Spare Me, Great Lord! — the novel by Huishuohua de Zhouzi
At a glance1,329 chapters · completed
Before the donghua, Spare Me, Great Lord! was a web novel published on Qidian from 18 August 2017 to 26 November 2018. Its 1,329 chapters tell the rise of Lü Shu, the high schooler who gets stronger by annoying everyone.
Origins and publication
The author writes under the pen name Huishuohua de Zhouzi (会说话的肘子), "the talking pork knuckle". The novel belongs to the spiritual energy revival genre (灵气复苏), in which magic reappears in contemporary China. It was later printed in 13 volumes by Changjiang Publishing.
How it differs from the donghua
The novel gives far more space to Lü Shu's thoughts and to his system's messages, which punctuate every scene with negative emotion counters. The donghua tightens the plot, speeds up the early arcs and focuses more on action. Some secondary characters are also less developed.
Reception and success
The novel was one of the signature titles of the spiritual energy revival genre on Qidian, loved for its humour and cheeky hero. Its success launched its author's career; he went on to publish other widely followed novels.
Trivia
- The novel was written in just over a year, a fast pace even for web fiction.
- The author's pen name, "the talking pork knuckle", is deliberately absurd, much like the novel's tone.
My take
A light, funny novel that reads quickly despite its length. It is more complete than the donghua, and its best gags come through the system's messages, which the animation cannot always show.
Who is it for?For readers who like cheeky heroes and cultivation novels set in the modern world. There is no French translation yet.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
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