Hello English Light Novel Readers! Welcome to another monthly article where I take a look at the new light novel series making their debut.
This month we have 5 titles to talk about. While one of them isn’t exactly a premiere, it is another sweet print omnibus edition from J-Novel Club.
Speaking of J-Novel Club, they once again own the most premieres for the month. Only one of the five titles isn’t theirs (it belongs to Seven Seas!).
So let’s get to it!
First off is the print book coming from J-Novel Club. Similar to Full Metal Panic! from last month, this is an older light novel series rescued from the flaming wreck that is Tokyopop of the early 2000s.
And that is the omnibus release of Crest of the Stars!
This release gathers all three of the Crest of the Stars novels and releases them in a single omnibus edition with a simulated leather cover with gold embossing. Having seen the Full Metal Panic! release in real life, I can say these are some very sweet releases! Also, J-Novel Club has stated they will collect the sequel to Crest of the Stars, Banner of the Stars, in similar editions.
Here’s how J-Novel Club describes this series…
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. Jint 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, Jint 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.
Crest of the Stars Collected Edition Volumes 1-3 (imitation leather)
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository -- Rightstuf
Releasing March 03, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1718350700
Next up is the release from Seven Seas. This is an early eBook release. The print edition isn’t coming out until May, 2020. It’s a fantasy series with a twist that readers can really… dig.
The Invincible Shovel Volume 1
A legendary miner teams up with a runaway princess to combat demons and track down cursed jewels in this hot new light novel series!
Alan is the strongest miner in the world, able to reduce mountains to rubble with simply a swing of his trusty shovel. But when Princess Letitia begs him to escort her on a quest to save her kingdom from an invading demon force, he agrees to leave his solitary mountain abode and venture forth, on one condition: she must help him find a successor to train. In this hilarious fantasy tale for fans of RPGs, evil doesn't stand a chance against the mighty power of the shovel!
Volume 1
Amazon -- Bookwalker
eBooks Releasing March 12, 2020 -- ASIN: B084JFDBQW
Volume 1
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository -- Rightstuf
Paperback Releasing May 19, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1645054429
The last three releases are not just from J-Novel Club, but rather their new imprint, J-Novel Club Heart. They’re all shoujo light novels featuring engaging female heroines and a bit of romance mixed with the adventure.
The first title features a girl who finds herself in a very peculiar marriage!
Can Someone Please Explain What's Going On? Volume 1
If you thought regular marriages were insane, wait until you see the contract Viola signed! Our heroine, the daughter of an earl, signed herself away in a marriage contract to an aloof duke, Cersis, in order to save her family from a lifetime of poverty. All of a sudden, Viola's life is turned upside down when she moves into the Fisaris family's manor and is left to negotiate her new life as a “show wife†in a world she had only ever caught glimpses of before. How will she shake things up at the Fisaris estate?
Volume 1
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play -- Bookwalker
Releasing March 16, 2020 -- ASIN: B083QVVXDK
The next title also involves marriage. Or rather, an engagement. But is it fake? Will it all come to an end? And how does being a lover of books tie into all of this?!
Bibliophile Princess Volume 1
When book-loving Lady Elianna spots Prince Christopher--her betrothed in name only--consorting with another noble lady, she realizes the recent rumors must be true. The prince has someone he truly loves, which means the annulment of their engagement is both inevitable and fast-approaching. What she doesn't realize is that this is merely a surface ripple--one of many where the truth runs deep, in a conspiracy surpassing her imagination!
Volume 1
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play -- Bookwalker
Released March 17, 2020 -- ASIN: B0849YRFP7
The final premiere for the month of March features a girl stranded in another world plotting her revenge on the childhood friend who was responsible. Only thing is, how can she do much when she’s stuck as a fluffy kitty?!
The White Cat's Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King's Lap Volume 1
Nineteen-year-old Ruri Morikawa gets wrangled into a messy situation when her selfish childhood friend strands her in another world! To make matters somehow worse, a mysterious conspiracy then gets her abandoned in a perilous forest. Through an unexpected turn of events, she comes into possession of a mystical bracelet that allows her to transform into a white cat. Now that she's in the Land of the Dragon King, she has to hide the fact that she's human--which means spending her days as a little white cat, for the time being… But how will she exact her much-earned revenge against those who've wronged her while stuck in the form of a small, fluffy, cuddly kitty cat?!
Volume 1
Amazon -- iBook -- Kobo -- Google Play -- Bookwalker
Releasing March 24, 2020 -- ASIN: B083NQXHZF
So what are your thoughts about the titles premiering during the month of March? Which ones are you looking forward to checking out?
And remember, this is only the stuff that is brand new. There are a ton! of ongoing series that are having new volumes released in March. Check out or Preorders page for the complete list!
Until next month!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Justus R. Stone has been running a light novel dedicated YouTube channel since 2014. He’s also the founder of the Light Novel Podcast, one of the first English language podcasts dedicated to Light Novels. In addition to his love of Japanese light novels, he is also the author of his own light novel-inspired series, The Bleeding Worlds.
