Teogonia: Volume 1

Read in Prepublication on J-Novel Club

I can't help but feel that Teogonia would have been better suited as a regular fantasy novel rather than an isekai. The isekai aspects seem like a crutch to explain concepts such as magic and even basic nutrition that our hero Kai shouldn't know given his age and class in this fantasy society as well as to explain why Kai quickly grasps his new powers. Even with all that it is rather light on the isekai aspect compared to other novels with Kai only receiving flashes of his past life and not full-blown memories. His first flash is of onigiri though he doesn't know what that is other than it is food, nor does he spend the novel seeking out onigiri. Had the author been more creative, I think they could have found other answers for these questions than past life memories. I also found the writing clunky in parts, especially when it switched perspective.

Even though I didn't enjoy the isekai subplot, I did enjoy the main plot of the novel once it did get into the swing of things. The plot revolves around the war of humans and demi-humans fighting for the control of the borderlands and the power of the gods that inhabit these lands. Kai, a 13-year-old soldier, accidentally inherits the power of the Land God of the Valley when he tumbles off a cliff during a battle and encounters its God Grave. He becomes the Guardian of this Valley while simultaneously continuing to fight for his home village, Lag. Kai feels indebted to them for raising him after his parents' death but chooses not to tell them about his new powers. But he also has an immediate affinity for the Valley for which he is now the Guardian of and desires to not only protect it but make it is home.

The plot and magic system was where I got the most enjoyment out of the novel as I felt that none of the characters had particular standout performances. Every female character also instantly falls in love/lust for our male protagonist after he gains his powers, and he is low key collecting a harem. So if you don't enjoy this trope be aware its there and I predict it will only become more overt as the series progress. But the plot and magic system were written so well that it was able to balance out the negatives of the other aspects for me.

The magic system involves not only the overpowered Guardians, who are given strength by their Land Gods, but each being has a Godstone, and by consuming other creatures Godstone one can “level up.” So after battle, it's customary to consume enemy Godstones to gain strength and retrieve Godstones for offerings. Both humans and demi-humans have Guardians and Godstones and are in this constant war of who can control more Guardians and eventual take over the land.

The plot mainly revolves around Kai going back and forth between his daily life in Lag; training and going out on missions to protect the village and surrounding area, and returning to the Valley; exploring, protecting, and preparing it to be his future home. As soon as Kai gains his Guardian powers, he gains an immediate affinity for the Valley and wants to be there and is restless when he has to be away from it. Guardianship seems to alter the mentality of the host, but the novel never gives us a full explanation of how much this is effecting Kai or the other Guardians we see. I really enjoyed the Valley parts of the story but wished there was more of them.

Overall the magic and plot elements of Teogonia were good. In contrast, the isekai, characters, and writing elements needed a little more time in editing to lean it into the potential that is there on the page. I'll give the second volume a go before deciding whether to drop the series.