On the HahaFiction shelf
How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps
by Andrew Rowe
Error: Hero Not Found · Book 1 · 2020
The Demon King has had only twenty-three years to conquer the world, and he’s already more than halfway there. The Hero who’s supposed to stop him isn’t due for decades. Yui Shaw decides to go after his sword herself. She’ll need to gain levels and get through dungeons built for someone with a very different set of skills.
From the publisher’s blurb
“And, if she's truly (un)fortunate, she might even find a fairy.”Read the full description at Gollancz
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What makes it funny?
Yui’s father taught her that a hero does what’s right even when it puts them in danger. Her world has a more technical definition. True Heroism is a passive skill, and only a Hero can unlock it at level forty-two.
The comedy at work
Yui starts out with skills for managing inventory, so she has good reason to look for loopholes in the rules that favor the Hero. She asks why a wall that conceals treasure always has a crack in it. Her Sword Saint companion takes tradition far more seriously.
Try this if…
If you’ve spent time checking cracked walls in Zelda or earning levels in Dragon Quest, you’ll recognize the habits Rowe is playing with. The pleasure for a LitRPG reader is seeing what a clever character can do with abilities most players would pass over.
Good to know
Yui’s world is separate from the setting of Rowe’s Arcane Ascension books. You can start here without knowing those characters or their magic.
A few distinguishing details
- A rescue that can’t wait for the next Hero
- Inventory skills pressed into service on a dungeon quest
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Sources & further reading
- Andrew Rowe on his series settings
Author commentary
- Opening chapter preview
Reading sample
- Apple Books ebook and series record
Book information
- Andrew Rowe on the original ebook
Author commentary
- Gollancz book page
Publisher
- Mike Finn's review
Review
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