How to Deafeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe was originally self-published but, fortunately for me, recently picked up by Saga Press. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found this Legend of Zelda-inspired litRPG while browsing NetGalley.
My family’s cat growing up was named Zelda, so when a saw a book inspired by The Legend of Zelda videogame, I had to pick it up. I’m not a big role-playing game gal, so this was my first venture into the litRPG subgenre. How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps is a quick, lighthearted read suitable for middle-grade and YA readers and for fans of The Legend of Zelda videogames. Or, for children of fans of The Legend of Zelda videogame who want to see what it’s about.
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Title: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps
Author: Andrew Rowe
Series: N/A
Genre: litRPG, YA fantasy
Publisher: Saga Press
Pages: 240
Audiobook length: 5 hrs 28 min
ISBN: 9781668209424
Content warnings: violence, confinement, injury/injury detail
Blurb
For thousands of years, there has been a cycle: a Demon King rises and conquers, and a Hero is reborn a hundred years later to defeat him. Each time, civilizations are ground to dust beneath the Demon King’s hordes, but humanity has remained secure in the belief that a Hero of legend will always save them. There’s just one slight problem. It’s only been 23 years since the Demon King’s latest rise, and this time, he’s already conquered more than half the world. If humanity simply waits for the Hero’s return, there may be no world left for him to save.
And so, Yui Shaw sets out with an ambitious plan. A 10-step plan.
She’ll find a way to obtain the Hero’s legendary sword. She’ll earn obscure classes, gain levels, and increase her skills. She’ll travel to the meticulously-crafted dungeons that seem designed for one specific Hero to complete. And, if she’s truly (un)fortunate, she might even find a fairy.
She might not be a Hero—but if she can fake it long enough, she might still be able to save the world.
***
This book is an affectionate parody of classic Japanese games like The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest. It’s also a work in the LitRPG/GameLit subgenres. Game mechanics exist in the world of the story and characters are aware of their existence.
Review of How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps
- Format: ebook
- Pacing: fast
- Plot or character-driven: plot
- POVs: first person single POV
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me a free copy in exchange for review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps reads like popcorn. It’s quick and easy to digest. The characters were clever and easy to love. The plot reads a lot like a video game with a set script and clear end goal, so it’s predictable. The surprises were the unexpected obstacles Yui and her crew encountered, and how they game the system to get to the demon king. I enjoyed reading about the creative ways Yui navigated the world’s rules without being a hero.
The fights were especially engaging both because Yui and her team use unconventional methods and because the writing made the sequences distinct and easy to imagine. I would recommend this book to fans of fast-paced stories with exciting fight scenes. This book will likely appeal to fans of the Percy Jackson series who are looking for a fun, quick read.
As for people looking to learn about The Legend of Zelda videogame without playing it. I do have a much better idea of how the game works, but I still do not know why Zelda is not the name of the main character, or if there even is a character named Zelda in the game…
You’ll like this book if you enjoy…
- Smart, proactive main characters
- Adventurous stories
- Fast-pacing with creative fight sequences
- The Legend of Zelda videogame
Where to find How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps:
*The new edition of this book (which I used in the cover image above) is scheduled to relaunch Sept. 30, 2025*
Have you read this book or other litRPGs? Let’s chat in the comments!
Bonus!
Photo of Zelda (top left) and Kevin (bottom right)
Comments
2 responses to “Review: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe”
I’m glad this book got released for a wider audience! I read it quite a while ago now, but I think it was an Audible exclusive at the time, and so there was a very limited reach. I thought it was amusing, though I knew plenty about the Zelda video game series going into the book so I was able to predict a LOT of what happened. 😉 Also, yes there is a character named Zelda in the games. (In most of the games, she’s the princess that the hero, Link, saves… though she does get a couple of games where she is the protagonist or gets to play a larger part.)
I’m happy to hear Zelda get’s featured more in some of the games. Someday I may track one down and try playing it. This did seem like a predictable story, especially if you knew the games. I felt like the author leaned into the predictability and made it part of the fun, if that makes sense.