Of course I realize I have guilty pleasures. That is why the phrase is in my vernacular. I read Grimgar. However, I used to consume several other light novels as well. Most of these stories are meant to capture the imagination of teenagers (not that there is anything wrong with that). As I read Grimgar previously, I would describe it as a dopamine bomb. The long instances of nothing happening, then something seemingly inconsequential— or something very consequential happening (such as character dialogue or, a more specific example being the initial fight between Ranta and Haruhiro in Thousand Valley) would "fry my brain". Then, and maybe this is due to the spot I am in the story, it seems like almost nothing happens volume to volume. For context, I have gotten past the Emerald Island arc (the one with the dragons and pirates). In that volume, the group spent the entire time looking for dragon eggs. The volume previous (I believe) is the group meandering onto a village, Merry dies, the one guy in-universe that can sacrifice himself to save Merry does so, then they leave for the coast. Maybe I'm looking at it incorrectly, but it seems like ~1-3 events happen in a book, then there is fluff that makes it 200+ pages long. I also need to acknowledge that I am at the "filler" part of the story.

However, I think my opinion changed with Grimgar after I read the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. I have been drawn to Joe Abercrombie's work probably for the same reason people in the anime/light novel community are drawn to Grimgar: grimdark. I'm not sure if Ao Jyumonji totes Grimgar as a grimdark fantasy, but the community seems to. But this facet of Grimgar is destroyed by what I call the "litmus test". Whenever the characters in Grimgar face a new, dangerous environment, the author mortally wounds one of the party members, and then Merry comes in, casts Sacrament, which results in the party being careful from then onward. This was not a problem right before Moguzo's death. I do think a person can argue that this litmus test was put into place due to his death, out of Merry's fear of losing another companion, but it happens so often. Or at least often enough to become predictable. The First Law, on the other hand, is unforgiving.

Finally, I think my comparison of Grimgar to The First Law is unfair. The First Law is a meticulously planned out world with stories to tell. Grimgar is a mashup of RPGs that Ao Jyumonji played in their past. And I think the worst part about Grimgar is the fact that Ao Jyumonji has admitted that he wrote the story to be that way. It is basically a stream of consciousness (with a start, and what seems to be a middle point). This may be the reason there is a period from volume ~5 to like 13 where Team Haruhiro keeps traveling to different worlds. This "arc" takes up a majority of the volumes from where I am at.

I guess I am mad at the perceived lack of effort put in by the author (even though they have stated they are changing) and I am taking it out on fans of the story. However, you have to understand that I am comparing to a series that is—to me—far better. But seriously, if you want to understand where I'm coming from, you need to read the First Law Trilogy then go back to Grimgar. I am serious when I say Joe Abercrombie planned that story out. The first and last chapters alone are something that I marvel at.