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

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

Thirty thousand Japanese gamers awake one day to discover that the fantasy world of Elder Tales, an MMORPG that was formerly their collective hobby, has become their cold hard reality. Severed from their everyday lives, they confront a new horizon filled with ravenous monsters, flavorless food, and the inability to die! Amid the chaos, veteran gamer Shiroe gathers his friends, the guardian Naotsugu and the assassin Akatsuki, and together they embark on an adventure to change the world as they know it! Gr 7 Up—Shiroe was one of the more experienced players in the online role-playing game called Elder Tales. He took some time off because of real-life obligations, but returned to the game because of an exciting new upgrade. He was one of 30,000 people playing the game on the day the upgrade went live who discovered that the game had suddenly become real. As the days turn into weeks, everyone trapped in the game world wonders if this is real or if this is part of the upgrade, and what is happening to their bodies back in the real world? This is primarily a story about gaming, and therein lies its strength and its weakness. For readers who are fans of video games, specifically MMORPGs, this book would be a good choice. This is also recommended for fans of the Log Horizon anime, because it provides more in-depth knowledge of this world's backstory. However, the sometimes overwhelming amount of detail about the gaming experience could easily deter readers who are not familiar with MMORPGs. This book is more of a "light novel," and looks like a manga at first glance with a limited number of manga-style illustrations. But it is actually a novel that packs a lot of story and exposition. VERDICT For fans of online role-playing games or the Log Horizon anime.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library Kazuhiro Hara is the artist behind both the Log Horizon light novel series and its manga adaptation. Mamare Touno is an author best known for his sci-fi light novel series, Log Horizon.