Category: BC Novels

Kind readers, please pray for Du Ze’s little flower that will have to accommodate so many 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌 bananas.

First draft sneak peek

I have finished the first draft of the first bonus chapter. Those who donated at https://ko-fi.com/bcnovels can already read it now. Those who have donated will get first look at all of the extras.

How it works:

• Go to http://ko-fi.com/bcnovels and donate any amount.
• Once you donate you will get an email that will give you the link and the password for the early access chapters. Check your spam folder for the email if you don’t see it in your inbox.

 

Hmm, the first draft is okay but I feel I should make it better. I will be editing it to make it flow better. It’s pretty difficult to make things sound natural when there’s a lot of  🍌 “action”.

New website for early access chapters

Early access is totally free, you just need to have the password. I posted before that I would put the chapters on Tumblr but it seems that some countries have blocked Tumblr completely.  So I have prepared a different website for the early access chapters. You will need the password that I gave before to view the bonus content.

You can check it out now. Please let me know if there’s any problem. Hopefully, it will work for everyone this time:

http://bestfreemmorpg2013.com/reader

I just put some filler text and one image on the webpage for now.

While you are waiting a few days for the release, you can check out this incredible new manga I read: The Story of High School Boys Who Became Magical Girls. The translator just uses imgur since they don’t have a website.

I hope everything will be fine. I’m trying to fix it now. Anyway, in case I’m gone for a few days it just means a bit of computer problems. *shudder*

Eek!

Pray for me!

Edit: Okay, I restarted the computer twice and it seems to be okay now. Just in case there might be more problems later I have scheduled the release for tomorrow. It will be posted even if I am offline at that time. I’m actually still editing the chapter but I scheduled it anyway. Please leave a comment if you find any errors in chapter 93.2.

Edit2: Opened up my desktop and cleaned it. Working okay now. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there won’t be any more problems.

The story is almost finished, only one chapter and the finale is left!

No more crab issues

❌ 🦀 ❌

After the finale are three bonus extra chapters that you will be able to read here – https://trap-extras.tumblr.com/

To read the bonus content you will need to unlock the blog with the password from here – http://bcnovels.com/free-early-access-chapters-100-guaranteed-no-crab-issues/

I will remove that password soon so make sure you save it somewhere.

Please check if you can access the Tumblr blog right now. There’s only one short post on it but if you can read it, that means everything is working fine and you should also be able to read the extras.

Let me know if there are any problems. Thanks.

If you aren’t able to access the tumblr blog, don’t worry, I will post the chapters without a password later.

Praise me!

Please leave a comment here if you read the latest “special” *cough* chapter.

It’s good to put the comments here since there is no sign-in needed and people can stay anonymous.

So how was the chapter? I, for one, was NOT expecting that at all! I thought the gnome form would be super sweet and nice but I was wrong! So, very, very wrong …

Gnome form Xiu is a dom and Du Ze is a sub.

I never saw that coming. 🍌🍌🍌

Image source

Alice with the Knave of Hearts

Important: Chapter 52 by BC Novels will be hosted by Ainushi Translations. I will post the full chapter (not half) tomorrow.

You can find this chapter in our NU project page. Just scroll down, look at the “latest release” section, then navigate until you see “c52” then click on that link.

Why?

Uh, remember the last time when I had to get other web hosting for chapter 19? You see, Xiu is really honest and he wants to continue “harmonious health education time” with Du Ze. Chapter 52 showcases Xiu and Du Ze’s love for mutual cultivation.

Thank you for reading this story.

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (人渣反派自救系统 by 墨香铜臭) is one of my favorite Chinese webnovels. The story is hilarious and the main character is a strong-willed hardworking person. By the way, it’s BL.

Summary

When Shen Yuan died he was transmigrated into the world of the harem Xianxia novel he was reading. From an ordinary person in the modern world he became Shen Qingqui, the lord of Quiet Peak of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. This might seem like a good thing because Shen Qingqui basically has it all – good looks, power, fighting skills, a prestigious position, and so forth.

There’s just one little problem. Shen Qingqiu was a villain that the protagonist of the novel, Luo Binghe, tortured and killed. Obviously the reasonable thing to do would be to either befriend or avoid the main character but Shen Yuan is not free to do what he wants. He transmigrated with a System that forces him to follow the story. He cannot act out of character and he can’t stop participating in important events. This includes the one in which Shen Qingqui betrays Binghe, thus causing his character’s downfall.

In short, Shen Yuan must do his best to do all the things that the villain did in the story while trying to avert his eventual bad fate.

Review

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System moves at a fast pace which is nice. Luo Binghe is the disciple of Shen Qingqui whom the latter liked to bully. The first thing Shen Qingqui does it to stop the bullying and try to become a better mentor to the protagonist of the story.

One of the best things about Scum Villain is that it remains true to the usual Xianxia story elements while at the same time using these common tropes in a fresh way. For example, the protagonist of a Xianxia story won’t die (because if he did, then the story would end). Shen manages to weaponize this in very funny way.

The humor in the story mostly stems from the fact that Shen is very self-aware and knows (roughly) what is going to happen next. Or does he?

It seems that Shen’s presence in the story has had some ripple effects and certain events don’t turn out the same way as in the story he read before he died.

There’s also quite a bit of black humor when he is forced to act in a certain way even when he knows that it will just lead to pain or disaster but overall the tone of Scum Villain is comedic.

Luo Binghe as a character is actually pretty much the standard Xianxia hero. He’s the strongest one around, is extremely handsome, intelligent, and ruthless. It’s only at the end that he shows what he really feels inside.

The romance is good. Sadly, it took a very long time to develop but once the two characters became an item it was very believable and cute.

Conclusion

This is a good read if you enjoy Bl Xianxia. There aren’t that many of those kinds of stories around.

You can read the English translation of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System here.

If you are in search of an incredible story with several lessons to be learnt in the process, then read the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

From the overall theme of the book and my research on the author’s life, there seem to be some parallels between the main character of the book and the author. Paulo Coelho was an aspiring writer whose parents never wanted him to be one. At some point, he had to escape. In the course of his escape from home, he became a hippie and traveled the world. He returned years later to live his dream of being a writer.

Santiago

The Alchemist is about Santiago, a young Shepherd from the south of Spain who keeps having a dream that a treasure lies underneath the Egyptian pyramids. After encountering an old king who offers him some advice on the journey he is to embark on and leaves him with some magic stones, the protagonist leaves his home and embarks on a journey to the Sahara to find the treasure.

The journey takes Santiago across the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara to find his treasure and his purpose in life. He encounters swindlers, tribal wars and endless sand, and in the process, he finds his one true love, learns the language of his heart, learns alchemy and eventually, finds his treasure.

Dreamy and Philosophical

For the most part, this book is dreamy, pensive and philosophical to the point where it leaves one at its wit’s end. The author seems to have lived a long time and is very wise. The story presents some insightful ideas about finding one’s destiny, rising above adversity, and the unity which exists in the universe. A central theme in the book is that “when you want something, the universe always conspires in your favor.” The author’s descriptions of events are simply awe-inspiring, and his choice of words is perfect. Beyond all these, the magic of this novel is found in the depth of the thought and soul behind this novel.

If you are looking to understand reality and beyond, The Alchemist is the book for you. The events in this novel sitting on the borderline of miraculous although being very much easy to relate to. It offers insights and inspiration which extend beyond the journeys which Santiago experiences and whether you are old or young, there is so much to learn here.

So much of the focus of self-help literature is on finding purpose and pursuing your destiny.

However, dreams do not pull us along by their force. It takes determination and courage, and worn copies of Coelho’s masterpiece have become a constant companion for people in need of making bold decisions and to stay focused on the vision. In addition to being a great story, this book is a great alternative to feel the fear but get it done anyway.

1Q84 is at times a surreal, ambitious work that finds itself meandering through seemingly unimportant paths that distract the reader from the overall tapestry Murakami weaves. It is a strong narrative, very Japanese in style and tone, and is recommended reading for anybody who loves Haruki Murakami or enjoys Japanese fiction. Like 1984 by George Orwell, 1Q84 presents a dystopian future set in Japan and primarily follows two characters. The title is a play on words, with the Japanese word for “9” being kyuu, here represented by “Q” in 1Q84.

Review

The book is filled with religious references and themes, as well as asides that evoke classical composers like Bach and Vivaldi. Murakami extensively quotes Russian author Anton Chekhov’s Sakhalin Island, leaving inferences for the reader to address. The events of the novel occur between April and December of 1984 in Tokyo, Japan and opens with Aomame, an assassin who becomes trapped in a traffic jam and, incidentally, finds herself trapped in an alternative reality.

She deduces this alternative reality’s existence through context clues that require the reader to pay attention because the differences between Aomame’s Japan, of which we know little, and the reality she calls “1Q84” are small, almost insignificant at first and are found in portions of text that a lax reader may miss.

Another major character is Tengo, a writer tasked with re-writing a promising manuscript from a young author known only as Fuka-Eri. The cult and religious themes evoked in these segments are as fascinating as they are unsettling and I found myself really enjoying these portions as this mystery was more immediately accessible to the reader than the Aomame storyline.

Strange World

Fuka-Eri’s world is strange and is immediately so, evoking past tales by Murakami like Kafka on the Shore. Aomame and Tengo/Fuka-Eri’s story combines in a completely fantastical way that reminds the reader of Murakami’s power as an author. Though initially unsettling and slightly strange, it all begins to make sense one the reader connects Tengo’s re-writing of Air Chrysalis with Aomame’s alternative reality and assignment as an assassin.

There is moral ambiguity in Aomame’s assignments and lifestyle in general. The reader wants to cheer her on (and the author goes to great lengths to help in that regard) but, ultimately, she is a murderer and it is impossible to shake the unlikeable, sociopathic personality she exudes. Killing for a good cause is always tough to justify, and Murakami doesn’t let this aspect of the narrative bog anything down, particularly when things start to draw more from a true alternate, fantasy-realm much different from our own.

Recommendation

Again, the novel is best for the reader that enjoys Japanese fiction, as some of the resolutions are baffling and might leave the reader unsatisfied. Towards the end, as much of the masterful Japanese fiction does, it becomes laden with existential realizations and the almost requisite overstressing of the importance of small, ephemeral moments in one’s life. The connections between the main characters are tenuous and almost cosmological at this point and, indeed, to this point one of the defining features of the narrative is the night sky itself.

A beautiful book with crisp, clean language and a well-paced narrative, 1Q84 is the kind of novel that makes the reader work for its revelations – and that can be rewarding in and of itself. It is not, however, a quick read in which you can casually skim over the pages and expect enjoyment. The pastiche of the bizarre, the normal, the fantastical, and the consequential begins to blend into an unrecognizable, almost surreal experience that only begins to make sense when viewed in toto. If you love Japanese fiction, this book is a must read without a doubt.

The web novel Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang Review (三生，忘川无殇 by 九鹭非香) has been completely translated into English by Hamster428.

To be honest, I don’t even know why I read this since it’s not the type of story I like. However, once I started reading, I just couldn’t stop. It’s great!

This story was my first time reading a supernatural Chinese novel based on Chinese folklore/myth. Sansheng is a rock who gained consciousness and a human form. She’s like the main character in Dream of the Red Chamber except for the fact that she lives in the Underworld.

One day as she is going about her business (mostly loafing around and reading romance books) she sees something that she likes. It’s Moxi, the war god. He has descended into the Underworld from Heaven so that he can become a human. It’s part of the trials that gods must go through. Sansheng falls madly in love with him at first sight.

What follows is the story of their three human lifetimes together.

It’s very sweet and sometimes tragic but ends in happily ever after. Sansheng and Moxi are both strong characters who both know what they want. They don’t pussyfoot and are very active in their pursuit and protection of their loved ones. Of course, since the three human lifetimes are meant to be a trial, fate steps in and makes every life full of suffering.

The story is quite short, just 15 chapters plus and epilogue and 3 more bonus chapters. The author also has another story set in the same universe, Demon King/The Parting of the Orchid and Cang.

I recommend this to anyone who likes love stories and Chinese myth/folklore.

My Disciple Died Yet Again is a Chinese webnovel that is being translated by Scrya. All of the English translated chapters can be found on the My Disciple Died Yet Again project page.

This is my favorite translated webnovel.

Summary

Zhu Yao crossed over into another world. At first she thought it was ancient China, only to be very shocked later when she found out it was a Xianxia world. In that world, Yu Yan is the most powerful cultivator around and has been looking for someone with lightning spirit veins who can inherit all of his skills and knowledge. When Zhu Yao appears, he takes her on as his personal succeeding disciple. Unfortunately for him, his new disciple tends to die a lot.

But that is just the first few chapters.

Spoiler alert! The real story: Zhu Yao was transmigrated to that world to fix bugs. The first bug is the typical Xianxia harem master whose carelessness will destroy the world if Zhu Yao doesn’t stop him first.

The rest of the story is told in several different arcs as the main character must travel through time and space to fix more and more annoying bugs. Yu Yan helps her.

Review

I love funny stories and My Disciple Died Yet Again is never fails to make me laugh. The main character is a modern woman who has a refreshingly common sense approach to most things. When the world she is in is full of the usual Xianxia characters (arrogant cultivators, demonic beasts, cunning sect masters, harem protagonists, Mary Sues, etc.) this makes for great comedy when her no-nonsense attitude clashes with their fantastic, over-the-top actions.

For example:

Because of this talk, Zhu Yao understood that her master not only lacks common sense, he was face blind as well! Who wouldn’t be able to remember the name of a Peak Lord after living for more than ten thousand years? With such a personality, Zhu Yao reckoned he had already offended every single person that he could have offended…

Zhu Yao is mostly overpowered. Every time she dies and resurrects to fix yet another bug, she normally receives a cheat that can help her accomplish her goals. The problem is that the bugs are likewise overpowered – otherwise, the Dao could have easily fixed them. She’s like a janitor that is only called after all the usual cleaning methods have failed. So when the poor main character arrives at the scene, there’s always a HUGE mess.

Yu Yan,  Zhu Yao’s master, is a hilarious character. He is very powerful and has lived for around 10,000 years but he started cultivating at a young age. Thus, he knows almost everything about cultivation but nothing about ordinary common sense.

To give an example, he forgot that humans need to eat and poor Zhu Yao nearly starved until she reminded him that she isn’t an immortal like him. However, once he realized that his disciple needs food, he is able to cook better than anyone else because his life skills are maxed. He can refine weapons, create formations, cook, sew, fight, and do practically anything you can think of – except prevent his disciple from dying.

Yes, Zhu Yao dies a lot. Even though she rezzes, it’s still quite nerve-wracking for all her friends and especially her master.

Conclusion

I recommend this webnovel to anyone who likes Xianxia and comedy. The main character and her master are extremely funny. Currently, it’s a little over halfway done since there are now around 250 chapters translated.