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.hack//G.U. Vol. 1: The Terror of Death
In a massively multiplayer online game world, player-killer killer Haseo is on a quest to save Shino, whose real-life coma Haseo believes to have been caused by the game, but his mission becomes more difficult when he is mysteriously dropped back to level one.
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 3, 2017
The .hack GU series will always have special part in my life. I love Haseo, Atoli, Kuhn and I'm super happy that Sakubo get's a cameo earlier than in the games! There are obviously major differences, because the novelist followed the earlier storyboards of the game. BUT! I hope Silabus or Gaspard will show up in the next volume. Not super hopeful though :<
January 11, 2022
I enjoyed the manga a damn lot and for years it has been my favourite thing,i love the art,i love everything about it
But it definitely has its own flaws but otherwise I'd be down to reread it again
But it definitely has its own flaws but otherwise I'd be down to reread it again
December 14, 2023
The light novels are confusing and I love them lol
January 6, 2024
Its an interesting take on the games story
dnf
January 3, 2026no longer interested
March 26, 2012
This light novel serviceably adapts the .hack//G.U. story to the printed page but can't be said to do much else.
The story itself is extremely strong and the novel, written by Tatsuya Hamazaki who is the original scenario designer for the game, draws not from the game itself but from the storyboards and background used to create the game. The novel tends to provide additional detail when compared to the game, but omits certain nuances of the story that are conveyed in the games.
Ultimately what drags this light novel down is the clumsy and awkward prose. Hamazaki is clearly not a novelist, or at least not a very good one, as much of his phrasing is stylistically off-putting and at times difficult to follow. This could be an element of the translation, but such an explanation doesn't make the novel read any better. Understandably, the novel also omits a great deal of imagery, opting for minimalistic descriptions which may leave those who haven't played the games scratching their heads.
The book is certainly page turning due to it's fantastic, engaging, and mysterious plot but there are plenty of stylistic marks against it which raise the question if this light novel is truly the best format to engage with the .hack//G.U. story. It is still definitely worth a read, but infinitely more for .hack fans in general, and even more so as a companion to the games.
The story itself is extremely strong and the novel, written by Tatsuya Hamazaki who is the original scenario designer for the game, draws not from the game itself but from the storyboards and background used to create the game. The novel tends to provide additional detail when compared to the game, but omits certain nuances of the story that are conveyed in the games.
Ultimately what drags this light novel down is the clumsy and awkward prose. Hamazaki is clearly not a novelist, or at least not a very good one, as much of his phrasing is stylistically off-putting and at times difficult to follow. This could be an element of the translation, but such an explanation doesn't make the novel read any better. Understandably, the novel also omits a great deal of imagery, opting for minimalistic descriptions which may leave those who haven't played the games scratching their heads.
The book is certainly page turning due to it's fantastic, engaging, and mysterious plot but there are plenty of stylistic marks against it which raise the question if this light novel is truly the best format to engage with the .hack//G.U. story. It is still definitely worth a read, but infinitely more for .hack fans in general, and even more so as a companion to the games.
July 28, 2015
Interesting and fun, despite the protagonist becoing rather annoying and very unsympathetic, the over-profusion of enigmatic characters who pop in and out of scenes spouting cryptic information, and the general squandering of the sprawling, interesting world with a rather unbelievable plot....
But somehow, despite all these flaws that would normally be over-staggeringly unforgiveable, I ate the book up in a couple hours. This novel has achieved the trademark of light novels-- that unexplainable addictive quality that lets you breeze along, tickling the imagination enough for you to want to keep going, nevermind the potholes. I may not be willing to pay $12 for its sequel, but if it's in the bargain bin...
But somehow, despite all these flaws that would normally be over-staggeringly unforgiveable, I ate the book up in a couple hours. This novel has achieved the trademark of light novels-- that unexplainable addictive quality that lets you breeze along, tickling the imagination enough for you to want to keep going, nevermind the potholes. I may not be willing to pay $12 for its sequel, but if it's in the bargain bin...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews