Go Big To Go Home: A Kaiju-Fighting Isekai LitRPG (Book 1 Complete!)

This is every fan of Pacific Rim's new favourite novel if it shapes up how I fully expect it to.

Overall the story is a cut above most on here.  I've enjoyed my time with Mikayla so far and can't fault it.

Style:  Very smooth.  An easy read with good descriptions and vivid imagery.  The action scenes are where it truly shines for me:  they are well laid out and follow the fights beautifully.

Story: Isekai, size changing magic armour... Kaiju?  What more could you want for some quality entertainment?  It's good.  There's some laugh out loud moments in there in addition to the drama.  The tension is well maintained and I can't fault it.

Character:  MC is sharp and relatable.  Mikayla is a young women who finds herself out of her depth and while she doesn't implausibly just adapt to it right away she grows into accepting her situation and it looks like she's starting to thrive.  So far the other major character is the ghost in her armour who is amusingly bloodthirsty and their interactions feel very real.  I don't want to drop spoilers but it takes a bit for them to begin to really understand each other and the their relationship grows in realistic way.

Grammar:  Nothing immersion breaking but there are a couple of very minor things I felt justified taking half a star off  With a bit of editing it will be professional tier and I'd be happy to reassess when that is done.  Don't expect much in the way of typos and if you aren't a bit obsessive about punctuation I very much doubt you'd even notice.

I've really glad I found this story and look forward to more chapters.  Watching Mikayla become the Kaiju-slaying machine she seems destined to be promises to be a lot of fun!

"Go Big to Go Home" is an engaging isekai story that brings back memories of pacific rim/ godzilla/ power rangers. The story starts when Mikayla, a regular college student, is transported into a world where monsters have grown to kaiju size. Here, she discovers the ancient Core of the Black Knight, granting her access to magical armor and a size-changing sword.

The story really shines in the relationship between Mikayla and Nocturnus, the warrior ghost trapped in her magical armor. Their dynamic is fantastic. Nocturnus plays the role of the wise mentor who's all about glory and combat while Mikayla is just trying to figure out how to not die. Their banter is hilarious and had me grinning.

What really draws me in is the worldbuilding. We learn about everything naturally through Mikayla's experiences: the ruined wizard tower, the monster-filled wilderness, and the tragic history of the Kaiju Collapse. The setup with Cores, Techniques, and the Ataraxian System is intriguing, and watching Mikayla learn to use her powers is engaging.

The action sequences are well-crafted, building from a giant spider to a forest gecko, and culminating in an exciting battle with a massive ice bear. And the payoff at the end of the arc with goliath mode and going kaiju size was exciting

I'd definitely recommend this great story.It's got heart, humor, and enough tension to keep you hooked. Easy follow for me.

Where are the Pacific Rim, Kaiju Brawling, oversized bug extermination, Litrpg stories? Right here, ladies and gentleman.

I think it takes until chapter 2 for the story to really strut its skill, but when it gets there it is a totally worthwhile ride.

Story: Let's start with the most important part of any story (and thankfully the best part of this story) the... story. In terms of grand overarching narrative were still in the early days so while it has been intriguing, and i'm curious to the greater systems at play (which there clearly are some) I haven't really seen enough of it on paper to properly comment.

As for the chapter-by-chapter story, i'm hooked. The isekai dropped in the middle of nowhere survivalist trope is probably my favourite opening setting for an isekai, and when you mix ridiculous over the top monsters with laser eyes, and wingspans that blot the sky, its just an obvious recipe for a good time.

Character: As of the end of the end of the first arc of the story we have one-and-a-half primary characters: our protagonist, and the voice/talking-ghost-armour-thing inside her head. Its a pretty small cast so far, but our MC and Mentor ghost have such good chemistry that it really uplifts any scene that they are in.

Our protagonist is a semi-believable everywoman introvert dealing with way too much chaos to handle. I say semi-believable because... this is a kaiju epic battle story what did you expect. She takes a lot of the horrors she is stuck with a bit of unrealistically heroic poise and campy protesting, but I see that as a positive in a story where I just want to get to a 30ft sword bisecting industrial-sized spiders.

The secondary ghost voice character is your full on campy gung-ho starship trooper, obsessed with combat type, and that personality plays really well off of MC.

I wouldn't call this story a comedy, they don't go that far. But it is a very fun, light-hearted read. Were not here to woe over the death and destruction, were here to kick kaiju a**!

Style: Style is still mostly* really good. Combat is very clear and readable, and in particular, its engaging. I never feel like there are attacks or dodges that are just there to fill space. Every move progresses the battle and shifts the situation for those involve really making them a blast to go through.

And good combat is the number 1 thing for a story like this to get right.

I have docked half a star though because the story can occasionally delve into quite dense exposition and tell not show scenarios. Thankfully the characters are likable and these sequences can be quite enjoyable to read, but I still wish they were utilized a little more sparingly.

Grammar: Grammar is totally functional and I never reached a point where I did not understand what was going on because of it. I have noticed however, the occasional grammatical error here and there.

Overall: This story is not perfect. But what it is, is a really fun enjoyable read that is easy to pick up and blow through. The few complaints I have for the story are relatively minor, and I have confidence that as the author continues to write, will inevitably get tweaked out as they improve.

Great job, and keep it up, 

There's something almost regal about GBTGH's prose. Clean, shelf-quality prose is really just the prerequisite for that kind of writing—there needs to be a strong command of diction too, like knowing what it means to "find purchase" when grabbing a handful or a foothold. 

Combine this with a largely colloquial inner monologue from Mikayla, and you have something really captivating. It's sort of like going to a restaurant with casual decor and gourmet food. You get all the good stuff, without the stuffiness. 

Funny enough, this pairing of seeming casualness with lowkey regality sort of reflects itself in both the character and plot. For characters, you have Mikalya and Nocty. Mikalya's a girl isekai'd from Austrailia—I'll admit that's part of her charm for me—and coming to grips with a dangerous world after having lived as a wallflower who regrets being a wallflower. Nocty's a former hero, who's found a method for a limited existence after death, unaware of the consequences of his brash actions so many centuries ago. There's a synergy between their concerns: her car, his lost comrades, that's somehow both very funny and a little sad when you give it the proper thought. GBTGH does the "lost and alone in a new world" aspect better than most. There's a point where Mikalya hits a low point in the early chapters that gave me heartache. There's these constant moments of wistfulness from Nocty that gave me that mix of pity and awe you get from listening to an old-timer recount a long and storied life. 

For its plot, there's that same pattern: a very genre fiction premise has the notes of something grander and more ancient. There's a deep past in GBTGH, and I've always been a sucker for stories of heroes who did something great in ancient history. Ironically, nostalgia for those things that are lost to time is one of the most timeless plots there is. It's very compelling when a ghost-like character recounts an age long past as if it were just yesterday. In this case, Mikalya being there to absorb it, to interpret it as best as her youthful yet precocious mind allows gives it emotional heft. Somehow, the word that comes to mind here is Spielberg.

While I'm making references to other media, I can't help but notice a Megas XLR reference in the chapter titles. Nice.

But I digress. I don't think it's a coincidence that Mikalya wants to be a historian. She has this intrinsic fascination for the subject that's rare among fantasy protagonists, and the scholarly excitement she feels for things like being able to engage with a primary source feels very real to me. Once again, it adds more heft to the stories of the deep past. At once, Mikalya is clearly exceptionally bright and earnest, happy to learn whenever she's not in mortal danger. But she's also just a kid dealing with a scary new world. Nocty is a wistful old warrior with a lot to teach. But he's also kind of slaughter-happy, and brash, and still talks about his old heroic friends as if they were tavernmates. 

The phrase and concept that comes to mind is that you really only understand history when you understand that they're stories. Much of the first arc involves them going through Astralia's Spear: a wizard's tower, left by one of the former great heroes, a genius witch. There's the history, the looming tower, the 'shocking' defenses all around it and what it means that it's in a state of rot and decay. Then there's the story inside, of a witch who was maybe a bit vain, and a little too unwilling to abandon her creature comforts.

Beyond all this, I should note that the action in this story is great. I particularly liked the fight with the gecko, and how that fight ended. It was a sick kill. 

All in all, GBTGH definitely does not need to go home, even if Mikalya might want to. The story hits a homerun from the start, and I can only imagine it's gonna get better from here. Absolutely check it out if you like fantasy or LitRPG, even if kaijus aren't your thing!

Go Big to Go Home boasts a regal yet accessible writing style, blending polished prose with Mikayla’s casual, often humorous inner monologue. It feels like enjoying gourmet food in a laid-back restaurant—refined yet unpretentious.

The dynamic between Mikayla, an isekai'd Australian navigating a dangerous world, and Nocturnus, a ghostly former hero, is a standout. Their shared struggles—her regrets, his lingering grief—create a mix of humor and melancholy. Mikayla's low points are deeply affecting, while Noct’s wistful memories of his heroic past evoke both pity and respect.

The story's plot mirrors this duality: a genre-heavy premise underpinned by a sense of timeless grandeur. Nocty’s recounting of ancient exploits, paired with Mikayla’s youthful curiosity, adds emotional weight to the world’s rich history. Mikayla’s love of history and her excitement at engaging with its remnants make her perspective especially compelling.

The first arc, exploring Astralia's Spear, epitomizes this blend of history and storytelling. The decayed wizard's tower offers both an imposing mystery and a personal tale of vanity and loss. The action sequences, like a standout fight with a gecko, are equally impressive—intense and satisfying.

Overall, Go Big to Go Home is a must-read for fantasy and LitRPG fans, with or without a kaiju fascination. It's a strong start to what promises to be an outstanding adventure.

GBTGH is a well written book that succeeds on it's own merits, the fight scenes are great, the characters feel alive and the prose is top quality with practically non-existent grammar issues.

Style:
The prose is consistently good throughout the book, the fight scenes in particular are easily followed, with every strike and movement having a level of purpose rather than attacking simply to fill a quota. The only reason this isn't a full five stars is due to the blocks of exposition, these do provide valuable context though. The other main critique is in the chapter titles, the author delineates the arcs with [Arc]-Begin/End, I personally feel that this reduces the impact of these chapters as you're given the context that whatever happens in this chapter absolutely will wrap up the current arc instead of realising it halfway through.

Story:
The story lives up to it's premise, with the MC being dropped with essentially no context into an entirely new world that it immediately shown to be far more lethal than her home. However the story truly comes into its own with the second main character, who manages to be intriguing despite the lack of a body and they bounce off each other quite well. The system is done rather well especially with the most recent lore adding depth that can be lacking in Isekai fictions.

Grammar:
I can't fault the grammar I haven't noticed any errors so far.

Character:
The characters are where the book truly shines the MC is likeable and reacts believably to, well the Kaiju, and the insane circumstances she finds herself in. The disembodied mentor knight is always a joy to hear from whether it be truly impressive bloodlust or important lore. Watching him try to adjust to the changed times and seeing history's view on his actions is one of the best bits for me personally. The final protagonist is also well written, with well defined motivations, he acts alongside the MC while also having goals of his own, he provides the much needed modern context for our spatially displaced MC and temporally displaced mentor, all while being a breath of sanity, most of the time anyway. It also successfully manages to make you feel pity for the initial antagonist. 

All in all it is well worth a read even if you, like me, have never seen any Kaiju or Pacific Rim-like media before, I look forward to seeing where it goes next.