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Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! Light Novel #11
Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! (Light Novel) Vol. 11
WILL HIRO BE PSIONICALLY OUTFOXED?!Shopping in the Empire's biggest shipbuilding star system, Hiro's offered a bargain on an intriguingly uncanny vessel! Then he crosses paths with Kugi--a devout fox shrine maiden hailing from a mysterious sect. She can speak to him telepathically and volunteers to teach him to use his powers. Hiro signs on, but he's about to be put through his psionic paces!
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
40 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 17, 2025
So, I'm officially all caught up on the 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' light novels (well, the audiobooks for me!), hitting the end of Volume 11, and I'm not sure when the next installment is due. I figured this was the perfect time to gather my thoughts while the wait began!
My journey with this series was a bit accidental. I was browsing for isekai light novels and stumbled upon it. Imagine my surprise seeing it was by Ryuto, the same author behind 'Survival in Another World with My Mistress!' I'd enjoyed that one's writing style and how it suited my taste, but somehow I drifted off after the first book. Fast forward to finding 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' – I was completely hooked.
Honestly, it's rare for me to see an isekai series, whether book or anime, make it this far. So many seem to get discontinued after just a few volumes. Finding out this one had 11 complete volumes available? I was beyond excited! That excitement was justified – I devoured all 11 volumes in one go. Now, of course, comes the disappointment of having to wait for more. I even went looking for other books by Ryuto, only to find this seems to be his major work right now. Guess patience is key!
Diving into the review itself, what I love about 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' is the fantastic blend of sci-fi and fantasy, two genres I adore. It starts off feeling like pure space-faring sci-fi but gradually and cleverly introduces more fantasy elements, especially through the different alien races and how their existence is explained within the universe. The world-building is solid, and the overall pacing clicked for me.
I also genuinely enjoy how the main character, Hiro, builds his crew. The 'harem' aspect develops naturally, and each character added feels unique and valuable. You've got the serious, capable Elf Elma; the energetic goth-loving Mimí with her busty boobs and cute personality; the brilliant engineers Tina and Wiska; and my personal favorite has to be Mei, the combat android with a surprisingly cheeky side – her interactions are always a delight. I love how distinct their personalities are and how well they mesh as a team – there’s hardly any redundancy, everyone has a clear role.
Looking at the story arcs, they get more complex and engaging as the series progresses, which keeps things interesting. My absolute favorite arc was probably the one involving Chris's rescue – it had great tension and payoff. I'll admit, there were moments in some arcs, maybe like the visit to the imperial capital, where things felt a bit slower than I prefer, but it never really derailed my overall enjoyment. There's something here for everyone.
Content-wise, it stays pretty firmly in the PG-13 camp. While relationships are hinted at, there's very little explicit content, which might be a plus for some readers.
And since I experienced this through the audiobooks, I have to give a special shout-out to the narrator, Fred Berman. His narration is excellent, his voice impressions brought the characters to life, and the pacing was spot-on. I was incredibly happy with his performance throughout the series.
Bottom line: I'm incredibly excited for the upcoming volumes. This has genuinely become one of my favorite isekai stories in a long time, one I got obsessed with. Big thanks to the author for that! If you're a fan of isekai and also love a good mix of sci-fi (think spaceships and mercenaries) and fantasy (diverse races, maybe some mysterious powers later on?), then 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' might just be the perfect series for you. Give it a try!
My journey with this series was a bit accidental. I was browsing for isekai light novels and stumbled upon it. Imagine my surprise seeing it was by Ryuto, the same author behind 'Survival in Another World with My Mistress!' I'd enjoyed that one's writing style and how it suited my taste, but somehow I drifted off after the first book. Fast forward to finding 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' – I was completely hooked.
Honestly, it's rare for me to see an isekai series, whether book or anime, make it this far. So many seem to get discontinued after just a few volumes. Finding out this one had 11 complete volumes available? I was beyond excited! That excitement was justified – I devoured all 11 volumes in one go. Now, of course, comes the disappointment of having to wait for more. I even went looking for other books by Ryuto, only to find this seems to be his major work right now. Guess patience is key!
Diving into the review itself, what I love about 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' is the fantastic blend of sci-fi and fantasy, two genres I adore. It starts off feeling like pure space-faring sci-fi but gradually and cleverly introduces more fantasy elements, especially through the different alien races and how their existence is explained within the universe. The world-building is solid, and the overall pacing clicked for me.
I also genuinely enjoy how the main character, Hiro, builds his crew. The 'harem' aspect develops naturally, and each character added feels unique and valuable. You've got the serious, capable Elf Elma; the energetic goth-loving Mimí with her busty boobs and cute personality; the brilliant engineers Tina and Wiska; and my personal favorite has to be Mei, the combat android with a surprisingly cheeky side – her interactions are always a delight. I love how distinct their personalities are and how well they mesh as a team – there’s hardly any redundancy, everyone has a clear role.
Looking at the story arcs, they get more complex and engaging as the series progresses, which keeps things interesting. My absolute favorite arc was probably the one involving Chris's rescue – it had great tension and payoff. I'll admit, there were moments in some arcs, maybe like the visit to the imperial capital, where things felt a bit slower than I prefer, but it never really derailed my overall enjoyment. There's something here for everyone.
Content-wise, it stays pretty firmly in the PG-13 camp. While relationships are hinted at, there's very little explicit content, which might be a plus for some readers.
And since I experienced this through the audiobooks, I have to give a special shout-out to the narrator, Fred Berman. His narration is excellent, his voice impressions brought the characters to life, and the pacing was spot-on. I was incredibly happy with his performance throughout the series.
Bottom line: I'm incredibly excited for the upcoming volumes. This has genuinely become one of my favorite isekai stories in a long time, one I got obsessed with. Big thanks to the author for that! If you're a fan of isekai and also love a good mix of sci-fi (think spaceships and mercenaries) and fantasy (diverse races, maybe some mysterious powers later on?), then 'Reborn as a Space Mercenary' might just be the perfect series for you. Give it a try!
May 25, 2025
Downtime. After a riotous outing that involved an encounter with fate that nearly left Captain Hiro in the clutches of a skilled baddie, the folks of the Black Lotus head to the Wyndas System for repairs, downtime, and shopping (for a new powersuit). But as readers know, wherever there's downtime, bad luck invariably follows.
REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v11 puts the sci-fi action on the backburner in favor of additional character lore and further narrative staging. Not a lot happens here. The crew upgrades the Black Lotus mothership, Hiro splurges on an awesome new powersuit, and another female character joins the protagonist's team. The last of these is doubtlessly of greater focus, but considering how much of the conversation surrounding the fox-girl Kugi regards her psionic abilities, canny readers can surely predict what they're getting into.
The light-novel series' dalliance with shifting subgenre interests (science-fiction versus science-fantasy) merges in the current volume. Little Kugi is an adorable character from the Holy Verthalz Empire's Divine Ministry, which seeks to patch up a long and complicated relationship with others by sending psionically powerful shrine maidens to help (suppress?) problems elsewhere. Readers already know, from their encounter with the residents of the Leafil System, that the Holy Verthalz Empire is home to some truly fancy psionic tech. And as such, Hiro gets it in mind to pair his psionic abilities with his piloting skills. What would happen if he added some cool telekinetic abilities to go with his sword mastery and that awesome new powersuit he just bought?
The addition of a new girl to the harem is the volume's largest plot point. It's not the only plot point, but one cannot be faulted for thinking as such. REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v11 goes a bit heavy in over-explaining (justifying) the value or balance of psionic abilities in an otherwise sci-fi heavy narrative. Different magic types? Different ability levels? Training? Fate manipulation? Unconscious influence? It's all there. Some of it's boring, but most of the information is couched in the context of Hiro thinking five steps ahead of whomever his next foe may be.
A run-in with the newly promoted Colonel Serena Holz implies some nasty shenanigans are afoot on the edge of the Grakkan Empire's territory. But with so few details, those events are likely material for the next volume. Interestingly, a side comment from Hiro implies the woman's pirate-hunting unit will soon evolve into "a mobile fighting force the Imperial Fleet could direct wherever it saw fit" (page 184). The truth of this otherwise throwaway comment may have strong implications when it comes to future alliances moving forward.
REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v11 puts the sci-fi action on the backburner in favor of additional character lore and further narrative staging. Not a lot happens here. The crew upgrades the Black Lotus mothership, Hiro splurges on an awesome new powersuit, and another female character joins the protagonist's team. The last of these is doubtlessly of greater focus, but considering how much of the conversation surrounding the fox-girl Kugi regards her psionic abilities, canny readers can surely predict what they're getting into.
The light-novel series' dalliance with shifting subgenre interests (science-fiction versus science-fantasy) merges in the current volume. Little Kugi is an adorable character from the Holy Verthalz Empire's Divine Ministry, which seeks to patch up a long and complicated relationship with others by sending psionically powerful shrine maidens to help (suppress?) problems elsewhere. Readers already know, from their encounter with the residents of the Leafil System, that the Holy Verthalz Empire is home to some truly fancy psionic tech. And as such, Hiro gets it in mind to pair his psionic abilities with his piloting skills. What would happen if he added some cool telekinetic abilities to go with his sword mastery and that awesome new powersuit he just bought?
The addition of a new girl to the harem is the volume's largest plot point. It's not the only plot point, but one cannot be faulted for thinking as such. REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v11 goes a bit heavy in over-explaining (justifying) the value or balance of psionic abilities in an otherwise sci-fi heavy narrative. Different magic types? Different ability levels? Training? Fate manipulation? Unconscious influence? It's all there. Some of it's boring, but most of the information is couched in the context of Hiro thinking five steps ahead of whomever his next foe may be.
A run-in with the newly promoted Colonel Serena Holz implies some nasty shenanigans are afoot on the edge of the Grakkan Empire's territory. But with so few details, those events are likely material for the next volume. Interestingly, a side comment from Hiro implies the woman's pirate-hunting unit will soon evolve into "a mobile fighting force the Imperial Fleet could direct wherever it saw fit" (page 184). The truth of this otherwise throwaway comment may have strong implications when it comes to future alliances moving forward.
April 4, 2025
the MC is getting dumber as the series progresses
there is a disconnect from the previous volume and the MC worries about minor stuff and completely forgets or neglects to plan contingencies for an obvious threat to return in the future.
multiple times he contradicts his decisions/reasoning - such as insulting people for inane reasons - especially ones he should be making allies. Two examples are the shrine guard (who is annoying most of the time - too easy to provoke) and long running stale gag with the noble / commander of the pirate hunting military unit - he is always complaining about not making nobles his enemies, but he treats them like trash.
Claims wanting to not stand out and be normal ... but doing the opposite - that trope needs to die.
- for a successful veteran he acts like a complete noob most of the time and is increasingly cringey.
this volume is mostly a filler - and could have been done in half the space.
Training gets introduced ... but it was handled in a mess. It was quickly and repeatedly explained to be important but gets delayed and rejected for stupid reasons bordering on Darwin Award material. It is like the MC is actively trying to make his own life significantly harder and more dangerous, via willful ignorance and denial of the obvious.
Some decent world building is added but is typically brushed over in passing as the focus gets distracted by less interesting things.
there is a disconnect from the previous volume and the MC worries about minor stuff and completely forgets or neglects to plan contingencies for an obvious threat to return in the future.
multiple times he contradicts his decisions/reasoning - such as insulting people for inane reasons - especially ones he should be making allies. Two examples are the shrine guard (who is annoying most of the time - too easy to provoke) and long running stale gag with the noble / commander of the pirate hunting military unit - he is always complaining about not making nobles his enemies, but he treats them like trash.
Claims wanting to not stand out and be normal ... but doing the opposite - that trope needs to die.
- for a successful veteran he acts like a complete noob most of the time and is increasingly cringey.
this volume is mostly a filler - and could have been done in half the space.
Training gets introduced ... but it was handled in a mess. It was quickly and repeatedly explained to be important but gets delayed and rejected for stupid reasons bordering on Darwin Award material. It is like the MC is actively trying to make his own life significantly harder and more dangerous, via willful ignorance and denial of the obvious.
Some decent world building is added but is typically brushed over in passing as the focus gets distracted by less interesting things.
January 5, 2025
Hiro and crew arrive at a new system to buy a ship for Elma, and upgrade of his gear and other ships. While enjoying some downtime though, a three tailed fox-lady suddenly shows up, announcing she is there to serve Hiro. What is going on? Is there some kind of hidden motive behind her appearance and those backing the fox lady?
Volume 11 of Reborn as a Space Mercenary is a bit of an intermezzo part. It introduces a new and interesting character for the crew together with a bit of world building on Hiro's appearance in this universe intermixed with some cosy slice-of-life stuff. It ends with events setting the story up for the next arc. There is little action, and maybe a few too many info dumps, but for the most part it was an enjoyable fun quick read, and I am curious what comes next.
Volume 11 of Reborn as a Space Mercenary is a bit of an intermezzo part. It introduces a new and interesting character for the crew together with a bit of world building on Hiro's appearance in this universe intermixed with some cosy slice-of-life stuff. It ends with events setting the story up for the next arc. There is little action, and maybe a few too many info dumps, but for the most part it was an enjoyable fun quick read, and I am curious what comes next.
January 3, 2025
Fantastic!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
January 4, 2025
good book
This was a very good book and I am looking forward to the next installment of the series. The author did a great job.
This was a very good book and I am looking forward to the next installment of the series. The author did a great job.
January 7, 2025
Enter the mandatory kitsune. No merc work this time as it’s all downtime and pseudo-Jedi training. It was short but there was a lot of amusing slice-of-life content. I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews