Wandering Back In

It's been quite a long time since I last enjoyed this particular corner of LT, and I thought it worthwhile to peek in and say "hello". Life got...well, interesting is not the right word. Let's say I lost my taste for talking online for quite a while. But now I am starting to like people again ;).

More currently, I've fallen victim to the Light Novel subgenre, as well as falling into manga again (what's the saying? Manga and anime -- drugs would be cheaper). The whole wuxia fantasy ancient China stuff has really caught my attention and I'm neck deep in series that won't end for a while (against all my better judgment!) Has anyone else been similarly drawn in? Want to share recommendations, discuss tropes, compare theories, or whisper dark secrets about it?

Hello! I'm not into manga but welcome back to the GD! Hope you're enjoying yourself.

Hi! I read quite a bit of manga, so I'd happy to talk about it. As for wuxia etc, I've grown interested, but I haven't dived in completely. I've been slowly making my way through "Love Between Fairy and Devil" on Netflix and enjoying it very much. I also have Heaven's Official's Blessing vol 1 on my bookshelf waiting to be read - hopefully I'll get to it this year.

>3 Alexandra_book_life: I never thought I'd be into manga, but I find that I keep wandering back to it every few years. Heaven Official's Blessing is a great series that I really enjoyed (so much so that, after reading most of it in ebook version, I'm buying the print books because Beautiful Art). Two seasons of the donghua (animation) are on Crunchyroll (season 1 was on Netflix, but I'm not sure of the status there), and the English dub is quite excellent (I usually go with subtitles).

>1 Murphy-Jacobs: Nice to meet you.

I don’t really read manga or Japanese light novels, but my daughter was very much into them in Jr High and High School. Now that she’s in college she hasn’t had as much time for them, but those are her go-to genres when she reads fiction. Not sure what some of her favorites are now.

I’ve been dipping my toes in wuxia in recent years. Really enjoyed Jin Yong’s Condor Heroes a few years ago. I’m waiting for more of The Return of the Condor Heroes to be released in English before I start the follow-up series. I also like JF Lee’s Tales of the Swordsman series and related books. He’s an indie author.

I just finished and thoroughly enjoyed Sherwood Smith’s wuxia-inspired Phoenix Feather series. I actually liked it better than Wesley Chu’s War Arts series — mainly because I prefer characters in Smith’s series, and Chu’s books feel more Hollywood in style and treatment.

Anyway, I’m interested in more wuxia novels, always loking for good recs.

>5 ludmillalotaria: I read mostly from the Chinese authors -- the whole "webnovel" thing that has become something of a publishing powerhouse as the translations come to the US. There are a LOT of them, and several sub-sub genre niches. Honestly, the place I learn the most is TV Tropes.

I have some of the Sherwood Smith books on my shelves, but haven't dived in as yet (because the books I've already started reading are too numerous, and have even triggered MY guilt reflex).

One series that I've found really exceptional is Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang. It has earned the label 'silkpunk' because it is a Chinese take on steampunk, and really shakes up the cliches and tropes in ways I like. The writing/translation is better than average. Lots of politics, some pretty great fight scenes, and characters I really find intriguing, and the romance thread running through it has my attention -- very slow burn. The next book comes out at midnight tonight and I've been itching for it for weeks.

>6 Murphy-Jacobs: I’ve been reading more traditional wuxia. I haven’t delved into the sub sub genres such as danmei, which emphasizes male romantic relationships. I’m pretty sure my daughter has, though, but we haven’t talked about what she’s read or watched lately. Given how long many of the series are they can be a real time sink. I think I read too slow and get distracted to keep up with long series like that.

You’re right about the explosion of books coming out in English in the sub-genres and the growing market for them. It’s pretty amazing how specialized the language for the tropes, type of story, etc, has become. I’ve only had very limited exposure to it, mainly through listening to my daughter talk to her friends about them.

For those who like wuxia, I recommend The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho. It's a fun novella.

>4 Murphy-Jacobs: Good to know, thanks! I'd like to check out the animation too.

>8 reconditereader: This one is on my list! I enjoy Zen Cho's writing :)

>1 Murphy-Jacobs: Hello and welcome back!

>11 Karlstar: It has been a while! I was glancing through the charts and graphs, and I last posted around here in 2014! Blessings on finally getting on proper medication!

>12 Murphy-Jacobs: Start a thread or jump in on one. What do you usually read?

>13 Karlstar: Right now I'm going through a light novel/manga thing, mostly in the historical/alternate world based on Ancient China, but I read whatever interests me at the moment. Lots of various genres in SF and Fantasy, nonfiction on whatever looks good or is on my mind, some lit fic. My current goal is trying to finish all the books (nearly 18!) that I started and for one reason or another paused, but still want to read. I have a collection for them, because I'm sure to do it again.

Mostly I'm trying to find my feet in being active online again. Once it was the center of my life, but the last 10 years I've left it.

I definitely have that thing where I start multiple books and then pause them indefinitely....

>1 Murphy-Jacobs: It's good to see you back here again!