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poorsallystitches · 2 months ago

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I realized I have never made a book post

I have read a couple Chinese novels (mostly BL), and I have started some more, so let's make a little propaganda post for Chinese novels. For drama watchers I'll put if they have a drama adaptation, but the original novels are usually pretty different.

The first and my absolute favorite will be Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zixu (Drama version: Spirealm). Kaleidoscope of Death is about a young man called Lin Qiushi who one day walks into his hallway and finds that it has turned into a hallway of doors that lead to different worlds with monsters.

This novel is phenomenal, it is scary, dark, funny, and so intriguing. The story and world building are so expansive and winding, that I feel I can't say much about it because every part of it is so fun to read for the first time. Every door is so unique and interesting to explore and see each mystery unravel. Also, the main couple has a fun flirty energy that is a nice break from the scares.

The second novel and my second favorite will be Silent Reading by Priest (Drama version: Justice in the Dark). Pei Su, who inherited his father's company after his father fell into a coma, has been intertwined with a cop named Luo Wenzhou ever since his mother was found dead when he was young. He has a gift for solving crimes, but his seeming lack of empathy has led Wenzhou to keep him at a distance.

This novel has a very dark energy that feels like every scene is set in the middle of the night; it's so macabre and moody. Each case is very intense and really sticks with you. The main characters are very entertaining to read about because they are competent and have a bit of a cat and mouse dynamic that is very funny to watch.

The third novel on the list will be Heaven Official's Blessing by MXTX (Not a drama but has an animated show by the same title). Heaven Official's Blessing is about a god named Xie Lian, who has been able to ascend to heaven three times. You will learn how ascension and the Chinese version of god's and what not as the novel continues. There are also ghosts, including the ghost king who seems interested in Xie Lian, and many gods seem to fear.

It is difficult to summarize this story as it is so expansive and interesting to read. The world is so well written, and the mystery unfolds in such a way that you can understand every step with the character. The characters are my favorite part of this story, Xie Lian has a beautiful spirit and is such a complex character. Hua Cheng is also incredibly entertaining and interesting to learn about, and also their relationship is beautiful.

The fourth novel is going to be Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by MXTX (Drama Version: The Untamed). Wei Wuxian died in front of the entire cultivation world 16 years ago and now a young man has decided to give up his body and soul so he can summon Wei Wuxian to get revenge for him. Follow Wuxian as he reunites with people from his life 16 years ago, including Lan Wangji who had a positive and negative relationship with Wuxian over the years, and unravels a mystery that reaches all the way to the past.

This novel is one of the best known and it certainly deserves all the love. The characters have so much depth, not just the mains, but any side character has a backstory and a clear morality. The story is very interesting, and it switches between the past and present beautifully and you never feel bored in either time. The couple is absolutely beautiful, and the slow burn holds your attention.

The fifth novel will be Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi (No drama, but an animated show by the same title). Shen Qiao was once known as one of the strongest fighters in the Jianghu (martial arts centered society), but after a fight, he is thrown from a cliff and goes blind. He is found at the bottom of that cliff by a passing man named, Yan Wushi, one of the most powerful, evil men in the entire Jianghu, who seems to have taken an interest in him.

This novel is very intensely a Xianxia novel, meaning that it is going to be using a lot of martial arts fight scenes and Chinese specific powers and moves and what not that may be a bit hard to follow, but it is all worth it to see all that Shen Qiao sees and learns over the course of the story. The dynamic between the main characters is about Yan Wushi wanting to see what he can put Shen Qiao through to break his spirit, so you have been warned, their relationship is not light or kind for a lot of the novel because they are not in love for most of the novel.

The sixth novel is going to be Fourteenth Year of Chenghua by Meng Xi Shi (Drama Version: Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty). Tang Fan is a young lower rank court official that has a talent for solving cases and is often sought out for his skills. After a murder of an important official's son, Tang Fan meets Sui Zhou, a member of the Brocade Guard which operates directly under the emperor. After a tumultuous start, they begin to work together as a team to solve various cases throughout the country.

This novel is very fun to read. The cases are pretty simple, but fun because of the ancient setting that adds complications to solving each case due to propriety and jurisdiction and lack of scientific instruments. The main couple are very slow burn, but before they are ever saying I love you, they are incredibly kind and supportive of one another, and they create a very comforting dynamic built on trust.

The next few novels with be The Graverobber's Chronicles by Nan Pai San Shu (Drama Version: Lost Tomb). Wu Xie is the last descendent of a line of graverobbers, including his grandfather who wrote of all of his adventures in a journal that Wu Xie has come to possess after his death. That journal sparks an interest in Wu Xie despite his family's efforts at keeping him out of the family business.

These novels are expansive and pretty much every aspect of this world that Nan Pai San Shu has created has been explored. It is so obvious in this novel that the author loves this story and loves his characters. Every character has a strong personality and can inspire love and annoyance every time they are on the page. This novel is not a BL, but the relationships between the three main characters are amazing and their bond is beautiful to read.

I have also started but haven't finished a couple books that I still feel I could recommend (because I start a lot of things and finish a few).

Faraway Wanderers by Priest (Drama Version: Word of Honor). Zhou Zishu is an ex-assassin that has decided to end his life and just become a wanderer of this world until he succumbs to his death. Unfortunately, his plans are intruded upon by matters of the Jianghu and a man named Wen Kexing who has a mysterious past.

I started this novel a long time ago, so I have forgotten a lot of what I read, but the characters' dynamics stuck out to me because they were so fun to read, and they are so opposite that they butt heads constantly.

S.C.I Mystery by Er Ya (Drama Version: S.C.I Mystery). Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao are both detectives that are chosen to be in the Special Crime Investigation team because of their proficiency. For years these two have had a rivalry with one another, but they are forced to work together when strange crimes involving hypnosis have been occurring.

A lot of people have difficulty suspending their disbelief due to how average the novel is up until they introduce hypnosis then it gets kind of fantastical but still tries to be rooted in reality. I got used to it eventually, but it definitely gives you some whip lash. The characters are very nice though, the team is fun to watch, and our main characters are very good at their job and have a funny dynamic as they try to one up each other. Warning to any possible readers, the side couple is absolutely toxic and uncomfortable for a lot of readers.

Guardian by Priest (Drama Version: Guardian). Zhao Yunlan is part of the Special Investigations Department, which is a department built to catch creatures from the underworld that have escaped to the world. He soon meets a professor at an academy after a case who seems to have a strange connection to him.

I love this world, and it is so much more complicated than the drama, which can be a bit of whiplash for people who watched it first. This novel has a super fun dynamic between the main characters and makes sure you care about the side characters, while also building a very complicated backstory for them.

Winter Begonia by Shui Ru Tian Er (Drama Version: Winter Begonia). Shang Xirui is a phenomenal opera performer who meets Cheng Fengtai, a military man/business owner who has spent a lot of his time overseas. As the country is at war with the Japanese, the simple life of the opera will soon be overshadowed with the pain of war.

This novel is a love or hate read for a lot of people. For a warning, Cheng Fengtai is married to a woman, and though it was a different time and it isn't really a happy marriage, at the end of the day, his relationship with Xirui is cheating. This novel talks a lot about social niceties and the underbelly of the opera, especially during the Republican era. I haven't gotten far enough yet to really see when their relationship gets really serious, so I don't know their later dynamic.

Lord Seventh by Priest (No Drama). Prince Jing Beiyuan is in his seventh reincarnation of life after finding and failing to stay by his lovers' side in every reincarnation, but this incarnation is different. This reincarnation has put him in his first life again, he has a chance to live his first life again, but will he try again with the same man, or will he find a new love in a mysterious traveler that he never met the first time around.

This novel is LONG; it is very politically heavy and a little confusing honestly. The love is a SLOW burn because he is reincarnated into a young version of himself, so him and the love interest are both children, so he isn't going to fall in love until they are both adults and he can view him that way, which I didn't get to yet. It is also set in the same world and is set before Faraway Wanderers, so Zhou Zishu is there for a second and Prince Jin.

Case File Compendium by Meatbun (No Drama). He Yu is a young man with a special blood disease that causes some interesting symptoms. He is in love with Xie Xue, who happens to be the little sister of his psychiatrist from his youth, Xie Qingcheng, but Qingcheng knows the intricacies of He Yu's illness and he would never approve.

This is my first Meatbun novel and she is notorious for her intense and pretty toxic dynamics, but that's what you sign up for. This novel is a nice mystery, and his illness brings some sci fi aspects to the story because it isn't something real and it gives him a power that you will find out. The toxic specifics, if you want to know, are sexual assault (due to the illness for the most part) and homophobia from both main characters. No hate crimes or anything, but they are both grossed out by gay people. (Obviously this will have to eventually change.)

The last novel on the list, I haven't been able to find a complete translation anywhere, but it is Killer and Healer by Jianghai Ji Yusheng (Drama Version: Killer and Healer). Chen Yuzhi is a doctor who gets caught up in a gang fight on his way home, getting him swept to jail by a brutal tough on Opium cop, Jiang Yuelou. During his time in jail, his little sister is kidnapped, pulling Yuzhi into the criminal underworld.

Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou relationship is beautiful and supportive despite their rough start. Though Jiang Yuelou is very angry and complicated, he is very soft hearted as well and they create a lovely dynamic. The backdrop of the Opium wars in republican China gives it a very noir vibe and the mystery unravels slowly piece by piece.

#kaleidoscope of death #silent reading #heaven official's blessing #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #thousand autumns #the grave robbers' chronicles #fourteenth year of chenghua #killer and healer #faraway wanderers #winter begonia #case file compendium #guardian novel #lord seventh #sci mystery #chinese novels #bl novels

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