★★★★★ 4
Comes Off Naturally
Format: Kindle
Unnatural Laws introduces a few wrinkles to the isekai LitRPG template and makes a comfy niche for itself.
First, as the title implies, it introduces a few variations to the laws of physics. Water has higher self-cohesion, breathing can be weaponized, gravity's parameters work differently, etc.
Second, the book includes the "forced participation in a training/puzzle facility" subgenre. Instead of a short tutorial arc, the first book ends well before winning free of the deadly training scenarios.
Third, the "portal" mechanism by which folks are yoinked into a new reality. It is implied that the "kidnapped to another world" setup will continue to be important to the plot, where in most other Isekai it doesn't particularly matter how or why the MC got yoinked...it only matters that it happened.
The most important things to me are characters. And these characters work! The MC is snarky, tough-minded, and takes charge. In a romance novel dust jacket, that description would already have me nauseous in anticipation of a vapid young woman who "zings" when silence would serve and who only appears "tough" and "take charge" because all of the other characters react to her that way. Not in this book! In this story, it's real and it's working for me.
The secondary characters are also real to me. A young woman who low-key flirts with everyone (unconsciously?) and gets preferential treatment. An earnest young man who flees from anything he considers "work"...but will happily pour himself into crafts he enjoys. And others that I can only encapsulate even worse, so I won't try! There is plenty going on and plenty more to uncover. I thoroughly enjoy watching them interact and cooperate to navigate their new circumstances.
Other things that are present and well-done, even if they don't stand out quite as much:
- An assistant AI with secrets to keep
- An interesting LitRPG system, blended with cultivation
- A teaser for a well-built new world
- A germinating romantic relationship
If you enjoy the Isekai genre, the only thing that should make you pause before buying this: It's light on combat. Plenty of action, mind you, but most of it isn't combat.
If that doesn't bother you (as it doesn't bother me), then you should pick this up.
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EDIT: After reading 5 books, I like this series even better. At this point, I'd revise the subgenre to be "death games" and mention that the death games don't finish until the very end of book 4.
The "light on combat" label expires with book one...there's plenty of combat after that. It is both well done and inventive!
Lastly, I suppose this could be classified as YA fiction. Political landscapes and broader implications are hinted at, but you rarely get a look at them before they arrive and change the landscape. That said, I'm no spring chicken and I enjoyed these books a great deal.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023
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