What do you think?
Rate this book
最果てのパラディン [Saihate no Paladin] (Light Novel) #3.1
The Faraway Paladin: Volume 3 Primus
But order has not completely been restored to this faraway land; strange things are happening, starting with plants blooming out of season and dying at random. At Duke Ethel’s request, Will and Menel are off to investigate, not knowing that their journey will lead them to an ominous prophecy and the Rust Mountains, the capital of the dwarves.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published December 21, 2016
98 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 1, 2019
Will is trying to manage the lands within Beast Woods and protect the people, but a prophecy about the evil within the Rust Mountains warns him that trouble is coming. For the Rust Mountains house a mercurial dragon. Sometimes siding with the gods, sometimes siding with their enemies, in the last war this dragon partnered with the demons to devastating effect. The dwarves lost their ancestral home. Thousands died. Will has no chance of beating the dragon, but he can't stand aside as innocent people are once more going to be slaughtered . . .
This volume is split into two parts, so the story here is incomplete in and of itself. That said, the story arc as a whole is very strong, and this first part sets out the stakes and throws in a lot of complications.
Here we meet the dwarves. Will envisions them the way Blood talked about them---warriors proud and strong, unyielding in the face of certain death. But what he meets is the wreckage of a people who have wandered for two centuries. Timid. Spiritless. Broken.
That would be enough for Will to help anyway, but I love how he's trying to encourage them---and one in particular---to stand back up. Even though Will himself admits he did the same things they did, in his previous life. Maybe because of that, he wants them to go farther than he had. He can't quite remember the thing that ultimately broke him in that life, but he knows what the results were: a life where living and dying were basically the same to him.
I also really like how Will points out it doesn't take anything exceptional to succeed. Practice and basic skill building, and a willingness to get back up again, are really all you need. The biggest things are built on those little building blocks.
Menel gets some interesting new abilities, too. I like that he's not getting left behind as Will continues to improve. Even though he might feel like Will's far better than he is, they've become a team.
Stagnate gets an interesting encounter too. (And it's awesome that the god of undeath is called Stagnate.) I like how Will can totally understand where Stagnate is coming from and still be resolutely against Stagnate's conclusions. Stagnate is nothing if not complicated, and Will can benefit from that even if they are enemies. And Will wants to be enemies---everything Stagnate can offer is everything that ruined him previously, but that doesn't make it less tempting.
Will's crisis of conscience is also very good. The skills and abilities he's gained in this time are not insignificant, but he's being told point blank by multiple parties that this will not be enough to stop a dragon. That it's okay to step back or run away. But that's a dangerous position for Will, who has memories of an entire lifetime where he'd stepped back and run away from the problems facing him. So far those memories have been the impetus for him to take hold of life with all his strength, but they also represent a trap. Giving in just once will put him back in that place inside his heart, and then the next time his courage is required its fractured strength may falter again.
This is one of the main reasons I enjoy his displays of overwhelming strength. It's often training prevailing in spite of what's going on in his heart. He's not proud, but realistic about how far he's come and how far he has yet to go. He keeps a very level head. But even Will needs encouragement to push him to take the steps he wants to take, but is afraid to. Even though he can remind himself, he needs other people to stand up with him.
I adore the end. Will finally divulges a bit more about his past to his closest friends, to hilarious results. (I've wanted to see Menel's reaction ever since they became friends.) It's so understated, and just imagining the reactions had me laughing long after I put down the book.
The humor continues to be really good. Whether it's Will commenting on how hiring maids actually worked out for him (versus the tropes he'd been familiar with from Japan), the conversation where he's trying to defend his utter lack of a dating life, or watching how everyone around him reacts to what he thinks is perfectly normal, there's a good bit of levity balancing out the more serious bits.
Overall this (partial) volume continues the adventure in some wonderful directions, and although I'm a bit sad they didn't just bundle both halves of volume 3 together for the English release, I'm still very glad I continued with the series. I rate this book Highly Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
This volume is split into two parts, so the story here is incomplete in and of itself. That said, the story arc as a whole is very strong, and this first part sets out the stakes and throws in a lot of complications.
Here we meet the dwarves. Will envisions them the way Blood talked about them---warriors proud and strong, unyielding in the face of certain death. But what he meets is the wreckage of a people who have wandered for two centuries. Timid. Spiritless. Broken.
That would be enough for Will to help anyway, but I love how he's trying to encourage them---and one in particular---to stand back up. Even though Will himself admits he did the same things they did, in his previous life. Maybe because of that, he wants them to go farther than he had. He can't quite remember the thing that ultimately broke him in that life, but he knows what the results were: a life where living and dying were basically the same to him.
I also really like how Will points out it doesn't take anything exceptional to succeed. Practice and basic skill building, and a willingness to get back up again, are really all you need. The biggest things are built on those little building blocks.
Menel gets some interesting new abilities, too. I like that he's not getting left behind as Will continues to improve. Even though he might feel like Will's far better than he is, they've become a team.
Stagnate gets an interesting encounter too. (And it's awesome that the god of undeath is called Stagnate.) I like how Will can totally understand where Stagnate is coming from and still be resolutely against Stagnate's conclusions. Stagnate is nothing if not complicated, and Will can benefit from that even if they are enemies. And Will wants to be enemies---everything Stagnate can offer is everything that ruined him previously, but that doesn't make it less tempting.
Will's crisis of conscience is also very good. The skills and abilities he's gained in this time are not insignificant, but he's being told point blank by multiple parties that this will not be enough to stop a dragon. That it's okay to step back or run away. But that's a dangerous position for Will, who has memories of an entire lifetime where he'd stepped back and run away from the problems facing him. So far those memories have been the impetus for him to take hold of life with all his strength, but they also represent a trap. Giving in just once will put him back in that place inside his heart, and then the next time his courage is required its fractured strength may falter again.
This is one of the main reasons I enjoy his displays of overwhelming strength. It's often training prevailing in spite of what's going on in his heart. He's not proud, but realistic about how far he's come and how far he has yet to go. He keeps a very level head. But even Will needs encouragement to push him to take the steps he wants to take, but is afraid to. Even though he can remind himself, he needs other people to stand up with him.
I adore the end. Will finally divulges a bit more about his past to his closest friends, to hilarious results. (I've wanted to see Menel's reaction ever since they became friends.) It's so understated, and just imagining the reactions had me laughing long after I put down the book.
The humor continues to be really good. Whether it's Will commenting on how hiring maids actually worked out for him (versus the tropes he'd been familiar with from Japan), the conversation where he's trying to defend his utter lack of a dating life, or watching how everyone around him reacts to what he thinks is perfectly normal, there's a good bit of levity balancing out the more serious bits.
Overall this (partial) volume continues the adventure in some wonderful directions, and although I'm a bit sad they didn't just bundle both halves of volume 3 together for the English release, I'm still very glad I continued with the series. I rate this book Highly Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
July 5, 2022
As with the first two the book continues the trend of extremely solid translation quality. And im honestly amazed they still do so well. There was one section that seemed to noticeably slip in quality and I suspect was translated by someone or something other than their normal... but damn. This isnt normal for a Light Novel.
As for the plot.. well its a wholesome little Isekai. It covers trauma, self doubt and a little PTSD in a very grounded way. Its well executed even if its not breaking new ground in terms of overall epic writing but sometimes you just need something wholesome and good.
Bonus points for the unique trait of legitimately still having the main protagonist be this damn humble and kind, but not exaggeratedly so.
As for the plot.. well its a wholesome little Isekai. It covers trauma, self doubt and a little PTSD in a very grounded way. Its well executed even if its not breaking new ground in terms of overall epic writing but sometimes you just need something wholesome and good.
Bonus points for the unique trait of legitimately still having the main protagonist be this damn humble and kind, but not exaggeratedly so.
June 26, 2018
Still good.
The series has a bit of a dip here as it sets up for the next big campaign, but it still hits some good notes along the way, even in a slower volume.
The series has a bit of a dip here as it sets up for the next big campaign, but it still hits some good notes along the way, even in a slower volume.
October 3, 2017
This latest volume starts a saga that I assume will be finished in the next part. William is still dealing with Beast Woods while building up communities in the area as he drives away the demons.
I thought this got back to a bit more of the good world building elements of volume 1, where we learn a bit more about the gods, previous war history in the land, and meet more residents of the world. It is a smaller scale story than part 2 as well, and not as action oriented, a very setup style chapter.
We get another companion (though, William remains single as it is another male ally). The new ally of this book is someone who you may not really respect at first, but they'll grow on you. Certainly not as fun natured as Menel though, and a bit more driven by anxiety.
Overall, I think I enjoyed it, though there were a few parts that put me to sleep literally. =P
I thought this got back to a bit more of the good world building elements of volume 1, where we learn a bit more about the gods, previous war history in the land, and meet more residents of the world. It is a smaller scale story than part 2 as well, and not as action oriented, a very setup style chapter.
We get another companion (though, William remains single as it is another male ally). The new ally of this book is someone who you may not really respect at first, but they'll grow on you. Certainly not as fun natured as Menel though, and a bit more driven by anxiety.
Overall, I think I enjoyed it, though there were a few parts that put me to sleep literally. =P
August 11, 2017
I still love this series
Okay first things first an earlier review i read for this book said they cut it off(the translators) this is wrong. The book is split but it was the author's doing, think Black Bullet volumes 5 and 6.
And they choose the perfect moment to cut in my opinion.
And...actually i think that's it for me i love this series it's awesome...read volume one if you don't believe me it'll only cost you about an hours work at a minimum wage job with the risk I my opinion
Okay first things first an earlier review i read for this book said they cut it off(the translators) this is wrong. The book is split but it was the author's doing, think Black Bullet volumes 5 and 6.
And they choose the perfect moment to cut in my opinion.
And...actually i think that's it for me i love this series it's awesome...read volume one if you don't believe me it'll only cost you about an hours work at a minimum wage job with the risk I my opinion
December 10, 2022
There were more genuinely rewarding moments in this volume than there were in the second. It's a bit bogged down in the first 2/3's of the story by some literal house keeping. I like Will taking on an apprentice. I genuinely like The Hobbit ripoff plot with the dwarves. I think it's cute. I'm still having fun with it, but I'm not really sure how it's quality would compare with other fantasy Light Novels. I'm grading this one on the isekai curve. I have incredibly low expectations for this genre.
Personally, I'm enjoying this Japanese author's relationship to Tolkein-inspired Western fantasy. I'm decently well read on Tolkein and the myths and languages that inspired him, so it's interesting to have that all fed back to me as filtered through a Japanese pop-culture perspective. It can be a bit difficult to take seriously at times, for sure. The use of English in the book is pure Google Translate at its worst. It's laughably bad even by anime-english standards. There is a country whose name is "Arid Climate."
I've read some reviews that complain that this hews too closely to Lord of the Rings (it absolutely does not) or that it's just a subpar take on western fantasy in general (it absolutely is), and that a readers time would better be spent reading "good" western fantasy instead. My response to that is both "yes" and "no." Like "yes", read deeper and more challenging books. But also "no", if you're picking up a light fantasy novel called "The Faraway Paladin" I'm assuming you weren't looking to expend a lot of effort reading this book, and that's fine. You can have both.
The Faraway Paladin, fantasy isekai novel written by some random dude who has a day job and originally posted this on an amateur web novelist site, is not trying to do the same thing to your brain that Lord of the Rings, by Germanic philology specialist and Oxford professor JRR Tolkein, is trying to do. It is ridiculous to compare these things. This is certainly trash, but that's why it's in the section with the comic books. I wouldn't review a Cheese Steak and complain that it was a poor imitation of a $200 Wagyu ribeye.
Personally, I'm enjoying this Japanese author's relationship to Tolkein-inspired Western fantasy. I'm decently well read on Tolkein and the myths and languages that inspired him, so it's interesting to have that all fed back to me as filtered through a Japanese pop-culture perspective. It can be a bit difficult to take seriously at times, for sure. The use of English in the book is pure Google Translate at its worst. It's laughably bad even by anime-english standards. There is a country whose name is "Arid Climate."
I've read some reviews that complain that this hews too closely to Lord of the Rings (it absolutely does not) or that it's just a subpar take on western fantasy in general (it absolutely is), and that a readers time would better be spent reading "good" western fantasy instead. My response to that is both "yes" and "no." Like "yes", read deeper and more challenging books. But also "no", if you're picking up a light fantasy novel called "The Faraway Paladin" I'm assuming you weren't looking to expend a lot of effort reading this book, and that's fine. You can have both.
The Faraway Paladin, fantasy isekai novel written by some random dude who has a day job and originally posted this on an amateur web novelist site, is not trying to do the same thing to your brain that Lord of the Rings, by Germanic philology specialist and Oxford professor JRR Tolkein, is trying to do. It is ridiculous to compare these things. This is certainly trash, but that's why it's in the section with the comic books. I wouldn't review a Cheese Steak and complain that it was a poor imitation of a $200 Wagyu ribeye.
July 11, 2021
“So I could stand shoulder to shoulder with those three, and so I could tell them with a smile how far I’d come, I vowed to do my outmost!” - Chapter 3
Masih tetap menarik, masih tetap seru, dan yang paling penting, masih tetap merinding! Walaupun sudah membaca sampai ke volume ketiga, seri ini masih punya kualitas yang sama dengan volume - volume sebelumnya, bahkan rasanya semakin bagus !
Character development pastinya jadi salah satu poin penting di pikiran Yanagino-san waktu menulis seri ini. Setelah di volume sebelumnya Will mencari tujuan hidupnya, sekarang dia mencari apa itu arti “keberanian”. Yes, the entire series is a rite of passage baik buat Will, maupun buat kita sebagai pembaca.
“Its one thing for an enemy to curse you, but please stop placing such curses on your own heart. Don’t you think that you at least should be your own heart’s biggest ally?” - Chapter 2
Hal yang menurutku menarik dan “berbeda” adalah penggambaran yang detail pada saat scene bertarung, sehingga terlihat lebih realis dibanding novel - novel fantasi lainnya.
Namun, ada 1 hal yang bisa diperbaiki lagi. Penulisan percakapan yang cukup sering berganti antara masing-masing tokoh tanpa menuliskan siapa yang berbicara membuatku kadang bingung siapa yang sedang bicara saat itu.
Tapi itu hanya masalah remeh, masih banyak sekali hal - hal positif dari volume ini. Mulai dari percakapan antar tokoh yang selalu tampak hidup dan lucu, candaan simpel-tapi-mengena yang terselip di sana-sini, dan cerita yang seru!
August 20, 2024
The reunification alone makes this worth the read. That was so funny I choked. And I laughed so hard I cried. The anime was funny, had nothing on that scene in the book. Rofl!
The rest of the book was great, I was a little bit surprised they didn't include something that the anime did, but maybe it was in the manga? Anyway it was kind of a throwaway thing in the first place. The thing where Will goes to the University of magic. But wow! Absolutely fabulous book. It definitely had the humor, that last scene alone had all the humor, but it also had a good amount of action as well. I'm kind of wondering what they're going to do for another book's worth of material? I guess the next book is going to be a cliffhanger that's going to be resolved with the book after that. That's my guess anyway. But yeah, that's the kind of laughter that could get you to snort milk.
The rest of the book was great, I was a little bit surprised they didn't include something that the anime did, but maybe it was in the manga? Anyway it was kind of a throwaway thing in the first place. The thing where Will goes to the University of magic. But wow! Absolutely fabulous book. It definitely had the humor, that last scene alone had all the humor, but it also had a good amount of action as well. I'm kind of wondering what they're going to do for another book's worth of material? I guess the next book is going to be a cliffhanger that's going to be resolved with the book after that. That's my guess anyway. But yeah, that's the kind of laughter that could get you to snort milk.
March 13, 2019
Cliffhanger
I love the banter between characters. The dialogues are usually witty and not just the usual lines said in heroic tales.
Note that this volume ends with a cliffhanger and that you’d most likely want to purchase the next volume, right away.
I love the banter between characters. The dialogues are usually witty and not just the usual lines said in heroic tales.
Note that this volume ends with a cliffhanger and that you’d most likely want to purchase the next volume, right away.
February 26, 2019
Good stuff, though the arbitrary split into two volumes is a bit aggravating.
September 21, 2020
I am laughing hysterically and crying at the same time. I need more of this fantasy world!
October 29, 2021
A little boring and uninteresting. 6/10.
July 10, 2022
nope.. I can't continue this anymore
March 2, 2023
So good!!!! I love this series so much!
August 11, 2024
Fabulous
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews