Log Horizon (Light Novel)

The Log Horizon light novels are the finalized version of the web novel series written by Mamare Touno. Hara Kazuhiro is the main illustrator of the light novels, with several guest artists featured in various Appendix sections.

As of April 16, 2017, eleven light novel volumes have been published in Japan by Enterbrain.

The series was licensed by Yen On for an English release, with eleven volumes published as of January 29, 2019. (See the Localizations section for the other language versions.)

First Act
Covered in volumes 1-5. First part of the "Catastrophe" half.

Elder Tale is a long-lived, highly popular MMORPG that has millions of players. Right as the twelfth expansion pack releases on the Japanese server, an extraordinary event dubbed the Catastrophe occurs. Those logged in at the time awaken inside a world that looks just like the game's, inside bodies that look like their game avatar's. While they the same superhuman abilities their player characters had, many are less than enthusiastic about being unable to return to their world, the flavorless food in this world, and the prospect of fighting monsters in-person.

Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Akatsuki band together as they adjust to living in this new world, with the help of Marielle and her guild, the Crescent Moon Alliance. A few weeks after the Catastrophe, they embark on a rescue mission to the player city of Susukino, where a young member of the Crescent Moon Alliance named Serara has been trapped by the city's reigning guild, Brigandia. Serara has only managed to elude capture thanks to a veteran player named Nyanta&mdash;who is, coincidentally, an old acquaintance of Shiroe and Naotsugu's. After defeating and humiliating Brigandia, the five make their way back to Akiba. On the way back, they learn that Nyanta has found a workaround for flavorless food and come to the realization that the People of the Earth, who have been seen and treated as mindless NPCs, are now just as real as they are.

Upon returning to Akiba, Marielle explains the current situation. The city's major guilds have divided the city among themselves, hogging all the best resources and leaving smaller guilds and solo players in the dust. Worse, a malevolent guild called Hamelin has tricked and enslaved younger players to profit off of their EXP Pots. Realizing that two kids he had been mentoring before the Catastrophe, Minori and Touya, are among this guild's victims, Shiroe decides to step up and do something about it. He forms the guild Log Horizon with Akatsuki, Naotsugu, and Nyanta, and with the Crescent Moon Alliance's help, begins to take action. He revitalizes the city and economy with Nyanta's cooking method and, with that, acquires the power and leverage to call a meeting with Akiba's strongest guilds. The guilds, with the exception of one, agree with Shiroe's call for a form of this government in this lawless world, and form the Round Table Alliance.

Second Act
Covered in volumes 6-10. Second part of the "Catastrophe" half.

Third Act
Covered in volumes 11-16. First part of the "Refraction" half.

List of Light Novel Volumes
The following volumes have been released in web novel format, but have not been officially published:
 * Volume 13: Nightingale's Song (夜啼鳥の唄; completed April 16, 2017)
 * Volume 14: Twilight Orphan (黄昏の孤児; last updated March 25, 2018, currently on hiatus)

The following volumes were previewed at the Re:Fraction event, but have not been released anywhere:
 * Volume 15: Coppelia, Tiered Islands (コッペリア；ティアード・アイランド)
 * Volume 16: Theldesia's Friday (セルデシアの金曜日)

Localizations
There are several different official translations for the light novels.


 * English - Publisher: Yen On; Translator: Taylor Engel
 * Chinese (Simplified) - Publisher: Guangzhou Tianwen Kadokawa
 * Chinese (Traditional) - Publisher: Kadokawa Taiwan; Translator: Haniwa
 * French - Publisher: Ofelbe; Translator: Marie-Saskia Raynal
 * Korea - Publisher: Daewon C.I.; Translator: Min Yu Seon (민유선)
 * Portuguese - Publisher: NewPOP Editora; Translator: Karen Kazumi Hayashida
 * Poland - Publisher: Studio JG; Translator: Paulina Tuczapska
 * Thai - Publisher: SE-ED; Translator: เซเบอร์ (volumes 1-4), ไคโตะ ฮากิวาระ (5+6)

Resources
Official Sites:
 * tounomamare.com: Mamare's official site (Japanese)
 * Web novel (Currently on hiatus at volume 14.) (Japanese)
 * Yen On's official page (English)
 * BookWalker (English, digital edition)

Translation Projects:
 * skythewood: Canceled after volume 7 (English)