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Great Books for Fans of Fantasy
If you're looking for high fantasy in Japanese, then this is the novel for you! Well...novels for you.
鹿の王 is a story told over four novels following two protagonists, Vaan and Hossaru. Vaan was a deer rider and warrior until an invading army killed everyone he knew and loved and made him a slave in the salt mines. Hossaru is a doctor close to the royal family of said invading country who took over Vaan’s homeland.
Both stories have very different feels but both are slow burns that slowly reveal a complex world of science, politics, and (sort of) magic.
In terms of Japanese this is a difficult book with N1+ grammar and vocabulary. If you've read a lot of fantasy then the grammar might not be that difficult, but discussions of politics, natural sciences, and history on top of unique fantasy terms, makes this an interesting challenge.
I wrote a longer review here (https://jtalkonline.com/an-amazing-fantasy-novel-shika-no-ou-the-deer-king/), but recommend anyone who wants to read more high fantasy give this series of books a go.