Tales of Demons and Gods — Mad Snail's novel
At a glance521 chapters · on hiatus
Tales of Demons and Gods adapts Yao Shen Ji (妖神记), Mad Snail's (发飙的蜗牛) novel serialized on Qidian. Nie Li, the most powerful demon spiritist, dies when his city falls. Thanks to the mysterious Temporal Demon Spirit Book, he wakes up in his thirteen-year-old body with all his memories and decides to change the fate of those he loves.
Origins and publication
Mad Snail was already known on Qidian for Martial World (武极天下). With Yao Shen Ji he took up the "rebirth" story (重生), in which the hero returns to the past and uses what he knows of the future. The novel makes the most of this premise: Nie Li knows the betrayals to come, the secret techniques and the hidden treasures, and plays a long game of chess against his enemies. The world is one of demon spirits, which humans hunt and then fuse with their souls to gain power.
The novel stopped at chapter 521 and has been on hiatus ever since, leaving it unfinished. The story has lived on through the manhua and the donghua, which took over for fans.
How it differs from the donghua
The donghua, launched in March 2017, follows the novel's main lines, with Glory City and the academy where Nie Li trains his friends. It does, however, simplify the long explanations about demon spirits and Nie Li's calculations. The novel goes further into the politics of the city's great families and Nie Li's plan to avert disaster. But since it is unfinished, both the donghua and the manhua eventually had to do without it.
Reception and success
Yao Shen Ji found a wide international audience thanks to fan and then official English translations, and it helped popularise the rebirth story outside China. The novel's hiatus frustrated readers, though, who turned to the manhua to find out what happens next.
Trivia
- The title Yao Shen Ji means "chronicles of the demon god".
- Nie Li returns at the age of thirteen, just as he enters the Glory City academy.
- The Temporal Demon Spirit Book (时空妖灵之书) is the object that makes the return to the past possible.
- Mad Snail also wrote Martial World, another popular Qidian novel.
My take
The opening of Yao Shen Ji is very gripping: a hero who knows everything, friends to save and enemies to trap is an effective recipe. But the novel quickly repeats itself, and its abrupt halt leaves the story without an ending. I mainly recommend it to the curious who want to see where the franchise came from, knowing they will not get the conclusion.
Who is it for?Fans of rebirth stories and strategist heroes who can accept an unfinished story.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The authorMad Snail 发飙的蜗牛Qidian's raging snail