Though don’t be mistaken, Overlord Volume 1 has mature themes and is intended for readers 16 years old and up. The beautiful artwork contained at the beginning of each of chapter is reminiscent of a fairy tale book. The print version is a hardcover, so it will also have better endurance over the years then paperbacks. Overlord Volume 1 is a fantastic book from a publishing standpoint. In addition, due to the context of a situation it is easy to understand what is going on. It will state directly what NPC means without having to open a web browser. Overlord Volume 1 is very kind to newcomers. And for those who are not familiar with gamer lingo, that is fine. In addition, for any gamers, all of the terms and tactics make sense.
This implementation feels very natural and unforced. Momonga will use spells, then pivot and use gaming/technology words like “NPC” (non-player character) as though it is nothing. Therefore, he is only in that magic world due to incredible gaming technology that has yet to be created (in our time at least).
Magic is clearly used throughout the world Momonga finds himself in, but he is in a game world. Overlord Volume 1 is one of those abnormal but beautiful books that manage to fully indulge sci-fi readers to the fullest. Many books need to choose between one or the other, or get very creative to genuinely capture both sides of the spectrum. Science fiction books usually fall somewhere between technology and magic. What is so brilliant about Overlord Volume 1 though is that it is simultaneously high-tech and yet imbued with magic. I would say the genre is science fiction.