Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1

Mo Dao Zu Shi is the book that the drama Chen Qing Ling aka The Untamed was based on.The story follows the adventures of Wei Wuxian, a cultivator who has been mysteriously resurrected 13 years after his own death, and is split between the events happening to him in the present time and several flashbacks to events that happened in the past that ultimately lead to his death. The real mystery though is why his old acquaintance Lan Wangji is being so nice to him...This book is hard to quantify, because it is on the one hand a lighthearted, fluffy danmei (bl) love story about two friends with romantic tension on an adventure to solve a mystery, and on the other a deeply painful story about a traumatized person trying live on despite the terrible things that have happened to him, partly due to his own actions and partly due to circumstances beyond his control. Is Wei Wuxian a happy fool or a tortured genius? Was he a selfish villain or a tragic hero? Who is telling the truth about the past and who is lying? It's not always possible to know the answer to these questions: Wei Wuxian will often make an assertion about something that he believes was true, which will then be directly contradicted in the very next flashback scene. Every character has their own point of view on what is right and what is wrong based on their own past experiences, and so it's hard not to relate to almost all of them even if they have clearly done terrible, unforgivable things.The Xianxia aspects of this story are present but are very secondary to the plot. None of the main characters are more than 40 years old and no one has more than 2 or 3 different spiritual tools. Although many of them are noted to have a high level of cultivation, cultivation levels are never discussed in detail and there is only one immortal cultivator mentioned in the story who never appears. Far more significant are the politics and power balance between the 5 major cultivation sects and the various personalities that control them. Despite this I hesitate to call the setting "low magic." It's definitely low magic for Xianxia, but if you're only familiar with western fantasy novels then this won't really seem like low magic to you.If you do not know what "Xianxia" is, I would recommend that you read up on it a bit before reading this book. You will probably be able to figure out most of it eventually, but because it's a common genre, nothing is going to be explained about it in detail.There have been several unofficial attempts to translate Mo Dao Zu Shi but only one of them managed to succeed at translating the entire work. I'm not sure this is the best translation attempt I've seen, but if they manage to finish the entire novel it will be by far the best complete translation. In general it's an easy read with a deceptively light tone. They have left some of the honorifics, idiomatic words, titles, and relationship-based titles untranslated due to there being no English language equivalent. I think most people who read translated works approve of this: I certainly do. A glossary, for readers who don't speak or read Chinese, of all the words that are left untranslated is provided in the back of the book, as well as some general world information and a very brief guide on how to pronounce pinyin words and specifically how to pronounce the main characters' names.There are also several black and white interior illustrations that are absolutely beautiful. They aren't from the original Chinese version of the book, but they are still fantastic and really add something to this edition.Now on to the less fun part: Caveats and warnings.NOTE: I try to avoid saying too much but if you are the kind of person who wants to avoid knowing anything at all about a book before reading it, then maybe skip this section.1. Yaoi/Danmei tropes: This book is at it's heart a romance novel about two men that was not written by a gay man. Most of it's fans are women. So there are some things in it that may not be accurate to a realistic relationship between two men. This becomes a more obvious issue in later volumes but it's still worth mentioning. If you are familiar with yaoi manga and other danmei stories then it's the same kind of stuff although I will say that Mo Dao Zu Shi isn't as bad as many I have seen.2. Period typical homophobia: The setting that the story is taking place in is a historical setting and so there is definitely some of that period typical homophobia. In this setting same sex relationships are not strictly forbidden, but they aren't seen as being part of polite society and people who are known to be gay are not viewed as criminals, but they are not generally treated very well. This also effects the way the main characters view themselves and behave.3. Period typical sexism: Women don't have it easy in this series, they are either constantly struggling to have any kind of agency or are content to accept their role as secondary. Many of the supporting characters, especially the villains, are extremely sexist and cruel to women and girls, and there's mentions of sexual assault having happened in the past. I don't think it's gratuitous and the main character doesn't engage in this behavior at all, but it's definitely there.4. Extreme violence: Despite it's lighthearted façade, there is a lot of detailed and graphic violence. People get ripped apart, tortured, and various other terrible deaths.5. The 18+ rating is not for show. There's nothing in this volume, but there are some pretty explicit sexy scenes later on in the story. This series works hard to earn it's rating.Despite not being a perfect book it's really hard not to love Mo Dao Zu Shi once you get into it. The characters are all just so interesting and the romance is worth sticking around for the later volumes.

Kept me interested from beginning to end. Not normally into books like this but it was captivating. I can't wait to read the next book.

I loved this book so much can wait to get the second volume and continue this amazing story!! I’ve seen the show and anime multiple times and I can’t stop loving it so much 🫶🏼🫶🏼

I prefer them in the present, than via memories of the past, because you can see the romantic relationship & humour develop. Like sleeping together in the same bed, Lan Zhan adorably drunk…the kids‘ imitation scene at the end of this book)I mean, I’even been obsessed with this world since I was 18 - so 3 years ago - it was up on a website for free (the translation & all the chapters) - now, that website is taken down - the moment that it was developed into the kindle edition. Anyway, the text is not that different from the one on that website - it was leisurely translated back then by someone. I’ve watched the anime version and Untamed - but they’ve made them friends there. I’m so pissed at that. I prefer the book version. I wish there would be more - a continuation - like with the juniors - Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi - something that involves them. It would amazing to see a romance of any of them. And to see Wei Wuxian & Lan Zhan - glimpses of them. I wish the author would do that - next gen. Or just more of Wei Wuxian & Lan Zhan - maybe they get kids? I mean, Lan Sizhui doesn’t count, since they never raised him together. Or maybe combine the Heaven’s official Blessing - another series by the author, and this world - to create more adventures. Maybe a portal that travels between the 2. And continue the story this way.

Shipped quickly and it is so easy to see where the TV show adaptation came from!I did have a page from the glossary accidentally pop out from the binding.

Please read this series, you will love it. This lives rent free in my mind.

I watched The Untamed as a BL fan and was very entertained but left wanting slightly more. I read this series after learning that it was the source upon which the show was based. I was not disappointed. I found it to be a very interesting and easy read. It wasn’t exactly like the tv show which was good since I’m reading after watching. This made it even more interesting. The two are similar enough but different. Also, the relationship is clearly defined. There are strong overtones throughout the series but it becomes evident in pretty soon that the feelings (though unknown between them) are very mutual. Just a really great story and easy read. Would strongly recommend to any BL fan. But I loved it so much, I ordered two other series. Hope they are as good. This one was worth every penny!🙂

I love the Untamed series with first watching the live-action drama and then reading the manhua version. I wanted to read the light novel version, so I bought it. But when I received the package the book had slight damage to it, hopefully in another purchase the book won't have damage. But overall, I love the book, will buy the other volumes of the light novel.