- SCP Foundation: Iris of the Mirror World (by Akira, with art by Sidu)
Synopsis: A young man is encountering a strange phenomenon–the same photo of a girl appears inside any book he opens. One book in the library causes him to be whisked away by the SCP Foundation, a secret organization dedicated to containing anomalous entities and phenomena. There, he learns that the girl’s name is Iris–and that he’s going to have to work alongside her to get them both out! The first light novel adaptation of an SCP tale, this paranormal story is sure to please both new readers and longtime fans of the online collaborative project, which has already inspired spin-off works in multiple formats and languages.
Worth noting, the author of this is Akira, who wrote the novels for Yume Nikki and Echo. The illustrator is Sidu, who drew the artwork for Kagerou Daze. The first volume of this will release January 28, 2020.
- Middle-Aged Businessman Makes a Name for Himself in Another World Thanks to Goddess Power (by Sai Sumimori, with art by Ichijirushi)
- Record of Wortenia War (by Ryota Hori, with art by bob)
- Side-By-Side Dreamers (by Iori Miyazawa, cover art by malbeni)
- Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister – Plenty of Service Will Be Provided (by Hiironoame, with art by Siso)
- Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars (by Hiroyuki Morioka, with art by Toshihiro Ono)
These will begin releasing digitally in weekly installments on J-Novel Club’s website for subscribed members. Ebook releases should follow in a month or two.
Synopsis for Middle-Aged Businessman: The story centers on Shozo Onigawara, whose life completely changes after me meets a goddess one day. He used to have no real potential at work, but after meeting her he moves up the corporate ladder, gets married, and has three daughters. One day, all five family members are transported to another world, and Shozo must find a way to provide for and protect his family. He joins a small adventurer’s guild with a plan of making the guild more successful using the business skills he cultivated in Japan and the power he obtains from the goddess.
These long LN titles just keep getting better. There are two volumes of this in Japan it looks like, published by K Lanove Books (Kodansha).
Synopsis for Record of Wortenia War: Ryoma Mikoshiba, an ordinary high-schooler adept at martial arts, one day finds himself summoned to another world. The ones who summoned him, the O'ltormea Empire, cite the fact that ‘when those summoned kill another living being, they can absorb a fraction of their strength and make it their own’ as their reason. But upon learning the empire uses those they summon to strengthen themselves by foul means, Ryoma is consumed by hatred and slays an important member of the O'ltormean court. Attempting to escape the Empire’s borders while keeping his identity a secret, he is accosted by two twin sisters-- one golden-haired, the other silver-haired-- in a meeting that sets the gears of fate in motion. The curtain rises on a record of the wars of a young supreme ruler in this other world fantasy!
Twelve volumes out in Japan so far, published by HJ Novels. The illustrator is bob, whose art you may recognize from Defeating the Demon Lord’s Cinch (If You’ve Got a Ringer).
Synopsis for Side-by-Side Dreamers: Saya Hokage, a high school girl who is unable to sleep due to insomnia, encounters Hitsuji Konparu, a girl who can put anyone to sleep as a “lover” in a dream. When Hitsuji’s senpai – Ran Aizome – sees potential in Saya, she ends up joining them and their group of Sleepwalkers. As it turns out, unbeknownst to the common citizens in their town, a battle has been unfolding between the Suiju – beings that possess people’s spirits in the land of sleep – and the Sleepwalkers, who have the power to move about freely in their dreams. Sleeping together as a team, Saya and her newfound group are doing a good job hunting Suiju. That is, until an unexpected darkness comes along… Will the girls be able defend humanity’s sleep?
This was published in Japan by Hayakawa Shobo in July 2018. J-Novel Club calls it a yuri sci-fi novel.
Synopsis for Seriously Seeking Sister: The story centers on Ristia, a vampire princess who goes to the human world to find a little sister.
There is just one volume for this yuri story in Japan at the moment, published by TO Books. There is a web novel for it that’s farther along. The artist (Shiso) is the same as the one for The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlor.
Synopsis for Crest of the Stars: In the far-distant future, mankind has traversed the stars and settled distant worlds. But no matter how advanced the technology of the future becomes, it seems the spacefaring nations cannot entirely shed their human nature. Jinto Lin finds this out the hard way when, as a child, his home world is conquered by the powerful Abh Empire: the self-proclaimed Kin of the Stars, and rulers of vast swaths of the known universe. As a newly-appointed member of the Abh's imperial aristocracy, Jinto must learn to forge his own destiny in the wider universe while bearing burdens he never asked for, caught between his surface-dweller “Lander†heritage and the byzantine culture of the Abh, of which he is now nominally a member. A chance meeting with the brave-but-lonely Apprentice Starpilot Lafier aboard the Patrol Ship Goslauth will lead them both headfirst down a path of galaxy-spanning intrigue and warfare that will forever change the fate of all of humankind.
Similar to what J-Novel Club is doing for Full Metal Panic, this is a license rescue that will include a new translation for previously-released material (three volumes from Tokyopop in 2006-2007). So Crest of the Stars will get a new translation, and then Banner of the Stars (the sequel series) will be translated and released for the first time. This will be worth checking out for any sci-fi fans wanting a light novel series set in space to read.
J-Novel Club also announced more series that will get physical releases:
- Ascendance of a Bookworm — releasing in paperback this fall
- An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride — releasing in paperback this fall/winter
- Full Metal Panic! — releasing in hardcover omnibus format (three volumes per book) late 2019/early 2020
- Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars — releasing in hardcover omnibus format (three volumes per book) late 2019/early 2020
- Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse is Not My Problem! (by Haru Yayari, with art by Fuyuki)
Synopsis: Just when I thought navigating high school was bad enough, I woke up to a rotting, post- apocalyptic world! I thought that the poisonous swamp surrounding my small island would have protected me from all the drama, but what did I see staggering my way? A nasty, putrid zombie! With nothing left to lose, I shoved it away! To my surprise, it turned into a living, breathing, not- so-dead human! So, I have the power to purify zombies. And now I’m expected to save this undead world from the zombie apocalypse? Great. This is so NOT my problem!
These long LN titles just keep getting better? (Not going to lie… I’m curious.) This is a standalone novel that will release digitally on May 31st.