Hai to Gensō no Grimgar (light novel)


 * For the manga of the same name, see Hai to Gensō no Grimgar. For the anime of the same name, see Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a light novel series written by Ao Jūmonji with illustrations by Eiri Shirai. OVERLAP published the first novel on June 25, 2013 under their Overlap Bunko imprint, and fourteen volumes have been released as of December 2018.

In 2014 a spin-off series started publication: Dai Eiyū ga Mushoku de Nani ga Warui. The series is 3 volumes long and, as of July 2021, hasn't been translated in English. Some of the characters from that series are mentioned and later appeared in the main series.

The digital publishing company J-Novel Club acquired the English rights for the series' release in digital format and is set for weekly installments on its website and app. Not long after, a collaboration with Seven Seas Entertainment allowed for the publication of printed editions. One of the difference between the English and Japanese is that volume 14+ and 14++ were compiled into one volume (14.5) for the English print release.

Story Synopsis
Awaken...

This is the only thing the youth of Hai to Gensō no Grimgar remember before awakening in an unknown building in a medieval landscape enshrouded in darkness. They don't remember anything besides their own names. What's stranger is that sometimes they catch themselves saying words that they don't understand, even though they seem so familiar.

The group of strangers is told that in order to make a living, they would have to join the Reserve Army forces to keep the town safe from nearby monsters. The stronger looking people form a team to join the Reserve Army and depart, leaving Manato, Haruhiro, Ranta, Yume, Moguzo, and Shihoru left to fend for themselves. But how will they get by if they can't even defeat the weakest of monsters?

Born from the ashes of their old memories, the ragtag team of six start a new life in the world of Grimgar.

Other Publications
Every volume after the fourth has some Special short stories. In Japan, they are included in the novels as limited edition booklets only sold in certain stores. For the English version, the short stories are available in the premium version of each volume, sold directly on J-novel Club site.

Mini novellas were also written, originally only as part of the Special Edition DVD sets sold in Japan. However, they were later published in volumes 14+ and 14++.