G’day, mate! Have you ever wondered what would happen if Crocodile Dundee had to fight magic monster crocodiles with a cursed knife? Me neither, until I started reading this series.
Jason Asano – the MC – is a rather relaxed dude, which is a really good thing when he awakens bare naked in the midst of a hedge mage and is attacked by hamsters. And that’s just how all this starts.
This series is about Jason, who finds himself teleported to another world. One with magic, monsters and all kind of shenanigans. And some RPG stats, although in terms of LitRPG, it’s rather light on them.
Jason is a very likeable protagonist, and the same is true for a lot of side characters. (In fact, Jason is as good as making friends as he is at making enemies.) With exemption of the bad guys, but they’re not meant to be likeable, anyway. There’s a lot of humour here, sometimes bordering on Pratchett territory, even including some moral ideals (or more social critiques and ideals). So score one for the characters!
The story is mostly light-hearted, and even the darker passages are elevated by the humour. There’s some action sequences, and the writing is rather good.
What this story is not, though, is suspenseful. There are some large plot arcs here, like some kind of metaplot that gives a structure to the otherwise more episodal chapters. Ultimately, this boils down to the fact that the story is not for you if you’re expecting high tension, thrills, suspense or epic fantasy.
Instead, this series is the literature equivalent to a telenovela – always something happening, large plot hooks surfacing here and there, and always the light-hearted banter and humour. This is, for me, a kind of soul food, light reading, perfect for that “just one more chapter” craving. If you have a knack for this kind of reading – and some understanding of nerd culture -, this night be for you.
Crossing the Pond Reviews 