TL;DR: A creative, unpredictable, and deeply entertaining step into the Cthulhu Mythos.

I have never delved into Cthulhu mythology before, and cannot know how it is approached in other works. As that is the case, this review will be biased from my first-time perspective.

The aspect of this novel that I enjoyed most was the creativity and unpredictability of the plot. Nothing in this novel was generic or overused. The main character isn't fighting goblins to get an unusual rusty sword. He is fighting entities beyond comprehension to gain unfathomable power with... more>> maddening drawbacks.

Whether in regards to enemies, world-building, equipment, or powers themselves, all of it is never-before-seen for me, despite my years of reading. I could never predict what would come next as the entire world seems to contain new concepts.

This leads to a fantastic reading experience where the novel never feels tedious.

This seemingly hand-crafted world is not all this novel has to offer.

The main character is a "mage who gazed into the abyss." He is naturally endowed with mental illnesses and, if he manages to cure them by some means, he simply gains another to replace it. He is, by all definitions, crazy. In addition to leading him to madness, this background also protects his sanity when facing the innumerable cosmic horrors residing in this world.

This has another effect as well. The main character is unusually steady, to the point of near apathy. For example, he sees a scene of mutilated corpses decorating the walls of a hallway and he merely glances at it before moving on.

Personally, I think this character type is rather likable as the novel never stalls to deal with emotional shifts. However, I know this can be hit-or-miss, so it is noteworthy.

Another feature that this novel excels at is imagery and atmosphere. Both the translator and the author have done an incredible job at this part, as the author writes lengthy descriptions of these scenes and the translator gives an exquisite representation of it in English.

This is genuinely some of the best imagery I have seen in any novel I have ever read.

In regards to the power system, it is very diverse. While the main character follows the path of a classic Western mage, there are numerous paths to power in this world. The main character faces many opponents all with varied skill sets due to these different paths.

This keeps the action fresh as no encounter is ever the same.

My sole critique of this novel would, surprisingly, be the world-building.

While the world is very large and filled with diverse creatures and scenes, we are not shown much of that. For the most part, this novel merely follows the main character's journey to power. We aren't shown the situation in any other country, or even in different districts in the country that he is in. We are not told how life is like in the slums or the noble residences, for example.

This is not a large demerit to me, as simply following the main character leads to a very interesting novel nonetheless. However, it is still a notable lower class of writing and must be mentioned.

Aside from that, this novel is phenomenal in too many ways to count.

I would recommend this novel to anyone, especially any who have not yet read about the Cthulhu Mythos! <<less

It's okay.

Not a super exciting read but fairly engaging.

The system feels a bit pointless and takes away from the immersion a bit.

The insanity of Cthulu mythos stuff is a nice break from reading other things.

Pretty generic all things considered.

If you read a single supernatural KN, then this one follows a similar trend. The MC will smash through hurdles with zero struggle and all the tension is forced upon us by random scenarios that do nothing to halt the MC.

There is no point at all the MC has suffered, especially when this is a 'death' world, making the world building a joke.

Even the game system he has is pointless as it limits the creativity of powers and places chains on the power creep. In an... more>> attempt to stop the wish fulfillment from rearing its ugly head.

Sadly such systems are never meant to have such restrictions.

Besides for the zero tension, no foreshadowing and timeskips, it does have a decent world background. Except I will have to contribute this to the fandom of the Cthulhu Mythos rather than what was created by this author.

As everything in this work so far is a patchwork of genres which have not grown in anyway that could've made all the difference.

And besides, I think I read one too many stories where the MC is the sole person who beats a hardcore game that everyone has given up on for years. Where at the new game screen, he gets a OP class/ability before being transported to that game world. (Like seriously, at least be original.)

My final thoughts are the author should really tell us what the game plan is for our MC. What he is working towards and the objectives needed to find a way home. All these abrupt jumps in time/place isn't what I'd call a good way to start a book. Since nothing appears to be thought out and is being written down at whim based off the author's mood.

Rate - 2.7 Stars <<less

Incredibly interesting concept. The lovecraftian aspect works so well with it being an isekai and the entire story reads like a Call of Cthulhu campaign. The scalability is also there due to just how insane the mythos its based on gets.

I'm actually kind of in love with this novel. The speed is just how I like it. I like the pacing. I can't wait till he finds out more about himself and the people around him. He's already kind of overpowered but I feel like it's not enough.

I also really like stories where characters make actually diabolical character creation choices and have to deal with the consequences lol.

The translation speed is good too.

In terms of physical threats... the protagonists is a full tier higher on the superpower scale compared to pretty much everything around him, and I doubt this will change as he levels and meets great threats. However, this works shines due to its expert use of diction, internal monologue, and the implication of psychological threats within the setting.

As a work set in setting directly referencing lovecraft, there is an obvious caveat needed for "a basic story with a protagonist that stays sane for more than a couple chapters". The protagonist... more>> is immune to psychological effects from enemies/environment.

Despite this work does a masterful build up in its diction where you could feel a Lovecraft writer is setting the character up for a break. You see beautiful prose and descriptions. And then the [system] states he resisted the mental effect through his immunity right before he would be at the brink of losing himself.

The [system] message has the effect of a beeping Geiger counter. You get the impression that at every step, any other character would turn into a babbling mess at a moment's notice. Even thinking is a risk, since the system "barely" allowed him to stop himself from ripping his eyes out from merely thinking about the lore of god names you are personally familiar with. As someone savvy to the setting, he is aware of the risks, and that awareness itself is a risk in this kind of setting. <<less

Probably one of the best game transmigration novel, simply because the theme fits very well, the chaotic and absurd nature of cthulhu mythos meshes nicely with the genre.

The story plot share the same nature as the novel "Genius Wizard Takes Medicine"; Gamer creates a character, physically weak, high magic capabilities, with an unavoidable weakness, which in this case is a mental disorder. Still, though it shares the same cliches, what's important is the implementation, in which this novel nails it.

loving it so far!! The vibes and the concept are consistent and immaculate!!!

the first person POV fits really well with the madness and stuff going on, and I'm really liking the MC's voice too! Laying in bed the whole day is such a mood. Man, im so curious about how others see him, ... more>>

Spoiler

he literally magically distills out the bits of an abyssal god that merged with a human just so the quest details can be met 100% and he can get his money, crazy. I'm soooo looking forward to what he'll do with that hidden piece he got from the achievement!!

[collapse]

Drug-Eating Genius Mage has similar settings (hella sickly but magically OP mage in a game world) but between the two I like this one more just because the Cthulhu and horror vibes are absolutely delicious (^^)

love how madness is depicted before his perk comes online and nullifies it!!! <<less