There is something beautiful and charming about the world of Log Horizon. Maybe it is because of the fact that I used to enjoy MMORPGs and a possibility of having a VMMORPG in the future just makes me jealous, maybe it is because of the fact that from all the novels that focus on VMMORPGs, Log Horizon has its own place above all of them because of its amazing writing; Log Horizon has never been lazy so far, it pays attention to every single detail, every single character and that is the reason why its world is so beautiful and complete.

From all the light novels that I have read, Log Horizon is special simply because of one fact that this novel has a very character driven story: there is a big, unknown world and you, just like in any MMORPG, together with the protagonists of Log Horizon discover this vast world of the unknown. It is amazing how the story pays attention to every single detail. For example, Log Horizon follows Shiroe, an ‘Enchanter,’ who is not suitable to be of any use as a character supporting his party members in the frontline. However, the moment he is protected by the tanks and melee damage dealers and stays behind his group, he can fully utilize his potential to support his friends and it is also helpful for him to come up with the best strategy to defeat the enemies, because that way he can see everything that happens on the battlefield.

Right from the first chapters, Log Horizon introduces quite a few characters. However, with time, the cast gets bigger and bigger and you will appreciate the fact that each and every of them receives a well-written development, giving you a perfect opportunity to understand them better. Log Horizon has so many characters that all are interesting and have something unique about them. Shiroe, a brilliant strategist that has the talent to organize even an average party that has no team play at all. He is a bit awkward with people and it is somewhat of a problem for him to express himself, so that other players would understand him better, which also causes him a variety of problems. Naotsugu, an easy going pervert, who is always ready to lend a helping hand to his friends. Akatsuki, an assassin that enjoys Role Playing. And while this might sound like an average bunch of characters to have, with time, you find out more about them, the characters show you their true self and, I must confess, the writing is so enjoyable that you just cannot stop reading; you want to find out more and more about each and every character of Log Horizon, to know their story.

As I said previously, the reason why Log Horizon is worth your time is that its story is very detail-oriented. There are just so many small details about it and together they form the world of ‘Elder Tail,’ which is even bigger than World of Warcraft’s universe. Yet, it manages to pay attention to each and every small detail to make the universe of Log Horizon so interesting. Indeed, Log Horizon is not action-oriented novel, it is more of a strategy, with a huge focus on dialogues. With that being said, it will require you to have endless patience and a desire to uncover more secrets of Elder Tail. That way, you will enjoy reading Log Horizon.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. Those who speak Japanese will enjoy the novel even more, because there is a huge difference and you will need to read it in both English and Japanese to see it. However, even in English, this is quite a fun read.