them, their own thought processes, their own moral compass, and their own motives. Furthermore, I enjoy how no one is completely good; and it's more like the characters are making their decisions based on what they think will allow for a better outcome.
Setting
Saving the best for last, the greatest part of this novel is definitely the worldbuilding and it's magnificent use of horror, Gods and occults. It's extremely creative that it's enough to compensate for every flaw that I've mentioned. The history makes up a big chunk of the story, and it contributes a lot to the suspense, the sense of dread and sense of mystery that the readers feel. The reader is left in the dark about the truth of multiple historical segments, but they all connect and click like a jigsaw puzzle the more you read through.
REVIEW OF THE ENTIRE ENG-TRANSLATED WEB NOVEL
If you're just looking to see if you're the target person for this novel;
1. Do you like progressive fantasy?
2. Do you like lovecraftian, eldritch and supernatural horror?
3. Do you want to read something that starts off with slice of life and gradually gets heavier?
4. Do you like stories in which the concept and setting changes with every arc?
5. Do you prefer extensive worldbuilding and history over anything else?
6. Do you like power systems with a unique and clear set of rules and fundamentals?
7. Does the concept of "Great power is not without a price" intrigue you?
8. Do you like stories with a lot of characters?
9. Do you like characters that are heavily intelligent?
10. Are you ok with character development taking place late in the story?
If you answered yes to most of these, then you should give it a try! Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it, but feel free to try it out either way.
*-*
TL;DR
An outstandingly creative web novel that focuses on mystery and history with plenty of noticeable references to classics, other books, Gods and real-life happenings. While there are quite a bit of flaws, most of them come from the writing itself, and I do wholeheartedly recommend people to give it a try. Charming characters, excellent power system, and an overall entertaining read.
*-*
Writing & Story
The concept itself is not that unique, but the charm of Lord of Mysteries comes from it's setting and mystery. It's a story in which the readers are being brought along the main character as he progresses and learns more about the history of the current world – all while learning for a way to return home.
It presents itself like a generic transmigration novel; Starting off with a man named Zhou Mingrui waking up in an unfamiliar world. At the moment of waking up, he asks himself why and how he transmigrated as he looks for a way to return, and the readers are introduced to a compelling mystery within the first few chapters.
It's a long novel, equivalent to a whole book series, which means that each of the flaw is an element that you have to endure for a long time.
The Cons:
Unnecessary Narration
Lord of Mysteries is very slow on it's reveals and suffers a lot from infodumps and needless exposition that could be cut down to be a lot shorter. Early on the story, there are a lot of chapters dedicated for expounding the political figures, currency, and the state of living of the protagonist - which I feel is pointless since the story doesn't center around these topics. The given information from the earlier chapters do not make sense and seem like excessive filler that is written for the sake of appearing to be detailed, but the significance of these crumbs of lore are revealed later on. This requires a lot of patience, and it may be hard to get through the first 20 chapters especially if you prefer something to get to the point.
Stiff Writing?
I'm not too sure how to word it - but it's not about the writing itself, rather, the prose or the style. Due to the fact that translating from another language to English will never end up being perfect, a large amount of sentences have a bit of a disruptive flow.
Odd Pacing
Lord of Mysteries pacing fluctuates from draggingly slow to excessively fast. The start of the novel gave plenty of inessential information, the middle was just the right amount, but the ending's development felt rushed. A large deal of characters and possible plotlines that were given a high amount of spotlight were simply wasted due to the horrible pacing of the last volume.
The Pros:
Presentation
I normally don't like steampunk mixed with dark fantasy and lovecraftian horror, so I was pleasantly surprised at how this novel exceeded my expectations at the quality of the story from mixing multiple genres.
Lord of Mysteries is a near-perfect mix of suspense and horror, with mystery being a core genre of the story. It doesn't focus on the scares, but rather, the weird, monster-like aspects and the excitement that comes from the unknown. It's top-tier among other web novels when it comes to the presentation of the plot, and I love how it mixes comedy and anguish into the storyline. There is little to no filler throughout the whole novel and the lighthearted parts are meant to be significant in the future chapters. It's the type of novel that isn't that sad as you read through it, but the more you think about certain scenes, the sadder it becomes.
Creativity
Self-explanatory! You'll understand what I mean when I say that you can see how much the author researched and reworked history to fit into a fictional world. It's extremely well-thought of and the plot is nothing to scoff at either.
Characters & Setting
Characters
The story puts a big amount of spotlight to its worldbuilding, which takes away the details and progress of characters. The development exists, and is done in a subtle way, but they still feel as though they aren't given as much attention as the history and the world. The amount of chapters weren't enough to flesh them out, as we are only shown the shallow and external personality of the characters outside of the tarot club. Furthermore, there were many characters that were given a lot of potential but were utterly wasted.
Spoiler
Bethel Abraham was one of such characters. He was presented with much mystery and intrigue surrounding, but the entire buildup of his release was wasted and pointless.That being said, the characters are still a vital part as to what makes this novel great. They are a big pro as they are a con.
There are many interesting side characters with their own set of dynamics between each of them, their own thought processes, their own moral compass, and their own motives. Furthermore, I enjoy how no one is completely good; and it's more like the characters are making their decisions based on what they think will allow for a better outcome.
Setting
Saving the best for last, the greatest part of this novel is definitely the worldbuilding and it's magnificent use of horror, Gods and occults. It's extremely creative that it's enough to compensate for every flaw that I've mentioned. The history makes up a big chunk of the story, and it contributes a lot to the suspense, the sense of dread and sense of mystery that the readers feel. The reader is left in the dark about the truth of multiple historical segments, but they all connect and click like a jigsaw puzzle the more you read through.
I'm in Love with the Villainess (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Inori
2.0
It's very cute and light – a novel that you could read in one afternoon. I'm a huge fan of villainess concepts, more-so if it's between two sapphics, but I was heavily disappointed with this one. I just wasn't the target person for the humor, and the characters felt extremely tropey. They were mostly linear and barely had any substance to them. Added with the unnecessary incest plotline, it just wasn't for me.
Though it was touching to see the topic of sexuality getting discussed among Rae's friend group, the extra chapter was better than everything else. It was an extra from Lene's point of view, and it was the only segment that was able to give more depth to Claire, since the rest of the chapters were either Rae hinting for a darker twist in the future without giving much explanation, or repetitive slice of life segments.
Overall, it's good for a leisurely afternoon read. I wouldn't recommend reading with high expectations though.
Though it was touching to see the topic of sexuality getting discussed among Rae's friend group, the extra chapter was better than everything else. It was an extra from Lene's point of view, and it was the only segment that was able to give more depth to Claire, since the rest of the chapters were either Rae hinting for a darker twist in the future without giving much explanation, or repetitive slice of life segments.
Overall, it's good for a leisurely afternoon read. I wouldn't recommend reading with high expectations though.