monleon 's review for:

Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 1 by priest

5.0

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'If you want the stars, I will not give you the moon. Even if it is rainy or cloudy, I will still put up a ladder to the sky to pick them for you.'

a little about the setting. imagine the xianxia setting without cultivation and magic. now add there ships flying on local fuel, flying armor, iron armored robots on the same fuel and a hefty submarine, as well as many small ones, wooden carrier pigeons on magnetic traction and a bunch of other miracles of technological progress in which the chinese succeeded thanks to the most valuable mineral called “purple liquid gold”, also known as ziliujin.

a kind of steampunk without steam, but on ziliujin. in general, the world itself is unique and, remarkably, it is based on pure realism, without any magic, except for some fucked up witchcraft, but even then it is built on taking substances of eerie origin, defeating of the central nervous system with poisons, the recipe for which was lost over the years, and the religious beliefs of possessed barbarians. so yea… forget about magic.

'But one day as I came back to camp from patrol, I saw these dead trees had met spring, a flower bud was raising from the ash, blooming overnight. It is both pitiable and endearing. The army is filled with those that does not know how to appreciate beauty... wishing I could cut several branches of plum blossoms in the Marquis's manor myself in the early spring of next year.'

the characters. you know, i won’t write about the fact that the characters are deep and ambiguous, black and white, morally grey or whatever. this is common sense, this is Priest. the characters are amazing and memorable, heartfelt, you want and you can understand them, see them through their eyes, live their lives, be in their shoes and on their side. my favorites are Gu Yun cause he is fucking hilarious, okay? and Shen Yi cause im a girl.

main characters. the little prince, cursed and doomed to suffer and bring suffering to everyone around him, destroy everything he touches, and end his life in madness and an incessant nightmare. and the invincible marshal, isnt he just a ball of sunshine? both bear the heavy burden of disability, both stand for each other.

'Do you believe me? Zi Xi, as long as you say a word, even a sea of flame or a mountain of swords, I will still charge ahead.'

the humor is obviously on point. i dont know if its just me and the voices in my head, but the way that Shen Yi and Zi Xi interact is sending me places. by the places i mean loony bin. the humor is just what i like, if you read erha and loved it, you will probably cackle a lot here. Priest has an ideal sense of humor and sarcasm, more sarcasm than humor and its hitting all the right spots. i would like to say a special thank you to the translators, who let the story pass through themselves and put in an unreal amount of effort to convey everything exactly as the author wrote. it’s difficult, believe me, it's really fucking difficult. let us build a temple in their and Priest’s honor and offer prayers.

so the main question, what the hell is this novel about? not about war, not about the intricacies of palace intrigue, and not even about love, as it might seem. like many modern works, it is about the fact that the fate of the world often depends on one person and what actions he performs and what paths he chooses. and that even the most terrible monster in the world, a devil capable of destroying everyone and everything, needs someone nearby. whoever at the right moment will hug you, warm you with your love and shelter you from evil, lift you out of the snow and press you to your iron armour and envelop you in the aroma of a medicinal concoction.

'Zi Xi, don't say that I have a crow mouth, but have you ever thought about it, in case there is any problem between the two of you in the future, how do you intend to end it?'

Gu Yun did not say anything for a long time, but this time, he finally did not give an empty reply.

'I thought about it, and I do not know.'

its tragic at times, funny af and extremely complex