Paladin of the End

Description

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In a city of the dead, long since ruined and far from human civilization, lives a single human child. His name is Will, and he’s being raised by three undead: the hearty skeletal warrior, Blood; the graceful mummified priestess, Mary; and the c*otchety spectral sorcerer, Gus. The three pour love into the boy, and teach him all they know.

But one day, Will starts to wonder: “Who am I?” Will must unravel the mysteries of this faraway dead man’s land, and unearth the secret pasts of the undead. He must learn the love and mercy of the good gods, and the bigotry and madness of the bad. And when he knows it all, the boy will take his first step on the path to becoming a Paladin.

“I promised you. It’s gonna take a while, but I’ll tell you everything. This is the story of the deaths of many heroes. It’s the story of how we died, and it’s the reason you grew up here.”

Associated Names
One entry per line
Saihate no Paladin
The Faraway Paladin (LN)
世界尽头的圣骑士
最果てのパラディン
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Girl Who Ate a Death God (2)
Goblin Slayer (2)
Hyaku Ma No Aruji (1)
Breakers (1)
My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending (1)
Possessing Nothing (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Stuff I wanna read
  2. My Library Of Treasures
  3. ALLJP+
  4. Masterpieces in their own category
  5. good reads pt 2

Latest Release

Date Group Release
08/15/23 Yyupdates v4c2
10/12/22 Yyupdates v4c1
08/07/20 Yuina Novel Trad v1c6 part1
02/13/17 Killerpant v1c5
02/02/17 J-Novel Club v1 part1
07/27/16 uselessno4 v1c4
06/29/16 uselessno4 v1c3
06/11/16 uselessno4 v1c2
05/27/16 uselessno4 v1c1
03/17/16 mtlcrap v1c2
03/09/16 mtlcrap v1c1
Review
22 Reviews


Asf
Asf
May 03, 2016
Status: --
This novel got top 5 position in syosetu. It got an overwhelmingly positive review on the syosetu page. One that even call it a masterpiece with great world building and 3 dimensional character.

The story was just at the very beginning in chapter 2 but I think the writing of the author are pretty good. Too bad it isnt translated frequently and is translated by mtl with the possiblity of being dropped.
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triggerk
triggerk
Apr 23, 2018
Status: v4
Whenever I delve into an isekai story, I go into it with mixed feelings. Most are generic garbage following the same formula. As for Yanagino Kanata's The Faraway Paladin (or Paladin of the End), it does its best to break from the pack. Unfortunately, the LN stumbles in the end.

For most novels, hooking the reader by the first page is paramount. Unless you're J.K. Rowling and can rely on name alone for staying power, writers must grab the sucker and hold tight. And to be honest, The Faraway Paladin has... more>> a weak introduction.

We begin with a sob story about a NEET who dies and reincarnates. Typical. At the least, the isekai portion is done tastefully and not too distracting or overwhelming. And since I expect it, I'm not going to diss the start, but this is basically a tired meme now. There are slight variations, as some have levels while others enjoy a random power that's supposedly garbage yet obviously overpowered (cursed with awesome?), but in this case, our protagonist William is blessed with memories of his past failure of a life and three undead teachers.

Why did I spend an entire paragraph to summarize that? Because that's the hook. Rather, there is none, unless you think the mystery as to why William is with these three is fascinating. Then readers slog through a Rocky training montage where Mary, Blood, and Gus impart their knowledge and skills onto him. William questions his situation at times, but more or less goes along with the ride.

I'm not implying this sucks. At this point, the four characters are enjoyable, and the training is, to a degree, interesting. But as far as plot goes, it's aimless. There's a moment when the story peaks, and that's once a semblance of plot kicks in during volume one. The Faraway Paladin then becomes a read that simultaneously blows your mind and disappoints.

Since I prefer spoiler-free reviews, I won't go into detail, but volume one's ending releases the bird from its cage. William takes his training and paves into the world at large. And the choices he made to do so are fascinating. Here is when readers have high hopes. Everything is great, the story is awesome, and feels are had. But the euphoria simmers out, and three volumes later, an epiphany is struck. The story had peaked, and The Faraway Paladin fails to live up to its first impression. This is where the disappointment comes into play.

I want to say William jerks around for a few volumes and accomplishes nothing, but that'd be a lie. Although he has no real goal, he accomplishes plenty the moment he begins his journey. Despite that, the appeal is lost, and for me, the problem stemmed from the change in focus. The scope of the story increased, as if shifting to an epic, but the strength came from the characters.

For example, writing is often divided into two types. One is character-driven, and the other is plot-driven. The latter means the writer places more interest on the plot instead of the people. To clarify, think of a Warcraft game back when it was a real time strategy. In a plot-driven novel, the main characters are nameless grunts stuck in a story bigger than them. They aren't the focus. With that in mind, character-driven stories are easily surmised.

So when I say the focus shifts, I meant everything that made The Faraway Paladin good vanishes. William does stuff, and the author tries to make it important and grand in scale, but the attempt falls flat. Yanagino sacrifices what made the story good for nothing. And with the exception of bromance, there's no real progress anywhere.

I can at least applaud the translation quality. I feel that's a bare minimum when you're reading official, licensed translations, however.

To sum my thoughts up, Yanagino essentially loses his way. Like I had written earlier, the plot, despite its focus, remains aimless for the remainder of the novels and the foreseeable future. In a way, the explosive start is deceiving. You expect great things and then you're handed tr*sh.

If I were to score the first volume, I'd give it an easy four. The rest, however, was so abysmal I wanted to drop the story. But the potential remains. The protagonist and his allies are men and women you can root for. They are wonderful. At the same time, they are tragically underutilized because the author starts doing math when he's better at science.

Yanagino Kanata's The Faraway Paladin is a rollercoaster. Volume one is the very top, where passengers hold their breath for the climax, and the rest is a downward spiral. If it were a drug, numero uno is heroin, and the next three are the withdrawal when everything's gray and dull compared to the honeymoon high. The beginning carries the story, but its back eventually breaks, and if the trend continues, assume my score goes down alongside it.

Being kind, three stars. I wish I could grant it more. <<less
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Laveniel
Laveniel
Jul 21, 2016
Status: c100
This novel is just... too good. After reading a lot of JP light and web novels, I've gained inside on how some novels and characters seem to be a copy of each other. There r a few novels that can give u a real joy, and pleasure. "Paladin of the End" is one of them. The MC, side characters, world building... Everything is too Godly... I can't read other novels after reading this one, because others seem to be lacking compared to this. It is my own opinion, and I... more>> think giving 5 stars is the least I can do.

P.s. I have some plans about translating this novel. August will be very busy month, but after it I will have plenty of time. I will start translating it after August unless someone takes it. <<less
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General Tanya
General Tany
Apr 01, 2018
Status: v2
Let me say this first, it's really a good novel. Read book 1 & 2. The writing is really mature and has great character development. The magic system is really special and great compare to others from other novels I have seen so far. Many people recommend it to me and praise it for the story telling. But I just can't read it further and drop it after vol2. Is not the book is not good or anything, but is just not my cup of tea. The MC personality is... more>> what put me off. If you like a true hero that slowly mature and try his very best to save the world, then you will love it. I am into selfish and anti-hero type of MC, so this kind of personality really is hard for me to stomach. It gave off the whole sage and heroic kind of vibe. MC is trying his best to save everyone and try to fight evil. So when he tried to capture bandits (without killing them) and try to solve the hatred between humans, it really gave off that perfect hero kind of feeling. He is not naive or anything, but his personality really belong to the bright side. All this gentleness, love, and peace is very intense. Let just say his adoptive mother is a very devoted priest and he learn a lot from her. So he basically detest doing anything bad (like the human 7 sins). For people that love hero novel and the good winning from dark side, then this one belong to one of the top best novel. But for anyone that like a MC with a little shameless, coldblooded or naughty personality, then this just isn't for you. It will only give you goosebumps when reading it. I will still give this book a 5 star for the awesome story telling. <<less
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Auree
Auree
Sep 03, 2019
Status: --
I've read all 4 volumes; I happen to come cross with this series on NU again, and I feel like I have to leave a comment.

I started with manga ---- it got me so hooked that I started reading the novel, I would recommend this to anyone.

It tells the story about the journey and growth of a young paladin. I can guarantee that the story can draw out your emotions.

What impresses me the most is the description of his growing with his "monster" family. Don't get me wrong: the other... more>> parts are also tremendously good; it is just that the description of the MC's growth gives the whole series such a strong foundation that all the epic journey and battles he experiences later all seem natural.

  • It is very touching---you can feel from the protagonist's perspective on how the love from his family seeps in despite their monster look.
  • It is very thorough---every phase of his growth is described: from birth to teenage then to adulthood. It gives a strong sense of authenticity, and when the story with his family wraps, it gives me a strong impact.
  • The effect from his family lingers---even though they are no longer the main characters later in the story, they are still a huge presence. The MC thinks about their teachings all the time: it strongly impresses me as that the MC is who he is and does what he does exactly because of how he was raised. You can say every part of him, including his ideal, is shaped by the raising.
I would like to drop a spoiler box below to elaborate more; but I decide not. This is such a masterpiece that I want everyone to enjoy it thoroughly and experience everything firsthand. <<less
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HakoMari
HakoMari
Jul 16, 2017
Status: v3
I have read the J-Novel Club translation of the novel up to volume 3. This is one of the most mature Isekai novels I have read. It doesn't use the usual Isekai tropes despite being one which is really great.

Spoiler

There isn't even a female love interest yet. Bromance on the other hand is great

[collapse]

The translation is very good as well.
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Artorias
Artorias
Mar 10, 2017
Status: v2c6
So I bought the first volume and read up to part 6 of the second volume and I have to say this novel is ridiculously good so far. This is entirely subjective but I really like the main character, it's rare to read a novel with a religious protagonist these days and while I'm an atheist myself I find I can really relate to him on many levels. I find myself rather disappointed with how similar the protagonists of other novels are these days, with the typical arrogant and morally... more>> bankrupt xianxia MC's and the annoying humble and spineless japanese MC's that flaunt there japanese values everywhere they go. The MC of this novel moves on from his past life and fully embraces his current one. The supporting characters are also amazingly written as well as the world building. It is clear that the author has very ambitious plans for this work and the first volume is pretty much setting up a backstory. Although I have some concerns for the directions this story is heading in seeing as how by the end of the first volume
Spoiler

the MC is already pretty overpowered, it seems like in the future the author will either focus less on violent conflict or even more powerful enemies will appear and there will be some massive power creep.

[collapse]
<<less
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Leic8162
Leic8162
Jul 15, 2018
Status: v5
This is really a masterpiece. I admit that author really enjoy himself to play the readers feelings. I laughed, cried and feeling motivated when read this. William could be everyone in the present in this modern era. I wish that people, and wishing myself will be able to take a single step out from this monochrome of life.

I did not mean to kill yourself and go to the other worlds, lol. It's just... I believe, we should not forget the happiness around us, Like William found in Mary, Blood,... more>> Gus and his companion as well. <<less
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Masadeer
Masadeer
Apr 08, 2017
Status: v2 epilogue
Not your standard isekai, the author wrote this with tons of western influences. The only cheat he has is his starting point in life, being raised by the high level undead of heroes.

The author mentioned tabletop gaming was one of his inspirations, so if you've played pathfinder or any dnd really, you'll notice some shared races and such. You can read volume 2 prepub on j-novel club's site Via paid subscription, until the novel is fully released
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Asphyxia778
Asphyxia778
Oct 18, 2021
Status: --
One of the best lightnovels I've read with mature characters and story. This feels like a proper literature and the quality is definitely above the typical jp novel. The author has put a lot of effort into this. I highly recommend this novel to everyone especially that now it has an anime adaptation as well. The manga version is nice too but the novel let's you experience the depth more clearly.

5 stars definitely.
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Zethuron
Zethuron
Sep 08, 2018
Status: v4
This is the greatest translated series I have read so far, with having read more than 100.

There are just so many reasons why I like this novel the most out of all WN/LN, and I honestly think I cannot even come close to describing in words what does make this novel so good to read, this also has to do with the fact that I am not really a good reviewer.

First just the writing of the author, his style is like beautifully done and fits REALLY well for this... more>> novel.

Second the fact that this novel does break away from the usual Isekai tropes while still being similar in elements used.

The MC William is just a average person who got reincarnated but is REALLY determined, this does show during the whole novel, the relations he has with his 3 adopted parents is just so well developed. (Their backstory is just, wow.)

The other characters are not lacking also, even the antagonists are actually well written.

All the battles are just well written, and especially the major ones which are just plain epic are some of the best battle scenes I have read in a translated novel.

As said earlier, describing this novel is just difficult. But overall I would say it has emotion in it.

I honestly do recommend anyone willing to read this, to either buy the lightnovel from J-novel club, their quality is excellent, or find them somewhere on the internet since this novel is too good to pass up just because there is no fantranslation.

Also a recommendation to read the manga, it stays faithful to the novel overall. <<less
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SorakaNii
SorakaNii
Jun 30, 2018
Status: --
I've known this book since it was released and stumbled on a manga of it... which was quite impressive. But don't mind me, I'm just here to check if there were teenagers putting up their bias reviews but I'm glad this book was able to deliver. No overalls, this is a good book.
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KazumaAyasaki
KazumaAyasak
Jul 28, 2016
Status: v1c4
Interesting, diffrent from other usually born into nobles, or somthing and get cheat like ability with heartwarming family or shitty parent.

This WN is like an oasis in desert
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Kuzero
Kuzero
Jan 01, 2022
Status: --
The novel was really good, but it was dropped by the author, and I think it is no coincidence it was dropped.

Not sure how to best put it. Some people will say the novel had immense potential and author just dropped it which is a shame, but the way I see it, it is more of a facade with no substance. Or put more simply, the author tried to bite off more than he could chew.

This novel is kinda like the introduction to a much bigger epic series. The author... more>> was able to write the introduction, but can't actually write the meat of the story. The last volume released looked like a desperate attempt to stretch the introduction as much as possible. <<less
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Jed1
Jed1
Nov 19, 2017
Status: v3
The Faraway Paladin or Paladin of the End (as it is listed) is a very well written series and one of my all time favorites already even with it being fairly new. The Faraway Paladin is not your typical isekai novel and it most definitely doesn't have all the flaws that many other isekai novels have. You can tell shortly into volume 1 that this story is going to be special. First off, something that caught my eye when reading it was that even though this series is Japanese... more>> it doesn't really feel like your typical light novel and definitely has a "Western" style/feel to it which is also influenced by the translation. I still did not expect to have this refreshing feeling I got regardless of that. It really does help that this series has a very good English translation by J-Novel Club and they really do deserve way more attention. Secondly, the characters in this story are all very well written and they all really grow on you fairly quickly. There is such a variety of characters and they all fit their roles perfectly and everybody seems to have something interesting about themselves. Even the "villains" aren't purely evil! So far they all have their own reasons for what they do and why they do it and they won't easily change their ways just because you asked nicely. The amazing and unique world the author has created can only be enhanced when you have characters like these. I promise you won't be disappointed. <<less
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Yomihon
Yomihon
Jul 13, 2017
Status: v1
I read the English translation of J-Novel Club for Vol.1 and the following expressions are based on it.

The author wrote that this is his first (serious?) novel, but it's not written like an amateur would! It is influenced by tabletop role-playing games with fleshed out and good characters and the story has that vivid feeling and authenticity to it. It is a isekai-story, but honestly: it could have done fine without it. For me, the whole reincarnation-thing feels more like "because of the hype" and the story has no real... more>> dependence on it. If SAO is like Harry Potter, then the Faraway Paladin is more like Lord of the Rings (or R. A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms saga). Everyone, who likes good fantasy novel will like the Faraway Paladin. Please at least give it a try until Chapter One in the LN, it is worth it! <<less
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Mr Inanda
Mr Inanda
Jul 15, 2021
Status: v4
This is an Isekai LN that doesn't really feels like one. The Isekai aspect is focused mainly in the start of the story, but through the MC's growth, the "reincarnated" thing gets relegated to a secret weakness - MC feels like he should work harder and steadier than anyone because of the fear of slipping back to the pathetic way of life he had before. Kinda like an addict that has beaten his addiction but wouldn't be caught dead near the substance that prompted such addiction.

Aside from bringing some ideas... more>> from his past life (nothing much extreme, just one thing here and there), the MC could be just a really strong-willed individual from that world, and instead of a great novel about a reincarnated guy, this could be a really good fantasy novel. And a good fantasy novel it is, I guess it's the first Paladin focused story I've read, like "praying to gods, doing miracles, vanquishing evil" paladin. The narrative feels mature and sincere, the conflicts are real and the characters grow visibly.

I usually complain about "beta japanese herbivore MCs", but this complaint has no space in here, since this LN doesn't even have the usual harem/ecchi-fanservice stuff. And it's great. So far the author has not ruined the story by trying to pander to an audience that likes this kind of crap. It's mostly paladin stuff, elf bromance and territory administration. There are some quirks but if you like fantasy LNs without the author trying to "japanize" things around (no onsen, no "I'm in a medieval world but I need to find rice, soy sauce and miso" stuff, nothing like that), I strongly recommend it. <<less
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bedis
bedis
Jun 13, 2020
Status: v5
Is one of the more mature light novels that I have read and definitely one of the best if I have to name a problem it is that I can't really see a big goal that the main character is striving for and the romance seems unattainable
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dizek
dizek
Jul 07, 2018
Status: v4
The novel is really good, fantasy done right, with a homage to D&D, the story is a little jumpy at times, with a lot of time-skips, but then, you don't wanna know about the daily life of our protagonist, its all about the adventure.

I had trouble finding a source to read, then I was amazed that it was available on Amazon, not only did I got a better reading experience on my kindle, I could also support the author.
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Ferorius
Ferorius
May 29, 2018
Status: v1c5
The novel is really good, it depicts a character that has a good early start and his adventures are a prime example of fantasy done right.

The only issue I have with it, is that it got dropped quite quickly and noone even thinks of picking it up.

It is different, you might even consider it innovative. But sadly, the translation is MIA or just dead.
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