Great worldbuilding? Check
Great character design and development? Check
Angst, Crime Fiction, Romance? Check, check, check.
To people who do not know the great gift to the literature world “Mo Dao Zu Shi” or “Grandmaster of Diabolism” by MO XIANG TONG XIU (a.k.a. MXTX), let me give you a personalized summary of it. The drama adaption is called “The Untamed”.
Summary
For a dead main character, we have Wei Ying, courtesy name “Wei Wuxian” who is summoned to another body, 16 years after his death, to get revenge. Said revenge somehow is connected to past events and a case of a ‘demonic hand’ on lose. He cannot act as Wei Wuxian, due to a small… incident from his past(cough, demonic cultivation, cough). So, the entire cultivation world could be out to get him, if they know he’s back in the land of the living, thus he needs to stay under the radar to survive and solve the case at the same time.
All this while making sure his brother (turned enemy) Jiang Cheng, and best friend/soulmate a.k.a Lan Wangji, title Hanguang-jun (birth name Lan Zhan, but how dare I call him that??!) don’t know that it’s him.
The story includes his journey to not only solving the case, but also finding a family, and peace with the life he lived and will live.
Now that that’s out of the way, here are a few reasons why you should read MDZS.
- Characters
Starting with the main characters Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, we see complex characters that are well done. With extreme yet similar moral compass on one side is someone who has no issues choosing what’s right no matter the consequences and on the other we have someone who is taught to always choose the morally right side yet unable to do so in the face of the bigger picture, these two are some of the most beautifully written men I have come across. And that’s not saying anything about how handsome they are yet.
They are two badass men who fight for what’s right in their ways.
Family members add a lot of drama, angst, and the necessary plotline in Mo Dao Zu Shi. Every family member has something to contribute to the storyline which is a significant reason why even the fanfictions of this fandom have a great number. Every action has an effect in the long run.
There’s more than just love in the air with this one.
Tags such as ‘reconciliations, good parent/bad parent, and found family’ are quite popular on AO3 in this fandom.
2. Worldbuilding
One thing about danmei novels is that there are, at times, too many characters introduced at once. However, in this book, it is easier to remember characters as many are from the same sects. There are 5 major sects — (Jiang, Lan, Jin, Nie, and Wen), so it is easier to categorize and recognize them by their surnames.
From the well-done explanation and juggling between past and present, the story follows and gives insight into how every sect played into making the decisions they made, the consequences, and their stance.
3. Plot
Listen, as a person who doesn’t read crime fiction, I thought it would be tough completing the book, seeing I was in there for romance and I didn’t find it in the first 10 pages at the least.
But! As you can see, my excitement to recommend this book to anyone who can hear is palpable. That is because this book brings in all the excitement in the form of well-timed bangers, cliffhangers, and even better turns and twists.
This book almost made me want to make a crime board with red strings going left, right, and center while crossing out the dead characters. And one thing this book does promise is the death count. Don’t worry though, what it takes away in the sense of happy families it makes up in the end with satisfaction and well deserved happy ending.
4. The Mastermind and the Villain
In the words of Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji “What is right, what is wrong? What is black, what is white?”
This can be a good premise to understand how being a hero in one’s life can make you a villain in someone else’s. Which is a great way to look at the actual villain of the book. It's quite a debatable topic in the fandom.
This book brings in the best mastermind-villain reveal. And for those who’ve read the book or watched the drama, if you know you know.
I love, Love, LOVE books that give humane villains. If they are evil just because, or the villain origin story is something as small as getting rejected by a crush, or in my taste, are a random psychopath on the lose, that’s not catchy enough.
Giving backstories that are ruthless and gut-wrenching and make you question what you would have done in their shoes is for me a well-done villain. Where redemption is impossible, but you cannot fault them for doing what they did.
There’s no forgiveness, but there is pity.
5. Romance
For the people who do not know what a danmei is and yet here you are, simply put- it's gay. Yeah, it’s two men in love.
Now, for the fun part! This romance is a chef’s kiss! Muah, muah, muah.
For me, just one more Danmei comes close to this one in terms of romance, but that’s a discussion for another blog.
In Mo Dao Zu Shi, we get to see a beautiful dynamic that exists between the two main guys right off the bat. The book is narrated from Wei Wuxian’s point of view, and the dichotomy between the young Wei Wuxian and the post-resurrection one is obvious.
For slow-burn romance lovers, this is a treasure. Despite the years of difference in their age now, the trust, the devotion, and the dedication to each other remain true. Throughout the book, you see glimpses of the friendship that remains, the love that is either unnamed or unrequited, the pining, the longing, and the wait of a mortal lifetime.
And of course, a confession that’s one of a kind.
In short, all the aspects of a good love story are worth crying sad and happy tears over.
So, go ahead and read this amazing book and feel all the feels!