Series Guide
Overlord
Every Overlord light novel in order, with the verdict on the genre's best villain-perspective series, the anime-versus-books format answer, and an honest accounting of the late-book drag.
Start here
Volume 1, The Undead King. The game shuts down, Momonga stays logged in as his skeletal sorcerer avatar, and the genre's one true villain-protagonist series begins: overwhelming power played from the dungeon boss's chair, with an anxious office worker rattling around inside the Overlord's skull.
Verdict on the series
A-low — Worth Starting.
A-low. The premise remains one of one and the villain's-perspective execution is the best I've encountered; the Floor Guardians and wider NPC cast are some of the genre's most creative writing, and watching Ainz rein in creatures who consider torture a hobby, with authority he privately worries he doesn't deserve, generates half the series' best material. The full review prices in what keeps it off the S shelf.
What it does best. The cast around Ainz, and the comedy-dread tightrope of a middle manager impersonating a god.
Where it sags. The later books drag: the power-hiding doctrine stretches encounters a single spell could end, and arc build-ups outweigh their payoffs. The Sacred Kingdom arc is the late-run high point; the arcs after it test patience.
Books in order
| # | Title | Published | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Undead King | September 14, 2021 | 8h 1m |
| 2 | The Dark Warrior | December 14, 2021 | 8h 10m |
| 3 | The Bloody Valkyrie | March 8, 2022 | 9h 10m |
| 4 | The Lizard Man Heroes | April 12, 2022 | 9h 26m |
| 5 | The Men in the Kingdom (Part 1) | July 12, 2022 | 8h 19m |
| 6 | The Men in the Kingdom (Part 2) | October 11, 2022 | 9h 58m |
| 7 | The Invaders of the Large Tomb | January 10, 2023 | 9h |
| 8 | The Two Leaders | April 11, 2023 | 9h 42m |
| 9 | The Magic Caster of Destroy | July 11, 2023 | 10h 17m |
| 10 | The Ruler of Conspiracy | October 10, 2023 | 11h 7m |
| 11 | The Craftsman of Dwarf | January 16, 2024 | 11h 9m |
| 12 | The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom (Part 1) | April 16, 2024 | 9h 6m |
| 13 | The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom (Part 2) | July 16, 2024 | 12h 37m |
| 14 | The Witch of the Doomed Kingdom | October 15, 2024 | 12h 19m |
| 15 | The Half Elf God-kin (Part 1) | January 14, 2025 | 7h 16m |
| 16 | The Half Elf God-kin (Part 2) | April 15, 2025 | 7h 20m |
Book data above is pulled from my full review — updated automatically as new entries publish.
Who's who (spoiler-safe)
Entries freeze at introductions. Nazarick's roster is enormous; these are the names that matter from volume one.
- Ainz Ooal Gown — formerly Momonga, the salaryman logged in when the game ended and the world became real. An undead overlord improvising competence while his subordinates assume genius. (Vol. 1.)
- Albedo — Overseer of the Floor Guardians, devoted to Ainz in ways he never programmed. Well, someone programmed. (Vol. 1.)
- Shalltear Bloodfallen — vampire Floor Guardian, and the early series' proof that Nazarick's power has real limits and real costs. (Vol. 1.)
- Demiurge — the demon strategist whose flawless plans are frequently reverse-engineered from Ainz's improvisations. The comedy engine. (Vol. 1.)
- Sebas Tian — the butler, and the closest thing Nazarick has to a conscience. (Vol. 1.)
Is the series complete?
No, ongoing in translation and at the source. The volumes are episodic enough that there's no cliffhanger debt; you can stop after any arc with a complete experience.
Where to go next
- Solo Leveling (Chugong) — the other imported pick, with the same books-first format guidance and the opposite moral register.
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Dinniman) — if what you love is the dungeon's side of the story told with total commitment.
- Everyone knows the anime — and the review's line stands: it's worth watching, after the books have introduced you to the real cast.
Full verdicts on the reviews page.