What do you think?
Rate this book
Slayers Collector's Edition
Slayers Volumes 10-12 Collector's Edition (Light Novel)
The quest for a magic sword continues! Gourry and I try our luck in Solaria, where an innocent bit of weapons-based extortion leads to a full-on cloak-and-dagger conspiracy. Hoo boy. Next up, we hit the lake town of Crimson after the council puts out an all call for available sorcerers. See, they quietly want to quash a little insurrection that a local sorcerers’ council leader started. (It’s bad for business and all.) But when Gourry and I arrive on the scene, the true tragedy afoot isn’t quite what we were led to believe. Needless to say, I’ve just about had it with all this shadowy intrigue. Frankly, I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing another demon again too. So, wait... what the heck are we doing back in Gyria City now?!
- GenresLight NovelFantasy
331 pages, Hardcover
Published September 12, 2023
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Hajime Kanzaka
183 books66 followersHajime Kanzaka (神坂一) is a Japanese novelist and manga writer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2024
Tactics. SLAYERS Omnibus v4 is all about tactics. Staring down overconfident nobles, fending off rogue chimeras in underground laboratories, outwitting demons who can warp time and space, outmaneuvering water-based creatures in their natural habitat. Tactics.
Each volume in this light novel collection offers readers a glimpse into Lina's genius as a sorceress combatant, and in turn, a glimpse into the absolute madness that surely awaits anyone who dares to make sense of her brash decision making. SLAYERS Omnibus v4 is a deceptively charming collection; the individual novels themselves aren't particularly compelling, but it's not the story that's important, it's how each story is told that makes them worth reading. The astonishing diversity and creativity of Lina's battle knowhow is easily the best part of this novel collection.
Conspiracy in Solaria nudges Lina and Gourry in the direction of a local power struggle. Some dude named Lavas Nexalia Langmeier, of Welgis Castle, is purportedly a distant relative who took over in the stead of an ill lord. The problem? Demons and chimeras are sort of showing up all over the place. And given Lina and Gourry's experience thus far with the black cloaks, it's wise to say that coincidences don't really exist in this world without due consequence. The fact that sword-and-spellcasters-for-hire Luke and Mileena are also in the area adds to the suspicions surrounding Welgis Castle.
Again, the story of an arrogant noble seeking land for himself is nothing new. But the way this particular story is told is intriguing. The noble, by and large, is completely irrelevant to the story. Lina instead focuses on why the black cloaks are so active in the area (e.g., the demon guy Zain is more powerful than he was before, and his group is far more intelligent and coordinated, too). And why does this no-name Lord Lavis guy have guards posted at nondescript buildings on his property? Time to investigate!
This novel introduces another layer of intrigue to the umbrella issue of demon infiltration. For example, Lina recalls an incident in The Ruvinagald Republic, in which humans were experimented on as hosts for demons. That old republic has since been dissolved. Is someone pulling the strings, attempting a similar challenge to the status quo? Lina, Gourry, Luke, and Mileena shiver at the possibly, but also find an ally in an old-timer and sorcerer-inspector, Wiser Freion, who is especially mindful of such changes in the wind.
Volume 11, Delusion in Crimson, pivots toward a similar case: a town that shares an odd or ignominious history, led by an upstart noble, who is likely hiding a bad delusion of grandeur. Also similarly, Lina and Gourry find themselves fighting very unique enemies, such as a lizardman with massive claws/talons, fish-people with face tentacles, and most critically, a powerful "demonoid" or two.
Aria Ashford, a young sorcerer with little experience, begs Lina and Gourry to help her save her kidnapped big sister. The problem is legit, but word is that Crimson Town, in the Empire of Lyzeille, recently suffered an attempted insurrection from a branch of the local sorcerers' council. Clearly, this is no ordinary kidnapping. Especially when the local noble, Lord Kailus, is also a mad scientist.
This book contains a lot of running around and hiding in odd places, to avoid getting pinched by unusual enemies. Fun, but not entirely exciting. The story doesn't really get moving until Lina is forced to fight rather unconventionally to defeat her newfound (and equally unconventional) enemies. For example, in a fight in an underground cavern, Lina orders her allies to form a wind barrier (windy shield + levitation), after which, she casts fireball break, which forces the wind barrier to literally absorb the chaos of a fireball as the group propels itself toward its enemy. Another, more astonishing example comes by way of her tactic to defeat a demon that just won't quit. Lina casts fire lance at an enemy she knows will reflect the spell back at her, if diminished; she then takes the hit from her own spell (which envelops both her and another enemy), but holds her breath while the demon behind her inhales the heat from the reflected fire spell. Lungs ablaze, the bad guy is in trouble, and then Gourry runs the guy through.
The Dynast Plot will surely appear to some as anticlimactic, but the author hints this was likely deliberate. After all, the last time Lina faced off against Sherra, General of the Dynast, there was a hyperdemon involved, a demon blade (Dulgoffa) that manipulated people, and something to do with comical naming conventions. This time around, Sherra is much more relaxed. She's holed up in Gyria City, the capital of the Kingdom of Dils, and has constructed a web of infiltration that seems unnecessarily complex for a pure demon so powerful.
Lina and Gourry, plus Luke and Mileena, fight all sorts of demons, demidemons, and demonoids on the road to Gyria City. But however vague the Dynast's plot, readers can be grateful for the delightfully odd specificity of the demon descriptions in this particular novel. Typically, this series glosses over the details when it comes to the baddies, but in this book, the author provides a great deal of sensory elements to set the scene. And none of it's superfluous, because the extraordinary detail gives readers context for when Lina invariably conjures an assault that catches everyone by surprise and saves the day.
The book's final fight sees the cast of heroes against a whole throne room full of demons (as well as characters who are, it turns out, human shells possessed by demons). And although the good guys slowly whittle away at the bad guys' numbers, it's Lina's brilliance that takes care of a particularly onerous demon called Rebifor, by which she conjures a multi-spell assault that injures, distracts, and decapitates. Tactics.
SLAYERS Omnibus v4 wraps up a few minor, splinter plots, but yields, in its closing pages, to a grander storyline that will hopefully offer some decent answers. This collection has some memorable, if minor notes: Gourry acquires a new (magical) blade, Lina uses the ragna blade in a comically simple but effective way, and Lina casually mentions that she and Gourry have been adventuring together for roughly two years now.
As the fight against the demons escalates, one hopes ardently for the return of a certain chimera swordsman and a certain bombastic priestess-princess, but only time will tell (in the least, Lina mentions them in the abstract, once or twice). Whatever happens next, Lina the Bandit Killer and her trusted swordsman with jellyfish for brains are going to need all of the help they can get.
Each volume in this light novel collection offers readers a glimpse into Lina's genius as a sorceress combatant, and in turn, a glimpse into the absolute madness that surely awaits anyone who dares to make sense of her brash decision making. SLAYERS Omnibus v4 is a deceptively charming collection; the individual novels themselves aren't particularly compelling, but it's not the story that's important, it's how each story is told that makes them worth reading. The astonishing diversity and creativity of Lina's battle knowhow is easily the best part of this novel collection.
Conspiracy in Solaria nudges Lina and Gourry in the direction of a local power struggle. Some dude named Lavas Nexalia Langmeier, of Welgis Castle, is purportedly a distant relative who took over in the stead of an ill lord. The problem? Demons and chimeras are sort of showing up all over the place. And given Lina and Gourry's experience thus far with the black cloaks, it's wise to say that coincidences don't really exist in this world without due consequence. The fact that sword-and-spellcasters-for-hire Luke and Mileena are also in the area adds to the suspicions surrounding Welgis Castle.
Again, the story of an arrogant noble seeking land for himself is nothing new. But the way this particular story is told is intriguing. The noble, by and large, is completely irrelevant to the story. Lina instead focuses on why the black cloaks are so active in the area (e.g., the demon guy Zain is more powerful than he was before, and his group is far more intelligent and coordinated, too). And why does this no-name Lord Lavis guy have guards posted at nondescript buildings on his property? Time to investigate!
This novel introduces another layer of intrigue to the umbrella issue of demon infiltration. For example, Lina recalls an incident in The Ruvinagald Republic, in which humans were experimented on as hosts for demons. That old republic has since been dissolved. Is someone pulling the strings, attempting a similar challenge to the status quo? Lina, Gourry, Luke, and Mileena shiver at the possibly, but also find an ally in an old-timer and sorcerer-inspector, Wiser Freion, who is especially mindful of such changes in the wind.
Volume 11, Delusion in Crimson, pivots toward a similar case: a town that shares an odd or ignominious history, led by an upstart noble, who is likely hiding a bad delusion of grandeur. Also similarly, Lina and Gourry find themselves fighting very unique enemies, such as a lizardman with massive claws/talons, fish-people with face tentacles, and most critically, a powerful "demonoid" or two.
Aria Ashford, a young sorcerer with little experience, begs Lina and Gourry to help her save her kidnapped big sister. The problem is legit, but word is that Crimson Town, in the Empire of Lyzeille, recently suffered an attempted insurrection from a branch of the local sorcerers' council. Clearly, this is no ordinary kidnapping. Especially when the local noble, Lord Kailus, is also a mad scientist.
This book contains a lot of running around and hiding in odd places, to avoid getting pinched by unusual enemies. Fun, but not entirely exciting. The story doesn't really get moving until Lina is forced to fight rather unconventionally to defeat her newfound (and equally unconventional) enemies. For example, in a fight in an underground cavern, Lina orders her allies to form a wind barrier (windy shield + levitation), after which, she casts fireball break, which forces the wind barrier to literally absorb the chaos of a fireball as the group propels itself toward its enemy. Another, more astonishing example comes by way of her tactic to defeat a demon that just won't quit. Lina casts fire lance at an enemy she knows will reflect the spell back at her, if diminished; she then takes the hit from her own spell (which envelops both her and another enemy), but holds her breath while the demon behind her inhales the heat from the reflected fire spell. Lungs ablaze, the bad guy is in trouble, and then Gourry runs the guy through.
The Dynast Plot will surely appear to some as anticlimactic, but the author hints this was likely deliberate. After all, the last time Lina faced off against Sherra, General of the Dynast, there was a hyperdemon involved, a demon blade (Dulgoffa) that manipulated people, and something to do with comical naming conventions. This time around, Sherra is much more relaxed. She's holed up in Gyria City, the capital of the Kingdom of Dils, and has constructed a web of infiltration that seems unnecessarily complex for a pure demon so powerful.
Lina and Gourry, plus Luke and Mileena, fight all sorts of demons, demidemons, and demonoids on the road to Gyria City. But however vague the Dynast's plot, readers can be grateful for the delightfully odd specificity of the demon descriptions in this particular novel. Typically, this series glosses over the details when it comes to the baddies, but in this book, the author provides a great deal of sensory elements to set the scene. And none of it's superfluous, because the extraordinary detail gives readers context for when Lina invariably conjures an assault that catches everyone by surprise and saves the day.
The book's final fight sees the cast of heroes against a whole throne room full of demons (as well as characters who are, it turns out, human shells possessed by demons). And although the good guys slowly whittle away at the bad guys' numbers, it's Lina's brilliance that takes care of a particularly onerous demon called Rebifor, by which she conjures a multi-spell assault that injures, distracts, and decapitates. Tactics.
SLAYERS Omnibus v4 wraps up a few minor, splinter plots, but yields, in its closing pages, to a grander storyline that will hopefully offer some decent answers. This collection has some memorable, if minor notes: Gourry acquires a new (magical) blade, Lina uses the ragna blade in a comically simple but effective way, and Lina casually mentions that she and Gourry have been adventuring together for roughly two years now.
As the fight against the demons escalates, one hopes ardently for the return of a certain chimera swordsman and a certain bombastic priestess-princess, but only time will tell (in the least, Lina mentions them in the abstract, once or twice). Whatever happens next, Lina the Bandit Killer and her trusted swordsman with jellyfish for brains are going to need all of the help they can get.
July 11, 2025
a fun time with Lina Inverse and Gourry over three stories that kinda connect with each other. though sadly in this book I feel some of the stories drag just a little.
September 27, 2023
As a long time fan of the series, it is incredible to see the second story arc translated and in print. The story lines are darker but the themes of perseverance through life's trials inspiring. Despite the darkness, there are humorous moments to balance the series out, and my favorite comical scene is in this anthology and well translated.
There were a few printing errors, but this is still higher quality than I ever expected to see for books that I'd given up hope of seeing translated into English. Highly recommend!
There were a few printing errors, but this is still higher quality than I ever expected to see for books that I'd given up hope of seeing translated into English. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews