The second novel for Log Horizon still covers the material of the anime, but in a way that feels strong in its own right. After reading two of these, I have to say that the Log Horizon novels are among the strongest of all the anime/manga novelizations currently released in English. They're certainly better written than the Naruto novelizations, which I read a couple of years ago to make AR tests for them. These are strong enough to stand on their own without the parent material.

"I finally realized that the place where I belong can't exist until I make a place for other people to belong."

There's not a ton of action in this particular volume. The tension comes from the characters, especially from the plight of two young twins that Shiro, the main character, mentored before they were all sucked into the game. Now they've been essentially enslaved by a production guild due to their low player levels and Shiro has to decide if this world requires the ethics of his former world. Is it his responsibility to make this game world (their home for who knows how long?) a better place?