The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows: Volume 1

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows (Light Novel) #1

by Sakaku Hishikawa, Camilla Lima (Translator), Daburyu (Illustrator)

Life hasn’t been kind to Zenos. He was born in the slums, and his dirt-poor background has denied him almost every opportunity. After an encounter with a healer, he throws himself into studying to become one and finally catches a break when an adventurer invites Zenos into his party. Zenos is thrilled—so thrilled, in fact, that he’s willing to put up with his teammates treating him like garbage. They fail to appreciate his talents and ultimately kick him to the curb, claiming he’s outlived his usefulness to them.

Now bereft of money and out of options, Zenos decides to put his self-taught skills to use elsewhere and opens an underground clinic. Word quickly spreads about the brilliant healer working incredible magic in the city’s shadowy underbelly. Even the royal palace is taking notice...

Can Zenos buck the odds and carve out a life for himself in a world that’s spit in his face? And can he save the lives of the patients who wind up on his doorstep in the process?

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Historical, Harem, Comics, Magic

200 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Name in japanese: 菱川 さかく (Ishikawa Sakaku).

Reviews

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but no, just NO.
I was enjoying this novel so much, then the author decided to turn every woman in here as a love interest. Why on earth would you consider that a good idea?

I get that MC went through a lot, so of course he wouldn't think highly of himself after all the manipulation of his former party,still, having no backbone is too much for me to take. The fact that the women did what they want without him being able to stand his ground was a major turn off for me, which lead to me DNFing this novel. Although, I did skim the last 100 pages.

Also, the world of the novel doesn't make sense to me. Pretty sure the Kingdom is fcked up and there should have been a rebellion a long time ago. The whole idea of "you were born dead poor and you should always be dead poor, bc it's what the nobility want" wasn't appealing to me. So yeah, I have a a lot to complain about this novel, which is not a good thing.

[Wolfkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading a bunch of these mangas, One of the things I figured out is that when they say adaption, they don't mean adapted from an anime. They mean adapted from a light novel. And so for the first time I'm delving backwards to check out this light novel.

There's a YouTuber called Caleb City who has a video about what it's like to make an anime and one of the jokes that he muses on is that the anime will often change things from the manga for no reason. When what the fans want is a literal copy paste of their manga with movement. Light novel fans, I must conclude, are not disappointed by their manga adaptions cuz holy heck are these almost beat for beat, word for word!

As far as this type of genre goes with a slumdog billionaire character. He starts from the bottom in actual slums and then becomes better than everyone. It is bog standard. He meets the girl that becomes like a daughter/best friend to him and yet she is somehow attracted to him. Check. There's a harem of actual adult women who are also into him as well. Check. A main character who doesn't know anything about anything, especially how strong he is or what it looks like when a woman is into him. Check. All of their advances are too much for our hero. So he will inevitably fall back to the loving arms of the woman who was there first and by woman we mean young girl. Check.

I like the story but it's like carrot cake. all fun and games until you get to the nuts. I don't like nuts. Love carrot cake. Hate nuts.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows (Japanese: 一瞬で治療していたのに役立たずと追放された天才治癒師、闇ヒーラーとして楽しく生きる, Hepburn: Isshun de Chiryou shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihousareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer to shite Tanoshiku Ikiru)

The Spring 2025 anime from the light novel is entertaining. Zeno’s obliviousness to, well you will see pretty quickly, is a well worn trope but it is funny nevertheless.
The LN is an easy read and entertaining also. 5 volumes of the LN are translated into English a/o April 2025. The 6th volume is due out in June 2025.

Read for the GR Japanese Light Novel Book Club.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Nicole Nieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a lot better than I expected. I really like the characters and I’m looking forward to the next book. Zenos is a guy who’s tenacious and he really believes in being a healer and he takes the responsibility of that position very seriously. There’s a bunch of girls who have feelings for him, but they have those feelings because they respect him and it’s not a huge deal. The story doesn’t put them in compromising or weird positions and Zenos isn’t some kind of creepy perv.
So yeah, I definitely enjoyed myself.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC! I enjoyed the manga version, so went back to the light novel to get a bit more expansion on this world and story. I really enjoy our MC's nonchalance as he performs miracles and unheard-of skills throughout the story. I particularly enjoy the turf war he oversees and its results. Don't really love that every female character is fawning over him, ESPECIALLY the child that he saves. I'm curious to see where it will go next and for his former party and the caste system to get their comeuppance.

[Josh · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s like the author doesn’t even have enough patience for his own writing. From the immediate bully trope to the protagonist’s frustrating high intelligence/low wisdom, humble-bragging drivel, this novel crashes out of the gate with shockingly derivative writing. The embarrassing, misguided attempt to swarm Zenos with a suspiciously convenient harem is the rotten cherry on top of this burning trash heap.

[Wisetell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not my type I think.

This book is one of those that is Fast-paced harem stories it seems. It was relatively fun to read, but I wouldn't give it any awards or anything. If you like the feel-good stories that take no time to admire the world itself, this is probably for you. People in a world.

If you want a more fleshed out story, where it's a World with people. Then I don't think this is for you. Not sure if that will make sense to anyone other than me.

[Pieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was looking for a bit of braindead popcorn reading, and it delivered. So if you are looking for a typical OP MC being banished from his party for no other reason that stupidity who finds his footing in a new life while collecting a number of women along the way this is the book for you. So, fitted expectations, but nothing setting it apart.

[Christopher Diedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

A fun read about a healer being tossed out of his party. It funny, action packed and worth the read. This grill healer and his tales to come. Definitely looking forward to the next book! I hope it comes out soon.and

[Anne Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it

It just makes me so happy. It's hilarious, heartwarming, got great characters who support each other, and a guy who does the extraordinary through the ordinary. I love it.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute 🥰

The trope of an oblivious male collecting his harem is a tried and true protagonist plotline I will never get tired of in any way. Zenos is a great guy who endured terrible treatment despite having wonderous powers. Let's join him for his journey.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical harem story. Super strong protagonist surrounded by beautiful woman all into him and he is blissfully ignorant. Love it though, a nice palate cleanser. Plus it's nice that the MC is a healer. That's a new one for me.

[Yudi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good start

[Tj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent bones here

Way too tropey. Harem thrown together incredibly fast. Clueless mc. Honestly same usual junk. Good for a 2 season anime maybe.

[Juan Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premisa sencilla, personajes carismáticos, historia escrita con amor.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As light novel go, it was a good read. Filled with Japanese fiction tropes. I hope you guys enjoy a laugh.

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zenos has come far from his origins as a slum rat--but all that comes to an end as the adventurer party he's been traveling with kicks him out. With no official healer's credentials, he can't work normally, and no other party will take him now that he's been so obviously expelled. So it's back to the slums. But Zenos has underestimated how much power he's accumulated with his nonstandard spells . . .

This is pretty much what you would expect from yet another "kicked out of the party who didn't realize I was so overpowered" story. Zenos takes the opportunity to reevaluate his life, finally clues in to the fact that he's been used pretty badly, and decides he'll start his own business in the slums, but this time he'll make sure to get paid for any work he performs.

This leads to him accidentally taking over as he doctors his way through the three factions that compete for the slums. Since everybody now owes him (and the three faction leaders have, of course, fallen in love with him), things are actually getting better for their home. Of course, the nobility starts hearing rumors of what's happening and decides to investigate . . .

I may or may not keep following this one---it depends on how annoying the harem aspects get. We have the ghost who haunts the house where Zenos chose to live, the underage slave girl he bought, the three faction leaders, and the noble who came to investigate. I do like Zenos's unorthodox, self-created magic, but right now it's about 50-50 plot versus harem. But the first volume is decent. I rate this book Recommended.