The Rising of the Shield Hero

The Rising of the Shield Hero (盾の勇者の成り上がり Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari)

I have never particularly read much light novels before. Or perhaps an official translation at least. My previous attempt never really got me into the genre. So, back in November in a whim I picked up the first volume of " The rising of the shield hero" . I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but for the most...I am glad I did.
Light novels have a certain peculiarity to them. They spin, great complex stories, but at the same times isn't too verbose about it's story. This is probably what made me read through all the officially translated 9 volumes available out . The premise iself isn't the most orginal , basically normal guys get summoned as heroes to this Fantasy world which also plays out like an RPG... Sounds like  SAO, eh?  Well, that's where the similarity ends. The protagonist , a.k.a The shield hero, gets framed for rape gets ostracized and literally gets thrown into the gutter. Reduced to a penniless criminal, and an outcast everything that could possibly go wrong happens to him. The story sets up an initial arc as a revenge story and goes on to become so much more. The story of a guy who in his own quest for revenge becomes the hero truly deserving of the name. 
The characters and the world building is excellent with Raphtalia ( the hero's traveling companion), becoming one of the most well written female characters of the Anime/manga world till date. Strong, independent, with unwavering loyalty. She's the complete opposite of the cliched Anime girls that we know.
There's a many other characters too which play part in this incredible journey. 
Though, there's certainly times I felt that the author could do more do explain some of the inconsistencies of the world, rather than leave the reader to figure it.
Coming, back to the writing end of the story, it's definitely not verbose but the official English translation gets caught up in whether to use Japanese honorifics or yet. The volumes keep see sawing on that, and that's something they haven't fixed yet. But does it get boring? Nope... Absolutely not. The novel is a full on page turner and there is always something going on throughout the story, and I am looking forward to the next official release
And, of course there is also an anime adaption in the works which should release  this year.
Trailer below:
https://youtu.be/LEVXQj8pNKE

Alternatively, there's also a Manga to read which follows the light novel's story.