Reincarnated as a Sword, Vol. 17

Light Novel

By: Yuu Tanaka

Narrated by: Josh Hurley

BATTLE ROYALE, REPRISED!

The search for Theraclede—and Dimitris' expedition to Goldicia—bring Fran back to Ulmutt, where circumstances conspire to see her entering the city's famous tournament once more. She'll have to face some powerful foes this time around, including an insectoid mercenary captain and some potential Raydossian spies! Meanwhile, a minion of the Black Bones is plotting something sinister in the shadows! Can Fran win this fight fair and square? Or is she doomed to never reach Goldicia?

©2024 Yuu Tanaka (P)2024 Yuu Tanaka

Amazing story and voice acting

Josh did such an amazing job with the voice over that it sounds like the characters actually would. No raspy voice or anything like that. The story is also getting really good. Can’t wait for the next volume

Fantastic tournament

my only issiue is that the Sword Teacher keeps calling Elsa the wrong pronouns. Elsa identify as female. So it is always distracting to keep hearing the sword Teacher call Elsa by the wrong pronouns

Too reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z

Moments of excellent writing interspersed with long, drawn out tournament rounds that seemed to go on forever. Some bouts were decided by deus ex machina feats, leaving the reader puzzled as to where such miracles came from. The book often felt like it was catering to the lowest common denominator of reader. One hopes that if an eventual anime season that includes this volume is eventually made, the animators avoid sinking into the trap that Dragon Ball Z wallowed in.

Undead were everywhere, with the city of Ulmutt seemingly defenseless with no magical warning apparatus in place to protect the citizenry. Why was this place so easily infiltrated? Of the 17 light novel volumes published so far, this is probably the weakest. One of the few saving graces this volume had, was the spectacular reading by the storyteller.

The audiobook never synchronized with the ebook, so a fast pace needed be kept up to follow along with the story, as it played in two different forms of media. People already following the series should seriously consider going with either the ebook or the audiobook, and not bother with both.

Filler tournament arc. Stupid character motivation

I can get over the fact that most of this book is a pointless tournament, but they reveal a characters backstory that makes them make absolutely no sense.

"I lived as a horrible test subject jumping from one lab to another suffering ever more extreme tortures and eventually spent years being devoured by insects in a dungeon. But then one guy from that kingdom said hi and gave me a name so I back the country 200%"