What are some of the best light novels?

[LuoirM]

I haven't written that yet.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Any story that isn't killing characters for shock value, putting in smut just to be popular, and one-dimensional characters is good for me.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Ha yeah my bad i thought i read about one of the characters calling the other hyung at some point so i thought it was korean

I didn't read much of it, but earth are used as the base for the story, that may be why if a korean character are introduced you have seen "hyung" in it.

 

[BlackKnightX]

Overlord has a superb writing style, in my opinion. It paints the picture really well and does it in such a simple, efficient way. The story also has so much depths that are conveyed in an engaging way.

Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World takes a complete opposite route from Overlord. The writing looks like one giant info-dump and inner-monologue, but its world building—while a lot are based on common tropes—are all well thought-out and has so much depths. The prose sounds pretty sophisticated compared to other light novels as well.

 

[Reinya]

Did I misunderstand the question somehow? A lot of people write about web novel, but light novel is different from web.

Despite being cliched, but I really liked Infinite Dendrogram, a very enjoyable and unique vrmmo.
There's also She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man. The manga and anime is just mediocrity, to make a standard female character so cheesy is horrible. And ranobe showed how a man who played a wise old man turns into a girl by mistake and who is not shy at all, unlike the misunderstanding in the manga and anime. I really like Mira's interaction with a lot of people and creatures, fun world development, fun magic development. I'm vastly understating it, so I recommend reading it for yourself

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Did I misunderstand the question somehow?

You did not.

A lot of people write about web novel, but light novel is different from web.

Yes.

 

[ShipTeaser]

Pure Love x Insult Complex

Damn right, even the non sex parts are interesting. I have a ton of tributes to it in my story lol, just sad it'll never be finished, I really wanted to see Momoko join the harem...

If I had to say some titles well... Empty Box and Zeroth Maria is a safe pick...

As an esoteric one I liked Psycome a lot...

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

Overlord has a superb writing style, in my opinion. It paints the picture really well and does it in such a simple, efficient way. The story also has so much depths that are conveyed in an engaging way.

I agree completely

Damn right, even the non sex parts are interesting. I have a ton of tributes to it in my story lol, just sad it'll never be finished, I really wanted to see Momoko join the harem...

It's a wild (slow) ride in the dark, but it's worth it. It's definitely not for everyone, but it has been inspiring for me as well.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

As in the lightest novel? In that case, it’d be a sheet of a4 printer papers with one word written on it.

 

[Kenjona]

I prefer my light novels to weigh under .25 lbs, easier to carry also small enough to hide away when needed.

A Ship to the stars, Green Requiem in the late 80's because someone translated them and said they were good. Regretfully most of the early stuff was more geared towards the female crowd, I read them because they were available and had nothing else to read, not because they were my style. Heck, most books from Japan seemed to be female authors, or male authors following their female counterparts steps. Lots of beating up on guys and every guy was a near uncontrollable pervert, with very few exceptions. So I was not to into them in the 80's and 90's

In last decade and a half or so though, the genre has exploded so much that there is something for everyone, besides "this is what we got translated for now".

Also for me I watched animas and cartoons, well before I was actually seriously reading any light novels; many of them were a reason why I went to light novels for reading.

Mushoku Tensei; from start to about 2/3 of the way through got me to get into the Isakai style Light novels a bit more, then in the past. Regretfully there are a lot of Light novels that start out fantastic but eventually end up disappointments towards the end, as this one it felt to rushed for conclusion towards the end.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

it'll never be finished,

Why?

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

Re Zero

Freakin details and high quality characters. Battle has depth and tension. Kinda sad that it does not follow western culture nor moral value, especially it has to follow the rule of seinen Fanservice.

Konosuba

Deep comedy within simple jokes. And each character shoes their quirks for every new event that happen.



Overlord fits better into real full fledged novel format than "light novel".

Love Re:Zero and Konosuba.

Overlord is by definition a Light Novel, and also a Web Novel.

OreGairu.

This novel is the reason why I'm always up for Harems and Harem Routes. Too many Waifus. Choosing one is too painful. It frustrates me so much. The same story goes for The Irregular at Magic High School, a shower of girls for our MC, but he only sees his sister... In the end, it's a contrast that maybe makes the story better, but it's so infuriating.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

There's also She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man. The manga and anime is just mediocrity, to make a standard female character so cheesy is horrible. And ranobe showed how a man who played a wise old man turns into a girl by mistake and who is not shy at all, unlike the misunderstanding in the manga and anime. I really like Mira's interaction with a lot of people and creatures, fun world development, fun magic development. I'm vastly understating it, so I recommend reading it for yourself

It's quite the charming novel.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

This novel is the reason why I'm always up for Harems and Harem Routes. Too many Waifus. Choosing one is too painful. It frustrates me so much. The same story goes for The Irregular at Magic High School, a shower of girls for our MC, but he only sees his sister... In the end, it's a contrast that maybe makes the story better, but it's so infuriating.

I like harems and harem routes, but I prefer a well done monogamy romance. As for OreGairu, I think the ending is so-so to say the least. It had a lot of potential, however, in my opinion, it was wasted.

 

[georgelee5786]

86 and Violet Evergarden, although Violet Evergarden was never officially translated into English, sadly

 

[Jemini]

Interesting the criteria are specified to "Light Novel" and not including webnovels.

That said, if we were to stick very strictly to only Light Novels, I'd definitely list Ascendance of a Bookworm as quite likely the best LN ever written.

If we were to expand the criteria to include Webnovels, I'd also add Mother of Learning and Worm.

That said, listing those off just made me realize. The west has a SERIOUS problem with it's WN to published novel pipeline. Both of those ones I just listed are incredibly well written and also incredibly popular to the point where it's absolutely baffling neither one of them has been picked up by a major publishing house.

 

[ShipTeaser]

Why?

Sadly it you read the footnotes on the website as he was publishing it was grim reading towards the end. It seemed like his parents he had dementia onsetting

 

[Deleted member 84247]

killing characters for shock value,

Me, who likes Re: Zero.

 

[WeissBlatt]

Blood Sign.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Sadly it you read the footnotes on the website as he was publishing it was grim reading towards the end. It seemed like his parents he had dementia onsetting

I didn't see any footnotes since I stopped midways; I was waiting for it to end before finishing it. Don't tell me the author has dementia and won't continue writing it. Don't do this.