Twenty years ago, Jason was pulled into a world of magic and monsters.
He was promised a life of wandering his new home and having adventures, but things got out of hand pretty quickly. He met with kings and gods, fought interdimensional cults, and got in a knife fight with the guy who creates universes. He didn't win. What he'd never done was roam around, having nice, sensible adventures. He hadn't even seen the hometown of his friends, and that had been the first destination on his list.
Two decades on, he'd saved whole civilizations and the Earth, several times. He was freshly returned from a conflict with the fate of the cosmos at stake, where the battlefield was his soul and the combatants were the governing forces of reality. It was a fight he had no chance of winning, which was why he rigged it and pinched the prize while everyone was distracted.
Now, Jason is determined to reunite with his friends and have the simple adventuring life he always wanted. He won't let anyone get in his way, not angelic armies, scheming guilds, or the people who want to talk about that time he altered the fundamental laws of magic. Which isn't as bad as it sounds, he promises.
Jason's taking a gap year, whatever he has to do to make it happen. Manipulate a prestigious noble house into liberating a slave town. Attempt to extort every government on the planet. Blow up and subsequently rebuild the occasional city. Gods help anyone who tries to stop him, but the gods probably won't because they've met Jason and they know how that usually goes.
Experience an isekai culture clash as a laid-back Australian finds himself in a very serious world. See him gain suspiciously evil powers through a unique progression system combining cultivation and traditional LitRPG elements. Enjoy a weak-to-strong story with a main character who earns his power without overshadowing everyone around him, with plenty of loot, adventurers, gods and magic. Rich characters and world-building offer humor, political intrigue and slice-of-life elements alongside lots of monster fighting and adventure.
As always, I've blazed through the latest HeWho book and devoured it in mere days.
The series has become a big comfort for me, and I'm always eager to read about the adventures of Jason & Co. That said I agree with some of the other comments that this book is a victory lap.
This book takes place 20 years after the events of book 11, which makes the time skip extremely significant and it also tries to deal with the aftermath of book 11. Trying to juggle these elements as it sets up book 13 and the new story arc can make it seem rushed... Which it is.
The beginning and ending third were the strongest parts, but this is a pure setup book. There is no tension or real conflict/danger to the characters. It is a triumphant return after the world shattering events of the best books in the series. And it is fine.
I feel like so much more could have been developed, I think every conversation being about Jason is kinda tiring. I think some plot elements feel unearnt.
But at the end of the day, did I like it? Yes. Quite so.
While the story is still interesting, Jason is not. His powers are great, when he uses them, but this book was mostly politics, and unfortunately the author decided to bring real world politics and social issues into this fantasy world, even bringing them to a world that didn't have them. I understand social commentary, but at the same time ramming your personal beliefs into a fantasy style book is painful and a rather myopic, as it feels entirely shoehorned in. The humor is no longer there, he's no longer irreverent, and he's being actively reined in most of the time.
I see the author finally took my advice and gave us a time jump. How many books did we spend in silver grade again? Six was it? Then he glossed over the grade up… but that’s the last book. Let’s move on.
So yes, finally a time jump, we don’t spend however-many-books watching our MC incrementally advance while facing a series of contrived foes. This whole arc after the earth visit was just unbearable to me. Basically a meandering mess. Again, this is a review of Book 12, sorry. Getting back to that, time jump good… too bad it’s a filler novel. Little more than setup for the next four book arc.
Filler novels are something a LOT of the best selling authors in this genre dabble in. Defiance of the Fall, multiple blatant cash grabs, I mean filler novels. Primal Hunter, a couple of filler novels, but at least not as many as DOTF and at least PH is actually humorous even in filers making them readable. What does the guy who writes this series about an MC which is essentially just the author’s idealized version of himself do in a filler novel? Of course, he gives us the play-by-play of all his forgettable cast of one-dimensional characters and what they did in the meantime. Kind of makes the time jump pointless don’t you think?
Wouldn’t it have been a better narrative choice to time jump and not explain anything? To have new characters we don’t know and wonder where the ones we knew have gone? Let that intrigue impel us to turn the page where we can glean from how characters act towards eachother and events unfolding to piece together what happened in the meantime? Nah, let’s just do exposition, need to fill the word count to sell a bunch of books after all.
Oh and let’s add a heavy dose of cultural commentary in it as well. This is just further proof to me that the author has completely forgotten what genre he’s writing for. This is PROGRESSION fantasy! That means progression is a fundamental pillar. So is combat. So is world and magic building. So are characters. And the least of these is plot. Yet this author, possibly because of the limitations of the magic system he created, but more likely because he fancies himself a literary author instead of nerdy fantasy writer, this author has essentially given up all of this pillars of the genre for his plot. And it’s a mundane and trope-as-all-hell plot. Good versus evil. Scrappy incel protagonist against ancient evil.
Hey, you know that’s essentially the plot to every fantasy series right? So the reason people must read these series logically has to be something else right? Like the progression? This progression sub-genre is itself a sub-genre of power fantasy. We read these books to escape. To feel what it’s like to win in life, vicariously. To be powerful. For good to triumph over evil. But mostly to watch good guys kick ass. A fantasy world not like ours where bad guys win all the time, where injustice wins, but one where we can at least, for a moment, believe in justice, to vicariously feel those payoffs. This is supposed to be escapism, not remind-us-why-we-want-to-escapism.
And to me, that is the magic, pun not intended, of progression fantasy. And what separates the great series from the rest, and that is the ability to deliver on all levels and let us escape. The pillars I mentioned as well as pacing and payoffs are essential for this.
This author has sacrificed them all because now he thinks he’s a real literary author. When he never understood this genre or why we read his series in the first place.
Side Rant: Let’s talk about how this author writes romantic relationships, like he has ZERO experience with the fairer sex. To me he writes like someone who’s never been in a relationship imagines how relationships are. You know, like why nerds are always insufferable good guys saying “I’m sorry” all the time? Or telling women to “figure out their feelings” when they’re literally telling you how they feel but you don’t actually empathize with them enough to believe them and realize it’s your own insecurities talking? Like how they think they are good guys, but in reality, they are so extremely self-absorbed they ignore the very agency of a romantic partner they supposedly respect so much? That’s how the relationships that have finally budded in this series, after years of involuntary celibacy masquerading as noble chasteness, that’s how relationships feel. Very one-sided, and fantastical, but not in a fantasy way, in a I’m-a-bullied-middle-schooler-fantasizing-what-I-imagine-a-girlfriend-is-like-but-actually-have-no-idea kind of way.
Don’t believe the hype of his fans in these reviews. This series is flawed, deeply, and has been since book 9. Stagnating characters, stagnating progression, less and less and repetitive combat, and a mundane plot. I would have given this one star, but he did do the time jump I’ve been saying he’s needed for the past four books, so he gets a bonus star for that.
The way the book starts left me feeling like I have missed several books. Jason is just getting out of whatever astral plane he entered when he mastered the Astral Throne. But 15 years had passed since he went in.
Team Biscuit's lives went on. They're all now gold rank and Jason missed a lot. Only a few true battles, but plenty of the typical nonsense (that's a good thing) that take place wherever Jason Asano happens to be.
That was my first thought after finishing book 12 of this series. I have honestly enjoyed every book in this series so far. Some more than others, but I have disliked none of them. This instalment came fairly close to reaching that mark. My opinion is that this novel is setting the stage for the next major arc in the series. But honestly I thought it was very long winded for not actually progressing the story or even setting the stage well for the next book. Hopefully the story starts progressing again in the next instalment.
Some negatives I felt about this book: -The combat was bland. No big battles or a good antagonist. I speculate they will be introduced in the next book, but this novel felt very dry. -Jason is always the smartest person in the room. Regardless of the topic, situation, or morals of the situation he is portrayed as someone with few flaws anymore or if he does make a mistake, it magically results in something positive at the end. -There is no sense of finality anymore when Jason, and frankly most of the other characters in the series, are in peril. At this point even if Jason dies, his astral throne prevents him from truly dying (at least at this point). To me, that makes these "near death" situations not as intense or suspenseful because there really are no consequences.
I still would recommend this series to anyone interested in delving into a Lit-RPG series. Just hoping the next book picks up pace and keeps me interested.
Te animo MUCHO a que leas estos libros. Los 3 primeros es un arco independiente, los 3 siguientes también, a partir de ahí se complica un poco la cosa pero al final del 11 se cierra otro arco. Ese es un momento genial para parar, es lo que tendría que haber hecho.
Me encanta esta saga, me he hecho camisetas sobre ella, el wallpaper de mi ordenador es de ella y me ha llegado muy profundo en general, sin embargo este libro lo he dejado casi al 70%. :(
I love this series, but I only liked this book. I understand it’s necessary after a time jump but it’s a LOT of catchup with practically every character. A break from the action, a time for thought, reflection, conversation and planning. I’ll admit my excitement diminished when I was 2/3 through and realized it’s setup for the next arc of the series. If you know that going in it might help prevent any disappointment. Understanding what it is and why it is helps but it does take a bit of the shine off how eager I was to dive into it. I’d compare it to a heist movie where you see all the planning, the different team members you adore get ready, then you’ve got to wait before seeing it play out. Absolutely ready for more, will love to read the next one!
not his strongest by far, many writers when trying to make characters bigger then life tend to lose their personability and relatability. we are getting very close to that point, to much big picture not enugh teem biscuit going ham.
This book is the definition of Víctory lap, somekind of retelling of the first and fourth books but with a very powerful Jason. The main line of this book is not the cosmic conflicts but rather Jason trying to be better. This is a good point of view to continue the character, after all he always been struggling with the possibility of being a lord of chaos with all power since the first book. Pure set-up but i really enjoy It.
Decent entry, not my favorite, not the worst. No wasted pages hanging out in transformation zones or such. It's a set-up book for sure, but largely enjoyable. Will be discussing more on my YouTube channel, BellTube coming up. Probably a 3.5 star but want to think it over a little bit before "officially" rating it here. Voice actor, once again, is fantastic.
Nothing has changed in style for the last few books. It's all about Jason. There's a lot of patronising philosophy which might suit younger readers. Less and less plot, replaced by long conversations.
I love the characters and the setting. I also like to read a story with pace and direction. This is a semi-novel.
I just finished He Who Fights With Monsters: Book 12, and I have to say—this series continues to exceed every expectation I have for LitRPG. I’ve seen some complaints online about the inclusion of pronouns or so-called "liberal ideas," and I just want to say, as someone in the LGBT community, those small choices matter.
Characters like Rufus Remore and Annabeth Tilden might not be front and center in every chapter, but their existence means the world to readers like me. They are a quiet, powerful reminder that we belong too. In a genre that often overlooks diverse identities, He Who Fights With Monsters stands as a beacon of inclusion—without making it the whole point, which somehow makes it even more beautiful.
Yes, this is fiction. But the emotions it stirs in me are real. The excitement I feel with every new release, the joy of seeing characters who reflect parts of my own identity, and the pure fun of Jason’s journey—it's all been unforgettable.
Thank you, Shirlatoon, for writing a world where people like me can feel seen. This series isn’t just good—it's important.
DNF. I'm really disappointed with the direction this series has taken. When I started reading this series 11 books ago, it was a fun, exciting exploration and fantasy book about magic and being trapped in another world. Halfway (270 pages) through the books and Jason has done nothing but reunite with his friends. The author is only using the story to push his political view points at this point, not to entertain. The saturation of gay, trans, pronouns, socialism, anti-america, anti-capitalism and so on has taken over the series and become the focal point.
It's sad and immature on the authors point. Genuinely disappointed to have to throw out a series I've already read 11 books into. But I really don't need my fantasy reading to bash me over the head with modern politics. If I wanted that, I could watch the news in my free time.
Really just powering through this series. I feel like it could be half as long as it is just by dropping the exceeding and effusive main character praise. Sometimes you can just leave it unsaid, which makes it more powerful.
This book is relaxing. For the first time in the series there is no existential threat. No big bad to fight. No impossible fight to take. It's just a story about a man with to much power and how he should handle it. This is probably my favorite book in the series after the first one. This feels like the climax that has been building since the start of the books. We finally get to see the universe after all the craziness. Just a bunch of feel good moments strung along with idiot bad guys refusing to get over themselves. I recommend this book, and can't wait until the next one!
Yeh, this book (or, rather, the story in it) has been a long time coming. I'm pretty impressed with Shirtaloon's ability to maintain some level of conflict and story momentum with an that is getting as OP as Jason. That said, it's still a fun story, like the rest in the series. While it wasn't a cliff-hanger, per se, I definitely felt like we were getting to the fun part when this book ended 😅 looking forward to the next in the series!
I still really like the world and characters, but we are at the point of a power fantasy where you are OP and you don’t know where to go from here or what can pose a threat and it’s tangible. I do have a bit of hope, but I’m gonna actually have to consider getting the next book
Found myself looking for any reason to chuck my headphones on and listen, another great installation of the series, bit slower following the last book, but if you’re up to book 12 of the series I have a feeling you’re going to love it
Thank God for chapter 0, a beautiful recap... Listen, if you're here and have read the other 11 books... just get book 12.
If you are wondering about this series looking at the latest release, having not read the first book... This series is like Naruto. Slow but satisfying progress. Personally I like the Dresden series progress more, but the humor of both series is a great break from reality. If you like Brandon Sanderson's 'God play,' then this is a good series to check out if you like Litrpgs.
At first i thought I may reread this book, but... probably not. It doesn't stand out as much as book 1 or 2... I have found the pattern i have with this series is to reread book 1 and 2 then the latest. So I guess I'm heading back into the hedge maze...
4/5 stars, another good Jason adventure with a boat load of nostalgia to try and make this book feel powerful. Didnt do anything different, solid progression, but not knock my socks off.