XTB
Translator4 years ago
Recommended
In some ways, it's only right that I leave the first review.
DISCLAIMER: I have not delved all too deeply into this novel, BUT I have a fair idea of what to expect.
This review will be more focused on the author and his style.
If I had to choose one word to describe Nocturnal Stranger (as RWX and Minotauruz have decided to translate his name), it would be meticulous. He knows how to write a very good story. He does his research, and I really do mean that, and it shows in how he develops the plot and transitions between story arcs. He truly does to his best to write a story with a fair amount of "satisfaction" so to speak. He puts in a lot of effort. His greatest strength in my experience is how he goes about world building, and his characters are usually quite interesting with their own motivations. He does use tropes at times (arrogant young master), but reasonably.
His writing style is very colorful and descriptive, but it's this same reason that can make reading feel like somewhat of a slog at times. I believe the term might be "purple prose", still, I believe this doesn't detract all too much, but be prepared to read READ, not skim, because you will miss important parts if you do so. At times, he writes in a peculiar way that you'll find common among other web novelists, and if you've been around long enough you'll understand what I mean. That's not technically bad, but if you're not a fan of slight word filler (what are you doing reading Chinese novels if you aren't?!), it might grind on you.
His niche is more modern settings, so get ready for that sweet, sweet cultural injection. As you can tell from the tags and the synopsis, this novel revolves heavily on the mystical and abnormal. While not exactly an old hand at writing fantasy, I think Stranger's previous work has well prepared him for the expectations of writing fantasy now.
Miscellaneous.
Humor. Stranger is an older man, an uncle-type, so his humor reads like an uncle-type. I alternate between laughing and cringing. Expect puns and some strange humor. He's a big fan of games and anime, so look out for those references.
Now I will point out some flaws.
I previously described Stranger as meticulous, which makes it all more annoying when he makes small, little mistakes. Things like screwing up character names, mixing up skills, in some case some minor plot messing-up (nothing like retcons, however). But it's because I'm aware of how much work he puts in that, which these little mistakes annoying because I feel he should've gotten them RIGHT, if he's doing everything else pretty well. In all fairness, though, this isn't really that bad, and I'm just a stickler for these things.
Stranger likes to dream big. He likes his plots and worlds to be special and unique. He's very much interested in being a pioneer that way. However, the caveat to this is his execution of events. He plots so big that sometimes it just falls short when his execution isn't great, and this is even something that he has admitted. Certain arcs may just drag on for a little bit too long. Think along the idea of "losing sight of direction".
But there is a counter to this caveat. Stranger LEARNS. He learns from his experiences and really focuses on his shortcomings to do a better job in the next sentence, the next chapter, and the following dozens of chapters. With his experience from his previous novel, I sincerely look forward to see what he can offer this time.
I might add more of my opinions at a later date, but that marks my conclusion.
Translation quality: double the translators for more than double the quality. RWX and Minotauruz are proven in the field of translation. I would expect high quality, considering RWX is playing support.
TL;DR: I HIGHLY recommend picking up this novel, especially if you've been reading Chinese fiction for a while and want something different. If you're new to the scene, I would actually recommend reading another novel first and then coming back to read this one, just so you can experience the "difference".
TL;DRDR: Just read the book loooooooooooooool
DISCLAIMER: I have not delved all too deeply into this novel, BUT I have a fair idea of what to expect.
This review will be more focused on the author and his style.
If I had to choose one word to describe Nocturnal Stranger (as RWX and Minotauruz have decided to translate his name), it would be meticulous. He knows how to write a very good story. He does his research, and I really do mean that, and it shows in how he develops the plot and transitions between story arcs. He truly does to his best to write a story with a fair amount of "satisfaction" so to speak. He puts in a lot of effort. His greatest strength in my experience is how he goes about world building, and his characters are usually quite interesting with their own motivations. He does use tropes at times (arrogant young master), but reasonably.
His writing style is very colorful and descriptive, but it's this same reason that can make reading feel like somewhat of a slog at times. I believe the term might be "purple prose", still, I believe this doesn't detract all too much, but be prepared to read READ, not skim, because you will miss important parts if you do so. At times, he writes in a peculiar way that you'll find common among other web novelists, and if you've been around long enough you'll understand what I mean. That's not technically bad, but if you're not a fan of slight word filler (what are you doing reading Chinese novels if you aren't?!), it might grind on you.
His niche is more modern settings, so get ready for that sweet, sweet cultural injection. As you can tell from the tags and the synopsis, this novel revolves heavily on the mystical and abnormal. While not exactly an old hand at writing fantasy, I think Stranger's previous work has well prepared him for the expectations of writing fantasy now.
Miscellaneous.
Humor. Stranger is an older man, an uncle-type, so his humor reads like an uncle-type. I alternate between laughing and cringing. Expect puns and some strange humor. He's a big fan of games and anime, so look out for those references.
Now I will point out some flaws.
I previously described Stranger as meticulous, which makes it all more annoying when he makes small, little mistakes. Things like screwing up character names, mixing up skills, in some case some minor plot messing-up (nothing like retcons, however). But it's because I'm aware of how much work he puts in that, which these little mistakes annoying because I feel he should've gotten them RIGHT, if he's doing everything else pretty well. In all fairness, though, this isn't really that bad, and I'm just a stickler for these things.
Stranger likes to dream big. He likes his plots and worlds to be special and unique. He's very much interested in being a pioneer that way. However, the caveat to this is his execution of events. He plots so big that sometimes it just falls short when his execution isn't great, and this is even something that he has admitted. Certain arcs may just drag on for a little bit too long. Think along the idea of "losing sight of direction".
But there is a counter to this caveat. Stranger LEARNS. He learns from his experiences and really focuses on his shortcomings to do a better job in the next sentence, the next chapter, and the following dozens of chapters. With his experience from his previous novel, I sincerely look forward to see what he can offer this time.
I might add more of my opinions at a later date, but that marks my conclusion.
Translation quality: double the translators for more than double the quality. RWX and Minotauruz are proven in the field of translation. I would expect high quality, considering RWX is playing support.
TL;DR: I HIGHLY recommend picking up this novel, especially if you've been reading Chinese fiction for a while and want something different. If you're new to the scene, I would actually recommend reading another novel first and then coming back to read this one, just so you can experience the "difference".
TL;DRDR: Just read the book loooooooooooooool