I really, really hope they will translate and publish the other volumes quickly because I need more, and I need them now! I don’t usually binge-read, but given the short length of this book and the fact that this is quite a captivating read, this is a series I would gladly make an exception for. (Well, not all the series in one go, because reading reviews around it seems like this is quite a long story, but maybe two or three volumes before taking a pause).

This is a LitRPG novel, and in this first volume, we get a taste of the whole story. It is a short and quick read, made even more quick by the fact that I was totally captivated by it.
I loved the idea that our MC knows what’s happening because he read an obscure web novel, and the world has just suddenly transformed into the one described there. But it’s not just the world; he knows what’s happening and what will happen, at least up to a point. He is changing the story, partially, because he wasn’t a character in the novel, so his decisions and his actions have some consequences, but on the whole, he has a pretty clear idea of what to expect, and he is doing amazingly well with that knowledge.
I loved this plot point!

But this was not the only thing I enjoyed in the book. We are introduced to an interesting cast of characters. I won’t write their names because I fear butchering them, and because my memory is not so good. And I can’t really double-check.
This is my only complaint, and it’s not for the book but for the ARC. The ARCs by this Editor aren’t easy to read. At all. You can only read through NetGalley’s app, and that’s not the best. It is not the worst, but the format is small, and sometimes zooming a bit is the only way to comfortably read some parts, but then turning pages becomes less immediate. And this doesn’t make for a smooth read. And you can’t search through the text, so I can’t quickly check the names of the characters.
But as I said, this has to do with the ARC’s format and not the book per se. The book is a really smooth read, and, back to the point, has some really interesting characters. My favorite was the MC, but there is a kid in there, too, and he was a close second. They are all slowly developing new abilities and skills, and they are, bit by bit, showing their personality. And we also have some interesting magical creatures. They are mostly monsters, with no real sentience, but they are cool to have around, too!

I had a ton of fun with this one, and it was also quite interesting reading the afterword. I thought this was one writer, and instead, there are two. And they worked really well together.
Also, this was originally a web novel, but there is a manwha out there, too, and the studio behind it is the same as Solo Leveling. I saw some volumes of this one in bookshops, and they are beautiful, so I am feeling pretty safe to guess that the manhwa for The Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is amazing too. And what’s more is that a lot of readers compared these two works, and they say that they are pretty similar. I can’t testify to that, because I haven’t read or watched Solo Leveling, but I have it on my lists and I hope to get to it soon!
And I can’t wait for the sequels of this one, too!!!

Wow! I have a lot of friends who are into this, so I knew going in it'd probably be good, but how incredibly easy to just devour.

It's a dark story, mind you, not my usual sort -- very much about the crumbling of humanity as they struggle to survive after a weird apocalypse; I tend not to prefer this kind of grimdark misery story. But the framing of it with the constellations as the viewers of it as a streaming show somehow put it into some other level for me; the moment you're frustrated with how loathsome a character is, a constellation is voicing the same thought; when the characters are standing around too often, a constellation announces they're bored with all the talking. It really makes it an incredibly meta read that anticipates how you're feeling and tells you as a reader, subtly, that it's deliberate. I can see how there's so many chapters; it's incredibly readable and so very well-written to make you keep turning pages (or, I suppose, 'tuning in', to use the constellation idea).

My only frustration with it is that by nature, Dokja knows more than he is letting on at any time, and to the readers as well -- in a case where he doesn't know that the readers are reading it. Obviously, this is almost a necessity of construction due to needing to keep the anticipation and tension up, but it occasionally comes perilously close to hiding information from the readers that the pov character would be thinking about.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I’ve read the majority of the comic, and so I had some idea of what to expect coming into the light novel. I LOVED how they kept the same vibes I had come to expect from the constellations speaking. I especially loved the scenes with the goblins, especially when Dokja bullies his way into the shop for the first time. Overall, this is a total win for me - it’s easy still to follow along, while not being overly simplistic or too complicated (Goblin speech is italicized, for example) and I thought the way each chapter was broken up into sub chapters was a nice touch. I was sad when I finished reading because I really enjoyed revisiting what I had read as a comic in the light novel version. Most of my students are going into YA/Teen, and I think the comic is a pretty good entry point - in comparison, I did think the descriptions were a little much in the light novel. More mature students could possible handle it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I greatly enjoyed it and the above is my voluntarily left opinion on it.

Thrilling, original, and a blast to experience, ORV is my newest obsession. It's one thing to be dropped into another world. It's another when you know exactly what is going to happen next.
Highly recommend the manwha as well!

I am honestly a huge fan of this. I am already reading the webtoon since the year it was released... it's been what 4 years? 5? I am not sure but I prayed for there to be an official novel translation and I can't believe it's finally here.

I loved every part of it. This novel dives into minute details and thoughts of Dokja that the Manwha may have skipped or told us in brief. It's like getting to know my favourite character more. Not only did I enjoy reading it but I won't stop recommending it to every breathing soul near my vicinity and online.

Imagine you are the soul reader of a novel with 1000s of chapters and the day you finish reading it (after 10 years) is the day the world of your novel becomes your reality. Now it's upto Kim Dokja to save himself and the people he loves by using the knowledge of the novel. But mostly by dying.

Dokja is such a complex sweet, calculating, lonely, lovable and relatable character and it's so fun seeing him use his knowledge to twist fate.

If you are reading this, then you are in for the most beautiful story that you as a reader can possibly read. So please give this a go. I know it's hard for us OG fans to read Kim Dokja as Dokja Kim and Dokkaebi as Goblin....but hang in there.

I wish they hadn't englishisezed it. But who am I to complain. At least I am getting the official novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Ize Press for the arc!

Worth noting, this is my first experience reading ORV, so I'm coming at this not actually knowing much about the series.

I love Gilyoung so much if anything happens to this little boy I'm killing myself and everyone in this room.

That said, I can already tell this is going to be incredibly interesting! My main issue with this particular version is I really do not like how short this volume is. I do think it was enough to get me invested in the story, but Part I of ORV alone--if novels stay at this length--will end up being 4-5 volumes. While I do think this is mainly going to be big among people already into ORV, for people like me who are experiencing it for the first time through this translation it's a kind of disjointed experience. I don't think I'd particularly like it regardless because this is an insanely long story it's going to be long anyway, I really don't like having volumes under 300 pages.

A more minor gripe for me personally, but I also wish they hadn't changed the character names to fit the Western first name last name. I feel like we're at a point where Western audiences can understand the inverse.

5 stars!
I absolutely have only good things to say about this novel. If you love apocalypse sci-fi mixed with fantasy/drama then this one is for you! I love how we get to read through the mind of the MC (Kim Dokja) and I love the flow of the translation as well. The novel art cover is amazing too which I am super duper happy about hehehe

I could go on, and on, and on, and on about how much I love the art of this novel. It is so dark and so pretty to look at. I found myself just staring at the pages, not absorbing any words.

Thank You NetGalley and Yen Press | Ize Press for the ARC!

I have been a major fan of ORV for a while! I still remember reading the original novel back when it was on Webnovel. The only issue I have is that some of the things being localized. Instead of Kim Dokja we have Dokja Kim and Dokkaebi are Goblins. If you like Solo Leveling, you'll definitely love Omniscient Reader. Dokja doesn't start off strong and slowly gains his own strength as the story progresses. The side characters are also well thought out and are unique with their own voices that make them stand out. Absolutely love ORV and I can't wait for the next volume!

I'd finally been tipping over to the side of reading this after years of friends talking about it, so this release was perfectly time! I was expecting to like it, after recommendations and reading and liking other system-apocalypse-game novels, but I was surprised at just how quickly I wolfed this down. I know it's just the start and there's still a lot to go and this seemed like the end of an arc so I know why more couldn't be included, but everything still seems so mysterious! I'm really curious how we get from here to some of the things I've heard, and I'm already laughing at Dokja collecting a small team and can't wait to see how that plays out.

I hate that they localized their names to First Last so now im reading dokja kim instead of kim dokja, like it should be 😤

kim dokja is our lovely reader and protag of orv, and im excited to see how the story further ensues. im only somewhat familiar with this title since it's been everywhere on my feed in the last few years. i held out on reading the novel bc i wanted to wait for the official english, but then this...localization choice... dire. but blackbox-nim's illust. are so good.........delicious

fast-paced and action packed, easy to read, i think fans of typical shounen genre would enjoy this story.

thank you to netgalley and ize press for the eARC!

I loved the novel and now it being in print is amazing!
It always holds a special place in my heart, if you loved solo-leveling, you're going to love this one too!