Solo Leveling, Vol. 1
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- 115,00 kr
Publisher Description
THE WEAKEST HUNTER OF ALL MANKIND! E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung has no money, no talent, and no prospects to speak of-and apparently, no luck, either! When he enters a hidden double dungeon one fateful day, he’s abandoned by his party and left to die at the hands of some of the most horrific monsters he’s ever encountered. But just before the last, fatal blow… PING! [Congratulations on becoming a Player.]
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
At the heart of this light, fun adaptation of Chugong’s brilliant video-game-inspired adventure webcomic is the idea of “better living through leveling up.” In an alternate version of Seoul, magical doors periodically appear, ready to unleash monsters on humanity—unless trained “hunters” can stop them. Jinwoo Sung is the least effective hunter known to humankind, until he inexplicably unlocks a cheat code that transforms his abilities from subpar to superior. Chugong finds fun and clever ways to lean into his story’s role-playing-game elements. The result is a riveting blend of playthrough combined with fantasy adventure manga—and actor Ki Hong Lee’s lively narration perfectly balances these two elements. Even if you’ve already experienced the webcomic, Solo Leveling, Vol. 1 is a whole new experience.
Customer Reviews
Decent story, lacks perspective
Tldr; Compared to the anime adaptation I was surprised to find less character moments in the novel than in the series. It's not a bad novel by any means, it just lacks a holistic perspective from the people around the protagonist.
Learning about the world of hunters is exciting, and what the anime did by telling the protagonist's story through abstracted dialogue told by other characters meant they could focus on his inner turmoil when a scene called for it.
I came into this wanting more character, because the written works behind adaptations usually get quite deep into thoughts and emotions. No sugar coating it, I was disappointed.
The key moments of character introspection seem to be unique to the anime, whereas the novel simply focuses on the main character's confusion, rather than his emotions :(
At the end of the day, this is probably not a story I would have picked up if the novel was my first introduction to the narrative, but because the anime had serious screenplay writers that went above and beyond to add details and change key scenes to fit the protagonist's journey I got hooked and am now waiting excitedly for season 3.
Most likely won't be reading the novels after getting through 80% of this one, and finding it less characterful than the adaptation.