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Meikyuu: Labyrinth Kingdom, a Tactical Fantasy World Survival Guide #1
Meikyuu: Labyrinth Kingdom, a Tactical Fantasy World Survival Guide, Vol. 1 (light novel)
HARD-CORE SURVIVAL IN A FANTASY DUNGEON
Expert soldier Taiga has just retired from the military after twenty years of service. Listless, he decides a visit to his homeland of Japan will help him figure out what to do next. But he never arrives. A strange earthquake in the airport seems to spell his demise, but instead it transports him to Million Dungeon, a labyrinthine world of caverns, kingdoms, magic...and monsters. The key to survival is apparently creating his own nation, but even with all of Taiga’s experience, the incredible dangers may prove too much...
Expert soldier Taiga has just retired from the military after twenty years of service. Listless, he decides a visit to his homeland of Japan will help him figure out what to do next. But he never arrives. A strange earthquake in the airport seems to spell his demise, but instead it transports him to Million Dungeon, a labyrinthine world of caverns, kingdoms, magic...and monsters. The key to survival is apparently creating his own nation, but even with all of Taiga’s experience, the incredible dangers may prove too much...
- GenresLight NovelFantasy
212 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2019
21 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 16, 2022
The last two years I have dived deep into my college love of manga and my new love of light novels, specifically portal novels, where the MC is from our world and is sucked into another world, usually fantasy and usually sucked into the life of a person in the fantasy world. Also the light novels that I read, the MC is usually a teenage/young adult female and it tends to have romance as a good part of the plot, as well as humor.
This one is different, as the MC is a male in his mid-30s with a very specific skill set of SAS training and he's sucked into the fantasy world as himself, he isn't put into the body of someone already there. He also maintains his age and full knowledge of his life from Earth.
It's also action and adventure, but realistic. No hint of romance, he and the people he is with are all just trying to survive. Very D&D and when I read the end notes, the creator clearly states this is based off of a role playing game. Nothing wrong with that and I really enjoyed it.
The artwork where it was was GORGEOUS. That last picture with the MC H and the SPOILERY creature was EPIC and BEAUTIFUL. I want that as a poster on my wall.
I can see this being enjoyed by those in the gaming community and those who already appreciate manga/light novels and want something different than the romance-portal tropes. (Not that there is anything wrong with those tropes, I eat them up like CANDY. The heart wants what the heart wants!)
This is definitely one I recommend. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 because that artwork and the MC H are just too amazing. It was really interesting being in his head. The tactics made me think of MB a little.
My thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press Yen On for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This one is different, as the MC is a male in his mid-30s with a very specific skill set of SAS training and he's sucked into the fantasy world as himself, he isn't put into the body of someone already there. He also maintains his age and full knowledge of his life from Earth.
It's also action and adventure, but realistic. No hint of romance, he and the people he is with are all just trying to survive. Very D&D and when I read the end notes, the creator clearly states this is based off of a role playing game. Nothing wrong with that and I really enjoyed it.
The artwork where it was was GORGEOUS. That last picture with the MC H and the SPOILERY creature was EPIC and BEAUTIFUL. I want that as a poster on my wall.
I can see this being enjoyed by those in the gaming community and those who already appreciate manga/light novels and want something different than the romance-portal tropes. (Not that there is anything wrong with those tropes, I eat them up like CANDY. The heart wants what the heart wants!)
This is definitely one I recommend. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 because that artwork and the MC H are just too amazing. It was really interesting being in his head. The tactics made me think of MB a little.
My thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press Yen On for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2022
A really slow moving isekai (teleported-teletrasmported to another world). This author covers about 3 hours and half a night in the first volume of this light novel. Then the subsequent adventures from the original earthquake that brought the main character to this strange place. The setting is the Million Labyrinth, a place that seems to be the belly-button of the universe. Where a lot of different people from very different worlds, meet and coexist. Because the main character (Taiga) is a soldier of more than 20 years experience in the Special Air Service (SAS) of Great Britain, the other characters choose him to be their future King (or Ninja) or representative.
If one considers that the whole first volume is but a day, this light novel is going to take forever to write, publish and worse, read. It was first published in English in 2019, in march of 2022, there has not been a second volume published yet. Yen Press, has an odious tendency to take three years to translate a light novel from its original japanese version. It seems that a tabletop game was created in 2004, then this light novel in 2018 to promote this tabletop game in Japan. It's been 4 years and no sequel has yet to be released.
There are things that lack sufficient explanation, even though author takes forever explaining every little detail of this new Million Labyrinth. Even though main character is a foreigner, author doesn't explain how these foreigners (all of them) understand what he says and does, or how he can understand what all of them say. There is no game interface or universal translator here, so the main character and the readers are completely lost to what and how things will get done from now on.
If one considers that the whole first volume is but a day, this light novel is going to take forever to write, publish and worse, read. It was first published in English in 2019, in march of 2022, there has not been a second volume published yet. Yen Press, has an odious tendency to take three years to translate a light novel from its original japanese version. It seems that a tabletop game was created in 2004, then this light novel in 2018 to promote this tabletop game in Japan. It's been 4 years and no sequel has yet to be released.
There are things that lack sufficient explanation, even though author takes forever explaining every little detail of this new Million Labyrinth. Even though main character is a foreigner, author doesn't explain how these foreigners (all of them) understand what he says and does, or how he can understand what all of them say. There is no game interface or universal translator here, so the main character and the readers are completely lost to what and how things will get done from now on.
October 11, 2021
Taiga is a 36-year old retired SAS soldier returning to Japan when he is attacked by weird humanoids, ends up falling through a hole in the airport toilet during an earthquake and ending up in another world: the Million Dungeon. He ends up in the remnants of a "kingdom" (more of an outpost) and his skills allow them to start the kingdom anew. Obviously, things do not go exactly as planned and even a SAS soldier struggles in the rather alien environment of a planet sized dungeon in a fantasy world.
I really liked the characters, an adult skilled man genuinely trying to help people, but struggling with the new world and actual leading and without cheat powers. The side characters and the world were equally intriguing. A post-apocalyptic fantasy setting with some odd modern concepts mixed in such as gun powder and streaming were intriguing. Makes me very interested in the TTRPG the setting was developed for. Note that you do not need prior knowledge on said game or setting. There is also no system. It is a somewhat odd world though, a mix of different tropes, and a bit of outpost building. I liked it though and the MC at one point even wonders how certain things even work, but dismisses it as unimportant at the time.
All in all, a good read. Not sure if there ever will be a volume 2, but I hope so.
I really liked the characters, an adult skilled man genuinely trying to help people, but struggling with the new world and actual leading and without cheat powers. The side characters and the world were equally intriguing. A post-apocalyptic fantasy setting with some odd modern concepts mixed in such as gun powder and streaming were intriguing. Makes me very interested in the TTRPG the setting was developed for. Note that you do not need prior knowledge on said game or setting. There is also no system. It is a somewhat odd world though, a mix of different tropes, and a bit of outpost building. I liked it though and the MC at one point even wonders how certain things even work, but dismisses it as unimportant at the time.
All in all, a good read. Not sure if there ever will be a volume 2, but I hope so.
December 25, 2021
Good setting but poor story.
The setting for this book is really cool, with a lot of potential. One million dungeon and all the details that forms it are well written and developed throughout the story. Unfortunately the story is weak, with several contradictions. The main character, inspired by Bear Grills doesn't make sense in some situations. The battle scenes are just boring, including the last battle. The characters are poorly described, and even the introduction of Astoria seems like not planned at all. She is just introduce in the story as an afterthought.
The setting for this book is really cool, with a lot of potential. One million dungeon and all the details that forms it are well written and developed throughout the story. Unfortunately the story is weak, with several contradictions. The main character, inspired by Bear Grills doesn't make sense in some situations. The battle scenes are just boring, including the last battle. The characters are poorly described, and even the introduction of Astoria seems like not planned at all. She is just introduce in the story as an afterthought.
November 3, 2021
It is hardcore in that it focuses on the tedious minutiae of outdoor survival at great length. He spends about 200 years describing the way he lights a fire with flint and steel, for example. Magic labyrinth dimension? Whatever. Now for a really hearty discussion of the types of garbage you can use to light a fire in lieu of tinder, and how to prepare said items should you find them.
December 30, 2021
So this is a bit of a refreshing change from a lot of the typical isekais out there. For starters, our main character, Taiga, is an adult... and he stays an adult even when he is transported to Million Dungeon, and not suddenly himself at 15 or something. The second thing is, he doesn't automatically get some kind of incredible power, cheat, or hack. But he's still epic because he's retired special forces, so he actually has the skills needed to survive in another world. You also don't see a lot of super-powered characters, the exception being Astoria towards the end, but even she isn't a one-hit KO kind of character. While a lot of the victories come off as simple luck *coughplotarmorcough* the characters at least acknowledge it as a lucky break that probably won't happen again, so the should take this time to better prepare for next time. And I know Taiga says he's not the king and won't be king, but I have a sneaking suspicion by the end of this series... he's gonna be king.
And fun-fact for anyone who didn't know, this is based off of a TRPG that's released in Japan (as far as I know there isn't an english edition... yet...), so it's kinda like Japan's own D&D novel line.
And fun-fact for anyone who didn't know, this is based off of a TRPG that's released in Japan (as far as I know there isn't an english edition... yet...), so it's kinda like Japan's own D&D novel line.
June 26, 2022
I picked this up because I trust Iori Miyazawa (who is the author of my fav, Otherside Picnic), but it wasn’t quite as engaging as OP. I think the issue is really that we don’t get enough real character development for the supporting cast. Our MC Taiga is an archetype for the ikesai (ie transported to another world) story: he’s supremely capable, a bit of a loner, and suddenly very much in over his head when he becomes an important figure to a group of fantasy world characters.
But Mizuho and Troach especially presented a perfect opportunity to really dig into the world. We got a couple of snatches of it (like the way people’s houses are small and packed with people, and how open spaces and bright lights terrify them), but it felt a little bit too much like “eh, you’d understand everything if you picked up the source material”
Speaking of, the setting was awesome. A three dimensional dungeon/maze full of monsters and tiny civilizations that can reorient suddenly and violently and permanently? Yes please! I want to learn more about the RPG this is based on.
{Thank you Yen Press for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
But Mizuho and Troach especially presented a perfect opportunity to really dig into the world. We got a couple of snatches of it (like the way people’s houses are small and packed with people, and how open spaces and bright lights terrify them), but it felt a little bit too much like “eh, you’d understand everything if you picked up the source material”
Speaking of, the setting was awesome. A three dimensional dungeon/maze full of monsters and tiny civilizations that can reorient suddenly and violently and permanently? Yes please! I want to learn more about the RPG this is based on.
{Thank you Yen Press for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
October 21, 2021
The Mc is a retired military man with a big heart who loves tea. He is portal away to a new world where he makes a new found family. His skills are exactly what this world needs. I enjoyed this read and learned a few things. I also really enjoyed the few illustrations included. If your looking for a short informative read then try this out.
September 30, 2022
Meikyuu: Labyrinth Kingdom, a Tactical Fantasy World Survival Guide was an interesting story and a good look into the genre as a whole but it wasn't really my cup of tea as I've never been into the isekai genre at all. However, I would recommend this series to beginners for isekai as it is a nice entry into this type of manga, anime and light novels.
September 17, 2024
Taiga, an ex-SAS member, gets pulled into a fantasy world.
2.5 stars - I love isekai manga so I decided to try something different with this light novel. Most isekai or portal books have a young woman get pulled over to a fantasy-based world. This one has an older special ops guy. I still found it to be slow moving, with convenient plot occurrences, and not very well written. It doesn't look like a book two has been published but I don't feel a need to continue in the series anyway.
2.5 stars - I love isekai manga so I decided to try something different with this light novel. Most isekai or portal books have a young woman get pulled over to a fantasy-based world. This one has an older special ops guy. I still found it to be slow moving, with convenient plot occurrences, and not very well written. It doesn't look like a book two has been published but I don't feel a need to continue in the series anyway.
December 31, 2022
Very average. MC seems too soft to be anything different from the norm. World isn’t very enticing. Possible haram setup as well.
January 11, 2025
not a book, just an installment
Zero story resolution. It is as if the author is trying to milk, his readers for money by breaking up one story into multiple books
Zero story resolution. It is as if the author is trying to milk, his readers for money by breaking up one story into multiple books
September 2, 2022
Solid story based on table top game but a lot of world building little plot advancement until last 20 pages
February 17, 2023
You can tell the author is a big fan of wilderness survival shows. That's about the most interesting thing here. Everything else is just dull. Like you took an interesting idea for a story... and then spent three chapters on finding supplies to start a fire.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews