TNT: Only Sense Online Volume 05 by Aloha Zachou

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series I haven’t covered in over a year! It’s Only Sense Online Volume 05 by Aloha Zachou!

Plot: The plot is much less action oriented in this volume sadly, and while that does fit this series well, it will turn away those who are looking for more action in a series that sometimes lacks it quite a bit. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the short action sequences were very lackluster and don’t really involve our heroine Yun. That said it’s definitely a more “fluffy” series like Kuma Kuma Kuma, but some may not enjoy it.

Characters: We don’t get any newcomers in this entry in the series, and it mostly reintroduces us to some people we didn’t see much of in the past volume. It was an okay entry, but short on character development.

Overall: An okay entry, but light on the action.

Bookish Wednesday: Beta by Daniel Schinhofen

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with another LitRPG. It’s Last Horizon: Beta by Daniel Schinhofen!

Plot Synopsis: Advances in technology have led to the creation of ever more realistic virtual reality games but now Full Immersion Virtual Reality is finally coming true.  David and his oldest friends sign up to beta test the first game of it’s kind, Last Horizon. Last Horizon will give these old gamers the chance to live out one last adventure together.

Plot: The plot is pretty interesting, especially considering that the main cast of characters are all old people. It’s a rather unusual take on the genre, where most of the cast is all young people for the most part.

Characters: The entire cast is great, but my favorite might just Thaylen. That being said David is very much the main character, although there are frequent Point of View changes.

Overall: An excellent LitRPG, and a must read for any fans of the genre.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Gaming, Great Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: The Secret of the Dark Forest by Vasily Mahanenko

Hey all, I’m back with the third entry to the Way of the Shaman series for this week’s Bookish Wednesday. It’s The Secret of the Dark Forest by Vasily Mahanenko!

Plot Synopsis: The Virtual World of Barliona is a place of rest and entertainment – but not for everyone. It has become a survival arena for Daniel Mahan after he was sentenced to 8 years in its virtual jail. Mahan has been through it all: the back-breaking work in the mines, betrayal by other prisoners, and finally, the retrial which has released him into Barliona’s common world. What more could one want? Mahan could have kept a low profile and enjoy relative freedom while serving the rest of his time. But being a Shaman, he can’t help himself…

Plot: The plot of this entry is pretty good, and while there were a few annoying parts I didn’t mind it all that much. That being said if you weren’t a fan of the previous books this won’t change your mind on the series.

Characters: We get introduced to a few new characters, but really the stars of the show aside from Mahan are Anastaria and Plinto, both of whom were pretty awesome. The newcomers were good, but the character we had already met are better. That being said if I had to choose a newcomer as my favorite it would be Barsa.

Overall: If you enjoyed the previous two books, The Secret of the Dark Forest will be just as enjoyable for you. Otherwise you’ll probably not enjoy it all that much.

Bookish Wednesday: AlterWorld by D. Rus

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering a series I ran across the other day and enjoyed the hell out of. It’s AlterWorld, Book 01 of the Play to Live series, by D. Rus!

Plot Synopsis: A new pandemic – the perma effect – has taken over Earth of the near future. Whenever you play your favorite online game, beware: your mind might merge with the virtual world and dump its comatose host. Woe be to those stuck forever in Tetris! And still they’re the lucky ones compared to those burning alive eternally within the scorched hulls of tank simulators.

But some unfortunates – the handicapped and the terminally ill, shell-shocked army vets, wronged crime victims and other society misfits – choose to flee real life willingly, escaping to the limitless world of online sword and sorcery MMORPGs.

Plot: So this plot hook instantly caught my attention as it quickly became obvious that the author was influenced by many novels I’ve covered in my Translation Necessary Thursday columns before.  It deals with a lot of the issues that come up in a few novels, like Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, Ark, and Log Horizon, but does so in a way that many Western readers just haven’t experienced before. He’s not the first to come up with this genre, but he is the first to do so and be recognized by the Western world, which strikes me as unfair but that’s a story for another day. Also the author even included a reference to LMS which is awesome.

Characters: Max is our main character and he’s a pretty decent sort of fellow, which makes him a lovable protagonist. The rest of the cast is great, although I despise Tavor with a passion which is the author’s desired effect.

Overall: This is a great read for those who have never read a Light Novel or Web Novel before and should serve as a wonderful introduction. A must read.

For those who like: Virtual Reality, Light Novels, Web Novels, Video Games, MMORPGs, Action, Drama, Social Commentary

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

TNT: Zhan Long Chapters 1-40 by Shi Luo Ye

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This week I’m covering a series I really enjoyed reading because it’s a newer take on the VRMMO premise. It’s time to do some backstabbing with Zhan Long Arc 01 by Shi Luo Ye!

Plot Synopsis: Li Xiao Yao, Former S.W.A.T member, but was forcefully retired and became an ordinary security guard. While being sent to grab a ladder, he accidentally stumbled upon the VIP room instead of the storage room, and found a women in the middle of changing. As revenge, she brought him out in the middle of nowhere and kicked him off there. He spent hours walking back, only to find himself being kicked out due to lack of payment. As bad things pile one after another, his previous supervisor offers him a new job.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, and while it’s another VRMMO novel it focuses less on the exploits and more on the constant backstabbing that other players do. It’s more PvP focused than PvE. Which is nice as I always enjoy a change of pace. One thing I need to make a note of is that the above artwork is from the Manhua and not the actual novel as it’s a web novel and those very rarely have artwork.

Characters: The entire cast is pretty freaking awesome, with Xiao Yao being a total badass in real life, but has trouble actually becoming proficient in the game due to hardware limitations (the processor is too slow for his thoughts essentially). The rest of the cast is great as well.

Overall: This is a great read, and it’s pretty good for those VRMMO novel loving people who want a change of pace.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Badass Cast of Characters, Awesome Plot, Martial Arts.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.