Log Horizon, Vol. 1: The Beginning of Another World - light novel (Log Horizon, 1)

I came to know of Log Horizon through the anime first so my expectations of the light novel were simple: to retell the story I watched in the anime but take advantage of the (written) medium to expand upon the thoughts of the protagonists as well as fill in some of the gaps in the anime. I am pleased to inform Log Horizon, Vol.1 accomplished that task admirably. Whereas in the anime our main protagonist (Shiroe) appears to adapt rather quickly to his new environment, the novel explains this was actually a rather lengthy process with some trial and error. As a matter of fact, the novel's take on Shiroe is a bit more ruthless than in the anime but there is method and logic to his ruthlessness as will be evident to the reader when s/he comes upon the fight with Demikas towards the end of the book (Volume 1 covers all events up to and including the fight with Demikas). The novel also (lightly) touches on more sensitive issues that the anime would rather ignore. Maryelle and Henrietta still retain their same quirks from the anime with everything that involves. Whether that's a plus or minus I'll leave it up to you. The novel also takes the time to explain the rules of a MMORPG world as did the anime what can also be a plus/minus.Basically, if you want to read a slightly darker take on the anime with some additional footnotes, Log Horizon, Vol.1 does the job. Hopefully, Volume 2 will follow suit.

If you enjoyed the anime; i think you'll enjoy the book. I like how this book goes into more detail with how the main character, shiroe, feels compared to the anime, which took the "shiroe is awesome and invincible" root--though that way was great as well. The book will also be a fun read for those that like online game or role playing games. If your looking for a read similar to SAO (sword art online) or .hack// I would NOT recommend this book, Log horizon is a smart book, while SAO is a 'dumb action story' (i loved this show, but its completely unoriginal, just another mainstream anime--which i love [im a otaku, i love many anime types]) and .hack is weird (.hack//sign) or just some fun (.hack//twilight). Log Horizon is like Death note, but with Light Yagami having morals and a different personality (loved death note as well, very intelligent) but Log horizon isn't nearly as dramatic. I found the Log Horizon anime more funny than the novel, but the novel is still good. There is not allot of technobabble, so its easy to understand for people who don't play mmorpgs, like me, to understand.P.S.The author seems to have a good sense of humor. you know how in most books on the last page their is a blurb about the aurther? well, iv aded a picture of it

My biggest gripe about the "light novel" genre has to do with the over the top sexualization of middle/high school characters. Not to say this the case all the time, but nothing bugs me more than the act of flipping a page and finding a teenager in her underwear illustration.Log Horizon is a story that plays things a little more straight and focuses on world-building and character descriptions. Unusual to a lot of this type of media, the main character is actually way past high school and is right on the cusp of proper adulthood. As a result, his general perspective is much more mature and dignified compared to the usual "student" archetype.The book is well translated and has interesting characters that well represent people you would be familiar with if you've played mmo's before. The story focuses less on action and more on the interactions of the actual mmo players who have been thrust into this situation. Akatsuki's backstory is actually quite funny and realistic the more I think about it...This is a good book! Please support the franchise so we continue to see more of it translated!

A great start to what's become one of my favorite fantasy series out there. Has a slower pace than you might expect from the setting and concept, but that's intentional, and once you get into it, you'll be glad for it. A character-driven, story-focused version of the "stuck in an MMO" concept, and sets itself apart from every other iteration of that concept with its pacing, characterization, and the core mystery. If you've watched the anime first, this is still worth a read (not just the first volume, but the entire series), as (in my opinion) it far outshines the anime in its characterization, the artwork is gorgeous and lively, and the writing lets you really take the needed time with these scenarios and characters.

this was a gift so I do not know if they liked it

Even if you watched the series, the book still surprises you from how the characters see each other, wich isn't really explained on the anime. there's also the characters stats and profile between the chapters, wich helps having other look at how they could be if you didn't like the anime design(but they were really faithful to the original characters, so you find yourself remembering some scenes). the author could have put more plot on this first book, because there are some moments that th characters just "think" about the same thing that the other one from the last chapter was explaining to the readers (see this as "thinking" too). aside from that, i have to say that i'm hoping that the other volumes can be realeased with this much quality or maybe, if possible, even more.

The story itself is good and the book adds things like the characters thoughts, but the translation is a bit too Americanized for my taste. Certain lines are just bad or overly slang-like and really break the immersion for me. It's only a few things here and there but still.Also the lack of a digital version anywhere also kind of annoys me as that's my preferred method of reading. Weird that you can't read a story about being trapped in a video game digitally.

I'm only three chapters in, but I love it already. It's definitely curbing my restlessness as I await season 3 of Log Horizon. There's a few grammer mistakes here and there, but nothing too bad that it deters me from putting the book down and stop me from reading.

If you are tired of fantasy writers thinking death is the only thing that makes stories have stakes, this is the book for you.Mamare Tonou does a fantastic job of capturing the confusion and wonder of an other world story in a way that is much more relatable than the typical 'struggle of life an death' these stories often present.By making the main characters essentially immortal, Touno lets us think past the question of 'who will die' and instead focuses on what drives humans in an environment where that question has become irrelevant. What is of value to them? Is going home truly what they desire? Why not go into the world and see what it has to offer?This book deserves a lot more love.

You'll probably already know of you're looking at this listing but it's worth mentioning these books are novels, not manga. They're actually great and give a lot more context to the story so if you like the blog horizon anime I'd definitely recommend trying out these books.

Loved the anime, decided to give the original LA a read.There's a lot more of the main character's inner thoughts that weren't translated into the anime, which is a great insight.While this book is aimed for 13+ and doesn't require a high reading level, it's been fairly well translated and has kept someone who is almost in their 30s engaged.

ok

fantastic manga, great story and easy to read