Overlord, Volume 2: The Dark Warrior

Overlord #2

by Kugane Maruyama, so-bin (Illustrator), Emily Balistrieri (Translator)

It has been a week since Momonga logged in to his favorite RPG one last time and stranded himself there. Now he leads his guild as the Ainz Ooal Gown overlord. Finding himself in dire need of better information, he travels disguised as an adventurer to the walled city of E-Rantel, with Narberal the battle maid at his side. The pair accept a mission to retrieve medicinal herbs, making for a forest said to be the home of a great and wise beast. But the sinister influence of a fanatical cabal approaches E-Rantel, and the armor-clad Ainz will face both a ruthless warrior and a legion of the undead!

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, Manga, Magic, Adventure, Action

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2012

About the author

MARUYAMA Kugane
Name (in native language): 丸山くがね

Reviews

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is one thing I can say about the Overlord series in itself, it is that very rarely in any series I have read, A Game of Thrones and The Eye of the World included, have I come across such an interesting group of characters, side characters, and everything in between. The author of the Overlord series has not only crafted some interesting characters, but also fleshes out his side characters with the same level of passion he does for his protagonist. This leads to a wealth of enjoyable characters who the reader ends up getting behind if only because they are far more human than a lot of the people written about in the two book series mentioned above.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Now that said, I have seen the anime, so large swaths of the plot were already spoiled for me. However, that didn't stop me from actually enjoying this story, its characters, and their struggles in this new world. It was nice to see how being a warrior affected the protagonist and how being undead is starting to change not only his morals, but the way he handles certain situations. His loyalty to his friends is astounding, and something I could easily see someone in his situation doing.

There were moments where the story started to slow a little, which stumbled the pacing of the book a bit, but thankfully they were short and didn't stop the flow of the story too badly. And as much as the mary sue nature of the protagonist should bother me, in the situation presented in this series of books, it actually doesn't. Much like One Punch Man, you are left wondering if there is anyone who can beat him, or will he find someone from his world who will rival his power? I was interested to learn how the level cap system worked for the original video game he had been playing and the fact that yes, there are people more powerful than him out there, something that the anime left out.

And let's not mention the beautiful, distinctly almost un-anime art on the cover and within the novel. It's refreshing, distinctly different than other light novels, and all in all lends a unique style to the physical copies of the novel. If you are looking for an interesting take on the isekai novel, as well as a unique fantasy story with amazing characters, this is for you!

[Jaron Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

if only the book was as good as the art

[Benjamín Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short read where you get the exact power trip you were hoping for. Overlord is still far darker than the fantasy I’m generally used to, but I genuinely enjoy the characters and am here for the ride

[Kappi701 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nachdem ich die Reihe aufgrund der unterbrochenen Erscheinung auf Eis liegen hatte, geht es nun weiter.
Gut geschrieben, flüssig zu lesen, nur die Gruft von Nazarik kam mir in diesem Band etwas zu kurz, aber da geht es dem Cliffhanger nach zu urteilen bald weiter.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surely there was a better translation than "magic-type magic?"

[Estevam (Impish Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was far more entertaining than the first volume.

[Mahalia Gosla · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of POV changes that I couldn't keep up with. This follows Ains scouting for information and making a name for himself as an adventurer. It's a bit slower than the first, but the cliff hanger is perfect.

[FaDoug · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a *while* since I read the first volume of Overlord; I think it's been a little over a year at least. So I don't quite remember all the details of the first novel, but I remember enjoying it a lot for the most part. Unfortunately, I don't have the same positive reception to this volume.

Don't get me wrong, all the stuff I still love about Overlord is here: the over-the-top violence, Lord Ainz slowly losing his humanity, the dark comedy, it's all here right where it should be. It's just everything else about this volume that frustrates me.

I think my single biggest issue is the pacing. This volume felt *so slow* to get through. I think that was mainly because it basically just focused on one main adventure, but that adventure just felt so painfully slow to me. It doesn't help that the anime made this entire volume only a few episodes long, and is paced far more evenly. If it wasn't for the awesome fight with Clementine and Khajiit (who I always imagined as a cat thanks to The Elder Scrolls games) I probably would have disliked this volume even more.

There's also a few problems I have with the writing, which I remember being in the first volume, but not being as bothered by it until now. The biggest issue of which is how the series introduces women. It has the usual problem of going into deep detail of how every named woman looks, explaining how beautiful and attractive they are, while the male characters are just introduced as: "Some dude".

Aside from cringing a little, I can handle this for the most part. But oh my god, I really hope they stop explaining what Shalltear looks like. I do not need to know that she looks explicitly like a fourteen year old but with big baboogas. That is just completely unnecessary information, please explain her appearance in some other way, I beg of you.

Still, even though I had some big problems with this volume, when it hit right, it hit incredibly well. There were some scenes I genuinely loved, and I found myself laughing quite a lot, especially when Hamuske was involved. I know where the story is mostly going to go from here, I just hope its told in a way that is a bit more engaging then this one. I'm actually feeling decently optimistic about that.

[Skyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writer overexplain everything - in almost every paragraph is explanation of something that doesn't even need to be written out. It's veeery slow because of that and even when we are in new location and are joining adventurers it's so boring. I don't want to force myself into this book anymore because it steals my joy of reading. I am so sad I spent money on this - it was expensive!

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ainz is having issues he never dreamed of when he was playing Yggdrasil! Two beautiful women are at war with one another…over him! Whodathunkit? Two of his NPCs - Albedo and Shalltear - are ready to fight one another to win his love. What’s a man to do? Except, he isn’t a man, not anymore. He’s an undead lich king. Man, life is complicated.

He decides he needs more information about this new world he finds himself in, more than he has received so far. Actually, he really needs to see things for himself. He sets out with one of the Pleiades warriors, Naberal, and presents himself as an adventurer named Momon, and her name is Nabe. But it’s hard to get her to keep from calling him my lord. Guess he’ll have to work on that.
Heading to the nearby city of E-Rantel, they first rent rooms at an inn, where Ainz has to deal with a troublemaker, but in doing so he accidentally breaks a young woman’s potion. She is less than thrilled with him and lets him know about it, so he gives her one of his Minor Healing potions to make them even. Little does he know….

Next they seek out the Adventurers Guild, from which they can find offers of employment and make some money as they explore the land. The trouble is that, while Ainz can speak the language, he cannot read it, never having acquired the skill to do so. In all fairness, he never thought he would need it. The jobs are posted on a board, according to skill level required. As a newbie, Ainz is at copper level, but he has no idea which jobs he would qualify for and he can’t let them see that he can’t read. So he grabs one job request and takes it to the receptionist, who disdainfully tells him that is mythril level while he is merely copper. He asks her for the highest job he can do, but before she can respond, he receives an offer from a group of adventurers who ask if he would like to join them. This doesn’t sound too bad, so Ainz agrees.

They are known as the Swords of Darkness, and their leader, who looks like a warrior, is Peter. The other members include ranger Lukrut Volve, Spell Master Ninya and Druid Dyne Woodwonder. Lukrut seems inordinately curious about the relationship between Momon and Nabe, which mystifies him. But once he explains that they are friends, the truth is revealed when Lukrut makes a declaration of love for the girl! She shuts him down immediately, but he doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word no. Luckily, she has no problem with telling him how little she thinks of him.

Just when it seems things are settled with these adventurers, Momon receives a personal request for his services! A young man named Nfirea, a well-known apothecary in the village, wants him to accompany him while he gathers herbs in a dangerous area. But Ainz is reluctant to simply abandon his new companions, even though they say they understand. He finds a way to combine the two requests that is mutually beneficial to all. And off they go!
Meanwhile, there are sinister goings-on beneath the cemetery of E-Rantel. Something’s going to happen, and it isn’t going to be good!

I am totally loving this series! It’s like being inside an MMORPG except for real! I love Momonga/Ainz! He is coping with an unusual situation rather well, I think, and adjusting to being a skeleton instead of a man. The rivalry between Albedo and Shalltear is hilarious, but I admit to being Team Albedo. Nabe proves herself to be a good companion for this first adventure, and the apothecary Nfirea is cute! I’m looking forward to the next volume!

[Aelvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momonga (now Ainz) is fully aware of his own lack of knowledge about the world he now inhabits. He's still uncertain how much his former-NPC's loyalty can be trusted, and the world contains things both from the game Yggdrasil and things he's never seen before. So Ainz goes undercover as the dark warrior Momon. Together with one of his battle maids, they pose as adventurers in the hopes of learning more. But other plans are afoot in the city, and Ainz may have inadvertently tripped over a few of them . . .

For those coming from the anime, this novel was adapted in episodes 5-9. Again, the adaptation was faithful and the differences are minor (although my favorite addition was the extra information about just what Ainz did with that Jewel of Darkness).

Once again, Momonga/Ainz is proceeding into the world with extreme caution, even though he's so high leveled that he can afford to seal away most of his magic and simply wave swords around and still be stronger than pretty much any human adversary. But the fun, of course, is in watching HOW everything plays out. The plot really likes putting him in embarrassing situations as well as situations where he can show off.

For example, ogres. Ainz can dispatch ogres with a single blow. His technique is terrible, but his strength allows him to ignore the basics any actual warrior would know. Ainz knows this and is uncomfortable at the amount of awe his "mighty deeds" generate, because to him, ogres that low-leveled would never pose a threat.

This gets even funnier when Ainz decides to challenge the Wise King of the Forest, hoping for a faster way to spread his renown.

Here, too, Momonga's inner loneliness comes through a little better than the anime. He's hurting for the friends he used to have, which he sees reflected in a small party of adventurers he teams up with for a time. Their camaraderie reminds him of what he lost and wants to have again, and spreading his name is a way of crying out for them to notice that he's still here, waiting for them. It's a little sad he can't take Touch Me's example to heart and go out and befriend others, even if they are weaklings, but his paranoia about keeping himself, his former NPCs, and Nazarick safe precludes any overtures.

I like how the game world details keep coming, and also how the various techniques and abilities that pop up show that this is NOT the game Momonga played. That leaves him with plenty to discover (and plenty of new things to embarrass himself with, I'm sure). Again, for those who liked the anime, this is a great way to dig deeper into the world, and to see some of the technical explanations about spells and so forth that never made it to the screen. The book also contains several nice pieces of art on the interior. I rate this book Highly Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[LiteratureIsLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review (and others) at: https://literatureislife.com/2017/07/...

The Dark Warrior picks up one week from where The Undead King left off. With almost no knowledge of this strange new world, Ainz sets off for intelligence gathering. Donning a dark suit of armor and the name Momon, he poses as an adventurer to learn the lay of the land. This premise shows that Ainz is clever enough to be cautious. His battles in the previous book leave the impression he is nigh invincible in this new world. But he does not know that for sure and does not assume it. Ainz wants to take things slowly and find sure footing, as opposed to immediately becoming overconfident.

Ainz’s plans for the future stick out in other ways as well. The currency in the new world is different from the money he has stockpiled, which has two effects. One, he cannot spend most of their money without giving away that he is a “foreigner”. Two, he has no idea if the new money will work to create items, cast magic spells, etc. Despite being in a real world, video game rules do apply to Ainz’s new life. Not necessarily all of the same rules he is used to though, hence his extreme caution.

Besides Ainz, we do get some other good character development in this book. One of the Pleiades (battle maids), Narberal, accompanies him disguised as an adventurer so we get to flesh her out. A slew of new characters come in as well; a group of adventurers, their client, and a villain. The Swords of Darkness adventurers are a happy, campy group of well-rounded, typical adventurers. They gave a good feel for what most adventurers in this world are probably like. In the story they take a job for Nfirea, a talented young potion maker. He was a smart character who was put together well; hopefully we see more of him in the future. Lastly was the villainess Clementine; man, she was a cold-hearted snake. A nasty, nasty lady who is probably as evil as some of the literal monsters Ainz hangs out with.

The Undead King seemed more about world building while The Dark Warrior seemed more focused on characters. Notably, there were some differences from the television show in here as well. While the episodes that covered The Undead King did not leave much out, a lot of scenes from The Dark Warrior were either cut short or omitted completely from the show. It made the story much easier to follow in the book, which will make me happy to keep reading Overlord!

[Jessop Reason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that flips the traditional hero/villain juxtaposition on its head, of course it would stick out from the crowd of an oversaturated genre. Overlord: the Dark Warrior by Kugane Maruyama is the second volume in the series. It follows Ainz as he decides to try and find out more about the city of E Rantel and the surrounding area. I found this book at a local bookstore, and since I watched the anime I decided to buy it.

The book starts off with Ainz in a tavern disguised as an adventure. He is also traveling with Narberal, one of the floor guardians of Nazarick, who doesn’t like humans, so Ainz sometimes has to keep her in check. At the tavern Ainz accidentally destroys an adventurer's potion, so he replaces it with his own, the only thing being that potion technology hasn’t advanced as much as it did in yggdrasil so the adventure takes it to the local alchemist. The alchemist sends her grandson, Nfirea, to request Ainz’s help collecting herbs, intending to collect posible information on the strange potion Ainz had in his possession. Ainz accepts the quest and joins the party of a group of adventures he met at the adventurers guild. Ainz escorts Nfirea to the forest. While there he defeats the Wise King of the Forest, keeping her as a pet. Ainz travels back to E Rantel with Nfirea. Nfirea gets kidnaped by a mysterious organization when he returns home. Nfireas kidnappers also kill the adventures Ainz was traveling with. Ainz tracks down the kidnappers to E Rantels graveyard where they have been creating an undead army. Ainz defeats nfireas kidnappers and saves him.

Ainz forms his adventure persona, momon, to help further the interests of Nazarick and learn more about this world. Every action Ainz takes is to help Nazarick, even saving Nfirea. That is what makes Ainz evil, a disregard for others if it helps further his goals. Ainz even says that if he was in the same position he would kidnap Nfirea.

I think it is a good book. The book's author plays a lot of tabletop rpgs and it shows through the story telling. If you like very well thought out worlds and realistic characters then you will like this book. It is a hands down amazing book.

[Terrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read through this one after a long hiatus of Overlord. And I really enjoyed it. I like how Momonga / Ainz is just a bit different than some other "I'm reincarnated as a demon lord, now I have to fake my way through" characters in that his grotesque species self of the Overlord has almost it's own brain chemistry that kind of melds with or tapers off some of his human consciousness. It's less "I'm a human faking my way through" and more "I have some humanity and memories, but I am Ainz Owal Gown".

This volume introduces a lot of new characters, a new city (E-Rantel), and new lore. I don't think volume 1 really had a lot of those elements, so it feels like the author hit his stride and found out what he wants to do with the world between volume 1 + 2.

It's definitely still a dark humor element to it, but there are some serious scenes and moments. I think it kind of goes with that element of feeling out who Momonga is (like, how much humanity he really has; some of his thoughts don't mix with his actions, sometimes he's more or less cold than you'd think for a human). Overall though, it still remains a bit of an OP character in a world of characters that underestimate him (now that he's getting more renowned, he may face stiffer challenges though).

Interested to see where volume 3 goes, and where they go with all the new factions mentioned (Blue Roses; Drop of Red; Dark Society) and some returning ones (Slane Theocracy). There's a Golden Princess out there too with hints of Noble's being corrupt and unfair towards some, with her potentially not being so (or putting on a facade she isn't so).

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

DR
Having been summoned to a new world of magic and sword with memories of the previous world, protagonist creates a personality to cope with the newfound responsibility, uncertainty and stress. Dark warrior enters the stage. A master plan of a supreme one begins to take shape with Momon establishing a strong connection with a gifted alchemist, potion brewer Neferea and deepening ties with Carne village.

The ugly/harsh (real) side of this new world reminds about itself when the reader has been lulled into slice of life adventuring story. Mostly because of the humorous wise king of the forest encounter in the previous ch. Kudos to the author, the scene at the potion shop was described in gory detail and strikes a harsh tonal shift back to the Overlord - anime viewers will be familiar with, readers were introduced with to the story.

Conclusion: 4/5. Listened on Audible for 1 credit. Narrated by: Chris Guerrero. Started the audiobook series after having finished animated series 4 adaptation of the work, had high hopes starting listening. Audiobook lived up to the high expectations set by the animated series. Satoru Suzuki, Momonga(Overlord), Ainz Ooal Gown and now Momon the dark warrior. Protagonist's psychological coping mechanisms are a lot like Miles Vorkosigan's from Vorkosigan Saga. Love it. Terrible value for the length of the book, buying it with USD- 2.87 $/hour ( 23.38 $ / 08 hrs 10 mins ).

Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour

Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone

[Pierce Hipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Overlord Light Novel series has continued down the path that it was going: a really honest-to-goodness interesting one. The overall feeling of this one is the same as the last; however, the story seems to drag somewhat as it gets a lot of exposition and explanation out in a mixture of dumps and segways which is definitely needed to get a detailed understanding of all the places, people, and systems. The story is still just as interesting though and it truly excels when it comes to Momon's fight scenes, or what I should truly call them, massacres. It truly illustrates highlight the difference between Momon's capability and that of everyone around him. Sure he is an excellent user of magic, but the fact that he can be considered a heroic warrior as well shows that even his weaknesses are superpowers in the eyes of humans. This series has always taught and will always teach the true idea of power. Ainz inspires the idea of not a higher power but the idea of someone so much better than anyone else that such greatness is untouchable unless you were born into as many perfect circumstances as them and even then had unbelievable luck. No one will ever find another Tom Brady or Usain Bolts. No one ever will find another Shakespeare or a Tolkien. There will only ever be one worlds richest man at a time. Even on the real-world human scale, the balance of power is unfair. It is natural. There will always be the kings and queens, the emperors and empresses, the ladies and the overlords.

[Dex Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a guilty pleasure.

Fans of the anime and manga will love reading the story and reliving Ainz Ooal Gowns conquest to become a legend. Even if you aren't a fan of the show, the book introduces a great fantasy to get lost in.

I'm not sure if it's just nostalgia, but I'm really invested in the story. The self talk, detailed descriptions, and actions that happen throughout paint a sturdy illustration of what is going on in the minds of those that meet and interact with the dread lord of death.

The book is a pure power trip fantasy on par with stories like One Punch Man, Disgaea, or Makai Kingdom (I'm a badass freaking overlord) and really puts you in the shoes of something every gamer has probably fantasized about. After grinding away for hours creating the ultimately overpowered avatars, we might have thought about what would happen if we were sucked into the body of our perfect creation and be worshipped like a god in the land they exist in. At least I have had this fantasy playing games like Morrowind, Disgaea, or even Final Fantasy and this book gives you a good sense of what that would be like.

This series has managed to eloquently induce max escapism within it's written passages, making it a page turner to obsess over.

[Rolaka Pisarka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka bardzo średnia. O ile pierwszy tom, który wprowadzał czytelnika w świat gry, mówił o jej zasadach, o umiejętnościach jakie mogą posiąść gracze itd, to drugi winien pójść dalej, ale nie serwować czytelnikowi powtórkę z rozgrywki. Light novelka zawiera ogrom WYJAŚNIEŃ, które w 80% są najzwyczajniej zbędne! Najprostszy przykład, który nic nikomu nie zaspoileruje. Mamy sobie bohaterkę, która zabija przeciwników w palcem w nosie, umie przemieścić się z miejsca na miejsce w mgnieniu oka i teraz, czy czytelnik jest aż takim idiotą, że trzeba przez prawie całą stronę tłumaczyć, iż owa bohaterka w życiu musiała bardzo ciężko trenować, że musiała pokonywać mnóstwo przeciwników, nie mieć oporów itd. To są informacje zbędne, gdyż czytelnik domyśla się ich poprzez wydarzenia. Poza tym idziemy w drugą stronę - opisy. Wyjaśnień mamy w cholerę, a kiedy chcemy przeczytać dobry opis zmasakrowanych zwłok... No, cóż... Trzeba się rozczarować.
Nie zaprzeczam, Overlord to wciąż świetna novelka, która zaskakuje wydarzeniami, przeplata między sobą najróżniejsze persony, które są naprawdę ciekawie przedstawione, ale nadal leży jako książka, jako warsztat pisarski.

[Jason Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are only a couple hours long so I read the second one. First book was all set up so I figured I should keep reading till the first hook before judging it. The showdown with Clementine was pretty decent.

The main plot where Ainz decides to become an adventurer was a waste of time. His minions keep asking him why he's doing it and he's like "trust me this is the best way to take over the kingdom". This is false. He could have taken over the kingdom on day one in a number of different ways. It's pretty clear the author just wanted to write a story about an overpowered adventurer.

I thought Ainz was playing adventurer so that he could learn Martial Arts and add to his power, but now I'm pretty sure he just wanted to act like a cool two-sword guy for a while. It's clear at this point that the author will not prioritize writing physical or emotional growth for any of the characters. The whole series is just going to be goofy anime hijinks.

Looks like the next book is about a rebellion by the overly sexualized vampire with the body of a little girl. Nope. Nope. I'm done.

[Jonathan Pirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

- I've read the first 6 of the books in this (at the moment) 16 book series and this is my review for all of them as I don't feel like writing an individual review for each one. I am also going to stop reading it at this point for the reasons listed below.

Very fun concepts and often great worldbuilding but it is extremely difficult to get over all the unnecessary weirdness that the author seems to put in to pander to creeps. Especially since there is a scary amount of sexualizing characters who are described as looking in their teens and it only becomes worse as the series progresses. Someone needs to check the author's hard drive. Furthermore, many of the characters (especially the women surrounding the main character) are often written to be very shallow. Lastly, this is a very very dark series where the main characters are undoubtedly the villains. The grim tone isn't a problem to me as I often like darker novels but I would not recommend this series unless you like dark stories and more importantly are able to overlook/skip a LOT of weird shit to get to the genuinely interesting bits of worldbuilding and magic.

[Juazt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este volumen me fascinó porque nos presenta un gran contraste: del ser supremo Ainz Ooal Gown, un dios entre insectos, decide disfrazarse de Momon, un simple aventurero. Fue increíble verlo interpretar este papel como un actor consumado en el gran teatro del mundo, con un carisma calculado y un aura de misterio que lo envuelve todo. Su Caballero Oscuro, nacido de un capricho, es la mezcla perfecta de elegancia y poder, como una estatua de obsidiana a las que se les ha insuflado un alma letal.

La mayor ironía de este tomo es ver a un ser de poder incalculable lidiando con los imprevistos más mundanos, forzado no a desatar su fuerza, sino a reprimirla. Pero es en su interacción con el grupo "Espadas de la Oscuridad" donde la historia me tocó de cerca. Verlo sentado junto a la fogata, compartiendo un espacio con ellos pero separado por un abismo invisible, fue un reflejo de mi propia experiencia; esa sensación de estar rodeado de gente y, aun así, sentir una distancia insalvable. Es algo que no me gusta, el tener cercanía física, pero aislamiento emocional.

Este tomo demuestra que el verdadero desafío para él no es conquistar el mundo, sino navegarlo. Es una exploración de su ingenio más que de su poder, un recordatorio de que a veces la máscara que construimos para encajar es la que más nos aísla.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since I've read the first volume, having (I'm pretty sure) purchased volumes 1-3 around the same time. So I was almost tempted to re-read Volume 1. And I kind of wish I had, as I totally don't remember Ainz encountering the other Hero guy. But whatever, this volume caught me up to most of what was necessary to support the story here.

So the next step of Ainz's plan to benefit the Great Tomb of Nazarick is to masquerade as an Adventurer to build respect and recognition under the name "Momon." I don't quite understand why, exactly, since Ainz's cold-hearted pursuit for his Guild's greatness seems to clash with this apparent fantasy toward heroism, but I don't know. In a way, it makes a lot of sense, because Ainz gets a new opportunity to role-play.

As is the case with any fantasy/isekai light novel ever, a conflict generates such that Ainz is forced into battle in the climax. So it goes. The battles are indeed fun, and I'm not complaining. Nor, for that matter, am I complaining about the generic conventions of this novel. I am well aware I'm reading a light novel, and I certainly don't expect High Art out of it. I want "genre," and I get it.

Ainz remains funny in his internal monologue.

Mixed feelings on the generic names for spells, especially when combatants vomit out a handful to stack buffs. Might be better to have more unique spell names. Or maybe not? I kind of respect the generic names sometimes ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

****

EDIT: I forgot to say, but I like how so-bin draws Clementine's boobs.

[Saurav Adhikari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary
Basically this book is about a guy who gets transfered into a frictional world or a game where he is overpowered and has ~42 overpowered followers who thinks he (Momanga or something like that later he becomes Ainz) is the greatest and the best. One of my best Frictional novels I have ever read.
It joins togather comedy with the seriousness and also answers about the reality of socitey. It's fun when his followers overpraise him about something he dosen't Know.
For example one of his Smartest follower Demurgus thinks Momanga is smarter than him their conversetion goes like.

Momanga: So everything is fine right?
Demurgus: Oh how smart of you My lordyou found something was wrong So fast? You are talking about that right?
Momanga: Yes that?
Demurgus: That is amazing?
Momanga: Oh, Can you solve That?
Demurgus: Of course that is not a probelm.
Momanga (on his heart): "But i dont know what that is?"

[Vincent Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classics - which this one is hailed as - are ok.

My main beef with the story is the light novel format. It comes with a handful of tropes that I could do without. But abstract the story format, the concepts and execution remain extremely good. The inversion of the fake identities (MC as a caster, sidekick melee vs MC as a melee, casting sidekick) between volume 1 and 2 show a good contrast in terms of story.

My biggest beef with the story pacing is that, at this point, it should be obvious that, as a max-level character in the MMO version of the universe, Momonga should now expect very little in terms of resistance. At best, he's facing a handful of former Yggdrasil players. So, he is playing it a bit too safe for the setting. On the other hand, he'd be pretty overwhelming. So, it's a bit too fake of a tension there.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing the Overlord franchise does extremely well is maintaining interest despite a lack of a true threat. In the climax of "The Dark Warrior" the protagonists appear to be having a hard time, but it is revealed that they were imposing handicaps on themselves, refusing to take their opponents seriously. The end result is an extremely cathartic, brutal obliteration of the antagonists. Volume 2 notably introduces the Overlord trope where a character's backstory is expanded on in detail, to the point where in ordinary fiction they would have enough plot armor to stick around, before they are mercilessly killed. I find Volume 2 less interesting to re-read than Volume 1, but it is still quite solid.

[xuskw · Rating 4 out of 5]

In novel #2, Momonga begins to learn a little more about the world he is in, while fighting new enemies. This builds on the landscape setup in novel #1, but still keeps the story fairly local to the area Momonga is near (the Kingdom). The story is good - not great. I found some antagonist characters to be a little cringe in their dialogue and actions, although this may only be an issue with the translation. The introduction of Nabe and the changes her and Momonga undergo together are nice to read. I expect the Nabe will become a major character in future novels, even if she is only a maid.

Overall, this novel is a good seg-way into a larger story, but isn't particularly great by itself.

[Henrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nesse volume 'e feita a saga do Dark Knight - Quando Momon vira um aventureiro.

O livro tras menos do que o anterior em relação ao anime, tendo como ponto forte:

* A gema usada pelo vilao 'e ciente, e conversa com Momon.
* Explica porque foi Nabel junto com Momon - Por ser humanoid, e Albedo tinha que ficar por ser mais competente em administrar Nazarick.
* Mostra Nable contactando Albedo para ajudar ela a ser a favorita de Momon.
* Fala sobre a tortura aos membros capturados na vila
* Da uma pista sobre o porque Clementine 'e louca - Abusos e torturas
* Fala sobre a rede da sabedoria - Deixa as pessoas loucas quando retiradas, e sem nenhuma consciência quando utilizada.

[Kayuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Band spielt nicht lange nach dem ersten. Der Anfang war etwas schwierig für mich. Ich denke das es zum einen an der Pause gelegen hat, zum anderen jedoch auch an dem Stil der gewählt wurde. Der zeitliche Sprung war nicht ganz eindeutig für mich nachzuvollziehen. Die Geschichte geht erst etwas schleppend voran, die Kämpfe wirken wegen der schieren Übermacht nicht allzu spannend wie sie sein könnten.

Die Charaktere fand ich interessant aber auch recht flach bisher.

Dennoch kann die Geschichte mich bei Laune halten. Die wenigen Zeichnungen sind wirklich schön und vor allem das Ende macht Lust auf mehr. Außerdem will ich schon irgendwie wissen was da alles in der Welt los ist.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 find Ainz and the gang finding out more information about the world, and getting mixed up in a larger plot.
I expected a bit more from book 2, but found it much along the same lines as book 1. We don't see any character development from the main group, more for side characters. And whilst the overall plot seems to be building, it's still a whole lot of conjecture at the moment.
Overall this book feels average to say the least. Hoping volume three onwards does something to make me want to continue reading.

[Shekinah Mbwambo · Rating 4 out of 5]

After fantasy turns into reality, Momonga goes on a quest desperate to find information about the empires, players, and monsters roaming the new world. Despite the second book being informative like the first one, I often laughed because of how ignorant, reckless, and unprofessional he was when meeting new creatures and kingdoms in the new world. I also appreciated all his struggles and effort he invests into the quest to achieve his goal. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure book.