末日時在做什麼？有沒有空？可以來拯救嗎？ 1

WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us? (Novel) #1

by Akira Kareno, 枯野 瑛, ue (Illustrator)

★《這本輕小說真厲害2016》作品部門第5名，新作部門第2名。
★在網路上蔚為話題的末日系作品。
★以人類滅亡後五百年的世界為舞台，妖精少女與人類青年共同經歷的日子。


「人類」遭到非比尋常的「獸」蹂躪而滅亡了。
除了獨自從數百年沉眠中甦醒的青年威廉以外。
唯有「聖劍」與使用聖劍的妖精兵能代替「人類」打倒「獸」。
戰鬥過後，「聖劍」能再次被他人使用，但用盡力量的妖精兵們卻會殞命。
「至少，我也希望自己不用消失，也想讓別人記住。我也想留下羈絆啊。」
這是註定赴死的妖精少女們和青年教官共度的，既短暫又燦爛的日子。

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Drama, Manga

296 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

Reviews

[Isbat Bin Hossain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melancholic, gloomy, sweet, bittersweet... All of this adjectives will describe some part of WorldEnd but none can capture its full aesthetic perfectly.

This story is set in a dystopian fantasy world where all life form except those living on floating islands has been eradicated from the face of earth. The main protagonist "William" is the last living human.

The whole story oozes out a melancholic vibe that paints the picture of the dystopian world they're living in masterfully. Despite the gloomy environment the story never became unenjoyable. And the interaction between the girls at the warehouse and William was very cute.

Overall I think it's a very good LN and a welcome break from all the isekai power fantasy trope.

[Faith 09 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first novel and I really enjoyed it.

[Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then A Japanese author opens up a can of misery and depression. Being Japanese, they manage to permeate their entire book with a gloominess that I have never managed to find elsewhere.

This book is not a happy up-lifter. Some might point out that any series with the phrase "end of the world" in its title probably could be expected to be a bit on the grim side...

Trying not to give much away, I noticed the following things;

The main character is the last human. He is greatly reduced from his abilities that he had before suffering the effects of a five hundred year curse of being turned into stone... The book points out again and again that humans were always the weakest of the races, yet this guy is greatly weakened from even that level... I think the author overplayed that one.

The Characters are a strange bunch. The human is trying to remember who he was and figure out who he is with his lack of strength. The surviving races are trying to slow down their eventual destruction, but they don't seem all the worried about it.

The Japanese warrior ethic is strong in the lizard folks but they are described as being quite alien to humans. I leave it to others to connect those dots and start asking some interesting questions.

Despite those observations, I thought the book was okay. The series is building, and I am willing to read a few more tomes to see where it goes.

[Đôn Nhật · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great beginning of pain and tragedy of those poor girls...

[Christine Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purplemanatees.org


Title: WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?
Author: Akira Kareno
Pages: 169
Genre: Fantasy, Light Novel
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
In Japan, long titles are becoming extremely predominant in media-- hence this title. This is a harem light novel about a human being stuck in a world of monsters. When Willhem is looking for a job he takes the one with a bunch of girls who happen to be weapons capable of mass destruction. But what neither knows is that they are both connected in more ways than one.
Oh No's
The first couple chapters are really all over the place and I had a hard time trying to figure out what the actual plot of this story is. The main plot doesn't actually start until at least a quarter of the way in. It is also the same way at the end. The author just goes off on a tangent instead of actually finishing the story. This is really equivalent to the first episode of a show.
The harem. How did I not realize this? This is your typical book turned show about one boy surrounded by twenty girls who all want to kiss him. The only thing is, the guy is absolutely uninterested in being romantically involved with anyone. This is actually quite common but I really hate this trope.
The translations in this book were quite off at times. I feel that a lot of the story just didn't come through very well in English. For instance, the girls are referred to as both faeries and leprechauns when those are two different beings entirely. The dialogue was quite cut off in points as well. Luckily this is an extremely short novel so you aren't impeded in any way by this.
Yay's
The art! All Yen Press light novels come with artwork either from the manga or created by a mangaka for this series. It helps when trying to imagine a character, you get an actual depiction of them. Sprinkled throughout there are also random scenes that were drawn out such as some of the faeires and one of Willem.
The plot of this light novel is great. It has a lot of potential to be a great anime actually but they need to cut out that weird part about him being a dad to someone the same age as him and the weird harem stuff. That just doesnt sit very well in today's age. Other than that, this story has a lot of world-building to it that we get to learn about all the way through till the end.
Finally,
If you love yourself some Japanese harem mixed with an actually interesting main plot then look no further. Do be warned, that you will not be satisfied with just the first book. You will have to go on to the next if you like the plot at all. Cliffhanger endings are the worst.
My recommendations for this novel are perhaps Sword Art Online and Re:Zero. 
Favorite Quote
"But that's something only bloodthirsty people do!"
"Bloooodthirstyyyy! Blooodthirstyyyy!"
"That's not something you repeat like a song!!"
Pg. 74
│Goodreads│Instagram│Previous Post│
-PM


[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. There's an apocalypse. One member of humanity survives it somehow and is brought back 500 years later and boy how things have changed. Everyone lives on floating islands now. Oh, let's not forget, humans are pretty much non-existent and severely discriminated against.

Willem, the survivor, accepts a job that is largely supposed to just keep him out of the way and discovers that the "weapons" of which he the caretaker are girls, faeries in fact and they've been sacrificing themselves to fight off the beasts. But he also figures something out... but you'll have to read it to find out what.

Okay so the premise for me is pretty good. Alas, I just stumbled reading it. Every time I saw the term "emnetwhit" [what humans are called] I felt like I tripped over a speed bump. There were others as well. I certainly don't know the author's intent but I find myself wondering why authors use certain terms without a solid basis for it in that world. Perhaps Kareno has one, but if so it is never mentioned in the novel so seems superfluous which for me breaks immersion. It is such a strong reaction for me, I really find myself enjoying the read hence taking this down to 3-stars.

The book (aside from terminology that seems out of place) certainly has a better final 1/3rd and s manages to stay in the 3-star range and gives me reason to actually read the next one. I just hope I don't trip over the edge of one of those floating islands and tumble to the ground.

Verdict: Okay premise, delivery is a bit of a rickety-coaster that as it's ups and downs that may make your bones ache from riding it but still manages to be fun overall.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive. The pieces are generic genre, but they are used to form a story that is so much more than the sum of those parts.

Half a millennium ago Humanity dominated the world, much as we dominate ours. There were other intelligent species - Elves, Dragons, Troll, et numerous cetera - but they were endangered species occupying diminishing habitats. Sounds familiar. Then Humanity was destroyed, almost overnight. The other races survive, living on flying islands. (We are not told how they survived or how the islands came to be.)

Nobody lives on the surface, because it is still occupied by the creatures that destroyed the Humans. Those creatures sometimes attack the islands, and the islands only survive because they have developed a dubious defense: They ... make? let's say make, for now ... a breed of Human-looking girls (we're told they're faeries) who have the ability to fend off the creatures. This tends to expend the girls doing the fending. Yes, the book is that dark, and no, the people doing this are not bad guys and do not have good answers.

Willem is the last Human - recently woken from a petrified sleep - and he finds himself in a position to help care for the girls. Willem himself is damaged, physically and emotionally. But the girls' situation resonates with Willem's situation five hundred years earlier, and he tries to help.

It's a short opening novel. We meet Willem, we meet the girls, and Willem starts helping them. It's a powerful opening novel. The situation isn't simple, the supporting characters aren't simple, the plot isn't simple. But it's a real story, not a wish-fulfillment fantasy, and it touches the reader.

[Pablo García · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story takes place 500 years after humanity (emnetwhit species) perished in this other world. Now there are Monsters and Beast-kin living in this island-like world. So, what could be the point of a story that starts way after, 500 years after, the end? Is it to "flash-back"? No. Is it to accumulate knowledge of why a society imploded and went extinct? Not really.
Some of the characters of this story are a group of humanoid-like "weapons" left behind from before the human extinction. Willem, the main character is the first "human" in this post-apocalyptic world and finds some of these human-like weapons.
The author writes 160+ pages, 5 chapters but this story really has no main plot arc or secondary arcs. It is description and narrative of the humanoid-weapons in this adverse post-apocalyptic world. There is no real explanations to why the humanoid-like weapons were made to look like little girls. Why did the "weapons" survive? Why is Willem there? What is the point of this story series? It's not like they can "recover" the human-supremacy in this other world. It's not like humanoid-like weapons are real people anyways...It felt like a "day in the life" of a lot of random characters that hold no purpose, no meaning, and make no sense.
This light novel series was first published in Japan in 2014, in "Western World" in 2018. Currently it has 6 volumes. It has a Manga (comic version) and an Animated (anime version), but I cannot understand why?

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first volume for "What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?". While the cover might look pretty light, the plot is everything but.

A warrior of 500 years ago wakes up to a world where the whole human race is extinct and finds himself the caretaker of the swords of his past and an orphnage. The children of this orphnage are in fact ghosts of kids that died too early in their lifes and have taken a physical form. They are raised to use the swords to fight beasts that drove the world to extinction, and if defeat is obvious, sacrifice themselves for a super power that can defeat the enemy.

The story is in fact a slice of life, with almost no action. It's about a broken man that was defeated in the past and feels alien to everything around him. It's about a girl that wants to experience love before she has to sacrifice herself for victory. And it's awesome!

[Paul H · Rating 5 out of 5]

WorldEnd is about a man named Willem. Willem is a regular human in a monster world. He is the only monster in the whole entire area so it is difficult to find a job. He ends up finally getting a job but it's to protect weapons. Little did he know instead of weapons he found children.

One of my favorite characters is Ctholly. A reason why Ctholly is one of my favorite character is because of how she cares for all of the other children there and is like an older sister to them. I also like how the relationship between her and Willem change over time.

I like the setting of the story. A reason why I like the setting of the story is because it is a very magical land above the mainland that has been corrupted. I like the magical atmosphere because it makes everything so much more exciting to read.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the cliffhangers!

A small light novel (172 pages), this begins the tale of a world beset by Beasts and a war against them. 526 years after the surface of the Earth is obliterated by a war with massive Beasts, cities are located of floating Islands. And on one of these Islands, a group of girls who are the warriors of this age. Willem, the last human (called emnetwiht) joins their ranks in a position that has no responsibilities, but he gets involved more than he thought he would.

The story is a little slow to start, but by the end the cliffhangers are real and the next book is needed! What is going to happen in the upcoming battle, what happens to the main characters, how does the extremely long title of the series match up with the story? There are many questions to answer.

[Md. Ismail Hossen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story represent a different take on the the issekai genre. This is obviously isskeai but has twists and a deep background, which is being reviewed step by step. We can know that much the main character is sharp but has restriction. The story revolving around the girls are dark and twisted. The more one reads the more depth he or she can notice regarding the story. I just kept reading till I finished the book and was in a cliffhanger I definitely did not want.

[Diamond Keeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I finally finish this light novel, I should read this sooner than put it aside. Sheesh what's wrong with me and light novels. I get into this since 2018 but never got to finish it. Now, I want to buy the rest of the series. Which by the way, I did not know that World End has anime. You know what I going to do, watching it.

[Aiden Siridachanon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read and was able to make me feel attached to the characters in a few ways. However, I do feel as if the way dialogue is worded makes perspective transitions a little confusing at times. Though after a few sentences I was able to understand again.

Otherwise it was a nice and interesting read.

[MakotoNagai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still my favorite fantasy book I have ever read. The characters are well developed, the world building is peek, the writing style is fantastic and the tragedy hits hard. It's everything I want in a novel.

[Roxanne Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely written story of dark and desperate times, but I feel like it should have given a bit more substance to its drama. It may be a light novel, but it felt awfully short and I wish some aspects of the world were better explained, or at least shown. But definitely worth continuing!

[Ayoub AzouGarh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could do with less infodumps and confusing dialogues. Aside from that, it's very good. Chtholly is best girl.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disjointed at first but turns into a great start to the series.

[Tanpro260196 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

The writing can pull your heart string without your knowing it. Not the kind of in the face tragedy you usually find in light novel these days.

[Quyên Ko · Rating 5 out of 5]

hay

[GreenMuji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Beautiful book with a hidden feeling of sadness. The Yen Press translations can be a bit uptight at times.

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching and loving the anime, I was thrilled that I could lose myself in even more haunting beauty and details in their world!
It didn't disappoint.

[morgane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lee Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

主要还是故事好。

[Matt W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating is for the series as a whole. What I loved was the interesting world developed, along with how it contrasts typical fantasy stories. There's elements of tragedy and romance without either bogging down the story too much, at least in the later volumes; there are themes of war and using others as weapons; plus in the physical books there's fold-outs with some artworks 😎

Both the first 2 volumes do drag a little, focusing primarily on world building and SOL moments. This, however, forms a strong foundation that supports the last 3 volumes, which continue to build up till their conclusion.
Volume 4 was a particular standout for me, being well-paced, full of mystery, and some more dramatic moments.

I hear there's a continuation of the story, so I would be keen to see where it goes from here.

Volume 1 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Volume 2 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Volume 3 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Volume 4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Volume 5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done. Read the first two books in the series, and I loved just about everything about them: setting, theme, prose, characters, etc. Not sure I'll actually finish the series if only because this seems likely to end in tragedy, and I need to limit my exposure to sad media for my own sanity's sake.

[chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

"From such a high perch, the town that was normally a complete mess when examined up close now seemed more like a minutely detailed pattern. Because they expanded organically and were never particularly planned out, the streets twisted and turned wildly. But looking at them from overhead, the mass almost resembled a real living animal.
Slightly farther in the distance lay the harbor. A portion of the floating island's edge was covered in metal and furnished with everything necessary for airships to come and go, serving as the doorway to the patch of land.
And spreading out beyond it, of course, was a deep blue sky." (location 285)

"'I know you have your own stuff going on, but don't waste the life someone handed back to you.'" (location 447)

"He stopped thinking about how the more he compared these tales of another world to himself, the more miserable he became." (location 1266)

"The basic theory of necromancy was spelled out. It was a compilation of very occult logic, based on the premise that the soul existed. In essence, it stated that the spirit is pure white in the very beginning and then dyed the color of the world as it goes through life after birth." (location 1634)

"'Open the gates to the faerie homeland...'" (location 1650)

"They were idiots because they could laugh so freely." (location 2050)

[Mihey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Нормально, но есть надежда на что то хорошее дальше. Буду читать дальше.

Сюжет стандартный для павер фентези, с одним исключением. Эмоционально - безнадёга. Меланхолия, неторопливость. Нет грубости. Пытаются дергать за нити души.

Сначала насторожило что похоже на гаремник. Много девчонок которые любят ГГ. Диалоги немного кринжеватые для меня. Все происходит очень медленно.
Только в конце что то начинается.

По сюжету похожа на книгу "The House in the Cerulean Sea"
by TJ Klune.
Там гос рабочего направляют проверить как ведутся работы в детском доме. Только дети там особенные, магические существа. Которых боятся, и пытаются контролировать из вне.
Книга про найденую семью, про принятие кто ты есть, про смелость.

Если кому то не хочется читать ранобе, книга похожа по сути.

[Alyssa Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book like this before, so it was a great experience! The beginning was a bit confusing, but in the middle it really started to piece together and pick up speed!