Lately, more and more Japanese light novels have been translated into English and it's great!
For those who don't know a Light Novel is, it is a kind of Japanese young adult fiction with full paged art dotted throughout the book. I've been a fan of many anime that have come from these novels and am ecstatic that many original source material books are being translated into English. My to-read list is filling up with them lately, so I thought it would be fun to tell you about the interesting stories you could be reading.
The first I want to talk about is called Far Away Paladin. This is a highly rated LN with a free preview available through J-Novel club. (Link at the bottom)
I have read said preview and have already noted that the writing feels a bit above the normal light novel standard. Mostly light novels tend to be more of a fast-paced Novella style writing but Far Away Paladin had much more detail.
Far Away Paladin is a rencarnation story. A man from Japan who stayed indoors most of the time and didn't do much with his life finds himself reborn with all his memories. We're treated to the awkward situation of finding you have floppy baby limbs and a fully developed brain but our poor Will doesn't have much time to come to terms with that when he finds he surrounded by a ghost, a skellington and a mummy. These three creatures comfort him, calm him and raise him in the dark crypt away from the world. Will grows up without the contact of another human. Silently comparing what he learns to the blurry memories of his past life. He resolves that he won't waste his second chance at life.
The preview gives just enough for you to get an idea on each of the characters and where the mysteries of this story lie. Who are these creatures? How did they die? Why are they the only ones here? Are there any other humans? Where are they?
There is so much potential for this story and reviews I have seen said it doesn't disappoint. Far Away Paladin is high on my to-read list.
At the moment it's only available in e-book form. If you would like to read the preview you can find it here: