It’s back! The virtual reality light novel Infinite Dendrogram was one of the most well-received titles we covered in the Light Novel Club last year, and now that an anime adaptation has been announced, as well as print editions of the novels, I figured now is a great time to dive deeper into the series. J-Novel Club gives the following summary of the volume:
After an unexpectedly challenging journey, Ray and his party finally arrive at Gideon, The City of Duels. The mere sight of the towering arenas and thriving fantasy townscapes is enough to instantly awe and enchant him. However — like anything that stands tall and proud — the city cast a great, dark shadow. The name of this shadow is the Gouz-Maise gang — a loathsome band of cutthroats who turn their profit kidnapping children and demanding ransom. Ray, wide-eyed and innocent, was blissfully unaware of just how cruel the hyper-realistic world of Infinite Dendrogram would become.
Our discussion of the volume will go up on March 15th. If you want to join in, grab the eBook and read along!
Huzzah! Tried ID vol. 1 because of BtT, then went on to eagerly devour the vols. 2-8. Easily my favorite LN series I’ve tried. The world, characters, and questions raised are all interesting. The author has done an exceptionally good (at least for light novels I’ve tried) of developing the protagonist in a way that he is plausibly strong enough to do important, heroic things, yet also suffers serious setbacks, is unambiguously weaker than many other characters, and has needed to depend on powerful friends and allies in quite a few situations. I look forward to your comments on vol. 2. 😀