The New Gate (Light Novel), Vol. 01: Where It Ends, It Begins

The New Gate Light Novel #1

by Shinogi Kazanami, Makai no Jūmin (Illustrator), Evan Parker (Editor)

In the deepest level of the dungeon known as the Gate of the Otherworld, Shin was locked in battle. His the final boss of THE NEW GATE, a VRMMO that had transformed into a deadly death game.
After a fierce and grueling fight, Shin emerged victorious, freeing the trapped players from their digital prison. But just as relief washed over him, a mysterious door at the heart of the dungeon suddenly opened—and in the next moment, Shin lost consciousness.
When he came to, what lay before him was the world of THE NEW GATE—not the game, but the real thing.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Light Novel

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2013

Reviews

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shin was the strongest player trapped in the VR death game, but after beating the final boss, he finds himself stuck in the world of the game, five hundred years after it happened. With very little information to go on, he searches for any connection in this new world . . .

So the beginning is kind of a mess, but once Shin gets to the new world, things settle down a lot into a more standard adventure story. Shin is an overpowered protagonist attempting (badly) to fit into a world he doesn't quite recognize or understand, one which isn't quite the game but isn't entirely divorced from it either.

Although this is almost too early to show a lot of what I like about this story. I like that Shin actually makes friends with a male adventurer and not just girls. The battle scenes are a bit long but well-described, and the game is referenced but it isn't overloaded with stat sheets since Shin's already maxed. This isn't about Shin powering up. It's more of a fish-out-of-water story for now.

I feel like the real story starts in the next volume, when Shin finally reunites with Schnee, who was formerly his NPC companion but is now a real person herself.

The first book is solid but a bit wordy (every move in the fight is described in detail. This isn't terrible in this volume but in the future it gets very skim-worthy). I do think the light novel or the manga is the best way to appreciate the story--the light novel has more details, but conversely if you find it too MUCH detail the manga slims things down more. Recommended.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars because I like the story, but the translation is atrocious (and I can't imagine the original dialogue being much better), so be prepared for your eyes to bleed. I heard it gets better by the 5th volume, we'll see.

[Hana Eka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story.

I hope they will adaptation this series to anime like Shield of Hero/Tate no Yusa no Nariagari. :)

[Saad]

it is a nice and an interesting story of a boy who was previously trap in a game, at the end of game he is transported to a new world with new rules. He embarks on a journey to understand the new yet old world.