Review: #934
Title: Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One
Series: Goblin Slayer Side Story – 1st book
Author: Kumo Kagyu
Comments: Year One is set as a prequel to the series in which it covers the first year of Goblin Slayer when he became an adventure. If you were hoping for some insight into his training with his master, then that might be for another time. Instead, the novel starts with him registering to become an adventurer, meeting Cow Girl again, and his first few forays into goblin slaying. As he lacks experience in this time, he is just like any other newbie adventurer, making errors in judgment but is lucky enough to survive. Through these grueling quests, he starts to pick up the habits and fighting style that we are familiar with (and that we probably just took for granted). Goblin Slayer isn’t as invincible against goblins in this side story as we’re used to and so it can be a bit tense at times, and painful in others when he makes the same mistakes that he would eventually chide Priestess over. Small portions here and there are used to cover the viewpoint of other adventurers on their first quests. The best part is how naturally the events of this novel bring together the experiences that form the current Goblin Slayer. Unfortunately, since he is fighting solo, we miss the bantering and interactions of a party, and you don’t realize that you miss it until it becomes painfully obvious here.
Rating: 6.5/10