With the Winter 2025 anime season abuzz with hilarious Power Rangers-style isekai adventures and John Wick-esque retired hitmen, the return of Solo Leveling for Season 2 remains a tentpole event. Jinwoo’s continuous ascent to phenomenal power with his army of Shadows appropriately behind his back is only growing with hype for the viewers, but knowing what’s next is a continuous desire for fans. Courtesy of a review copy of Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus from Yen Press’ Yen On imprint, we are glad to say there is now a one-stop, one-book resource for each subsequent new arc out now as of January 21st, 2025.
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Solo Leveling had its humble beginnings as a web novel by Chugong, whose series would blossom into a genre-defining action manhwa with its views in the tens of billions, and now a hit anime adaptation. But the Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus functions as a curated, complete collection of all eight books in one convenient, gorgeous 751-page hardcover tome, telling the story of Sung Jinwoo from start to finish. While its form factor makes it a tough proposition for readers on the go, this omnibus is the ultimate book resource for any hardcore Solo Leveling fan who is fond of exceptional-quality additions to their library.
[RELATED: Solo Leveling’s Greatest Strength Sparks Its Biggest Backlash]
Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus Is Almost Inconveniently Large
Solo Leveling’s story may not be as immense and sprawling as, say, Tower of God, but condensing its entirety into one single book is still no mean feat. While Yen Press’ manga print quality can sometimes leave something to be desired, their increasingly noticeable dedication to detail in their premium collections is no less apparent for Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus. The book stands as an example of the publisher’s loving treatments of its especially popular properties, such as the incredible Delicious in Dungeon or Toilet-bound Hanako Kuni box sets, or Übel Blatt and A Certain Magical Index’s deluxe volume treatments.
While Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus defeats the purpose of a light novel with its 9″x10.88″ page size and the clear weight indicator of a book full of coated print stock. It’s hardly ideal for pulling out and reading while waiting for the next stop on your train or bus commute, but it’s utterly fantastic for sitting down and reading (or studying its contents) at your desk with its elegant two-column page format. Much like Dark Horse manga’s Berserk or Trigun deluxe editions, this mighty omnibus also mercifully sports a bookmark ribbon for continuing sessions uninhibited. It’s not a deluxe copy loaded to the brim with bells and whistles, but it is the most robust presentation one could hope for, regardless. This, combined with full-page illustrations provided by Solo Leveling’s original manhwa artist Jang Sung-rak (Dubu), allows readers to still experience mild glimpses of the manhwa edition, all packaged in a sleek hardcover presentation.
Solo Leveling Fans Will Appreciate the Undistilled & Complete Presentation
With Solo Leveling’s light novel release priced at $15 USD, and each manhwa volume costing $20 with Volume 12 still on the way, Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus offers a distinct value proposition at $125 MSRP for the whole series. This incorporates all eight light novels with all the trappings above, and only a mild $5 premium. Considering the collector’s item status of the book at hand, it’s a reasonable pitch for any undecided buyers, especially since this is the purest way to enjoy the story of the series.
While action lovers might find the fight scenes somewhat breezier, as is the nature of cohesively writing such a series, Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus offers every detail for the readers who miss them either in the manhwa or anime. This includes Yoo Jinho’s family dynamics, Jinwoo’s internal development as the world begins to see him differently, and everything between his first outing as an E-rank Hunter, until the final time he says, “Arise.” The novel is worthwhile for glimpsing more clearly into what the key characters are thinking at any given moment, and even just an impressive collection of data surrounding each instance of Jinwoo leveling up, how he processes his skills, and more. Finally, and this mustn’t be understated, the omnibus looks great on the bookshelf and is a fantastic gift for any collector, but maybe anchor that to the wall so it doesn’t fall over and break through the floor.
If you’re interested in Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus, the book is available as of today, January 21st, 2025, through the Yen Press Store as well as select retailers like Amazon.
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