The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 5: Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
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- Create Date：2021-06-20 09:52:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Carlo Zen
- ISBN：0316560693
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Summary
Winter is roughly two months out。 The time limit has been set。But the Empire's military leaders are fiercely divided on what to do。 Should they conduct aggressive offensives in hopes of a break through， or should they weather the winter and use that as a chance to reorganize， restructuring the lines of battle？ In the end， they decided that while they gather supplies for a theoretical offensive， they would conduct an investigation to collect intelligence。 Naturally， Tanya's Salamander Unit was the first candidate for the mission。 Should they push ahead， or should they hold their ground？ There's no time to hesitate。 As the hellish conditions worsen， the war shows no sign of slowing down or becoming any less brutal。 Everyone has no choice but keep what they hold dear close to their hearts as they march ever onwards toward the battlefield。 Everything for the sake of the motherland， for the fatherland。
Reviews
Wildeflit
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It's fun that Tanya's own faults end up making some of the same mistakes that occurred， just enough to make sure she doesn't escape the inevitable。 Or is it？ I guess we'll find out if she really can break fate someday。 It's fun that Tanya's own faults end up making some of the same mistakes that occurred， just enough to make sure she doesn't escape the inevitable。 Or is it？ I guess we'll find out if she really can break fate someday。 。。。more
LiteratureIsLife
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Read this review （and others） at: https://literatureislife。com/2020/10/。。。Abyssus Abyssum Invocat。 One misstep leads to another。 Literally translated as “hell calls hell”。 A very appropriate title given this is the point where Tanya’s actions come back to bite her personally。 The longer this war goes on， the worse things get for every side involved。 But up to this point， Tanya has been fairly lucky。 Volume 5 even pokes fun at this at one point， with the enemy believing they have intelligence lea Read this review （and others） at: https://literatureislife。com/2020/10/。。。Abyssus Abyssum Invocat。 One misstep leads to another。 Literally translated as “hell calls hell”。 A very appropriate title given this is the point where Tanya’s actions come back to bite her personally。 The longer this war goes on， the worse things get for every side involved。 But up to this point， Tanya has been fairly lucky。 Volume 5 even pokes fun at this at one point， with the enemy believing they have intelligence leaks because no one is lucky enough to ruin as many of their operations as Tanya has。 But the last book showed us that Tanya’s ego is starting to have consequences for the Imperial Army。 Now those consequences affect her personally。One of Tanya’s core flaws is failing to put herself in other people’s shoes。 Now， this is not always a bad thing。 Because she has knowledge of Earth’s military history， she is able to examine the current war with a unique viewpoint。 But the flipside of that is assuming her preconceived notions are correct。 When something happens that utterly and blatantly proves one of her assumptions wrong， it blindsides her。Tanya has put trust in her instincts and experience up to this point， and for good reason。 It can’t be said that she’s had zero setbacks before， but she has always come out ahead。 Improvise， adapt， overcome。 No matter what’s been thrown at her， she always manages to keep moving forward。 But this time， she hits a wall。 No one wins forever; everyone makes a mistake eventually。 For someone like Tanya， who fears failure on an extremely personal level， having to confront that becomes a devastating challenge。War is hell。 Well， actually， war is war。 Hell is hell。 Tanya has never been disillusioned enough to not believe that。 But success after success has conditioned her expectations。 Volume 5 gives us the first time she experiences not a setback， but a complete and utter failure。 It brings her to an absolute low point， the type of crippling negative emotion that can break people。This is （most likely） the point in the series where the protagonist is at their lowest。 They’ve been kicked down into the dirt and it will take everything they have to rise up again。 But Tanya is as stubborn as she is anything else。 And this being a war story， when she comes back with vengeance you know it will be bloody。 。。。more
Ricardo Matos
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Another great volume！ This series requires some commitment as the volumes are quite long， but the pay off is greatIt's great to see the author diverge a bit from actual History now that Tanya has affected quite a few war scenarios。 She had to get to a certain "status" in order to actually change History！It was funny to read about the German army retreating rather than destroying their army by trying to invade Russia in the winter :D Another great volume！ This series requires some commitment as the volumes are quite long， but the pay off is greatIt's great to see the author diverge a bit from actual History now that Tanya has affected quite a few war scenarios。 She had to get to a certain "status" in order to actually change History！It was funny to read about the German army retreating rather than destroying their army by trying to invade Russia in the winter :D 。。。more
S。Q。 Eries
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In SummaryA really wonderful installment here。 In addition to a decent narrative pace compared to the bogginess in previous volumes， we get to see Tanya command multiple units and figure how to turn political differences into a weapon。 But probably the most striking part of this volume is when the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion encounters more than it can handle。 She’s been accused of being an unfeeling monster before， but she’s strikingly human as she and her men mourn their fallen comrades。The Re In SummaryA really wonderful installment here。 In addition to a decent narrative pace compared to the bogginess in previous volumes， we get to see Tanya command multiple units and figure how to turn political differences into a weapon。 But probably the most striking part of this volume is when the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion encounters more than it can handle。 She’s been accused of being an unfeeling monster before， but she’s strikingly human as she and her men mourn their fallen comrades。The ReviewI’m not certain if Zen-sensei’s writing has improved or if I’ve just gotten used to his style， but Volume 5 is a much easier read than previous volumes。 While Zen-sensei still has a propensity to be too light on backdrop details， he’s reined in his tendency to overexplain to the point of tedium。 On top of that， the war narrative takes on intriguing twists and turns which exposes hitherto unseen aspects of Tanya’s character。The volume begins with Tanya’s newly formed Salamander Kampfgruppe defending a salient on the Eastern Front。 We’ve seen her personally leading her battalion before; now she’s commanding multiple units from base headquarters。 Although she’s giving orders from a completely different vantage， those who enjoy the tactical aspect of this series will continue to see Tanya leveraging the scant resources at her disposal to attain victory。 In addition to countering guerrilla attacks， Tanya must also deal with the Federation soldiers they’re captured。 What starts as a kind of dilemma leads to a massive perspective shift on the Eastern Front。 Whereas the Empire’s other conflicts are purely military in character， Tanya makes the realization that the war against the Commies will also involve fighting propaganda with propaganda。No sooner has the Salamander Kampfgruppe jelled as a cohesive fighting force than it gets disbanded。 （As Tanya complains， “The higher-ups really just do whatever they want。”） Not only that， Tanya and the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion get yanked from the Eastern Front and sent to take on the monster ship， RMS Queen of the Anjou。 This arc has a lot of similarities to the previous northern ocean battles in that it involves submarines， ships， and the Commonwealth。 However， it differs in that the Commonwealth’s collaborator is not the Entente Alliance （although Mary Sue is present to go berserk against her father’s killer）， but the Federation。 The Commonwealth-Federation alliance is one between two mutually distrustful parties， and the lead up to their collaboration is an indicator of how desperate everyone’s become。The other major difference is that the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion suffers casualties。 Tanya hasn’t lost anyone since the shovel training on the Rhine， which is astounding considering they’ve been in the thick of fighting on every front since。 However， it’s because of this astounding record that the loss of nearly a quarter of the battalion hits so hard。 von Lerghen’s accused Tanya of being an unfeeling monster before， but even though she doesn’t turn into a weepy mess， you can’t say she’s unaffected by her men’s deaths （which is probably why von Lerghen’s not spouting his usual von Degurechaff-is-abnormal criticism in this volume）。Then it’s back to the Eastern Front and a new Salamander Kampfgruppe。 While the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion stays with Tanya， the mages sent to replace her fallen men are all raw recruits。 In fact， the majority of her new troops are green。 Thus， Tanya’s not only with faced with the problem of repelling enemies but also the challenge of managing difficult-to-work-with personnel。 As a former HR professional， she ultimately finds a way， but she can’t do a thing to stop her next enemy: winter。Extras include map and fold-out illustration in color; appendixes of the history timeline and rough sketches; author afterword; and six black-and-white illustrations。For more manga and book reviews， drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon！ 。。。more
East
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It was a great read。 It was the kind of book that I rushed home to continue， and refused sleep to get some more pages in。 I could literally see the action behind my eyes。 The speech is lit。 Tanya's influence on the whole world is just outstanding。 4 stars instead of five because I can't help but want more from this volume。 What happens after Tanya does "。。。"？ What does the allied kingdom think？ How does the russy federation react？ Loria is for real a sicko。 Mary Sue got spanked。 I wonder what ha It was a great read。 It was the kind of book that I rushed home to continue， and refused sleep to get some more pages in。 I could literally see the action behind my eyes。 The speech is lit。 Tanya's influence on the whole world is just outstanding。 4 stars instead of five because I can't help but want more from this volume。 What happens after Tanya does "。。。"？ What does the allied kingdom think？ How does the russy federation react？ Loria is for real a sicko。 Mary Sue got spanked。 I wonder what happened to that crazy mage gun from volume 4？ Gotta preorder volume 6 now。 。。。more
Aaron
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The Salamander Kampfgruppe's garrison twists and shifts with the whims of its ridiculous overseers。 On the eastern front， as autumn gives way to winter， the Imperial Army's tenuous hold on positions of interest -- often out in the middle of nowhere -- could very well drive Tanya insane。 This is of little surprise。 The snarky lieutenant colonel （yet another promotion， yet more honors） has little patience at this point: the war is dragging on， her men are exhausted and resources are growing scarce The Salamander Kampfgruppe's garrison twists and shifts with the whims of its ridiculous overseers。 On the eastern front， as autumn gives way to winter， the Imperial Army's tenuous hold on positions of interest -- often out in the middle of nowhere -- could very well drive Tanya insane。 This is of little surprise。 The snarky lieutenant colonel （yet another promotion， yet more honors） has little patience at this point: the war is dragging on， her men are exhausted and resources are growing scarce。 In volume five of The Saga of Tanya the Evil， readers encounter a truism as painfully valid as it is dark: however much one revolts against the brandishing of intellectual malfeasance， one cannot prepare for the crippling toll of evincing such foolishness in the mirror。Whereas the previous volume tweaked the narrative model by forcing the army to suffer the consequences of Tanya's ego run amok， the current volume takes this dilemma to its logical conclusion: what happens when Tanya realizes she's made a mistake 。 。 。 and is solely responsible for ensuring her mistake does not doom the whole damn military？ Tanya advocates for personal freedom and independence above all else。 So， what happens when all that free thinking results in a losing war of attrition？ What happens when all that arrogance over market determinism gets in the way of discerning whom among her ranks are specialists versus run-of-the-mill soldiers？ What happens when her finely tuned loathing of communism mistakes the antecedents of nationalist fervor for the machinations of political strife？"If you have a contradiction that can't be resolved， it's almost certainly an issue with your premises [。 。] If the base upon which you're building your assumptions is wrong， you have to admit your mistake despite the shame [。 。 。] If your premises are wrong， you'll be mistaken no matter how sharp and prudent of a strategist you are" （pp。 69， 75）。This volume pushes Tanya into a corner and forces her to succumb to the shame of her wrongheadedness， beg her superiors for a chance to get things right and finally get back to the front lines to re-convince herself her instincts are as sharp as they've always been。 Zen weaves together a story that pushes and pulls at Tanya's emotional resilience unlike before。 Tanya loses battles。 Tanya loses soldiers， several of them。 Tanya also loses a small battle of wits she isn't entirely aware she's fighting。 The lieutenant colonel overshoots her capacity to hit her mark， repeatedly， and she pays the price for it。 She adapts， yes， and she fights back as hard as she knows how 。 。 。 but this is one soldier who fears disappointing herself more than anything else。 Halfway through the novel， the General Staff Military Intelligence division awards Tanya a spurious honor: the White Wings Grand Iron Cross。 Forty-six pages later， while grieving fallen soldiers， she loads a single round into her pistol and puts a hole into the medal: "[T]rust should be placed in people" （p。 168） she demands， not politics， not country， not institutions， not military honors and hero worship， and most definitely not in god。The fifth volume of The Saga of Tanya the Evil brings the antihero as low as she's ever been。 And while there's no promise that she'll bounce back， it does seem inevitable。 War does that sometimes， it teases success from unfamiliar origins out of necessity rather than out of the convenience of absolute certainty。 Will the Federation finally collapse？ Will the Commonwealth give up on its overextended support of outliers？ Will the Empire realize it doesn't have the resources to push as hard as it wants？ The war is at a curious inflection point。It's anyone's real guess what direction Zen is taking the story but it has become abundantly clear he loves tormenting Tanya's battalion。 The team is battered and bruised and only barely survives 。 。 。 only to wreak havoc on their one-time tormentors。 Such is war， one supposes。 Kudos to the book's English language translation team for keeping the faith， so to speak， in bringing this saga of death and desperation to the fore。Other notes for this volume include the rarity of Lieutenant Serebryakov narrating her own chapter section。 The adjutant is such a brilliant side character， it's a wonder why the author so ardently protects her from the dangers of the conflicts at hand and refuses to challenge her outright。 This chapter section from Visha is only six pages long， but contained within is a clever and sensitive spoken admiration of the colonel that mixes fear with pride and disgust with respect。 She serves as eye witness to the "rapturous" and "amusing" chaos of combat in the sky。 She admits to feeling inadequate in Tanya's shadow， but even so， she's enjoying herself: "Let's have some fun for now，" （p。 211）。Cautiously， on the other side of the fight， First Lieutenant Mary Sue remains a tepid annoyance。 Whether her inclusion signals the eventual downfall of the protagonist or represents some sort of casual Ego-Id moral counterbalance， it is both arduous and difficult to sympathize for this naïve optimist when all she does is screw things up 。 。 。 and survive。 For better or for worse， this is one troublesome antithesis that won't go away on its own。 。。。more
Mark
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Waiting impatiently for vol 6With how this volume ended leaves me believing that the next one will be the climax and oh boy am I eager to find out。 This tension reminds me of how I felt after halo 2。 With how impossible things are getting for Tanya it’s going to be interesting to say the least！
kurogane shiroikaze
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Not exactly the strongest volume of the series， but an important one nevertheless to show that even Tanya is human and can suffer setbacks。 Have to admit， the scattershot writing and callbacks to WWII parallels were some of the best parts of the series but this volume was somewhat lacking in that department。 Overall， felt more of a bridging volume to the next big event， the winter offensive between the Empire and the Federation
Parker Gunderson
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Carlo Zen delivers once again。 I think the best part of the series is that it does a good job of depicting characters （namely the main character） in a way that makes them very believable。 When I first was introduced to the series， I was a little put off by the narrator because he attempts to be solely rational and self-interested。 It’s subtle， but Tanya/the narrator really grows as the series progresses and this volume sees a lot of it， particularly with how Tanya handles the death of her men。Th Carlo Zen delivers once again。 I think the best part of the series is that it does a good job of depicting characters （namely the main character） in a way that makes them very believable。 When I first was introduced to the series， I was a little put off by the narrator because he attempts to be solely rational and self-interested。 It’s subtle， but Tanya/the narrator really grows as the series progresses and this volume sees a lot of it， particularly with how Tanya handles the death of her men。The setting is also incredibly great。 While a lot of the leaders are just straight rips of historical figures with the names barely changed， this feels like a world that has history and consequence。 It helps that Carlo has a lot of material to work with from history， but the things he does change seem plausible and also keeps the suspense up。 I haven’t read the web novel， so I don’t know the ending。 But this would be incredibly boring if we knew that history would play out exactly as it did in real life。 The fact that Tanya can change so many of the events owing to her/his experience and knowledge from our world keeps the pacing up and still makes it engaging。I do think that some of the leaders can seem a bit one-dimensional， but these characters are also figures typically underexplored in history which makes them plausible。 Most of the politics are also more focused on how the countries interact， rather than the sort of great man history that we’re used to。 It benefits from the fact that the politics are represented as being made up of multiple different people rather than just one guy or a faceless organization。 This complexity alleviates some of the complaints I’ve seen regarding certain characters， Loria， being just awful people。Overall， great addition to the series， only wish it was longer。 I can’t wait to see how the saga continues。 。。。more
Zaphied
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Everything not to do with Not！Communist-Russia was great。 Otherworld Russia's military were also great。 It's the leadership that brings it down。 The pedophilia angle is creepy and not in a good way。 Which probably shows good writing but yea I could not get over it without squeamishness。 Everything not to do with Not！Communist-Russia was great。 Otherworld Russia's military were also great。 It's the leadership that brings it down。 The pedophilia angle is creepy and not in a good way。 Which probably shows good writing but yea I could not get over it without squeamishness。 。。。more
TG Lin
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