- #1
Flying White Egrets is a unique writer that I greatly appreciate. His books are a slow, slow burn. Readers need to read more than 100 - 200 chapters to get the trend of the book.Egrets' books are not about wish fulfillment but about being put in a despairing, impossible situation and the protagonist's attempt to rise above it. I think this is deeply connected to the writer's struggle with depression.The end of this novel shocked me. It is fitting yet saddening. I genuinely connected with the protagonist and wished him peace and growth past his long mental block, but it is understandable that he didn't make it.I think this was a better novel than "A Sorcerer's Journey, " the author's other completed novel. The translation offered here is really good, but it seems to have been abandoned. I read machine translation.The story is about the protagonist shedding an irrational faith based on lies by doubting and gaining knowledge, forcefully destroying the faith, and almost genociding the whole race to give the civilization a chance to resist and fight what is certain to come. Yet, To grope in the dark and grasp a chance at survival, the protagonist developed a central conviction based on shaky grounds, a mental block, which would destroy him if it is ever challenged or doubted. That is a price paid when following one's conviction.The story was very interesting throughout. Some sections, especially in the beginning, were similar to "A Sorcerer's Journey" but the world-building was different and great.If you liked Egret's previous novel, you will definitely like this one.Greatly recommended overall.