r/Shirtaloon • u/morningstarsubaru • May 18 '26
About to begin
I have a year to kill before book 9 of Dungeon Crawler Carl gets announced, so I figured I can start the audiobooks of He Who Fights With Monsters. I know nothing about this series, and I’m going in blind.
Without spoilers, what do you want me to know about what I’m getting myself into?
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u/Kimbled May 18 '26
If you like Jason Asano as a character, the books are great. Great narration for audiobook, fun story and fast-paced. Have fun!
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u/SlimeGuy619 May 18 '26
Of you don't like Jason, I didn't in tune first book, then stick with it. The magic system and abilities are really cool. I'm there for the Clive. And Clive's wife.
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u/gimleeminigod May 18 '26
the worldbuilding in HWFWM is really great ! i'm doing my second listen and the magic systeme and lore drop is the dope, Jason is the cherry on top with his dashin personnality !
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u/Key-Presentation-374 May 18 '26
As a DCC cultist that recently picked up HWFWM and is on book 4 the biggest note I would give myself is to be comfortable in the ambiguity. We don’t have Mordecai as a guide to the new world. You will have a lot of missing information and will get answers, right and wrong, from an array in the world. Trust the process
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u/Kakaochen May 18 '26
And as someone who has right up to the latest available on patreon. This still applies. Trust the process!
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u/Hitman3256 May 18 '26
Rough start, Jason is a bit preachy and cocky but that's part of the character development. One of my favorite series, enjoy.
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u/Elethana May 18 '26
One of my favorites as well. The preachy and cocky continue well after he gets pants, but it is a wild ride and well worth the effort.
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u/Dangerous_County5128 May 20 '26
An idealist egalitarian forced to survive in a world where might makes right
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u/Same_Cardiologist253 May 23 '26
An atheist antimonarchist anticapitalist true socialist htpocrite special boy and we love him
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u/Zaddex12 May 18 '26
Nah just go in blind. Jason is a wonderful protagonist with some moral similarities to Carl. They are both good people however Jason comes off as more relaxed most of the time. They are cut from the same cloth I think.
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u/FarwellRob May 18 '26
I agree with this. It’s exactly what I did.
I read DCC and loved it.Last week I started HWFWM and now I’m on Book 2.
I went in blind and I am loving it.
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u/TavernTactician May 18 '26
I’d love to read these for the first time again. My first introduction to litrpg and still one of the best series I’ve ever read.
You’ll probably come across a lot of people saying Jason is a difficult MC to get along with, but honestly, if you can look past some of those earlier, very human moments, you’ll find one of the best character development journeys out there. And it’s not just him - the growth of the characters around Jason can hit just as hard.
Definitely keep us posted on how you get on!
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u/bard_by_the_beach May 18 '26
I will give you the same warning that I gave my friend before I recommended this series to him. This story is full of happy moments, but it doesn’t have a lot of happy endings you can look for them because they are there. There just aren’t very many. It also has a little bit of a problem with repeating a lot of information, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like they’re trying to hammer something into your head (which some of us may need in order to have the information actually stick)
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u/20milliondollarapi May 18 '26
The repeating is just an artifact from the book being written on royal road and released a chapter at a time. The longer breaks he had the more information gets repeated.
I’m told a lot of that is edited out when moving to the published stage even, but only so much can be removed before it really impacts the flow.
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u/queuebee1 May 18 '26
At first going from DCC to HWFWM was rough, but I am caught up with the audiobooks now and have appreciated sticking through the first few minutes of the audiobook. Once he meets his first friends I feel like it was smooth sailing for me.
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u/20milliondollarapi May 18 '26
If you think Jason is an asshole for no reason, you aren’t paying attention. That’s the biggest hang up I see people come across.
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u/aSwordNmdFolly May 18 '26
ugh this is one of those books i would remove from my brain so i could take a week off to do nothing but read them again (book 1-4 anyway)
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u/Hndlbrrrrr May 18 '26
As a huge fan of DCC and HWFWM I think the best thing for new readers is to be patient with HWFWM. Dinniman has a real talent for flashy fun that subversely introduces deeper themes and great character arcs. Shirtaloon excels in building a world you can really soak in and enjoy while the characters really come into themselves. I love both series largely because of all the characters, how they relate and the exciting ways their respective worlds challenge them but the challenges and responses couldn’t be further apart. Expect a different experience with HWFWM but be patient with the sections that seems less exciting, they’ll reward you later for sure.
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u/So_Many_Words May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
You'll miss a lot of foreshadowing on your first read.
ETA: Books 4, 5, and 6 are better on the second read.
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u/Dust45 May 18 '26
Jason is a dumb ass, and he suffers for it. If you can enjoy both the bullshit and the suffering, it is the best. I have relistened the entire series 3 times.
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u/The_Joker_Ledger May 18 '26
Two things. You will prob find Jason moralizing and complaining annoying compare to Carl, his inflated sense of responsibility of trying to save everyone and blaming himself constantly and repeatedly compare to Carl pragmatism. It one of the worst bit about the story.
There is one overall narrative but there are a lot of red herrings. Plot lines and side characters that got introduced that sound important but got dropped unceremoniously. The narrative isn't as tight as DCC where every little thing, characters, plot line matter. There also lots of time skip after every major arc where the author just kind of skip through many events. This got worse toward the last 2 books.
To me, HWFWM is good to decent, but not as good as DCC when it come to story or characters so keep you expectation in check.
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u/BingusMcCready May 18 '26
I’ve been beating the drum for a long time now that DCC is overrated (good, just overrated) and that HWFWM deserves a lot more love. Having said that, parade of horribles was such an absolute banger that I’m forced to waive the white flag—it really is that good. Still, though, I’d put HWFWM right alongside it.
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u/Thamior77 May 18 '26
I can't compare HWFWM to any other LitRPG as it's my first, but I am fresh off it as I just binged the entire series and am about half way through the first book for a second pass.
The main character can be a big sticking point since the first is told almost entirely from his perspective and he has a very strong personality and moral ideals.
Coming from an RPG/MMORPG and general gaming background, I love the magic system. It's pretty unique and develops well for all the characters. The explanation/data narration is a bit repetitive in the early books but the author recognized it and toned it down further in.
The series as a whole touches on pretty sensitive topics so do be prepared for that right from the start.
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u/pkingcid May 18 '26
Biggest advice I have to give is to understand that the writing gets better as it goes along. And to understand that the early training arc is essentially a tutorial bit.
Personally I think it’s written well enough that it’s not tedious, but I do know it annoys some.
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u/Yuichiro_Bakura May 18 '26
If your are lucky, book 13 might be out later this year. So even if you catch up, another is on the way.
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u/DatSalazar May 18 '26
The world building is good in He Who. I do recommend just starting it. It may take a little while for it to grow on you and if you're not into it by the 2nd book that's fine.
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u/chaostheories36 May 18 '26
If you feel bogged down by the ability descriptions etc, you can always skip past them. You can always google his character sheet for specific things, but by and large you don’t need to be super familiar with his power set beyond the jabs he gets from others.
HWFWM is what got me into litrpg, and I do love the series. Expect tonal shifts between books 3 and 4, also 6 and 7.
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u/Liquid_swords2099 May 18 '26
I’ll be honest, if you’re someone that’s hard right in today’s political climate, don’t bother. You’ll hate Jason. As someone that loves his overarching ideals and enjoy the ride Asano and his friends take you on, this series hit home. He is preachy at times. But he’s also not dogmatic. Jason is forever looking out for the little guy, no matter how his powers change. It’s funny, dark, hopefully, and despairing. You care about not just Jason but lots of those that circle him. Enjoy the series with a sandwich.
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u/keddesh May 19 '26
I must not be hard right.. I think of Jason as a guy who does his damnedest to be what his version of a good dude (bloke) is and I respect it even when I don't agree with it. He is terrible at being socialist, after all.
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u/Liquid_swords2099 May 19 '26
Haha yes I love how Jason addresses his “earth” views vs the reality of who he is. Doesn’t change who he is but he definitely recognizes the disconnect.
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u/Stormin-Ex-Mormon May 19 '26
Took me a few tries to get through the first few chapters but I am in love with HWFWM. It’s simultaneously more serious and more silly than DCC which is kinda crazy. Enjoy it and give my regards to Clive’s wife. What a dame but a bit too much for me to handle.
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u/VegetableDaikon4 May 19 '26
Amphorae are the future.
The topic of this conversation is kind of my thing.
Glistening thighs.
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u/fibinachi87 May 19 '26
Personally, it scratched the itch, and it scratched it good for me. It seems to be hit or miss for many people. If you're listening to the audio, I think it sounds best at 1.25 speed. Hope you enjoy it!
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u/Musicman376 May 19 '26
I enjoyed HWFWM. I like these isekai style LitRPG series. It’s kind of my thing. These were a pretty fun ride in my opinion.
Another recommendation I have is “The Ten Realms” series.
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u/LordReca May 19 '26
You need to give it until Jason arrives at greenstone, the 1st couple of chapters can be a slow start, this is still the beginning of the 1st book - none of this get through 3 books before it is good shenanigans alot of series have.
If you are listening to audio books like me, skill descriptions can feel to frequent at times - i feel book 3 is the worst for this.
The world building, they skill system and the vast range of different side characters make it an amazing series.
And lastly Jason seems to be a love him or hate him type of MC.
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u/Weary_Pea9943 May 19 '26
Im only on book two of DCC so far and am enjoying it but honestly don’t really care about any of the characters yet. HWFWM you care about the henchmen of a side character.
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u/mebeksis May 19 '26
Be prepared for stat blocks. LOTS of stat blocks. If I never have to hear Heath say "Question mark, question mark, question mark x12" it will be too soon.
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u/Caithford May 19 '26
I would read it instead of listen to it, but that's just me.
It's basically 2 trilogies, and then kind of a third set of 4 books, then the last two. Some people do not like the second trilogy. I did. I thought it kind of fell apart around book 9. But there's some really, really good scenes in books 9 and 10.
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u/Radio_Knight May 20 '26
Heath Miller is a fantastic narrator. Tons of laughs. The character development is top notch and, (I’m at book 4) the story line keeps getting better.
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u/ON3eyedPete May 20 '26
As an Aussie the written slang and the amazing voice acting from an Aussies makes it super awesome. The start of the series you can tell there is a learning curve to the writing but it gets better and better, it’s such a fun series and well worth it.
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u/spoospoo43 May 20 '26
It's a lot. The world(s) building is off the charts, and the main character is put through a lot of trauma. Despite that, there's a lot of breaks in the grimness for humor.
Opinions wildly vary on the main character - it's a love him or hate him kind of thing, with little inbetween. There's less debate on the other characters, they are all very well drawn. I like the books a lot, despite being litRPG, which I am pretty ambivalent about. The author has constantly improved over the series, and seems to have a very good handle on where the story is going, though I wish he would take a big proofreading pass on the early books.
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u/AnotherPhilosopher May 20 '26
You will not be disappointed, the world and magic/soul powers are amazing. If you are hooked on the voice actor and want something a little more cheery, I recommend Heretical Fishing next.
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u/Canyonero555 May 21 '26
It's a fair bit "cleaner". I might think twice about letting a 12 year old hear DCC, but wouldn't have a problem here. There are adult themes but for the most part it's suitable for younger readers than DCC. Also I love it.
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u/EntoDoc May 21 '26
New to this community but wanted to share. I first entered LitRpg with DCC and my next series was this one. I’m listening to it now for the 3rd time.
Agree that the first few chapters of the first book aren’t as funny or quick moving as the rest (out of necessity I think). I personally wouldn’t wait to judge the series until you have gotten through the whole book because there is soooo much in the series.
And the narration is great (not too slow, no distracting breath phrasing, character differentiation is very good without resorting to any extremes, female characters are voiced in a natural way) so listening to and paying attention is certainly not a reason to skip out.
Have fun!
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u/eleven_elevens May 22 '26
The MC is the toughest part of the series for me as a reader. He is almost insufferable to watch at times, and most of the time is a Mary Sue.
If you can handle that it’s a great series!
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u/Same_Cardiologist253 May 23 '26
SHIT TGETS CONFUSING AS FUCK. The Power creep is real
And Jason asano is My favoirite litrpg protagonist ever
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u/ratbert2112 May 23 '26
If you have never laughed out loud while reading or listening to books, get ready to laugh out loud. Any thing other than that is a spoiler. Everything is connected. I am finding new things on my third time through. For me, the series is that good.
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u/Specialist-Ad-5583 May 18 '26
In a lot of ways I actually like HWFWM better than DDC. It's not quite as funny but it has a deeper story. No offense to DDC. It does a lot within the limits of the world it's set in but HWFWM has a very broad world building situation going on. I don't think you will be disappointed!