The End Of A Desolate Era

You know, I hadn’t really noticed that the end of this year would usher in a new decade. Everything just went by so fast, and the coming of 2020 feels just like your usual new year. But let’s face it. It’s not. It’s 2020 for crying out loud, and that signifies the start of a new decade. So it’s time we gather around to chat about the end of an era. But not just any era, the Desolate Era web novel by author I Eat Tomatoes (Zhu Hong Zhi)!

Ha. Okay sorry for the lame intro (and title).

I’ve finally finished reading it all after months of active binge reading! It took way longer than I expected, but it was my first time ever completing a full length wuxia novel. Now that I’m done, I only have good things to say about it.

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If you’ve never heard of Wuxia web novels, they’re basically Chinese based novels often about martial arts and cultivation. My biggest fascination about this genre is that they go way beyond even the levels of power that mainstream anime have shown. Or in simpler terms, the characters are SUPER overpowered. Not convinced yet? Well let’s just say that some characters in this genre could even heave breaths capable of destroying entire universes. If you think Saitama was strong, I’m sorry but he wouldn’t stand a chance against my new friend Ji Ning.

“What a Ji Ning.”

Godking

In Desolate Era, the story of Ji Ning’s growth is reasonably convincing. He isn’t just a character that wants to grow stronger for the sake of the author’s plot progression. Author IET (I Eat Tomatoes) gives him sufficient ground to make his desire for power a persuasive one. Since the story revolves heavily around a single character over the course of 45 books (1000+ chapters), it is extremely important for the main character to grow on the reader. Thankfully, Ji Ning is quite the stand up guy for this.

Another aspect of these Wuxia novels is that the journeys of the characters are always filled with various exciting obstacles that make every moment of advancement thoroughly engaging. In the world of Desolate Era, there’s never a dull moment. Whether it’s stumbling upon supremely rare treasures, or finding extremely powerful legacies, Ji Ning will find it all, and they’re all very fascinating to read. It’s like a roller-coaster ride of nonstop thrills and exciting encounters.

The Only Downside Of This Novel

Romance. Why oh why must you deprive me of long elaborate romantic developments IET. You’ve already given me everything I would want from a main character, and even given me such an exciting treasure-filled story, so how dare you rob me of the last thing I needed from this story. Sigh.

Sure, the novel did have romantic developments, but they weren’t written in a way that explores the beauty of an actual romance. How unfortunate.

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In summary, The Desolate Era has been the best (the only actually) fully complete wuxia novel I’ve ever read. What this means is that it was interesting enough to engage me for months from start to finish. Filled with countless thrills, legendary treasures, disastrous battles and Ji Ning’s never-ending talent and personal growth, this novel is sure to satisfy if you’re a fan of treasure hunts and a main character that becomes really powerful.

If you’re keen on reading wuxia novels, I would highly recommend this specific title. But as I mentioned earlier, the lack of romance was kind of irksome for me. So be sure to find one that best suits you, because you’ll definitely be investing a lot of time to complete an entire novel. But hey, by the end of it all, you’ll probably be longing for more.