Perhaps worth mention, there is also a manga adaptation of Decagon House Murders, which is currently releasing in English.
I might check that out at some point? Curious to see how well it works that way
chapter 3
A more action-filled part of the book -- which I'd say was handled about the same as most LNs. What stood out to me much more was the story's handling of a secondary character, who I was pleasantly surprised to see given much more nuance than is typical for LNs
prologue and chapter 1
This is the crew, and they're all introduced right in the first chapter. They defeat a troll on their way to the Magic School opening ceremony, so check that off the to-do list lol
I've seen some buzz for Apothecary Diaries, but it probably deserves more. It's set in a Chinese-style imperial court, and the herb + poison-loving protagonist is a hoot. Both the manga adaptation and the original LNs are solid reading.
Katanagatari is a series I need to get back to and read more of, but what I've read is great. 12 novels, but released in 4 snazzy hardcovers in English. It's a very off-beat samurai-era adventure of sorts... The most pleasant surprise about it to me was how funny it could be
Here is a nice dark and twisted mystery novel, about a girls' school literature group that gathers together to work out who must have killed their club president. It's a Rashamon-esque setup, but what you'll remember most is the ending... Those who know, know
I have a soft spot for Ballad of a Shinigami, which is a series of vignettes about various children having to deal with the realities of death in one way or another. It's never deep, but I feel that's kind of its charm. There were 3 manga volumes, and 2 LNs released in English.
The standalone novel for pixel horror classic Yume Nikki turned out different from what I expected, but the more I think back on it the more I find myself really appreciating the author Akira's unique interpretation of things. Dark and psychological, yet surprisingly touching
The Legend of Galactic Heroes anime is a cult classic, but did you know the series of novels that started it all is available in English? Everyone excited about Dune should definitely give this epic-scale space opera a shot.
