- #1
I put off reading this for a long time because the premise sounded a bit too overly complex or edgy. But I'm very glad I decided to pick it up. In the 2-3 weeks it took me to catch up with the raws, I couldn't put it down for a minute. It's rocketed straight up into my top 5 favorite web novels.For one, there's a lot of basic stuff that many WNs do wrong but that Death Mage does right. Most characters have personality traits and quirks that make them unique, likable, and memorable, so that even as the cast grows to a huge size, you can still keep track of who's who without much difficulty. It seriously considers the backgrounds and consequences of events, rather than just having everything come together in ways that are convenient for the plot. It has twists that I never saw coming. It even has honest to god proper worldbuilding- something that's important for fantasy novels but that many WNs neglect, instead keeping close to a very vanilla Dragon Quest stereotype. We're commonly treated to stories about the history of the world, or side chapters featuring things from the perspectives of the gods who are looking down at this mess.The MC's growth in particular is fun to follow, because "growth" for Vandelieu essentially equates to throwing away even more of his humanity. Whereas most MCs would grow stronger by learning a new sword technique or magic spell, when Van finishes a big fight it often results with stuff like him learning to flail his tongue around like a whip, or growing antenna or spider legs or tent**les or what have you.A lot of these novels will have an arc or two that just really seem to drag, but I haven't hit anything like that in Death Mage. My only regret is that now that I'm caught up with the raws there's no more to binge-read. Upon finishing what's out there my first instinct was to turn around and read through it a second time, something that I've only thought about one or two other series.If I were to compare it to something, I'd say it's similar to stuff like I Was A Slime When I Reincarnated, or Maou-sama no Machizukuri, where you have the MC building a nation of monsters that is far more advanced and pleasant to live in than any human country, and putting down the forces that come to subjugate it.You can tell the author's preferences. If you like 2-3 meter tall monstergirl muscle waifus, you'll like this series, because Van gathers an impressive collection of them. I really wish there was a manga version or some fanart. The LN illustrations only cover the first couple arcs, before a lot of the cast is introduced.