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インフィニット・デンドログラム [Infinite Dendrogram] Light Novel #2
Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 2
After an unexpectedly challenging journey, Ray and his party finally arrive at Gideon, The City of Duels. The mere sight of the towering arenas and thriving fantasy townscapes is enough to instantly awe and enchant him. However — like anything that stands tall and proud — the city cast a great, dark shadow. The name of this shadow is the Gouz-Maise gang — a loathsome band of cutthroats who turn their profit kidnapping children and demanding ransom. Ray, wide-eyed and innocent, was blissfully unaware of just how cruel the hyper-realistic world of Infinite Dendrogram would become.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2016
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112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 14, 2021
This series keeps getting better.
In this volume, we continue to follow Ray and Nemesis, as well as interact with new characters on crazy adventures. The book has the basis in Gideon, and interactions with the nefarious Gouze- Maise Gang. If you liked Sword Art Online but thought it was missing something, try this one out, either the anime or this light novel.
I found that reading the light novel included so much detail that could have been represented in the anime, which is understandable. Absolutely adore this series and the characters, and gave it another 5 stars ⭐️
In this volume, we continue to follow Ray and Nemesis, as well as interact with new characters on crazy adventures. The book has the basis in Gideon, and interactions with the nefarious Gouze- Maise Gang. If you liked Sword Art Online but thought it was missing something, try this one out, either the anime or this light novel.
I found that reading the light novel included so much detail that could have been represented in the anime, which is understandable. Absolutely adore this series and the characters, and gave it another 5 stars ⭐️
May 13, 2021
Le premier point qu’il me semble important de souligner concernant ce second tome est que l’on retrouve les personnages à la suite direct de l'intrigue du premier, il n'y a pas de bond en avant, le lecteur ne se sent donc pas mis de côté et surtout il n'est pas perdu. C’est agréable de retrouver les personnages exactement là où on les avait laissés en refermant le premier volume de l’histoire.
On retrouve la plume de l'auteur avec plaisir, et d’ailleurs on peut lui attribuer les mêmes qualités que dans le premier opus. Elle reste donc toujours toute en fluidité, bien ancrée dans son époque et totalement en adéquation avec le genre du roman. Exactement ce que je recherche pour une immersion dans un univers comme celui-ci.
L’auteur a su trouver un juste milieu parfait dans ses descriptions afin de ne pas lasser le lecteur. En effet il y a la juste dose d'explication et de description pour que le lecteur puisse à la fois comprendre et imaginer les scènes qui lui sont contées, sans toutefois venir alourdir le texte. Il y a vraiment un équilibre parfait dans la distillation des informations.
Le personnage principal bien qu'ayant des capacités assez importantes, n'a pas pris la grosse tête. On retrouve le même jeune homme que dans le tome précédent, simplement celui ci a gagné en expérience. Ce qui fait que l'on a envie de continuer à suivre ses aventures pour voir la réalisation de son plein potentiel. Pour autant même s'il n'y a pas eu de grand changements, on retrouve tout de même un développement progressif et graduel des compétences du héros. Il évolue, mais avec suffisamment logique et de recul pour que le lecteur puisse trouver ça complètement fondé, et ne vienne pas remettre en doute ses compétences.
On découvre de nombreuses références à la culture populaire, ce qui en fait des clins d'œil appréciables qui poussent le lecteur à décrocher un sourire au fil d'une page.
Ce second tome est plus sombre que le premier, il cache une part d'ombre qui fait froid dans le dos. L'auteur nous parle clairement d'événements difficiles, que l'on ne s'attendait pas à trouver dans cet univers. Cela rend l'ensemble du texte plus mature, et lui confère une certaine profondeur. Et surtout cela apporte une part de réalisme bienvenue. De plus c’est aussi une façon pour le texte de se démarquer, ici ce n’est pas le pays des bisounours et le lecteur doit donc s’attendre à découvrir des personnages avec plus ou moins de mauvaises intentions.
On fait la connaissance de nouveaux protagonistes qui vont prendre une part plus ou moins importante au sein de l'intrigue, ce qui permet de garder le lecteur en haleine. Ils sont suffisamment développés pour avoir une vraie place au sein du récit, même si on ne sait pas jusqu'à quel point et pendant combien de temps cela va durer. C'est intéressant parce que cela vient sans cesse faire bouger l'histoire. Et donc cela maintient le lecteur en permanence intrigué par ce qu’il lit.
En lisant ce second tome on prend conscience du fait que le premier volume n’était en fait qu’une mise en bouche, qu’un tutoriel, pour nous amener vers un univers bien plus complexe et développé que ce à quoi on aurait pu s’attendre. Et plus on plonge dans les profondeurs de ce jeu, plus le mystère concernant ce monde s'épaissit. J’ai maintenant hâte de lire la suite pour obtenir toujours plus de réponses à mes questions.
On retrouve la plume de l'auteur avec plaisir, et d’ailleurs on peut lui attribuer les mêmes qualités que dans le premier opus. Elle reste donc toujours toute en fluidité, bien ancrée dans son époque et totalement en adéquation avec le genre du roman. Exactement ce que je recherche pour une immersion dans un univers comme celui-ci.
L’auteur a su trouver un juste milieu parfait dans ses descriptions afin de ne pas lasser le lecteur. En effet il y a la juste dose d'explication et de description pour que le lecteur puisse à la fois comprendre et imaginer les scènes qui lui sont contées, sans toutefois venir alourdir le texte. Il y a vraiment un équilibre parfait dans la distillation des informations.
Le personnage principal bien qu'ayant des capacités assez importantes, n'a pas pris la grosse tête. On retrouve le même jeune homme que dans le tome précédent, simplement celui ci a gagné en expérience. Ce qui fait que l'on a envie de continuer à suivre ses aventures pour voir la réalisation de son plein potentiel. Pour autant même s'il n'y a pas eu de grand changements, on retrouve tout de même un développement progressif et graduel des compétences du héros. Il évolue, mais avec suffisamment logique et de recul pour que le lecteur puisse trouver ça complètement fondé, et ne vienne pas remettre en doute ses compétences.
On découvre de nombreuses références à la culture populaire, ce qui en fait des clins d'œil appréciables qui poussent le lecteur à décrocher un sourire au fil d'une page.
Ce second tome est plus sombre que le premier, il cache une part d'ombre qui fait froid dans le dos. L'auteur nous parle clairement d'événements difficiles, que l'on ne s'attendait pas à trouver dans cet univers. Cela rend l'ensemble du texte plus mature, et lui confère une certaine profondeur. Et surtout cela apporte une part de réalisme bienvenue. De plus c’est aussi une façon pour le texte de se démarquer, ici ce n’est pas le pays des bisounours et le lecteur doit donc s’attendre à découvrir des personnages avec plus ou moins de mauvaises intentions.
On fait la connaissance de nouveaux protagonistes qui vont prendre une part plus ou moins importante au sein de l'intrigue, ce qui permet de garder le lecteur en haleine. Ils sont suffisamment développés pour avoir une vraie place au sein du récit, même si on ne sait pas jusqu'à quel point et pendant combien de temps cela va durer. C'est intéressant parce que cela vient sans cesse faire bouger l'histoire. Et donc cela maintient le lecteur en permanence intrigué par ce qu’il lit.
En lisant ce second tome on prend conscience du fait que le premier volume n’était en fait qu’une mise en bouche, qu’un tutoriel, pour nous amener vers un univers bien plus complexe et développé que ce à quoi on aurait pu s’attendre. Et plus on plonge dans les profondeurs de ce jeu, plus le mystère concernant ce monde s'épaissit. J’ai maintenant hâte de lire la suite pour obtenir toujours plus de réponses à mes questions.
February 27, 2020
7/10
The journey continues and its still a good ride as of now. There were some problems here and there, but nothing all that tragic, especially since there are still so many good things that hold the series back from falling into a mediocrity. Let me elaborate on what I said just now…
The group arrives at Gideon and Ray completes a child-kidnapping quest with Hugo, a Master of the Dryve Imperium. The novel basically keeps on doing what it did on its first volume, explaining several game mechanics that Infinite Dendrogram has, even expanding on already existing rules and backgrounds about the Dryfe Imperium, Caldina and Granvaloa. It even adds some backstory to Ray and his brother, which was a pleasant surprise since the author even achieved to connect said story with the question of why Ray has the Embryo that he has. And while their story wasn't the most groundbreaking it at least gave insight on why Ray acts the way he does in the game. Furthermore whenever there was some sort of lore explaining I just couldn't help but get way too invested in what was told. I was as thrilled as I was with the first volume when it went to world building and them even explaining the entire process of the Dryfe Imperium building the Marshall II, but there still were some downsides in this book. The first one being, that it all felt a bit too formulaic in specific moments, especially when it came to the final fight. I'm not saying that the fight was completely boring, since the power scaling still felt realistic and an extreme amount of strategic thinking went into it, utilizing knowledge that was mentioned in the entirety of the novels as of now, but in the end the UBM, "Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise" was defeated in a clichéd - oh no I'm about to lose - way, with the last attack thankfully saving the day and Rays and Nemesis life. I'm fine if that happens once or twice, but that was the third time in a row and just makes the fights look rather stale after some time. The second problem, which is bound to be a difficulty that will stay for the rest of its run, is the fact that there is still no real sense of danger. Yes, Sakon Kaidou always tries to throw in some risks that could have some consequences, but none of them feel really fatal. Yes, there were children tians that could have died in this quest, but in the end they are just that: NPCs. And yes, I know that one of the many themes of this series is the philosophy of humanity and what it means to be a real human, plus if the tians of the world could be referred as real humans, since they pretty much express all the emotions that a normal human being does and life a real life in Infinite Dendrogram, but - and I know I will sound extremely cold with the way I'm saying this but - I really wouldn't have cared if any of the kids would have died in this. I'm merely talking about the perspective I have as a reader, but there would have been no sense of loss if one of them would have died. A crying girl who is worried about her brother wouldn't change that and I'm sure that there are enough people in the game itself that would feel in a similar way I do, since many people see this VRMMO as what it is: a game. Maybe I'm just cruel though and everyone sees this the way Ray and Hugo see it, i don't know. Maybe it would help if an important tian would actually die so I could see the consequences for myself, but that didn't happen… yet. Except the two prior problems this novel went along nicely. The ending with Ray and Nemesis riding on Silver felt like the perfect way to end this volume. I'm a bit surprised with how fast Nemesis actually seems to fall in love (?) with Ray and accept that, since it still feels a bit too soon for all of that, but who knows how that will go on in the following volumes.
I honestly don't even have any idea what to expect in the next book. Ray is going to meet Rook and Marie again and latter will share what she did with those 400,000 lir that they were left with. Maybe Ray will meet the Superior Killer again, but what is a given is the fact that the war between Dryve and Altar will begin, which I was anticipating. The author mentioned, that the following two volumes would be the climax of the first part of his story, so I really hope for some intense battles that may go a bit more in-depth with the rivalry of those two Empires. Maybe Ray and Hugo will fight against each other this time around, which would mean a clash between Cocytus and Nemesis. Wouldn't that be nice? I'll happily read on and am curious on how the war will conclude.
The journey continues and its still a good ride as of now. There were some problems here and there, but nothing all that tragic, especially since there are still so many good things that hold the series back from falling into a mediocrity. Let me elaborate on what I said just now…
The group arrives at Gideon and Ray completes a child-kidnapping quest with Hugo, a Master of the Dryve Imperium. The novel basically keeps on doing what it did on its first volume, explaining several game mechanics that Infinite Dendrogram has, even expanding on already existing rules and backgrounds about the Dryfe Imperium, Caldina and Granvaloa. It even adds some backstory to Ray and his brother, which was a pleasant surprise since the author even achieved to connect said story with the question of why Ray has the Embryo that he has. And while their story wasn't the most groundbreaking it at least gave insight on why Ray acts the way he does in the game. Furthermore whenever there was some sort of lore explaining I just couldn't help but get way too invested in what was told. I was as thrilled as I was with the first volume when it went to world building and them even explaining the entire process of the Dryfe Imperium building the Marshall II, but there still were some downsides in this book. The first one being, that it all felt a bit too formulaic in specific moments, especially when it came to the final fight. I'm not saying that the fight was completely boring, since the power scaling still felt realistic and an extreme amount of strategic thinking went into it, utilizing knowledge that was mentioned in the entirety of the novels as of now, but in the end the UBM, "Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise" was defeated in a clichéd - oh no I'm about to lose - way, with the last attack thankfully saving the day and Rays and Nemesis life. I'm fine if that happens once or twice, but that was the third time in a row and just makes the fights look rather stale after some time. The second problem, which is bound to be a difficulty that will stay for the rest of its run, is the fact that there is still no real sense of danger. Yes, Sakon Kaidou always tries to throw in some risks that could have some consequences, but none of them feel really fatal. Yes, there were children tians that could have died in this quest, but in the end they are just that: NPCs. And yes, I know that one of the many themes of this series is the philosophy of humanity and what it means to be a real human, plus if the tians of the world could be referred as real humans, since they pretty much express all the emotions that a normal human being does and life a real life in Infinite Dendrogram, but - and I know I will sound extremely cold with the way I'm saying this but - I really wouldn't have cared if any of the kids would have died in this. I'm merely talking about the perspective I have as a reader, but there would have been no sense of loss if one of them would have died. A crying girl who is worried about her brother wouldn't change that and I'm sure that there are enough people in the game itself that would feel in a similar way I do, since many people see this VRMMO as what it is: a game. Maybe I'm just cruel though and everyone sees this the way Ray and Hugo see it, i don't know. Maybe it would help if an important tian would actually die so I could see the consequences for myself, but that didn't happen… yet. Except the two prior problems this novel went along nicely. The ending with Ray and Nemesis riding on Silver felt like the perfect way to end this volume. I'm a bit surprised with how fast Nemesis actually seems to fall in love (?) with Ray and accept that, since it still feels a bit too soon for all of that, but who knows how that will go on in the following volumes.
I honestly don't even have any idea what to expect in the next book. Ray is going to meet Rook and Marie again and latter will share what she did with those 400,000 lir that they were left with. Maybe Ray will meet the Superior Killer again, but what is a given is the fact that the war between Dryve and Altar will begin, which I was anticipating. The author mentioned, that the following two volumes would be the climax of the first part of his story, so I really hope for some intense battles that may go a bit more in-depth with the rivalry of those two Empires. Maybe Ray and Hugo will fight against each other this time around, which would mean a clash between Cocytus and Nemesis. Wouldn't that be nice? I'll happily read on and am curious on how the war will conclude.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2023
I think it proves that an author has no ethical values, moral compass, etc. to use children as food, torture children as drama-fuel for the "readers"...
I hate the fact that this author dawdles, beats around the bush, delays the "action" in the story "complementing" information that is not needed, not relevant, especially when Ray had to enter the Kidnapper's cave, when Hugo had to fight with the Ox beast-man, etc.
The author changes the first person point of view at the drop of a hat without any warning. Sometimes it's the point of view of allies, sometimes of the antagonist but it's hard to figure out who the heck is "thinking or talking" if they are doing it in the first person that is usually "reserved" for Ray, the main character of the story. On the changes of point of view that the author does not say who is "talking/thinking/doing"...
Nemesis mouth-feeds a potion to Ray, while he is unconscious...while Ray is unconscious, Nemesis, Ray's Embryo, accesses Ray's "inventory space" and takes out the potion, so the thing is, how can an embryo access somebody's personal inventory?, if Ray is "unconscious", isn't Nemesis, Ray's Embryo, not "allowed to present herself in the game? How can she be "active in game" if her "player/master" is unconscious"? Do the game rules, and game system, not apply to the "changes of the rules" that the author writes? Does the author not need to follow the rules, he himself created?
The author is extremely prejudiced against Ray, the main character, gives Rook better loot, higher luck and and easier path to level up, gives "enemies" like Hugo stronger "embryo" (NPC - Non-player character artifact-partner that strengthens the players) in this VRMMORPG...
Are NPC (Tian) children Bits? Real? Should crimes done to them be considered real? Do Universal Human Rights cover Artificial Intelligence and NPC's (Tians) that are only real in Virtual/alternate reality worlds? Do fictional characters created by "authors" die, get sexually assaulted, physically tortured, assassinated, murdered, etc. for real or because it's fiction, even in those fictional stories nothing "real" gets done to anyone? Do real laws, real rules, apply in fictional stories? Are authors delusional if they do not apply "reality" to their fictional stories? Are consequences for actions (law of cause and effect) not applicable in a fictional story?
To prove a point, Bro-Bear, Ray's real brother, "saved" Ray and a girl from a truck accident and "injured" his leg in part of a description of a memory that the author wrote for this story. With that same broken leg (his right leg), Bro-Bear, hit and made unconscious, his "taller and stronger" Russian adversary in the championship fight...not as part of the VRMMORPG, but part of the "real lives" of the Starling brothers in the fictional story. Is it possible to strike and defeat another adversary with a "broken leg kick"? Something similar, happens in the Rocky (boxer series of movies), Sylvester Stallone, plays Rocky a Boxer fighter, that usually was an "underdog" and at the end of most of his movies, wins "unwinnable boxing fights" with faster-stronger-taller-boxer-opponents, so the question is, does "rooting for the underdog" make these "fictional stories" more credible/believable? If they contradict all common sense, and most of the natural laws (physics), then are the authors "delusional or irrational" for writing things that are impossible even in "fictional stories"? Are fictional stories "better or worse" if they lack rationality, common sense or credibility?
I hate the fact that this author dawdles, beats around the bush, delays the "action" in the story "complementing" information that is not needed, not relevant, especially when Ray had to enter the Kidnapper's cave, when Hugo had to fight with the Ox beast-man, etc.
The author changes the first person point of view at the drop of a hat without any warning. Sometimes it's the point of view of allies, sometimes of the antagonist but it's hard to figure out who the heck is "thinking or talking" if they are doing it in the first person that is usually "reserved" for Ray, the main character of the story. On the changes of point of view that the author does not say who is "talking/thinking/doing"...
Nemesis mouth-feeds a potion to Ray, while he is unconscious...while Ray is unconscious, Nemesis, Ray's Embryo, accesses Ray's "inventory space" and takes out the potion, so the thing is, how can an embryo access somebody's personal inventory?, if Ray is "unconscious", isn't Nemesis, Ray's Embryo, not "allowed to present herself in the game? How can she be "active in game" if her "player/master" is unconscious"? Do the game rules, and game system, not apply to the "changes of the rules" that the author writes? Does the author not need to follow the rules, he himself created?
The author is extremely prejudiced against Ray, the main character, gives Rook better loot, higher luck and and easier path to level up, gives "enemies" like Hugo stronger "embryo" (NPC - Non-player character artifact-partner that strengthens the players) in this VRMMORPG...
Are NPC (Tian) children Bits? Real? Should crimes done to them be considered real? Do Universal Human Rights cover Artificial Intelligence and NPC's (Tians) that are only real in Virtual/alternate reality worlds? Do fictional characters created by "authors" die, get sexually assaulted, physically tortured, assassinated, murdered, etc. for real or because it's fiction, even in those fictional stories nothing "real" gets done to anyone? Do real laws, real rules, apply in fictional stories? Are authors delusional if they do not apply "reality" to their fictional stories? Are consequences for actions (law of cause and effect) not applicable in a fictional story?
To prove a point, Bro-Bear, Ray's real brother, "saved" Ray and a girl from a truck accident and "injured" his leg in part of a description of a memory that the author wrote for this story. With that same broken leg (his right leg), Bro-Bear, hit and made unconscious, his "taller and stronger" Russian adversary in the championship fight...not as part of the VRMMORPG, but part of the "real lives" of the Starling brothers in the fictional story. Is it possible to strike and defeat another adversary with a "broken leg kick"? Something similar, happens in the Rocky (boxer series of movies), Sylvester Stallone, plays Rocky a Boxer fighter, that usually was an "underdog" and at the end of most of his movies, wins "unwinnable boxing fights" with faster-stronger-taller-boxer-opponents, so the question is, does "rooting for the underdog" make these "fictional stories" more credible/believable? If they contradict all common sense, and most of the natural laws (physics), then are the authors "delusional or irrational" for writing things that are impossible even in "fictional stories"? Are fictional stories "better or worse" if they lack rationality, common sense or credibility?
April 14, 2019
By this second volume I can hope that the adapted anime will make this the best VRMMO series to date.
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The story picks up immediately after the first volume, and like the first volume Ray and Nemesis are not done exploring this world. They do visit new locations in this one and deal with new missions, which I was surprised at. I was under the impression that only masters and those working as knights and such would have abilities, but I was corrected in this volume. I did like the addition of it a lot more than I expected, it could make the upcoming events a lot more fun and somewhat unpredictable as well. Unlike the mission of the first volume, this one was much darker and it’s kind of making it really feel like a game, some missions are easy and mundane, others are dark and dangerous.
It’s refreshing that the “darkness” applied here isn’t rape, had enough of light novels or manga that think it’s the only way to make a story dark. That being said, considering how close of a process and proceedings of this quest compared to the first novel, it doesn’t provide that much variety just yet. It does give another outlook to the “infinity” aspect of the game, but a total limit to what exactly is the limit is nowhere to be seen just yet.
At this point, it’s honestly difficult to think that there is a limit. Ray ends up meeting new characters who are way similar to him than not, we get to see a little bit more about the AIs working around this game, more about the tians which was also a lot more surprising than I expected, embryos, other countries and more hints about the hidden darkness of the game. There IS something here, I’m sure of it and I can’t wait to know what it is!
Development wise, Ray or Nemesis aren’t so different from the previous novel but then again we hardly spent that much time with them to begin with. I mean yes we went on a couple of adventures with them now, we’ve seen how some situations were handled and went through a journey with them but it was all briefly done. Ray and Nemesis seem to deal with the biggest threat at the very end of the novels, so if there is in fact a development I wouldn’t be able to see for sure until I read volume 3. Which is most likely going to be soon because I’m hooked to this, even if they’re taking it slow for the majority of it, there’s something very entertaining about the way it’s proceeding.
I hope for more variety in the quests in the upcoming novels, but if I don’t get that then I hope for more interesting reveals about this series. So far, it didn’t disappoint in that regard but I surely hope for me.
Final rating: 3.5/5
───────────────────
The story picks up immediately after the first volume, and like the first volume Ray and Nemesis are not done exploring this world. They do visit new locations in this one and deal with new missions, which I was surprised at. I was under the impression that only masters and those working as knights and such would have abilities, but I was corrected in this volume. I did like the addition of it a lot more than I expected, it could make the upcoming events a lot more fun and somewhat unpredictable as well. Unlike the mission of the first volume, this one was much darker and it’s kind of making it really feel like a game, some missions are easy and mundane, others are dark and dangerous.
It’s refreshing that the “darkness” applied here isn’t rape, had enough of light novels or manga that think it’s the only way to make a story dark. That being said, considering how close of a process and proceedings of this quest compared to the first novel, it doesn’t provide that much variety just yet. It does give another outlook to the “infinity” aspect of the game, but a total limit to what exactly is the limit is nowhere to be seen just yet.
At this point, it’s honestly difficult to think that there is a limit. Ray ends up meeting new characters who are way similar to him than not, we get to see a little bit more about the AIs working around this game, more about the tians which was also a lot more surprising than I expected, embryos, other countries and more hints about the hidden darkness of the game. There IS something here, I’m sure of it and I can’t wait to know what it is!
Development wise, Ray or Nemesis aren’t so different from the previous novel but then again we hardly spent that much time with them to begin with. I mean yes we went on a couple of adventures with them now, we’ve seen how some situations were handled and went through a journey with them but it was all briefly done. Ray and Nemesis seem to deal with the biggest threat at the very end of the novels, so if there is in fact a development I wouldn’t be able to see for sure until I read volume 3. Which is most likely going to be soon because I’m hooked to this, even if they’re taking it slow for the majority of it, there’s something very entertaining about the way it’s proceeding.
I hope for more variety in the quests in the upcoming novels, but if I don’t get that then I hope for more interesting reveals about this series. So far, it didn’t disappoint in that regard but I surely hope for me.
Final rating: 3.5/5
March 22, 2018
This novel was ok, though the focus overall was pretty narrow, and then there was some major infodumping / characters talking about things that will be future plotpoints towards the end.
This opens with some fun moments, like Ray Starling getting sucked into the addiction that is Gatcha machines (essentially a lootbox system / crane game type system, but in this case the monetary value is determined by the player I believe and the rewards are randomized but I think better based on the coin value). Out of this and a few other additional scenes, you get the sense that Ray is filling up his party with "nonliving creatures" (not quite embryos, but close).
The main story was a bit grim, which I liked since the overall feel of the story has been Shounen up to this point, so it's good to see it can get emotional and dark. I do wonder how dark they'll end up going (will we see any named NPCs die? Does Ray need to suffer some loss on a personal level at some point to humble him?).
Overall, I enjoyed it, though the final boss fight dragged a bit for me (and it felt a bit unnecessary and too many forms; even the helpfulness of the reward seemed not completely necessary). There's a huge amount of info dumping at the end, and it is a bit much to take in. I hope they don't want us to remember everything there in detail.
This opens with some fun moments, like Ray Starling getting sucked into the addiction that is Gatcha machines (essentially a lootbox system / crane game type system, but in this case the monetary value is determined by the player I believe and the rewards are randomized but I think better based on the coin value). Out of this and a few other additional scenes, you get the sense that Ray is filling up his party with "nonliving creatures" (not quite embryos, but close).
The main story was a bit grim, which I liked since the overall feel of the story has been Shounen up to this point, so it's good to see it can get emotional and dark. I do wonder how dark they'll end up going (will we see any named NPCs die? Does Ray need to suffer some loss on a personal level at some point to humble him?).
Overall, I enjoyed it, though the final boss fight dragged a bit for me (and it felt a bit unnecessary and too many forms; even the helpfulness of the reward seemed not completely necessary). There's a huge amount of info dumping at the end, and it is a bit much to take in. I hope they don't want us to remember everything there in detail.
December 29, 2020
https://lapommequirougit.com/2020/12/...
Je remercie les Éditions Lanovel pour l’envoi de ces lectures. Je vous retrouve aujourd’hui pour ma toute première chronique groupée. Après un sondage sur instagram, vous m’avez en majorité exprimée le fait que cela ne vous dérangeait pas. Je vais donc immédiatement vous parler de mes impressions sur ces deux tomes.
Dans un premier temps, Ray arrive enfin à Gideon, la ville des duels. Mais le souci, c’est qu’il apprend que de terrible enlèvement d’enfants ont lieu par celui que l’on nomme Gouze Maze. Vu le caractère de Ray, il est évident qu’il ne va rester sans pas rien faire.
De l’autre côté, nous découvrons également un duel dans une des arènes de Gideon, mais pas n’importe quel duel. Celui de Figaro face à Xun Yu le numéro deux du classement des duels de l’Empire de Huang He.
Autant vous dire, ces deux tomes sont remplis en action. Les mystères concernant ce jeu, sont de plus en plus grands. On ignore si c’est un monde réel, si c’est vraiment un jeu et on sent clairement que l’auteur joue dessus. Il s’amuse à nous titiller, sans vraiment nous apporter les réponses qu’on recherche tant.
Ce que j’ai adoré dans le troisième tome, c’est qu’on va enfin voir à quoi ressemble la puissance d’un Superiors et plus particulièrement, celui de Figaro, un personnage qui m’intrigue énormément depuis le tome 1.
En bref, ces deux tomes ont été un vrai plaisir pour moi et je suis tellement impatiente de découvrir la suite des histoires de cet univers. Le monde d’Infinite Dendrogram est vraiment très intrigant, mais en plus de tout ça, l’auteur rythme très bien les choses, c’est ce qui rend ces lights novels si prenant !
Je remercie les Éditions Lanovel pour l’envoi de ces lectures. Je vous retrouve aujourd’hui pour ma toute première chronique groupée. Après un sondage sur instagram, vous m’avez en majorité exprimée le fait que cela ne vous dérangeait pas. Je vais donc immédiatement vous parler de mes impressions sur ces deux tomes.
Dans un premier temps, Ray arrive enfin à Gideon, la ville des duels. Mais le souci, c’est qu’il apprend que de terrible enlèvement d’enfants ont lieu par celui que l’on nomme Gouze Maze. Vu le caractère de Ray, il est évident qu’il ne va rester sans pas rien faire.
De l’autre côté, nous découvrons également un duel dans une des arènes de Gideon, mais pas n’importe quel duel. Celui de Figaro face à Xun Yu le numéro deux du classement des duels de l’Empire de Huang He.
Autant vous dire, ces deux tomes sont remplis en action. Les mystères concernant ce jeu, sont de plus en plus grands. On ignore si c’est un monde réel, si c’est vraiment un jeu et on sent clairement que l’auteur joue dessus. Il s’amuse à nous titiller, sans vraiment nous apporter les réponses qu’on recherche tant.
Ce que j’ai adoré dans le troisième tome, c’est qu’on va enfin voir à quoi ressemble la puissance d’un Superiors et plus particulièrement, celui de Figaro, un personnage qui m’intrigue énormément depuis le tome 1.
En bref, ces deux tomes ont été un vrai plaisir pour moi et je suis tellement impatiente de découvrir la suite des histoires de cet univers. Le monde d’Infinite Dendrogram est vraiment très intrigant, mais en plus de tout ça, l’auteur rythme très bien les choses, c’est ce qui rend ces lights novels si prenant !
June 6, 2020
This is one of the more interesting light novel series—even if I am only two volumes in. I was happy to see a new job title for Rook even though he plays only a very minor part in this volume. It was disappointing, however, that the plot in this one was so similar to the start of the first book with another rescue the child mission. And, of course, Ray gets some external intervention from in-game AI elements to assist him in his conquest.
Essentially, this volume is a single encounter, so it is a fast read. While it does fall into the same bad writing problems of most LNs, I found it very entertaining and easily digestible (no pun intended). There is still far too much tell to show. The dialog is clunky. The pseudo-random lower and upper case letters to represent a particular monster’s howls were annoying since screams, howls, and yells can easily be represented with better text choices. Still, the story charges ahead, Ray’s difficulty with the casual disregard of tian life continues to add weight to his development, the larger story arc takes a sharper focus, and the action is mostly non-stop after the first third of the book.
I really enjoy the physical books published by J-Novel Club. The size, binding, and paper quality (though interior black and white art looks washed out) are the right fit for these quick, escapist reads. I’m looking forward to the next volumes in the series.
Essentially, this volume is a single encounter, so it is a fast read. While it does fall into the same bad writing problems of most LNs, I found it very entertaining and easily digestible (no pun intended). There is still far too much tell to show. The dialog is clunky. The pseudo-random lower and upper case letters to represent a particular monster’s howls were annoying since screams, howls, and yells can easily be represented with better text choices. Still, the story charges ahead, Ray’s difficulty with the casual disregard of tian life continues to add weight to his development, the larger story arc takes a sharper focus, and the action is mostly non-stop after the first third of the book.
I really enjoy the physical books published by J-Novel Club. The size, binding, and paper quality (though interior black and white art looks washed out) are the right fit for these quick, escapist reads. I’m looking forward to the next volumes in the series.
July 14, 2021
Reseña en español.
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Review in english.
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Review in english.
April 25, 2020
Earlier today when I had 200 pages to go I was wondering how Kaidou-sensei was going to fill it with the storyline presented in the first 100 pages. Yet here I am a few hours later and thoroughly enjoyed the book and wondering how under this quarantine with 4 kids at home I somehow managed to read it. I just did not want to put it down.
I enjoyed the world building. Learning about Hugo and the Imperium and the crafting system. I actually really liked how each section was presented from that character's point of view. I like how it really let me fee like I knew them.
I do acknowledge that the final battle has that last minute saving of the day, but it wasn't nearly so deux ex machina to me. It was built upon previously presented things in the series and the book. If Nemesis had another save the day transformation, it would have been bad. But this used the existing mechanics to do it.
Honestly I have to say Infinite Dendrogram has quickly become one of my favorite light novel series.
Verdict: If you like isekai, you should read Dendro!
I enjoyed the world building. Learning about Hugo and the Imperium and the crafting system. I actually really liked how each section was presented from that character's point of view. I like how it really let me fee like I knew them.
I do acknowledge that the final battle has that last minute saving of the day, but it wasn't nearly so deux ex machina to me. It was built upon previously presented things in the series and the book. If Nemesis had another save the day transformation, it would have been bad. But this used the existing mechanics to do it.
Honestly I have to say Infinite Dendrogram has quickly become one of my favorite light novel series.
Verdict: If you like isekai, you should read Dendro!
March 3, 2022
A very enjoyable read, and even though I already knew what was going to happen as I have seen the anime, it was still a very enjoyable read.
There is a lot to like about this book. More character development, a new setting detailing how things can differ between areas in the game, and interactions between Titans and Masters. Honestly it's one of the best litRPGs I have read and the author did a good job putting together a realistic game world that the reader will relate to. Many times while reading this novel I pictured what I would do in this world and how much myself and my wife would enjoy it.
I am excited to read more of this series and recommend it to anyone interested in a litRPG light novel that manages to feel like a real world while also remaining mostly carefree and not too dark. (though yeah, I admit, there are some dark things in this world and just how dark will relate to how 'human' you view the Titans as if you yourself were in the game)
So yeah, check this series out.
There is a lot to like about this book. More character development, a new setting detailing how things can differ between areas in the game, and interactions between Titans and Masters. Honestly it's one of the best litRPGs I have read and the author did a good job putting together a realistic game world that the reader will relate to. Many times while reading this novel I pictured what I would do in this world and how much myself and my wife would enjoy it.
I am excited to read more of this series and recommend it to anyone interested in a litRPG light novel that manages to feel like a real world while also remaining mostly carefree and not too dark. (though yeah, I admit, there are some dark things in this world and just how dark will relate to how 'human' you view the Titans as if you yourself were in the game)
So yeah, check this series out.
June 1, 2020
So, I went into this book with as much enthusiasm as I did for the first book. I got out of the second a good sequel plot, but I wasn't as impressed. The number one reason being that toward the end of the book, the action scenes were so chopped up by info-dumping I was zipping through pages just to get to the good stuff. I felt myself losing interest that quickly. Not to mention I circled some grammatical errors from the translators (to be honest, I'm not sure if my physical copy was an early print or not).
Honestly, it was good, and I want to see something lift my spirits in the next book, but I am disappointed. I hope any of you other readers can enjoy this more than I did because there is a lot teased about to come in the last chapter.
Honestly, it was good, and I want to see something lift my spirits in the next book, but I am disappointed. I hope any of you other readers can enjoy this more than I did because there is a lot teased about to come in the last chapter.
April 8, 2020
The story continues, after the dangerous journey, Ray and party finally arrived at Gideon, a city famous for its arena.
One thing that I can't helped but notice is that, looks like Ray is going to become Over-Powered type of Main Character, not that I mind though. Fortunately, his party ( and everyone around him ) is practically Over-Powered by their own rights, I guess the author is trying to balance things a little bit here which by all mean is always a welcome sight.
Unfortunately, the plot in this volume is kinda predictable, fear not however, as the ride to the conclusion that you might have think about is an awesome one and I am not regretted it to ever buy this volume.. however, if this continue I may need to reconsider :)
One thing that I can't helped but notice is that, looks like Ray is going to become Over-Powered type of Main Character, not that I mind though. Fortunately, his party ( and everyone around him ) is practically Over-Powered by their own rights, I guess the author is trying to balance things a little bit here which by all mean is always a welcome sight.
Unfortunately, the plot in this volume is kinda predictable, fear not however, as the ride to the conclusion that you might have think about is an awesome one and I am not regretted it to ever buy this volume.. however, if this continue I may need to reconsider :)
October 14, 2019
While the cover looks calm and peaceful, the book gets dark pretty fast with children being kidnapped and sacrificed for materials... Ray has to, once again, decide whether to take the events in the game seriously or to just let NPCs die. It never loses that “it’s a game” feeling, but it’s such a fun and entertaining story. Found a new favourite LN series :)
November 19, 2018
This is getting real good.
The MC is getting stronger. The kingdom is on the brink of war. We meet new characters. We learn about why the MC is the way he is. What more could want.
The MC is getting stronger. The kingdom is on the brink of war. We meet new characters. We learn about why the MC is the way he is. What more could want.
March 30, 2022
Volume 2 continued the beautiful world building of the first volume while also giving Ray's character more development, which was great ! Lots seems to be happening behind the scenes at the moment so I'm excited to see how everything plays out in the next few volumes !!
December 23, 2017
Okay, I'm starting to get the hype. This volume was much more compelling and has a more direct focus on the emotional stakes involved in a VR game.
Full review eventually appearing on ANN.
Full review eventually appearing on ANN.
January 12, 2019
2nda parte de la aventura con pinguinos malvados y mas info, sigue interesante por ahora.
April 5, 2023
Still interesting, though the story more on the unique boss monster. The universe ranking was in chaos because of a newbie that could defeated multiple unique boss in the span of 2 days.
June 23, 2024
Truyện hay. Tiếc là vô tay Nhã Nam nên giờ ì ạch rồi thêm cái scandal nữa :((( không biết chừng nào mới ra trong khi ngta ra tới vol 20 rồi :((
July 29, 2018
Continuation of our Main Character Reiji Mukudori or we should call him with his avatar name as Ray Starling in exploring the worlds of Infinite Dendogram. The second volume still have same vibe with the first one, which if you enjoy the first volume I could recommend to keep reading this series.
The second volume focus on the new City Gideon, the place of duel arena. However, the main focus is not about the duel arena itself, instead the story is focus about serial kidnapping kid issue by some high Non Playable Character (NPC) villain. Ray and his new companion who operate a robot, yes a robot you not misheard me, took mission to fight with this new villain.
On this book, you will see a glimpse of Ray past. The story about how Ray is always believe whenever there is possibility, then he could grasp it. Well, I just realize how amusing this story actually. Sometime I forgot that this book is about exploring a VRMMO game world and not an other world-y stories. How little explanation about game is the cause, but the author will still time to time remind you that this is story about exploring game world which I found is good.
Being not hard core gamer I'm glad I don't need to think so hard about some game term that I don't know. Instead with little information about there is NPC, or the player need to consider logout to replenish their stomach or do another business is more better. Thus, I could recommend this series for you who love action and game setting adventure.
The second volume focus on the new City Gideon, the place of duel arena. However, the main focus is not about the duel arena itself, instead the story is focus about serial kidnapping kid issue by some high Non Playable Character (NPC) villain. Ray and his new companion who operate a robot, yes a robot you not misheard me, took mission to fight with this new villain.
On this book, you will see a glimpse of Ray past. The story about how Ray is always believe whenever there is possibility, then he could grasp it. Well, I just realize how amusing this story actually. Sometime I forgot that this book is about exploring a VRMMO game world and not an other world-y stories. How little explanation about game is the cause, but the author will still time to time remind you that this is story about exploring game world which I found is good.
Being not hard core gamer I'm glad I don't need to think so hard about some game term that I don't know. Instead with little information about there is NPC, or the player need to consider logout to replenish their stomach or do another business is more better. Thus, I could recommend this series for you who love action and game setting adventure.
March 30, 2021
The story starts where volume 1 ended and takes us into one small quest when the protagonist is asked to rescue a child from a group of kidnappers together with an unknown player. Of course, it is not nearly as simple as it appears. In fact, it gives the reader insight into what makes the protagonist different from most other gamers, although he is definitely not unique in that fact.
As in volume 1, the protagonist is likeable and has for light novels a suprising depth. It is a bit difficult to grasp whether he is overpowered though. We learn more about the nature of his unique (OP) powers, and also got to see their limitations. The new character(s) are IMO more interesting than those in volume 1. It certainly adds a bit more to the comming war, making it less black-and-white so to speak.
Of course, there still is some silliness, from gotcha machines to weird pinguin-suite wearing players, but it is certainly not the main component of the book. It is also relatively short and while we got to see a bit more about game mechanics (if only because the protagonist realizes there is a downside to picking paladin as a first profession) the actual mechanics are not that central to the book.
In other words, I find it a very good book for its genre and I have become all the more curious about the next volume.
As in volume 1, the protagonist is likeable and has for light novels a suprising depth. It is a bit difficult to grasp whether he is overpowered though. We learn more about the nature of his unique (OP) powers, and also got to see their limitations. The new character(s) are IMO more interesting than those in volume 1. It certainly adds a bit more to the comming war, making it less black-and-white so to speak.
Of course, there still is some silliness, from gotcha machines to weird pinguin-suite wearing players, but it is certainly not the main component of the book. It is also relatively short and while we got to see a bit more about game mechanics (if only because the protagonist realizes there is a downside to picking paladin as a first profession) the actual mechanics are not that central to the book.
In other words, I find it a very good book for its genre and I have become all the more curious about the next volume.
July 14, 2018
Usually when finishing a volume I don't directly pick up the next one in the series, with Infinite Dendogram I started reading the second volume right away, which says something about the quality of the series.
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