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《镇魂》小说是晋江大神笔谤颈别蝉迟所着都市灵异耽美文，小说围绕两位主角赵云澜、沉巍前世今生的种种展开，以四圣器为主线描述了人间、鬼界、仙途的互相博弈。
"Guardian"
The Special Investigations Unit is a covert organization that no-one in the city knows about, dedicated to investigating bizarre occurrences beyond the comprehension of the living. The Chief Zhao Yunlan isn’t a simple guy either, being the inheritor of the Guardian Order, he has always been a righteous conformist, excelling between realms of the living and the dead. While investigating a school suicide case, Zhao is attracted to the calm and reserved Professor Shen Wei, but the Professor seems to be rather fickle towards him…
"Guardian"
The Special Investigations Unit is a covert organization that no-one in the city knows about, dedicated to investigating bizarre occurrences beyond the comprehension of the living. The Chief Zhao Yunlan isn’t a simple guy either, being the inheritor of the Guardian Order, he has always been a righteous conformist, excelling between realms of the living and the dead. While investigating a school suicide case, Zhao is attracted to the calm and reserved Professor Shen Wei, but the Professor seems to be rather fickle towards him…
989 pages, Webnovel
First published January 1, 2012
299 people are currently reading
3066 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
September 12, 2020
3.5 stars I think
Damn I have no idea what I just read but I love gay people
Buddy read with my friend Ash!!
Damn I have no idea what I just read but I love gay people
Buddy read with my friend Ash!!
August 21, 2021
Hay momentos en que algo como el amor es como un cristal frágil. No importa qué tipo de amor sea: nada puede volver a unirlo después de que se rompa, incluso si los involucrados ya no se preocupan, incluso si ya han elegido perdonar.
[ 5 / 5 ☆ ]
Guardian es la gran sorpresa del a?o para mí. En principio no pensaba hacer una rese?a muy larga de este tochaco de 900 páginas, pero como he visto que no hay ninguna rese?a en espa?ol en GR voy a hacer el tremendo esfuerzo de poner de manera más o menos objetiva (cosa que me cuesta porque estoy muy involucrada con la historia) por qué es una lectura que merece la pena y por qué la gente ha venido con una idea muy equivocada de lo que es una novela china bl, encontrándose con una evidente decepción.
La sinopsis que da GR no le hace justicia ninguna, así que me atrevo yo a dar la mía. Guardian trata la historia de Zhao Yunlan, el jefe del Departamento de Investigaciones Especiales (o SID por sus siglas en inglés) en la ficticia Ciudad Dragón. También se le conoce como el “Jefe de la Orden del Guardián”. El SID se encarga de casos relacionados con fenómenos que podríamos llamar “paranormales”; es decir, casos donde suceden cosas ‘inexplicables’ relacionadas con fantasmas o espíritus. En uno de sus primeros casos, durante una investigación en la Universidad de la ciudad, coincide con el profesor Shen Wei, un académico profesor de chino con el que siente una conexión casi mística y a partir de entonces, comienza la verdadera historia con ellos dos como principales voces narrativas.
Cuando quieras sacrificar tu vida por una causa justa, podrás comprender verdades que nadie más podría entender.
Aquí quiero hacer una aclaración evidente. Guardian tiene una adaptación a serie, producida en China. Por si no ha quedado claro, en la novela Shen Wei y Yunlan son pareja canónica, es decir, hay una relación romántica entre los dos. Sin embargo, en China, por causa de la censura, la serie se remodeló tanto en trama como en personajes, dejando a Yunlan y a Shen Wei en una especie de ‘bromance’ muy forzado. Pero esto no es lo único que cambió la serie: la manera de comportarse de Yunlan se relajó considerablemente (no es tan mal hablado ni tan sinvergüenza), la forma de ser de Shen Wei también se cambió considerablemente (son como las dos caras de una misma moneda), y gran parte de la trama se editó para poder pasar por el venenoso mordisco de la censura y que pudiera emitirse. Por lo que Guardian en novela y Guardian en serie no tienen casi nada que ver, a excepción del título, algunas partes de la historia y los nombres de los personajes. Si uno viene buscando lo que vio en la serie, es normal llevarse una decepción como la Sagrada Familia. Pero si viene con la mente abierta, se encuentra una historia magnífica.
Durante el anochecer de ese día, después de que Zhao pronunciase esa frase, Shen Wei lo miró sin comprender, como si estuviera acurrucándose en los ojos de Zhao.
Los personajes que rodean a Yunlan no se centran únicamente en la figura de Shen Wei. Ambos son muy diferentes pero similares, en esencia; podría decirse que Yunlan es el ‘extrovertido’ y Shen Wei el ‘introvertido’ de la relación. No obstante, ambos tienen personalidades fuertes e ideales férreos que mantienen a lo largo de toda la trama. Aun así, son capaces de madurar incluso en ámbitos extremos a los que el pincel de la autora los somete, mutilándose algunas partes de su enorme ego y orgullo por el bien de los demás y de sí mismos, lo que le da un avance no sólo a su relación sino a ambos personajes en sí que en la serie se ve con mucha menos profundidad.
Otros personajes importantes y compa?eros de Yunlan en el SID son Zhu Hong, la mujer serpiente; Da Qing, el gato negro; Lin Jing, el monje; Chu Suzhi, el Rey de los Muertos; Wang Zheng, el fantasma; y la adquisición más reciente, el ‘humano torpe e inútil’ Guo Changcheng. Otros personajes que trabajan en el SID pero tienen menos peso en la historia pasan por Lao Wu, Lao Li o Sang Zan, así como otros menos relevantes aún pero con su parte de historia, como la madre de Yunlan, el viejo director Zhao (padre de Yunlan) y otros personajes mitológicos que aparecen. A pesar de la gran cantidad de personajes que parecen al principio, al final es muy fácil diferenciarlos y encari?arte con ellos. Todos tienen su parte, su peso y su tarea dentro de la trama; nadie se queda atrás y todos se desarrollan correctamente. Es un logro que no muchos otros autores pueden decir de sus personajes.
Su nacimiento había sido un milagro, un terror desatado tanto para demonios como para dioses. Pero ?de qué servía ahora todo eso si no podía conservar lo que más amaba?
Guardian tiene una trama que empieza por la parte simple (se nota en su narración de los primeros 30-40 capítulos, muy ligera y de lectura fácil) y empieza a complicarse a partir del capítulo 70 aproximadamente, cerca de la parte 4. Este es el motivo por el que la serie nació mutilada en la mayoría de su trama: Guardian tiene una trama mitológica. Y si me permitís el paralelismo, Priest hace lo que Rick Riordan hace con la mitología griega: agarra lo existente, lo transforma para adaptarlo al mundo que ha creado, y de ahí nace una historia completamente nueva. Con todo lo que eso conlleva, en China se censuró absolutamente toda la parte mitológica, por lo que sorprende (y mucho) cuando te golpean con ella durante más de un 60% de la novela. Adquiere un toque místico, tanto la narración como la implicación de los personajes dentro de la historia del mundo, y si no tienes mucha idea de mitología china o no estás familiarizado con lo abstracta que puede llegar a ser, es recomendable echarle un vistazo a los libros mitológicos antes de ponerte con esta novela, o te dará un gran dolor de cabeza. Yo que soy medio friki de las mitologías del mundo, ha sido como si me regalaran un enorme pastel lleno de pasteles por navidad.
‘La vida está al final de la muerte’; esa es la verdadera esencia de la reencarnación.
Como últimos datos antes de cerrar esta colosal rese?a:
Sé que hay mucha gente que critica a Shen Wei tanto como personaje como por su personalidad, pero creo que para hacer eso hay que descartar los orígenes del propio personaje. Y no se puede juzgar la manera de comportarse de un personaje si no se trata de entender por qué lo hace, qué es lo que lo mueve. En la serie no se da ni una sola pista de qué es lo que mueve a Shen, qué es lo que le hace comportarse como lo hace; mientras que en el libro tienes páginas y páginas de sus pensamientos, de sus deseos, de su nacimiento y vida. Si comprendes que la esencia de Shen Wei no es la de un adolescente de quince, sino que va mucho más allá y es erróneo juzgarlo como a un personaje plano sin considerar su trasfondo, estás haciéndote un flaco favor a la hora de comprender esta historia al conjunto. La mayoría de las notas bajas que he visto han sido por esto y por la boca sucia de Zhao Yunlan. Que en una serie (repito, censurada) sea casi una monja de clausura no significa que el tipo no pueda tener humor negro, decir tacos o tirarle los tejos a su pareja. Un poco de madurez, por favor.
Y por supuesto, el tema de las escenas de ‘cama’ o las escenas R+ que todo el mundo venía buscando… bien. Se?ores, hablamos de China. Priest no necesita darnos escenas explícitas sólo porque escriba a dos hombres, que es lo que nos hemos acostumbrado todos a leer en otras lecturas del estilo. Lo poco que se ve y la cantidad es la necesaria, la justa, sin entorpecer la novela y sin pausar la narración. A mí, en lo personal, me ha encantado. Ha sido una historia con la que me he reído a carcajadas, he aprendido y sinceramente, no descarto volver a leerla porque el disfrute que he ganado con ella no está pagado.
—Eres la única persona en el mundo que no me tiene que pedir perdón—susurra en el oído de Zhao.
Puntuación de las 5 partes de la novela (+ epílogos).
Parte I: El Reloj de la Reencarnación ★★★★☆
Parte II: El Pilar de la Naturaleza ★★★★☆
Parte III: El Pincel de la Virtud ★★★★★
Parte IV: El Pasado Primordial ★★★★★
Parte V: La Lámpara del Guardian ★★★★★
贰辫í濒辞驳辞蝉 ★★★★☆
August 16, 2018
Just realized that it's probably weird to write an English review for book that I read in Chinese, but oh well. My Chinese is fluent but lacks eloquence, plus this is not even the first time I've done this, so.
This was such a fun ride! From what I gather from the author's notes, Priest basically took some elements from traditional Chinese mythology and folklore and then just ran with it. And she did it AMAZINGLY well. Not being a Chinese mythology expert, I'm perfectly content to accept her version of the Chinese creation myth, haha. Aside from the typos that kept bugging me here and there, the writing is very good. The language is mostly lighthearted humor, but with a decent mix of serious prose thrown in, which I personally enjoyed. There are certain parts that that were particularly lyrical that I absolutely loved--like the descriptions of the ancient time of gods and the epic scale magic that was depicted. The plot and pacing are really well handled, and I think the author managed a good balance with the humor/romance and the mystery/horror. Another great thing is that the characters are all so interesting and well drawn! Even the side characters are all fascinating. And of course Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan/Kun Lun's relationship was a joy to read. They just have such a fun dynamic together! I love them both a whole lot. Oh! And the epilogues are all gems to be treasured.
I would absolutely recommend this to people who are into mystery, mythology, or fantasy. I just wish it were better edited. 4.5/5, would definitely read again.
[ETA]: this is a review of the online version I purchased on 晋江文学城, and I would assume that the print versions would be better edited. I’m definitely considering getting a copy for myself.
This was such a fun ride! From what I gather from the author's notes, Priest basically took some elements from traditional Chinese mythology and folklore and then just ran with it. And she did it AMAZINGLY well. Not being a Chinese mythology expert, I'm perfectly content to accept her version of the Chinese creation myth, haha. Aside from the typos that kept bugging me here and there, the writing is very good. The language is mostly lighthearted humor, but with a decent mix of serious prose thrown in, which I personally enjoyed. There are certain parts that that were particularly lyrical that I absolutely loved--like the descriptions of the ancient time of gods and the epic scale magic that was depicted. The plot and pacing are really well handled, and I think the author managed a good balance with the humor/romance and the mystery/horror. Another great thing is that the characters are all so interesting and well drawn! Even the side characters are all fascinating. And of course Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan/Kun Lun's relationship was a joy to read. They just have such a fun dynamic together! I love them both a whole lot. Oh! And the epilogues are all gems to be treasured.
I would absolutely recommend this to people who are into mystery, mythology, or fantasy. I just wish it were better edited. 4.5/5, would definitely read again.
[ETA]: this is a review of the online version I purchased on 晋江文学城, and I would assume that the print versions would be better edited. I’m definitely considering getting a copy for myself.
May 16, 2024
3.1/5 ?
June 21, 2020
I'm thinking, I'm thinking ...
September 25, 2020
3,5*
I feel too dumb for this but I loved the pinning?
I feel too dumb for this but I loved the pinning?
February 7, 2023
?????? ?? ?? ??? ????: 4.5/5
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December 7, 2020
La primera novela china que leo y la primera novela donde la pareja principal son dos hombres.
Decidí leerla porque la adaptación a drama me encantó, así que quise darle una oportunidad.
Lo que me gustó: primeramente la traducción me gustó bastante, me gustó las descripciones, aunque no sé como estaba originalmente pues no sé chino; los enfrentamiento con los fantasmas y las descripciones más crudas, aunque no fueron muchas; los personajes tenían matices, no eran completamente perfectos ni completamente defectuosos; la pareja (la primera mitad) me parecieron tan lindos, me hiceron gritar, llorar, reír. Fue un libro que me hizo sentir mucho.
Lo que no me gustó: Algunas actitudes de Yunlan y Shen Wei, después de cierto punto me pareció tóxica su relación, y después de estar encantada por Shen Wei llegué a decepcionarme algo de él, aunque queria mentalmente excusarlo por no ser humano, pero realmente no me gustó lo que hizo después, lo que ocultó y eso; la mitologia china, se me hizo muy complicada, hubo muchas cosas que nunca entendí y nunca logré comprender, simplemente lo deje ahí, a veces ni supe que era verdad ni que mentira; la parte final, no entendí como se resolvió el asunto, solo entendí lo de la rueda de la reencarnación, ni siquiera entendí la situación del sello; el villano, nunca supe que era lo que quería, o tal vez nunca lo logré comprender.
Tal vez porque la cultura es tan distinta a la mía no logré entender del todo, pero logró entretenerme bastante y pues me gustó más la serie, aunque quizá algunos no ? pero está es mi opinión ?
Decidí leerla porque la adaptación a drama me encantó, así que quise darle una oportunidad.
Lo que me gustó: primeramente la traducción me gustó bastante, me gustó las descripciones, aunque no sé como estaba originalmente pues no sé chino; los enfrentamiento con los fantasmas y las descripciones más crudas, aunque no fueron muchas; los personajes tenían matices, no eran completamente perfectos ni completamente defectuosos; la pareja (la primera mitad) me parecieron tan lindos, me hiceron gritar, llorar, reír. Fue un libro que me hizo sentir mucho.
Lo que no me gustó: Algunas actitudes de Yunlan y Shen Wei, después de cierto punto me pareció tóxica su relación, y después de estar encantada por Shen Wei llegué a decepcionarme algo de él, aunque queria mentalmente excusarlo por no ser humano, pero realmente no me gustó lo que hizo después, lo que ocultó y eso; la mitologia china, se me hizo muy complicada, hubo muchas cosas que nunca entendí y nunca logré comprender, simplemente lo deje ahí, a veces ni supe que era verdad ni que mentira; la parte final, no entendí como se resolvió el asunto, solo entendí lo de la rueda de la reencarnación, ni siquiera entendí la situación del sello; el villano, nunca supe que era lo que quería, o tal vez nunca lo logré comprender.
Tal vez porque la cultura es tan distinta a la mía no logré entender del todo, pero logró entretenerme bastante y pues me gustó más la serie, aunque quizá algunos no ? pero está es mi opinión ?
March 18, 2013
5++++ stars! I'll admit, the premise wasn't exactly original, but the author put a lot of thought and imagination into the plot and the characters and it was beautiful. Beautiful. Maybe my only complaint will be the fade-to-black sex, but whoa, what a ride, 420k+ words dudes and dudettes! I loved the characters, loved the story, loved the humor, loved the dynamic...gahhh needless to say, this has now become one of my top 3 BL favorites. I'm a total sucker for lovesick tops with unrequited love, and 5000+ years of that just had me holding my breath and feeling the wrench in my heart indeed. Not to mention, the reverse-mainstream dynamic was such a huge plus, lol! This fic was just so brilliant. Never had I wished for a happy ending as much as I have, and am I glad the characters got their HEA. I always knew the author was one of the most popular in the Chinese BL fandom but never really got into her works (mostly because of the characters/dynamic set-up), but now I understand why and that popularity is well-deserved.
Now, if the author would write some actual smut in the extra chapters...my life would be complete.
Now, if the author would write some actual smut in the extra chapters...my life would be complete.
September 11, 2020
“If death is chaos, then life is a never-ending struggle.”
This book made me realise that I did not pay enough attention when my grandparents tried to teach me about Chinese mythology ?
I'm honestly more mad at the drama for getting rid of mythology-centric plot (although I understand why it happened) and switching to a simple hero vs villain thing than for censoring the romance here, it's actually incredible how well it managed to portray the (b)romance despite the censorship laws. The two lead actors (especially the actor for Shen Wei) really carried the drama to be honest, because the plot rewrite was... Not great.
Novel Plot: 10/10
Drama Plot: 5/10
Novel Romance: 10/10
Drama (B)Romance: 9.5/10
Those not well versed in Chinese mythology (like me) will probably find the second half of this novel quite confusing, but it's well worth the time spent on Wikipedia doing some tangential learning along the way.
This book made me realise that I did not pay enough attention when my grandparents tried to teach me about Chinese mythology ?
I'm honestly more mad at the drama for getting rid of mythology-centric plot (although I understand why it happened) and switching to a simple hero vs villain thing than for censoring the romance here, it's actually incredible how well it managed to portray the (b)romance despite the censorship laws. The two lead actors (especially the actor for Shen Wei) really carried the drama to be honest, because the plot rewrite was... Not great.
Novel Plot: 10/10
Drama Plot: 5/10
Novel Romance: 10/10
Drama (B)Romance: 9.5/10
Those not well versed in Chinese mythology (like me) will probably find the second half of this novel quite confusing, but it's well worth the time spent on Wikipedia doing some tangential learning along the way.
October 9, 2022
Kiek visko daug ir kiek ryt?, dievybi?, kartais net priversdavo pasimesti, antgamti?ko pasaulio, kaip spalvinga, sukta ir apgalvota. Wow, kaip sak? Yunlan.
September 8, 2023
3.5 stars
i’ll be honest i didn’t understand anything plot wise for the last 40% of the book but weilan + the S.I.D. staff all own my heart ?
i’ll be honest i didn’t understand anything plot wise for the last 40% of the book but weilan + the S.I.D. staff all own my heart ?
March 19, 2025
This is a good novel and got a smoker for a main character. I like smoker type characters. That’s what I’ve found out after reading this novel.
I liked both Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. The first seems carefree and easy-going but when it’s important he’s serious, quite dependable, clear-headed, quick-witted and at times even cunning. All in all, it’s almost impossible to deceive him as Shen Wei found out after trying it more than once. He’s also cynical and romantic, childish and mature. And Shen Wei looks and acts like a typical scholar but underneath he’s almighty immortal who’s quite persistent in his love and belief and underneath this he’s rather vicious and egotistical. In short, both of them are of the contradictory type character.
The romance between them has its difficulties, ups and downs but compared to those in Meatbun’s works, it’s rather smooth, not overly extreme.
I enjoy both novels that involve gods and mythology, and novels that handle the concept of death. Guardian got both of them.
I enjoyed reading it and I’d recommend it to all lovers of both fantasy and romance.
March 24, 2020
Thank you kindly to all the translators for the English version!
August 29, 2021
watching the drama: the B in Bromance is really silent in this one
starts reading the novel: WHAT
starts reading the novel: WHAT
February 19, 2021
Si GR me dejara dar medias estrellas estaría chido porque sería un 3.5 para mí. Me gustó en general, pero me perdí mucho porque hay mucha, mucha mitología china y yo no sé ná de eso, y como siempre me pasa con los libros de los chinos me pierdo con los nombres jaja. Pero me gustó, me cayeron re bien los personajes. Nuevamente me gustó más una pareja secundaria que la pareja principal jaja.
May 11, 2020
I am rich with the wonders of the world. When you think of it, they are nothing but a few running creeks and lush mountains — nothing to be awed over. Out of everything I have, the only thing worth something is my sincere heart. You want it? Take it. — Lord Kunlan
TL:DR It’s a 4.5, 4 because of 欧宝娱乐 and the inability to give half stars. My concerns are largely my own. It's a complex story in the latter half that relies on time travel, reincarnation, mythos, romance and lies to fulfil its promise. The book is not the web series they share a name, character names and some plot points, their details are different. A big that you to the translators for all their hard work.
I’m going to be completely honest and say that while I enjoyed Guardian I really didn’t know what to make of it towards the end. It felt like Priest changed her pacing, realised that the end was nearing and had to find a way to wrap it all up. I have never read any sort of romantically inclined story that is as convoluted and complex as this in its last maybe 20%. It relies quite heavily on mythos, mystery and your investment in the characters to be understood.
Some of my issues may have come from the translation I was reading. At this point, the translator changed and she was using a more complex language, possibly using more Romanisation and keeping truer to terms used by Priest rather than simply anglicising. It was a bit to wrap my head around, who is that, where is that, and what does that mean? None were new in the source material but they were to me. In all fairness to the novel it likely would also make more sense if I was better versed in Chinese origin mythos, I know just enough to try and follow it.
Despite how it may appear I truly appreciated the ending though. It felt right. It felt like the build-up was leading to something big (even it did suffer from that pacing problem). I think I will need to reread this in a few months and see if I can follow it any better the next time around. I liked the characters. I came in with a favourite and that didn’t change. Da Qing is fantastically sassy, he is exactly what you expect when you think of a several thousand-year-old cat, who apparently looks like a black version of Garfield. The leading men are likeable and multifaceted, there is a mystery around both of them for the entire book, no one in play knows the whole truth about anyone. The bizarre little side plot between Chu and Gao is interesting for me and I really wish Priest had done a bit more with it. Unfortunately, the women are scarce and more than a little propey. The writing isn’t the best but I think it suffers taken out of its original language, I can see the loss of lyricism and tempo. Even without that there are some questionable moments that I won’t go into but let’s just say context and sense of self is a thing.
This is a BL in potentially it’s sweetest form while sexual contact is noted and Shen Wei and Zhou Yunlan are decidedly a couple, Priest doesn’t write it in detail (thankfully, sorry her writing style does not suit it). I did struggle with some of the writing. The terms “husband” and “wife” are used by ZYL, I think it is supposed to be indicative or cutsie but it feels off. Not just because of my idiot western brain, I think it might have to do with English’s clunkiness. I’m not convinced that those terms are a direct translation.
Finally a note on the drama. Calling the web series “Guardian” an adaptation of this work is disrespectful to them both. This is a BL with the cases the group solve intrinsically connected to the leading men, Sen Wei and Zhou Yunlan and their past. The web series is more of a police drama. The cases in the novel are used but the series has added many more (and a mini-boss if you will) to replace the WeiLan romance because censorship. It has used the same supporting characters but changed them substantially. Notably Lin Jing from a “fake monk” to a tech. Chi Shizui is drastically different from a “corpse king” to a physical fighter. Da Qing is still a cat but he spends most of his time in human form, which is a shame because his cat form is quite accurate. It exerts much more creativity than the standard adaptation. If you like the one you will likely enjoy the other, they are similar but not the same.
Because I haven’t finished the drama, I stopped reading while reading this, I’m halfway through, I still have one extra chapter left. Extra #4 the fix it Priest wrote for the drama(I do know some of what is coming. I see more tears and pain in my near future). The other extras do add something. They explain the ending, they make things more on and they don’t detract from the experience, unlike one book which shall remain nameless.
No wonder the old saying goes like this: For love, the living can die, and the dead can once again live. The living who feareth death, and the dead who cannot again live, art those who love enow not. — Shen Wei
A representative gif:
October 27, 2022
4,5?? Al principio no le tenía mucha fe a la historia, pero después de unos capítulos quede súper enganchada KSJDKKS es muy tierna la relación que tienen Shen Wei y Zhao Yulan ??? 100% recomendado
December 21, 2019
I watched the series first then read the novel then found out that the novel ten times more good and beautiful than the live action.
This is my first novel from Priest, and it definitely won't be the last cuz I'm in love with the writing!!!
Recommended!!!
This is my first novel from Priest, and it definitely won't be the last cuz I'm in love with the writing!!!
Recommended!!!
Read
June 7, 2022Caught covid and decided to make my way through this book. Yeah this is the one priest book I just can't get behind. Convoluted plot, slow pace, and lacking the characteristic wit and charm of priest's writing... This was very hard to get through honestly. I ended up DNFing at about 80% again.
October 16, 2021
★★★★☆ [4/5 stars]
November 1, 2023
This had the potential to be a 5? but Priest lost me in the last 20 chapters. I was constantly spacing out and the overly complicated plot kinda threw me off (look, I know it's my fault but I can't find a good reason for it to be this...tangled).
Also although I loved Shen Wei in the first part of the book (I still love him, don't get me wrong), I found myself frustrated with some decisions he made.
All in all, I did manage to finish it and I really enjoyed it for the most part but I am sad because it had the potential to be even better than Sha Po Lang and take the throne as Priest's best book but in the end it didn't.
Ah, I also really enjoyed the secondary characters as well, it's giving me a found family vibe. And Yunlan himself deserves a 5?.
Overall, 4?/5
Also although I loved Shen Wei in the first part of the book (I still love him, don't get me wrong), I found myself frustrated with some decisions he made.
All in all, I did manage to finish it and I really enjoyed it for the most part but I am sad because it had the potential to be even better than Sha Po Lang and take the throne as Priest's best book but in the end it didn't.
Ah, I also really enjoyed the secondary characters as well, it's giving me a found family vibe. And Yunlan himself deserves a 5?.
Overall, 4?/5
July 26, 2024
I had to give it four stars for the sheer…the sheerness of it all. Wanna start by saying: congratulations to me. I finished this 861 page book in two days flat, with nothing but the Lego Monkie kid cartoon and my unwillingness to click links to guide me through what, TO ME, was absolutely a dense and haphazardly signposted path into what I think is….not completely orthodox Chinese mythology. Good for me, he who only ever reads books that cap off that like 200-300 pages. If that.
Anyway, as such, I am going to have real difficulty even beginning to recount what the plot of this book was. I picked this up because I saw a gif set of the drama and tried getting through an episode. Then realised it was adapted from a BOOK, then realised that book was a WEBNOVEL and then realised that webnovel had no official English translation, then realised some dedicated volunteers had taken upon themselves the task of providing just that to the masses. So I began.
I love when there’s a ragtag bunch of weirdos and outcasts with attitude who have some sort of urban paranormal setting to work with. So that was something I was really excited to read about and the first part of the book was kind of fascinating in how it went about setting this world up. We’re introduced to my favourite character archetype: the Butt-Monkey, the pathetic wet flop with a heart of gold, Guo Changcheng who’s an absolute nervous wreck trying to find his new office building at 2:30am. He’s been recruited on good word from his uncle into a special magical cop department led by the notorious Chief Zhao Yunlan, a kind of reckless scoundrel type, but also known for being really cool and dangerous. (He’d like to think so).
Anyway Zhao is our real main character, and the first arc of the story involves him and Guo, along with the other members of the SIB (their magical cop department) solving the mystery of a murdered student on a nearby University campus. Basically, they investigate crimes that involve supernatural/mythological creatures like ghosts and evil shadow beasts and zombies and animated skeletons, oh my! The like, you see. While investigating at the Uni, Zhao runs into the enigmatic but strangely familiar Professor Shen Wei. Shen Wei ends up helping them a little in their investigation while Zhao remains oddly drawn to him. It turns their paths are way more intertwined than he thinks.
Their dynamic is the heart of the book, the way it evolves its characters and the way their characters reveal layers and contradictions and histories every chapter is so fascinating and compelling; and it all weaves together at this grander than life, death and the universe scope…like, it’s truly incredible, trying to recount it from this humble beginning.
But yes, the story really starts off with a low-stakes but twisty mystery of a murdered girl that soon spirals into a web of intrigue involving Underworld politics, a restless ghost, evil demons, patricide and ends on an ominous note about some terrible prophecy about to become true…
I keep listing things but the book really piles on the mysteries. I don’t know if it’s ‘cause I’m particularly dense but questions pile up on one another as the clues float out of reach and then suddenly all is revealed as if it was so tremendously obvious all along and then it. Keeps. Going. Each major ‘arc’ leaves several plot threads hanging; paid off maybe in the very next arc or continually revisited and recast until the literal climax of the story. That’s what the story largely hinges on, to be honest, everything, details and the stories and histories and myths getting wrapped up in one another and unfurling over and over until you get to a truthful sequence of events that actually explains the whole thing.
The story transitions from its seemingly mystery/monster of the week premise to be revealed for what it’s actually about: a grand scale tale about warring deities and ancient artefacts and hidden reincarnations. Four magical artefacts and the magical seal on the Earth are at stake, and this is the main plot that drives the story forward with propulsive momentum. Information and worldbuilding is delivered and absorbed into the story’s plot without warning and without stopping for you. Maybe it’s a lost-in-translation thing, maybe it’s a webnovel-adapted-to-a-book thing or maybe a I-truly-have-not-a-clue-of-head-or-tails-of-Chinese-creation-mythology-or-folklore thing but genuinely mind-bending to keep up with every development. At a certain point I just experienced it all as I would a fantastically magical realism book; you know, it all makes sense as a vibe. A state of mind. The flow state. You just kind of let it wash over you, and the minute and fleeting connections made by the brain carry you over in a state of enlightened yet shallow understanding. Ideal.
Long-winded way of saying: yeah I totally know what the plot of this book was, don’t even worry about it. Zhao needs learn the truth of the four artefacts and keep the seal from breaking. He has to figure out his true identity. He has to figure out the meaning of life and death. He has to come out to his parents and also try to get his immortal dad-god’s bowl to stop possessing his mortal bio-dad. Shenanigans.
Anyway, as such, I am going to have real difficulty even beginning to recount what the plot of this book was. I picked this up because I saw a gif set of the drama and tried getting through an episode. Then realised it was adapted from a BOOK, then realised that book was a WEBNOVEL and then realised that webnovel had no official English translation, then realised some dedicated volunteers had taken upon themselves the task of providing just that to the masses. So I began.
I love when there’s a ragtag bunch of weirdos and outcasts with attitude who have some sort of urban paranormal setting to work with. So that was something I was really excited to read about and the first part of the book was kind of fascinating in how it went about setting this world up. We’re introduced to my favourite character archetype: the Butt-Monkey, the pathetic wet flop with a heart of gold, Guo Changcheng who’s an absolute nervous wreck trying to find his new office building at 2:30am. He’s been recruited on good word from his uncle into a special magical cop department led by the notorious Chief Zhao Yunlan, a kind of reckless scoundrel type, but also known for being really cool and dangerous. (He’d like to think so).
Anyway Zhao is our real main character, and the first arc of the story involves him and Guo, along with the other members of the SIB (their magical cop department) solving the mystery of a murdered student on a nearby University campus. Basically, they investigate crimes that involve supernatural/mythological creatures like ghosts and evil shadow beasts and zombies and animated skeletons, oh my! The like, you see. While investigating at the Uni, Zhao runs into the enigmatic but strangely familiar Professor Shen Wei. Shen Wei ends up helping them a little in their investigation while Zhao remains oddly drawn to him. It turns their paths are way more intertwined than he thinks.
Their dynamic is the heart of the book, the way it evolves its characters and the way their characters reveal layers and contradictions and histories every chapter is so fascinating and compelling; and it all weaves together at this grander than life, death and the universe scope…like, it’s truly incredible, trying to recount it from this humble beginning.
But yes, the story really starts off with a low-stakes but twisty mystery of a murdered girl that soon spirals into a web of intrigue involving Underworld politics, a restless ghost, evil demons, patricide and ends on an ominous note about some terrible prophecy about to become true…
I keep listing things but the book really piles on the mysteries. I don’t know if it’s ‘cause I’m particularly dense but questions pile up on one another as the clues float out of reach and then suddenly all is revealed as if it was so tremendously obvious all along and then it. Keeps. Going. Each major ‘arc’ leaves several plot threads hanging; paid off maybe in the very next arc or continually revisited and recast until the literal climax of the story. That’s what the story largely hinges on, to be honest, everything, details and the stories and histories and myths getting wrapped up in one another and unfurling over and over until you get to a truthful sequence of events that actually explains the whole thing.
The story transitions from its seemingly mystery/monster of the week premise to be revealed for what it’s actually about: a grand scale tale about warring deities and ancient artefacts and hidden reincarnations. Four magical artefacts and the magical seal on the Earth are at stake, and this is the main plot that drives the story forward with propulsive momentum. Information and worldbuilding is delivered and absorbed into the story’s plot without warning and without stopping for you. Maybe it’s a lost-in-translation thing, maybe it’s a webnovel-adapted-to-a-book thing or maybe a I-truly-have-not-a-clue-of-head-or-tails-of-Chinese-creation-mythology-or-folklore thing but genuinely mind-bending to keep up with every development. At a certain point I just experienced it all as I would a fantastically magical realism book; you know, it all makes sense as a vibe. A state of mind. The flow state. You just kind of let it wash over you, and the minute and fleeting connections made by the brain carry you over in a state of enlightened yet shallow understanding. Ideal.
Long-winded way of saying: yeah I totally know what the plot of this book was, don’t even worry about it. Zhao needs learn the truth of the four artefacts and keep the seal from breaking. He has to figure out his true identity. He has to figure out the meaning of life and death. He has to come out to his parents and also try to get his immortal dad-god’s bowl to stop possessing his mortal bio-dad. Shenanigans.
September 11, 2023
5 stars for the humor
April 12, 2025
This was fun reading
January 11, 2021
From that night, you really belonged to me […] and I could no longer let you go
Priest es otra de estas autoras indie que tuve la oportunidad de descubrir el a?o pasado gracias a que empecé a leer más novelas de este mundillo y género. Una curiosidad es que no solo se dedica a escribir libros, sino trabaja en televisión como productora y escritora de guiones originales y es bastante famosa, por lo que muchos doramas han tenido su supervisión directa antes de emitirse.
Es además una autora muy prolífica. Guardian es de sus primeras novelas y toca los temas típicos de esta clase de libros: fantasía, romance, dos amantes trágicos, aunque en este caso no es la China ancestral sino la actual pero con toques de fantasía y mitología china, un urban fantasy que parece una cosa a primera vista y luego es otra muy distinta. En esta ocasión, he visto mucho más peso en el worldbuilding que no tanto en la relación de sus dos protagonistas, Zhao Yunlan y Shen Wei, unidos por el destino miles de a?os atrás y que se vuelven a encontrar reencarnados, aunque todavía unidos a ese destino que compartieron hace ya tanto tiempo atrás. A raíz de un primer encuentro algo tumultuoso, ambos comienzan una amistad que poco a poco va derivando en algo más a medida que se va desplegando todo un mundo mágico detrás de ellos y que les devuelve a esos milenios atrás a pesar de que la memoria de Zhao se haya perdido por el camino.
El argumento es complicado, da muchos giros y es muy pesado de digerir. Le he puesto buena puntuación a la novela porque crear un mundo tan intricado y basado directamente en mitología china que encaje tan bien en la actualidad, y teniendo de peso dos protagonistas tan carismáticos, tiene su mérito. Pero son tres estrellas emocionales y de reconocimiento y porque la pareja merece todo el amor del mundo porque son fantásticos juntos, pero lo que es la novela en sí… no. Me ha costado un mundo terminar este libro, y no es que Priest escriba mal porque creo que lo hace de maravilla: es que creo que no ha sabido desmenuzar la información de la manera más adecuada para hacer que la novela fluya mejor, y segundo, que la traducción es terrible. No estoy en posición de criticar, puesto que está traducida por amor al arte igual que las novelas que he leído anteriormente, y esas personas que han trabajado tanto para que estos escritos salgan adelante sin recibir nada a cambio merecen todo el reconocimiento y el apoyo posible. Pero no puedo dejar de se?alar lo pésimas que eran algunas frases, algunos capítulos eran literalmente ininteligibles y al final he terminado la novela con solo dos o tres ideas claras de las casi ochocientas páginas que tiene, y es una pena. Personalmente, la recomendaría después de haber leído otros títulos bastante más cuidados en cuanto a traducción y la propia historia en sí, pero no como primera opción.
Por cierto, esta novela tiene dorama, aunque para nada fiel a la historia original y aunque tiene un cast bastante famoso, ha sido bastante controversial debido a su falta de fidelidad. Pero debido al gran éxito de los doramas basados en esta clase de novelas a raíz de The Untamed (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, primera novela que leí de este género y que rese?é por aquí), han decidido tomar otros títulos de Priest y adaptarlos a la peque?a pantalla y espero que sean un gran éxito. Tiene mucha maestría con el worldbuilding y un buen storytelling, pero como ya he dicho, aquí le ha fallado un poco la ejecución y además la traducción no ha ayudado demasiado. Aun así, tengo otros títulos de ella esperando y a los que daré una oportunidad.
If death is chaos, then life is a never-ending struggle
October 23, 2020
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Hm, how do I say this? I just didn't understand what was going on because everything was really confusing and even when the story reached its climax, it just felt really underwhelming to me.
The pacing was off and it was only more than halfway through that I thought, "finally, something's happening" but soon after, I lost interest all over again. In my opinion, there were too many elements in this book that weren't well developed and fell flat, and the story was very convoluted for the sake of being convoluted. It was tiring for me to finish reading this.
I also couldn't connect with any of the characters, especially the MCs and I thought that the interactions between the main couple felt forced? It was kind of weird and I wasn't invested in them at all, which greatly contributed to me not liking this story since the romance was pretty heavy/apparent in this novel.
I did like some of the side characters that were funnier such as the fat cat and fake monk, but overall most of the characters were quite dull and coupled with the muddling plot, my interest couldn't be captured, unlike with her other novel 'Silent Reading'/默读 which is one of the best novels I have read in 2020.
The extras were fun and cute though but I would not reread this.
Hm, how do I say this? I just didn't understand what was going on because everything was really confusing and even when the story reached its climax, it just felt really underwhelming to me.
The pacing was off and it was only more than halfway through that I thought, "finally, something's happening" but soon after, I lost interest all over again. In my opinion, there were too many elements in this book that weren't well developed and fell flat, and the story was very convoluted for the sake of being convoluted. It was tiring for me to finish reading this.
I also couldn't connect with any of the characters, especially the MCs and I thought that the interactions between the main couple felt forced? It was kind of weird and I wasn't invested in them at all, which greatly contributed to me not liking this story since the romance was pretty heavy/apparent in this novel.
I did like some of the side characters that were funnier such as the fat cat and fake monk, but overall most of the characters were quite dull and coupled with the muddling plot, my interest couldn't be captured, unlike with her other novel 'Silent Reading'/默读 which is one of the best novels I have read in 2020.
The extras were fun and cute though but I would not reread this.
July 25, 2021
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are, both, AMAZING. THEY ARE AMAZING. YES. Their dynamic is very interesting to read and all of the characters esp them in SIU are so cute and lovable. (Yes, Da Qing, especially YOU, Your Honour, are the BEST). I love the plot and the mysteries too. Very unique and page turning. All of the fantasy aspects and mythological references are the best too. Add in all the funny jokes and it's an absolute 5/5.
But sadly, I could say that the writing is kinda "too abrupt" ?? some parts are gone (?) i guess. and there are tons of confusing holes that need a lot of times to be unfolded, which really make this book need a second reread to actually make the readers could link the whole clues. It can be because the vocabularies are so rich, there are a lot of classical poems, and tons of distant mythological references, and i'm especially dumb that makes this book so difficult to understand, but overall there are indeed really too much of it that needed to be read over and over again with double effort to get what it means so it's really a hard read.
Still good tho. 3.5/5.
But sadly, I could say that the writing is kinda "too abrupt" ?? some parts are gone (?) i guess. and there are tons of confusing holes that need a lot of times to be unfolded, which really make this book need a second reread to actually make the readers could link the whole clues. It can be because the vocabularies are so rich, there are a lot of classical poems, and tons of distant mythological references, and i'm especially dumb that makes this book so difficult to understand, but overall there are indeed really too much of it that needed to be read over and over again with double effort to get what it means so it's really a hard read.
Still good tho. 3.5/5.
May 26, 2021
I started this under the impression it was a sci-fi novel, which it isn't, so I didn't really get what I thought I would out of it. It's more Chinese mythology intersecting with modern supernatural police drama. Still cool, but creation mythology generally isn't of much interest to me. I liked the Zhao/Shen interactions, Guo is adorable, and the Guo/Chu interactions were pretty great as well. Zhu as a character was cool, but the unrequited love angle and misogyny associated with her was tiresome. Overall pretty good.
May 27, 2021
3.5 stars
I love Priest and I will read everything she writes.
Guardian the novel worked a little bit less than Guardian the tv series for me. I liked the main duo dynamics better in the tv series but I definitely recommend to experience both.
My favorite quote from the book: “There is probably this one thing about me that’s worth a little something: my heart. You want it? Take it.”
I love Priest and I will read everything she writes.
Guardian the novel worked a little bit less than Guardian the tv series for me. I liked the main duo dynamics better in the tv series but I definitely recommend to experience both.
My favorite quote from the book: “There is probably this one thing about me that’s worth a little something: my heart. You want it? Take it.”
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