Review: He Who Fights with Monsters 12: A LitRPG Adventure

*Podium only publishes the AUDIO version of this series. The goal of this campaign is to share the He Who Fights With Monsters series with your audience, and to announce that Books 1-12 are out now. Books 1-3 are all available wherever you listen (Audible, Spotify, Apple, etc.). However, Books 4-12 are only available on Audible.

AUTHOR: Shirtaloon, a.k.a. Travis Deverell

NARRATOR: Heath Miller

TITLE SUMMARY:

Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters. It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil.He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants.

Selected as one of Audible's best audiobooks of 2021.

After cementing itself as one of the best-rated serial novels on Royal Road with an astonishing 13 million views, He Who Fights with Monsters is now brought to you in professionally formatted audio.

Books one through eleven are also available

While four through twelve are only available on Audible 

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12

My Review

He Who Fights with Monsters 12: A LitRPG Adventure by Shirtaloon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having eagerly anticipated the newest installment in the HeWho series, I found myself turning the pages with considerable enthusiasm, finishing it in a remarkably short time. The ongoing narrative has become a source of genuine comfort, and the exploits of Jason and his companions are always something I look forward to. However, after careful consideration, I must concur with some of the prevailing sentiment that this particular book feels more like a celebratory lap than a substantial progression of the core storyline.

One of the most immediately noticeable aspects of this entry is the significant twenty-year time jump following the events of the eleventh book. This temporal leap is a bold narrative choice, introducing a considerable shift in the characters' lives and the world they inhabit. The book grapples with the consequences of the preceding monumental events while simultaneously laying the groundwork for the thirteenth book and an entirely new story arc. This ambitious juggling act, unfortunately, contributes to a pervasive sense of haste throughout the narrative.

While the opening and concluding sections of the book demonstrated the author's familiar strengths in pacing and engaging prose, the central portion felt largely transitional. The overarching narrative lacked the tension and palpable danger that have defined the series' most compelling moments. Instead, this book functions primarily as a stage-setter, depicting the characters' victorious return and the relative calm following the world-altering events of previous installments. While this provides a degree of reassurance and allows for reflection, it ultimately results in a reading experience that feels somewhat anticlimactic. It’s not that the book is inherently bad; it simply lacks the dramatic stakes and immediate conflict that fans have come to expect.

Furthermore, I felt that certain narrative threads could have been explored with greater depth and nuance. The recurring focus on Jason, while understandable given his central role, occasionally felt overwhelming, with numerous conversations revolving solely around him. Additionally, some plot developments felt somewhat rushed and lacked the organic build-up that would have made them more impactful and believable. The sense that these elements were "unearnt" stems from this lack of thorough development and exploration.

Nevertheless, despite these criticisms, I must reiterate that my overall reading experience was positive. I did, indeed, enjoy the book quite significantly. While it may not stand among the series' most gripping or pivotal entries, it served its purpose in bridging narrative gaps and hinting at future possibilities. It offered a welcome, albeit less intense, continuation of a beloved story.

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