I've spent two hundred years training and fighting. Killed the Mad King and defeated the Demon Lord. Now that I'm mortal again, all I'd like to do is to brew some tasty ales and serve my regulars at the Tipsy Pelican Tavern. Most of all, I'd like to avoid any trouble involving the church or the nobility. That's not too much to ask right? ....Right?
This light novel contains... - Fantasy & Action - An unconventional op mc - A unique magic system - Slice of life arcs - A beautiful cast - Loads of humor - Several pages of original art - A heartwarming moment or two
Okay, I confess, I am a monster….a cookie monster, and this book is full of delicious morsels. Quick pace, sophomoric humor, inventive magic system, interesting deities, more than one-dimensional characters: I can hardly stop myself.
In a “city state” of Meritas, our “hero” runs a tavern. Arch Gustkin is not entirely what he seems, but that is true of other characters, as well. Arch is the medieval fantasy equivalent of a superhero who has spent decades “saving” the world and now wants only to take a long “vacation” by operating a small tavern in a run-down section of this town. A pub lends itself to a lot of action and various types of intrigue. "I’d heard the story of the place a couple of times in the tavern. That was the thing about taverns. If you spent enough time in a good one, you could learn all sorts of things."
Most of the cast of characters present in the second book are here. The world-building doesn’t slow down the pace very much. Consuming this story is satisfying for the moment but, as I have said, I seem to have developed a craving.
The writing is great. However, it seems like the author intentionally added all the worst parts of a Japanese light novel into 1 book. Harem with no sex or kissing or intimacy. Sexual tension off the charts. Main hero hides his strength. Main hero wins through trickery. Main hero gets dragged into all the conspiracies. Finally, every interaction with Charm was exhausting. The her 50th chastisement, I wanted to quit the book.
Although billed as a light novel, this story has plenty of depth and mystery to it that makes it something more. The characters are interesting, the plot good, and the editing excellent. You enjoy the humor, but you also find yourself drawn into the story of a powerful hero who’s possibly searching for a lost piece of himself. Recommended (15+)
This is my first book by this author. I was hoping the book didn't go down the path of harems and... you know because of the cover design, and I'm happy to say that it didn't.
Arch is the tavern keeper of the Tipsy Pelican. He used to be a famous, high level adventurer but now he wants to live normally. Charm is the cook, and Elsa is the sometimes barmaid. He takes pride in his first beer, but wants to create a second for the upcoming Summertide festival.
Then one day a church official stops by. An elder dragon will be coming soon, and she wants him to stop it.
Arch wants nothing to do with it.
This is a light slice of life with the plotline of corruption in the city he lives in. The women are all beautiful, and the action is good but doesn't overstay its welcome. The characters are well drawn, and I had a good time with it.
I found this book a bit of a puzzle, at times the characters were a bit weird, some of them were almost cartoon caricatures. I presume they will develop and some of their eccentricities will be explained in later books. I have no idea who the author is, but if somebody told me he was an adolescent teenager, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Overall this was a decent story and if possible I would have given 3.5 stars.
After more then 200 years of adventure, a hero needs a vacation. No more mad kings, no more murderous mercenary leaders, no more demon lords. Archibold Stormblood is this hero, and he decides to retire as a tavern owner and brewer in an important town in some hidden corner. Of course, innkeepers have their own issues such as grabby entitled customers, people looking for a dragon slayer, orphans in need of aide and most important of all, the Summerfest ale contest.
The premise of the story made me a bit hesitant, fearing a slapstick kind of humour. I was pleasantly surprised to find a grounded story with what appears to be solid worldbuilding and a subtle humour that I really like. The sass is funny, but better, even Archibold admits that at some point it is going to give him trouble (and it does). Violence is not the end solution, especially since Archibold lost most of his powers although he had a somewhat easy time in this regard. There is some good character development for multiple characters and things do not go the MC's way all the time, although things remain light hearted despite a few darker undertones.
The book does need an edit though. I noted several mistakes, and it is not something I pay all that much attention to. The magic reminds me a bit of cultivation, but with its own twist, but at the moment it is a bit vague and open ended. There were a few scenes in what you could call fan service, although done with a bit more subtilty then is usual in anime. Not sure if there is going to be a harem, of the four main characters, three are women and all in the "employ" of the MC. They do have a life/history of their own and do not follow the tropes, nor is there any sign of romance (yet). So not sure where it is going. Then again, I don't mind the harem trope all that much.
When I was recommended this book, I will fully admit I expected it to be isekai garbage, with a protagonist who is billed as underpowered and is actually a hidden power sex god.
The author however, surprised me. The protagonist, while still sometimes a scumbag XD, is as he actually seems, a de powered ex-hero who very much wants to run a bar and be left alone.
This book raises a series of problems for him to solve and while his actions are often ridiculous, that premise is never violated. He instead solves situations with a surprising amount of clear thinking, guile and wits, both socially and martially.
The world is a bit underdeveloped and you can already see the onset of harem syndrome. But the characters and the relations between them are well fleshed out, and the magic system is very enjoyable and anime.
This isn’t a work of art but I don’t think it sets out to be. It is a very enjoyable romp and I look forward to whatever else this author has planned for these characters.
For quite some time now, my reviews have been mostly negative and I was starting to wonder if my standards were set too high. This book has proven otherwise. Not only is this well written, the author was able to keep the story at a relatively relaxed pace. No escalating events leading to certain doom, just a tavern keeper trying to please his customers and brew a good ale. Too many of the books I read on Kindle Unlimited have serious writing and plot flaws, it was nice to come across this gem. I give this four stars -- sorry, but I reserve five for the best of the best.
I first read this book and sat on it before reviewing it. I just finished reading it and I still feel the same. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, the style of the writing, it is very entertaining. I think I consider Charm my favorite character and love the way she is relaxing and growing along with the other characters in the story. This is a good read which I reread in a two day setting. Quite enjoyable, in my humble opinion but my my experience writing extends to and ends with writing technical manuals on electronic and mechanical system's on semiconductor manufacturing equipment. This was very fun reading.
This was a really enjoyable and quite a unique read. This feels very much like Legends and Lattes meets Love Hina, all while set in a tavern.
I liked the sub plots throughout the book but also enjoyed seeing Arch-Don's tavern progress. There's a good blend of high and low stakes to keep the story moving along.
The supporting characters are well-rounded and (quite rightly) round on the main character when he steps out of line. It's a curious dynamic I'm interested to read more off with the latter books in the series.
Give up all your powers. Fake your death. Then, open a tavern. Brew good beer. Build your business. Avoid angering your cook and your bar maid (because either will break you). Most importantly, don't act heroic.
Arch does well with the plan — for a while. Some old habits die hard.
This novel reads like it's Cultivation genre, but doesn't explicitly reference the typical tropes. Nevertheless it is a good read for those who appreciate the genre.
I really enjoyed this book it was a super fun read and definitely maintained a lot of the anime/light novel feel without having too many tropes or nonsensical interactions. I personally really didn't like putting arc start/end in the chapter titles but maybe that's standard practice I'm not sure. It's a fun read with likable characters I'd definitely give it a shot if I were you, a nice mix of every day life, humor and a little action.
I read 60% of the story and it was just a story. Very little involved in the story. Yep, all about an ex-hero not being a hero anymore and just running a tavern. No action or adventure, no 'wow' I can't wait to read more, and I give up on seeing how he does with entering a beer making competition. I will not nor do I care to read more!
Interesting book. I live scifi fantasy, really enjoy following that type of adventure. Arch is an interesting character. The side characters (Charm, Elsa, and Cassie) helped to hold my interest. They were a big part of why I like the book. Want to see what Arch cam do.
Overall good, but the yandere action and the centuries-old Hero being rattled by it just didn't work for me. A 19-y/o body wouldn't overwhelm hundreds of years of control, but this was the direction the author wanted. This is evidently standard "light novel" fare, so if your tastes run in that direction you might not be bothered by it.
Strong, vibrant characters come together to make for fantastic writing.
I read almost this entire book in a day. I only stoped because I had taken cold medicine and couldn’t stay awake any longer. The writing is right, with well-developed characters that all have their own personality and are intriguing enough that I want to find out more about each of them.
And with pictures too! How does a 200 year old hero take a break from saving the world? Open a tavern and be the brewmaster. 3 beautiful women with hidden magic and talents are his crew and the guys flock in to see them. What a combination! What could possibly go wrong?
I liked the tavern owner main character quite a lot. In the beginning he was a little too hormone addled (19 year old body you know) but he grew on me as the story progressed. The bevy of a supporting cast also grew more and became more interestingly defined as the story unfolded A very good coming of age story of a 250 year old man. Bravo!
Just way way way too horny. I only saw the Amazon covers, which especially for the first one is of a dude, so I didn't get nearly as much what it was going for. The story is interesting and well written but just blah. There's way better fiction to spend your time on.. Very disappointing because again, the author has talent but also has the horineness level of a 15 year old.
I enjoyed this book very much! A great start to the series. Very strong female characters, something I always enjoy reading about in my fictional travels. I have book two, and will go on to it right away. Loved the intermittent illustrations spread throughout the book as well. Good job!! 🥳
I’m no hero. But it was refreshing to read this. I enjoyed the low key wit and the story was really well done. I will keep the author on my watch list and y’all should as well. Now, thanks to the plot I am a bit thirsty.
Simple world of magic with an interesting twist. MC would seem to be OP, yet has given up power and responsibility to live a simple life. As the title says, he needs a vacation! Nothing deep but it is entertaining.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's light hearted while still keeping the enjoyment of a fantasy hero setting. Wonderful book and I hope the following books keep the same energy.
Haven't read fantasy this original since Good kind . High praise for a new author. Plus did not read like a harem fantasy nor recycled leveling up role playing. Looking forward to more character development in future volumes.
The cover art almost made me turn away , thinking this was a harem or smut novel, yet reading the story and understanding the emotions of the MC it is quite appropriate to the story itself which is definitely worth a read.
this story line has HUGE potential! I loved reading it, but it almost felt like it needed to be fleshed out more. I really enjoyed reading about the current activities of the characters while getting brief glimpses into what they were like before the reader was introduced to them.