Notes of a Desolate Libra

The story goes between horror and adventure, complete with 1000+ vampires/mummies(!?)/dead bodies/curses/monstrous plants/zombies/etc. There are bits that freaked the heck out of me, but you'd be surprised after the 8th time a decaying fellow jumps out at you from the shadows of an ancient grave... you sort of grow numb. I still don’t like the snakes and bugs though, which also run aplenty. What I enjoy the most is the suspense... and the rather lively cast of characters.

Main Characters:

Xie: The protagonist. He starts off as a good for nothing somewhat spoiled clueless young man, but gradually develops into a more mature character. He doesn’t have a very defined character, but I guess it’s easier to write very two-dimensional characters with strong personalities. The way the story’s going, it seems he’s pushed onto center stage and there’s more and more mystery surround his past and his family. I’m very much interested to see where that leads us.
Kylin Zhang: He is by FAR the most popular character in the story, though that may no longer be the case when the comics hits the US, since Americans seem to generally like to align themselves with the main character. What makes him an interesting character is that his past is completely shrouded in mystery but he seems to have some superhuman powers that command the vampire-zombies as well as keep away bugs (!). He also has the coolest weapon (a black sword) in the book and generally saves the day whenever it’s necessary. The strong silent type. Yea, you wonder why he’s popular.
Uncle 3: Sometimes he seems to be the puppeteer, sometimes the puppet. The only thing for sure is that he knows a lot that he is not telling. He is the one who brings everyone together and also the one who leads them into danger again and again. But in the end, we find out that he’s not who he seems to be either.
Pan: Devout follower of Uncle3 and a tough ex-soldier.
Fatty: Comic relief but is witty and cunning in his own way. Of course, he is also greedy, reckless, and annoying at other times. Every book/show needs one of these.
Lin: In the first arc, she is one of the few main female characters. She is strong, fearless, and… well… not quite like a woman except for that she’s described as have a very enticing figure.
The pace of the story is pretty quick (a nice contrast with the writing speed of the author), the mood fun and light (mostly, at least until recent chapters), and the dialogue fitting. I hate it when characters start sprouting things that are so out of character that you KNOW it’s only done for fan gratification. NUncle3 (not to be mixed up with Uncle3) is good at laying down the mysteries, but so far I’m still in a cloud. I’m not in a rush to find out all the answers, but I think for most fans the wait is intolerable. The main thread is still being dragged out although part of the side threads have been resolved.
Starting with the first story (grave), the Palace of the Seven Stars, the story seems to be taking the readers deeper and deeper in an expansive mystery that in the final arc takes us to an ancient (extinct?) civilization that apparently has a huge meteor in its core. The author promises that he won’t drag out aliens in the end, but no one is quite sure how he is going to tie everything together.

The segments are (NOT official translations):
Palace of the Seven Stars
Castle in the Roaring Seas
Hill of the Divine Tree
Palace in the Clouds
Swamp Kingdom
Each represent a different gravesite that they hit, and the author promises that they’ll all link together in the end. If you speak Chinese, this is a good book to read at your leisure. It’s a very fast read and generally interesting. Of course, if you’re one who HATES being left hanging you may want to reconsider. Personally the end of the first arc didn’t do much for me, but at least some of the questions were answered. I think people who are interested into the culture and history of tombraiding would definitely find this an enjoyable read. For English readers, this will soon be a comic, so no worries, you get the illustrations along with the storyline. Mr. W Sullivan did mention that the plot will be somewhat changed… probably to fit the taste of the American audience? I’m half fearing and have curious. I guess we will know probably sometime next year.
I hate to link to Baidu, but since that's the trend in China, I will present you with their DaoMu website (obviously Chinese only).

I think I just want to be the first one to review this book in English. :)

This book, written by NUncle3, is enjoying quite a wave of popularity in the Chinese novel world. I didn't read it until the end of the first Arc (supposedly there are only 2) but the main thread is STILL not done. It's been a few years in the making, but I suspect it'll take another while for it to be done. The Comic version is coming out later in the year (in October, I believe) in China and already they have had very successful talks with American companies. The English version won’t be released until the second volume, but it’s on the way. The style of the comic as drawn by Mr. W. Sullivan (I feel) is very much in the same vein as traditional GI Joe type brawn-flexing, weapons-flashing, head-flinging action. Ok, the art is actually much more sophisticated than that, at least from the samples that I've seen from Mr. W. The cg art is pretty breathtaking, even to an untrained eye like my own.

I hate to link to Baidu, but since that's the trend in China, I will present you with their DaoMu website (obviously Chinese only).

First let us go to the background of the story.

The story is of a gang of grave robbers/diggers who runs around and explores (pillages) ancient grave sites, usually the characters whose gravesites that they hit are half based in Chinese history. That part intrigues me immensely. I guess this particular “art” even, of grave robbing, is very much Chinese. Like the ancient Egyptians, there are often horror and fascinating stories of curses and traps built into the eternal resting places for those of high status. Although, as far as I know, these Chinese are the only ones who have such elaborate burial services not just for the royals, but also for high officials and well to do merchants. Thus, an entire industry was born of people who are trained in deciphering and dismantling all the booby traps set up by the ancients to protect their tombs. In Chinese culture, tombs are especially important because of the art called “Fung Shui.” Many (most) Chinese people believe (even to this day) that where your ancestors (or you) are buried will have an immense impact on the fortunes of your descendants. This need to prepare for the future highlights even further the need for a well chosen good Fung Shui grave site. Unfortunately whatever riches and fortune they wanted to leave their line of progeny usually ends up in someone else’s arms.

(to be continued...)

盜墓筆記

很正經地說吧，其實...我很單純地想成爲第一個為筆記寫英文書評的人。（死）其實也沒差啦，我覺得這部小説滿有趣的。說它多有深度，老實說也沒什麽特別的。但是就是好玩。有時候看書就是爲了輕鬆一下，干嘛要那麽沉重呢？

盜墓是一個好朋友介紹我看的。我用了3-4天時間把第一卷全部看完，還真是不容易。近年來我看文越來越挑，基本上除了有限的幾個保持水準的作家，我都是懶得看了。所以這次能夠那麽快看完這本還真是神奇。

我挺喜歡裏面的角色，包括主角天真（不對，該是吳邪）、三叔、胖子、當然還有大家（包括本人）都最喜歡的張起靈。這也不用多說了。我覺得如果你對盜墓這門學問有興趣，或者單純地想看一個好玩刺激的冒險懸疑故事，我大力推薦。當然，如果你不喜歡掉坑，那你還是再等個幾年，讓小三叔他寫完再看吧。