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The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary Light Novel #2
The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary (Light Novel) Vol. 2
A gritty swords and sorcery tale of a veteran mercenary who must start anew after he loses his old company--and don't miss the original light novels, also from Seven Seas!
When seasoned mercenary Loren is the sole survivor of a disastrous battle that destroys the rest of his company, he must find a new way to survive in the world. With no friends or connections, he has no hope of joining an adventuring party-until enigmatic priestess Lapis offers to partner up with him. But there's more to Lapis than meets the eye, and Loren soon finds himself bound to a fate stranger than he imagined.
When seasoned mercenary Loren is the sole survivor of a disastrous battle that destroys the rest of his company, he must find a new way to survive in the world. With no friends or connections, he has no hope of joining an adventuring party-until enigmatic priestess Lapis offers to partner up with him. But there's more to Lapis than meets the eye, and Loren soon finds himself bound to a fate stranger than he imagined.
218 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 2017
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About the author
Mine
66 books29 followersMine is a Japanese light novel author best known for The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 11, 2021
There's trouble afoot. So, naturally, a luckless mercenary-apparent without a copper coin to his name is the region's best hope for survival.
Loren, readers are earnestly reminded, is a man for whom fortune regularly spurns and with generous interest. The guy's lived a rough life. He recently lost his previous adventure party to a cave of bloodthirsty little critters. True, his previous adventure party was chock full of foolhardy assholes who deserved their torturous deaths, but that's neither here nor there. Loren, eventually, survived a wicked encounter with an old ruin, emerging with a handful of new friends and an enormous debt to pay off.
In BROKE MERCENARY #2, the steadfast wandering swordsman continues his quest for relevance. Lapis, of course, is along for the ride. The woman is a demon in disguise who delights in teasing someone to the edge of their sanity. The two make for an odd but compatible couple: his incredible strength and sense of strategy, paired with her heightened worldly intelligence and magical knowhow. As such, when the two stumble into an escort mission for some easy coin, it seems like just another stroll through the grasslands. But when members of the caravan start dropping dead from an unknown illness, the pair suspect darker forces are at play.
The current volume is a smoother and simpler read than the initial installment. The characters traverse an established narrative path and the row of antagonists (or antagonistic forces) emerge, for the most part, from the novel's realm of believability. It's understandable an escort mission would go sideways. But why is the little girl they're escorting giving off such an unusual aura? It's understandable the nearby city-state of Hansa will defend itself aggressively against outsiders. But when the crew arrives, and the baddies swarm, Loren and Lapis must ask the hard question of whether the people they've sworn to protect are in too deep and thus not worth the coin promised for their salvation.
The pattern here is that Loren often finds himself in simple-turned-chaotic scenarios. In the previous book, it was a modest goblin-hunting expedition. Here, it's escort detail, subsequently full of mysterious illnesses, unearthly summoning rituals, creatures lurking in the sewer, and more. BROKE MERCENARY #2 has a few wildly contrived key turns, adding villains or invoking action for their own sake, but the amateurish tactic doesn't interfere too grossly with the quality of the story.
However, the book notably retains many of the author's unsatisfactory quirks. Loren and Lapis are well-rounded characters, but everyone else is a two-dimensional prop. Whether it be the trope of the annoying-but-helpful youngster, or perhaps the little girl they're escorting, Scena Lombardia, readers learn very little about the secondary personalities typically meant to shape the narrative (e.g., Scena is the daughter of a regional chancellor, but she has maybe five lines in the whole novel).
BROKE MERCENARY #2 is an easy read. The story has its awkward moments but the pacing is good. Some of the characters are painfully flat and underdeveloped but the protagonists are comfortable with themselves and one another (e.g., Lapis's attraction and fascination with the humble and impoverished swordsman grows deeper). The novel's investment in a rather tidy, patient sense of humor and penchant for action scenes that start out small but quickly escalate make for an entertaining combination.
Loren, readers are earnestly reminded, is a man for whom fortune regularly spurns and with generous interest. The guy's lived a rough life. He recently lost his previous adventure party to a cave of bloodthirsty little critters. True, his previous adventure party was chock full of foolhardy assholes who deserved their torturous deaths, but that's neither here nor there. Loren, eventually, survived a wicked encounter with an old ruin, emerging with a handful of new friends and an enormous debt to pay off.
In BROKE MERCENARY #2, the steadfast wandering swordsman continues his quest for relevance. Lapis, of course, is along for the ride. The woman is a demon in disguise who delights in teasing someone to the edge of their sanity. The two make for an odd but compatible couple: his incredible strength and sense of strategy, paired with her heightened worldly intelligence and magical knowhow. As such, when the two stumble into an escort mission for some easy coin, it seems like just another stroll through the grasslands. But when members of the caravan start dropping dead from an unknown illness, the pair suspect darker forces are at play.
The current volume is a smoother and simpler read than the initial installment. The characters traverse an established narrative path and the row of antagonists (or antagonistic forces) emerge, for the most part, from the novel's realm of believability. It's understandable an escort mission would go sideways. But why is the little girl they're escorting giving off such an unusual aura? It's understandable the nearby city-state of Hansa will defend itself aggressively against outsiders. But when the crew arrives, and the baddies swarm, Loren and Lapis must ask the hard question of whether the people they've sworn to protect are in too deep and thus not worth the coin promised for their salvation.
The pattern here is that Loren often finds himself in simple-turned-chaotic scenarios. In the previous book, it was a modest goblin-hunting expedition. Here, it's escort detail, subsequently full of mysterious illnesses, unearthly summoning rituals, creatures lurking in the sewer, and more. BROKE MERCENARY #2 has a few wildly contrived key turns, adding villains or invoking action for their own sake, but the amateurish tactic doesn't interfere too grossly with the quality of the story.
However, the book notably retains many of the author's unsatisfactory quirks. Loren and Lapis are well-rounded characters, but everyone else is a two-dimensional prop. Whether it be the trope of the annoying-but-helpful youngster, or perhaps the little girl they're escorting, Scena Lombardia, readers learn very little about the secondary personalities typically meant to shape the narrative (e.g., Scena is the daughter of a regional chancellor, but she has maybe five lines in the whole novel).
BROKE MERCENARY #2 is an easy read. The story has its awkward moments but the pacing is good. Some of the characters are painfully flat and underdeveloped but the protagonists are comfortable with themselves and one another (e.g., Lapis's attraction and fascination with the humble and impoverished swordsman grows deeper). The novel's investment in a rather tidy, patient sense of humor and penchant for action scenes that start out small but quickly escalate make for an entertaining combination.
December 10, 2021
Loren ended last adventure without money and a weapon. Desperate to earn some cash, he decides to gather healing herbs in the nearby forest and Lapis decides to join. Besides plants they find a young girl unconscious in expensive clothing, without shoes and no wounds. There are also no humans nearby or tracks on the ground. Suspicious they bring the girl to the adventurers guild. Lapis ever curious cannot leave things alone and soon they are knee deep into trouble.
Like volume 1 is it appears to be a fairly generic fantasy setting with interesting characters and a good tense plot that kept me wanting to read ahead. The fact that the volume is a full story, not a slice-of-life as is common in the genre light novels, is a nice change for me as well. I am not an overly big fan of Lapis being very powerful, but hiding it and refusing to use it unless there are no witnesses. It feels a bit cheap since it allows deus ex machina rescues even if it was handled reasonable well in this volume. The story is also kind of short even for a light novel.
Still, I am looking forward to the next volume and how they are going to deal with the new addition to the team.
Like volume 1 is it appears to be a fairly generic fantasy setting with interesting characters and a good tense plot that kept me wanting to read ahead. The fact that the volume is a full story, not a slice-of-life as is common in the genre light novels, is a nice change for me as well. I am not an overly big fan of Lapis being very powerful, but hiding it and refusing to use it unless there are no witnesses. It feels a bit cheap since it allows deus ex machina rescues even if it was handled reasonable well in this volume. The story is also kind of short even for a light novel.
Still, I am looking forward to the next volume and how they are going to deal with the new addition to the team.
May 5, 2025
I was more willing to extend this series credit with the first volume, but as I read the second volume, I quickly realized 'oh, it's not going to change'.
It has a very tedious, mechanical style to the prose, and the setting it's depicting is so familiar and not really changed from the stock adventurer's guild setting, and not only that, but most of what's being described frankly isn't all that interesting. The best parts of the book are when Lapis is being awful and/or manipulative, and if she were the POV, I might not have dropped this series here.
It has a very tedious, mechanical style to the prose, and the setting it's depicting is so familiar and not really changed from the stock adventurer's guild setting, and not only that, but most of what's being described frankly isn't all that interesting. The best parts of the book are when Lapis is being awful and/or manipulative, and if she were the POV, I might not have dropped this series here.
January 19, 2022
A great sequence to the first volume.
The story of this volume is great, with a plot that leaves room for future problems for our two members party. The characters are well built, with wonderful traits and problems. The author, Mine, does a superb job in this volume, bringing to life a wonderful and well written story. I hope the editorial house keeps bringing more works from this author.
The story of this volume is great, with a plot that leaves room for future problems for our two members party. The characters are well built, with wonderful traits and problems. The author, Mine, does a superb job in this volume, bringing to life a wonderful and well written story. I hope the editorial house keeps bringing more works from this author.
November 27, 2021
Great
Yet another fun fantasy adventure. As good as the first volume. Gonna keep buying and reading this. Also loving the artwork.
Yet another fun fantasy adventure. As good as the first volume. Gonna keep buying and reading this. Also loving the artwork.
December 25, 2021
Great story.
I am really enjoying these novels. I liked the elements of horror genre in this one, the siege sensation rendered in the second half of it.
I am really enjoying these novels. I liked the elements of horror genre in this one, the siege sensation rendered in the second half of it.
December 31, 2022
Damn! This (big) sword swings!
January 29, 2024
A very interesting and funny 2nd volume I am enjoying the series very much so far
November 12, 2021
I enjoyed it. A few things to nitpick but I'd say it's a fun book to read.
I'd have liked for more interaction with the girl in during to journey, a bit more..... character building for the side characters. Still, overall I think the novel is going in the right direction.
Can't wait for the series to be translated.
I'd have liked for more interaction with the girl in during to journey, a bit more..... character building for the side characters. Still, overall I think the novel is going in the right direction.
Can't wait for the series to be translated.
March 31, 2022
This series is honestly underappreciated, I love it so much. It's simply written, but has potential to understand the characters' personalities, even the side characters. The pressure of the dangerous situations they're in are really suspenseful and as realistic as fantasy can get. I can never put down the book once I start these! It's one of the few times where I'm content with both the cute art, characters, and story together!
November 9, 2023
Все те саме, тільки трошки гірше.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews