The Great Storyteller

Description

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Yun Woo is the youngest author in history to enter the literature world. His debut work was a massive hit but this success was short lived for the unprepared.

A miraculous second chance comes his way one day.

This is the beginning of that journey.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Widaehan Soseolga
위대한 소설가
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Life, Once Again! (4)
Genius of a Performing Arts High (3)
Big Life (2)
Genius Writer from Rural America (2)
I’m Really a Superstar (1)
God of Cooking (1)
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Latest Release

Date Group Release
10/14/18 Webnovel c39
10/13/18 Webnovel c38
10/13/18 Webnovel c37
10/12/18 Webnovel c36
10/12/18 Webnovel c35
10/11/18 Webnovel c34
10/11/18 Webnovel c33
10/09/18 Webnovel c32
10/08/18 Webnovel c30
10/09/18 Webnovel c31
10/09/18 Webnovel c29
10/09/18 Webnovel c28
10/09/18 Webnovel c27
10/09/18 Webnovel c26
10/09/18 Webnovel c25
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Soneka
Soneka rated it
October 11, 2018
Status: c64
There's one thing you need to understand before you start reading this story: This isn't just about the MC's success.

As you know from the synopsis the MC achieved great success with his debut work, his first book sold well and he became famous at age of 17, but from there on he was never able to write something as good. Eventually he lost everything, even to the point of becoming homeless.

Now you might be thinking "Since this is a story about second chances, then we can expect the MC to... more>> go back to the past with ways of guaranteeing his own success right? He will certainly be able to write one or more books in the first 50 chapters at least, right?

If this line of thought crossed your mind you are misunderstanding what this story is about. Like I said, it isn't sorely about success.

I'll try to not spoil things as I say this, but I think this is quite obvious from the synopsis alone (and even more so from the first chapter) : The reason the MC couldn't write more good books after his debut wasn't because he lacked talent, but because he became famous at age of 17.

After coming under the spotlight at such young age he gave up the best years of his life in order to promote his book and boost his career. So, more than being a story about writing more books, this is a story about a second chance of growing up healthily.

That was the biggest thing he lost when he became famous.

So, if you are going to start reading this story you should know this:

    • It isn't about success.
    • It isn't flashy.
    • It's personal.
    • It's a slice-of-life type of story and not a "wave your big d**k around" type of story.
Overall I think it's a great story as long as this is the genre you are looking for. I love the characters in it, they are well-fleshed, and they have a place in the story, it isn't all about the MC.

If you are looking for something more calm and relaxing, this is good enough for you to give it a try. <<less
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lumiere
lumiere rated it
October 6, 2018
Status: c21
It's strange but this book made me want to write.

It begins with an old man who rode on the wave off sucess of his first book written when he was a teenager, only to end up crashing very hard on the ground when he no longer could produce something as good. He then returns to the day his book became famous, and just continued his life normally, this time though, without advertising who he is.

I love how this book is chill. Bit by bit, it shows how (well I suppose)... more>> an author view the world and the people around him. And it's truly fascinating.

The characters are well developped, they are not empty (my favorite is Mr. Moon), the story is by no way boring, it keeps you excited chill and motivated.

I really hope it continues like that, I love it.

The translation is amazing too. I obviously recommend it. <<less
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Epythymy
Epythymy rated it
August 23, 2019
Status: Completed
After reading the title, description and tons of positive reviews, I've expected a great read. Now, after finishing reading it and looking at the reviews again, I am appalled by the amount of fools who wants to look like some kind of chosen elite, praising this "great" piece of literature to the high heavens.

Sigh.. Yes, this novel is of a slice of life genre, but it's not a reason for it to be bland, repetitive and lack any type of character development whatsoever. Slice of life genre can be... more>> unique, fun, romantic, full of hot-blooded emotions, etc.

I've genually enjoyed it for about 60 or so chapters though. It wasn't bad from the start.

At first the novel gave off a sense of melancholy and it was understandable. Protagonist needed some time to adjust to his new reality, he was also in no hurry for anything and it was a new experience to see him taking it slow, looking for aspirations and writing his new book. After the publishing of the first book (after his reincarnation) the novel's quality slowly started to go downhill. Now I will tell you about some topics in particular.

Overall plot.

Everything mentioned in the novel, one way or another, has some relation to writing or world of literature in general. There are no events mentioned for pure enjoyment or any other particular reasons. Even if MC eats, it's done for the sake of writing more comfortably and without disatractions.

Protagonist.

Overall MC is dull and mostly emotionless. Even if he is feeling something inside he never expresses it in any way, always keeping his poker face. So much so that the title 'I've reincarnated into the printing machine' would fit the story perfectly. He is interested in nothing but writing. The problem is that he is writing for the sake of it. He has no desires for anything. Like a machine. He is not really close to his family, friends or colleagues either, which makes the story even more dull.

Side characters.

That's the only positive side of the story, and also the sole reason why I could read it till the end. There are lots of interesting characters with their own unique quirks and kinks. But their existence is the only positive aspect, because author never gives you any detailed information related to them. The only thing we get to know is their overall character and how they are related to the literature world. There was so much more I wanted to know, like what is their family situation? Hobby? Romantic relationships? What other interests does they have? Sadly, there is nothing about that in the novel.

Also, characters see no development. They are still the same from the moment of their appearance till the end of the novel, the protagonist included.

Contradictions and ambiguous moments.

The first thing I want to mention here is the author's pe*verted image of a successful writer AKA our machine-like protagonist and who he strives to be. It's much easier to call this an image of the Saint. (There is a character similar to this concept being called "the literary great" by others, who is our MC's role model.) Any random mister perfect wouldn't be perfect enough near this duo.

Yet, ironically, the most successful world-class writer in the novel is an arrogant, aggressive, ex-alcoholic going by the nickname "The problem child of the industry". And it's really obvious that there is no need to be perfect to be a good writer. Good imagination and way with words would be enough. Yet our protagonist somehow failed in his past life despite being an otherworldly genius.

There were no mentions of anything from his previous life. I mean it's ok if he doesn't want to use it for his own benefits in the career or to become rich or something else among these lines, but what about his friends or other acquaintances? Nobody was ever mentioned. With whom was he friends with? Why he doesn't want to meet with them this time?

Another strange thing I've noticed is that there were no bad books in this novel. Protagonist liked every single book or its author he came across. How can this be? It's impossible to like everything. Is it really so hard to add at least some criticism? Because I was looking for it, I can tell you for sure that for the span of 400 chapters only the arrogant guy from above said something unwelcoming about some random book once, and it was something mentioned in passing.

Well, that's it. I can't remember anything else of much importance right now. But as you can see I don't really know the reason to sing praises to this novel. It's simply one-dimensional. <<less
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WinByDying
WinByDying rated it
January 28, 2019
Status: c36
This novel isn't flawless at all, and it's far from the only novel on the site that doesn't rely on face slapping. No, the character development is not a highlight. The enjoyment comes from two things: the secretive yet "powerful" protagonist, and badly implemented character development. It's not literature, it's cheesy. It's not print quality either. I thought it was about in the same tier as e.g. Top Management and God of Cooking, but I changed my mind. It's below those.

Now on to my actual review.

The literature teacher gave writing... more>> advice twice. In the first case, it was basic but good advice, something you would indeed learn at school. The advice on the stories of the Literature Club's members though, hilarious. Ironic, given that it's a story about a writer. I'll chalk it up to the subpar translation:

Spoiler

"Because you read so much, your writing skill is pretty decent. It's just that your story tends to be boring at times."

"Try focusing on the dynamics of your story. Whether the story is moving continuously or the climax persists throughout the entire story, it's going to be boring either way."

So, a story's setting and characters have potential, potential for things to happen, relationships to change, et cetera. Dynamics are the forces that drive the story through interaction with the whole setting, and change what happens in the story.

The teacher tells the student to focus on dynamics, to make the story more entertaining. That makes sense. But "Whether the story is moving continuously or the climax persists throughout the entire story, it's going to be boring either way"? What on earth does that mean? This was the worst example, but there was one other piece of advice that made me chuckle, something along the lines of "your descriptions were too long, don't get lost in your emotions".

[collapse]

This is a webnovel about writing, so it deserves to be grilled. So far, I've seen unnecessary repetition, the dialogue is good but uneven in quality, the author isn't able to leave things implicit/unsaid, and jarring word choices and sentence constructions in general. Both the translation and the writing are good compared to the typical NU novel, but not great. It's inconsistent: well written at times, but I've also seen parts that read almost like a parody. It really can be that bad, further on in the reviews I've put in some cringeworthy samples. For now one example of both bad translation/editing and bad writing respectively:

Spoiler

After listening to everyone, Mr. Moon added, "The winner gets a fried chicken from me."

The "from me" is unnecessary. Instead of ending the sentence on a powerful note, fried chicken, the translator/editor put two s*upid useless little words behind it. And think about it, if said these words, you'd never end with "from me".

This example was probably translation, not the author. Though you never know. However...

Unaware of the students' heart, James spoke without hesitation. Of course, in English.

"Oh, my! There's a centipede here. I have an idea of what the situation is. This is a rather threatening presence for the adorable first years. But we must not forget the fact that we're all part of nature. A slipper is not a tool for mu*der. It's an object that protects your feet. Now, let your slipper serve its purpose."

What in the seven hells is this dialogue? Is that how a grown-up teacher talks? This isn't an anime; you're trying to write a presumably serious webnovel.

[collapse]

It tries to be all clever and intellectual with (Western) cultural references, but it's nothing special. He probably pulled it all off of Wikipedia. I doubt the author read Plato, and his comments on Hemmingway aren't very insightful or anything. Stock standard Wikipedia stuff.

Spoiler

For example, take chapter 26 to like 28. He meets a writer for coffee, who notes down his likes and dislikes. Our protagonist is suddenly reminded of the saying "know yourself" widely associated with Socrates (but not coined by him), and asks, "Are you into Socrates", to which the writer coolly answers "I don't dislike him". What purpose does this piece of text serve? Does it contain information useful to the scene, to the characters or story? No, nobody reads Plato's texts (Socrates didn't write) for literary purposes. Socrates is pulled in solely to impress the reader, to make our protagonist and the writer look intellectual. Because Old Greek philosophers were smart and cool. It cheapens Socrates: Socrates was much more than "know yourself". Not to mention, "I don't dislike him" is such a s*upid answer. Imagine you don't know anything about Socrates, and someone asks you the same answer. Wouldn't "I don't dislike him" or "Eh, somewhat" be convenient answers to pretend to know something about Socrates?

Later in the scene, Hemingway is discussed. Most of us have at most heard of Hemingway, me included, so he has to first copy half of the Wikipedia page into the novel so we can at least follow the very superficial references to the writer's personal life. It's like making a joke and subsequently explaining it, very unnecessary.

Two lauded writers meet, one of them says "I had never been so disappointed, even when I read Across the River and into the Trees [by Hemingway]". Right after it's explained that it's one of the worst critically received Hemingway books. Instead of telling us why the character thought it was disappointing, the novel backs out and just says it's universally badly received. It's of course put there to make the guy look like a sophisticated, cultured writer. But putting in an actually interesting critique is not something the author could do?

To be fair, at the beginning of the scene the characters do talk about what they think makes Hemmingway great. But I still wasn't content. The commentary they're giving is way too superficial: personal life, some plot details, some very general characteristics of his writing. Wikipedia would be enough, and that's not a good sign.

I never read any Hemmingway, but I took five minutes to read two articles just now. I'd make my characters say things like: "Hemmingway influenced my writing a great deal. His frequent use of short sentences or phrases makes his writing pack a serious punch. Yet, every single one of those sentences contains a clear message, every paragraph a clear idea. He only sparingly uses adverbs, preferring vigorous adjectives for his descriptions. It was powerful unlike any text I'd seen before. Before, I always thought I had to write beautiful, flowery prose. Hemmingway made me see writing in a different light. I still had a long way to go back then!". See, I can write a more in-depth paragraph on Hemmingway's writing than the author of the webnovel, and I didn't know anything about Hemmingway ten minutes ago!

Also, maybe a character could've quoted his personal favorite Hemmingway paragraph, a paragraph that tells something about the character. That would've been interesting. Imagine the author quoting a relevant paragraph from different renowned writers every few chapters. I'd love it.

[collapse]

Come on, don't make me cringe. The author is trying so hard to make this novel seem intelligent and cultured. Why for heaven's sake did you put this in your novel:

Spoiler

Juho instinctively reached for a pen.

'Why does a person live?" he quietly asked himself. 'What was the meaning of living life?'

Before digging any deeper, he thought about whether he really existed. If people could no longer see or hear the person named Juho, he might be no different from being dead.

[collapse]

Characterization. There was potential, but characterization falls flat. Characters are either flat, or the deepening is done in a clumsy, ham-fisted way. Don't make me cringe even more than I already did, please.

Spoiler

The protagonist puts out one book, that's hailed and praised by everyone. He meets up with another writer, that writer being very impressed by the protagonist. He impresses his language teacher/Literature Club teacher. In the Literature club, there was one guy who wasn't there to read and write. He's not interested. But he opens up the protagonist's book and suddenly, he's engrossed in it. Can you see the trend? See, you don't need face slapping if you use another trope: the secretly powerful protagonist. He wants to stay under the radar and live a quiet (yet successful) life, but can't help but show his genius now and then, to regularly impress the reader.

It's also very unfortunate that we don't know what specifically made the protagonist's book so great. There must be something more to it than the plot. Is it the way the protagonist structured the book? Is it the growth of the main character? Is it the character interactions? Colorful, evocative word choices? Nothing mentioned except the main plot point, we just have to believe that everyone, young and old alike, adore this book of his.

The language crutch is disappointing. Very early in he's able to write very "mature" works of literature, and knows like five languages by now. Sure. But what's he going to improve upon? You're belittling your own character's progress by giving him a crutch.

The attempts of the author to show character progression are clumsy. First example: there's this girl pretending to be the author of the protagonist's book. How did this not *immediately* get out to the public? To teachers? Impossible, it's the mystery author, everyone wants to know who he is! Funnily enough, that's one of the arguments the protagonist confronts the girl with later on. As if she's s*upid and couldn't think of it herself. Now because he's secretive, he lets her off at first. When he finds evidence however, he confronts her. This previously s*upid girl subsequently recognizes her wrongs and comes clean right after. Look, author, don't write your plot so ham-fisted. It's not a children's novel.

Second example. he main character lives through a tragic first life after releasing the bestseller novel. Homeless, he finds himself falling into a river and wakes up as his younger self. He reflects deeply on his past twenty-five years, his slow yet consistent fall from grace: he writes it down and it takes half an hour. Voilà, that's the end of the reflection. Wait, what?!?

Third example. He meets a woman singing (just "lalalala") and playing guitar in an awful fashion in public. She does it, she says, because she wants to convey a message, yet she fails to actually sing the message. Still, she persists. Meeting that woman, about a paragraph, suddenly provides the protagonist with enlightenment. Namely, he realizes he first needs a subject to write on. It could be anything, but he had to start from a subject. What crap character development.

As so often in these sorts of rebirth novels, he wakes up is like, "JACKPOT!". Really? Then a small scene shows the protagonist's (modest) emotion, where after he writes that reflection for half an hour. That's it. Yes, that's it. It's such a disappointment that authors don't focus more on this transformation. Being reborn should be such an impactful experience. You could write multiple chapter chock full of emotion about it. About how he thinks, how his mindset gradually transforms from being so down in the gutter, to optimistically gripping the new chance with both hands.

[collapse]

I enjoyed some bits, which is why this wanna-be deep, pretentious but hilariously clumsy of a novel still got a 2. <<less
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SNdrops
SNdrops rated it
September 8, 2021
Status: c301
Not a reviewer. Read a lot but like to keep my thoughts to myself. This book made me post my review for the first time.

The Great Storyteller is not a mainstream novel. It is a slice of life that focuses on a Writer's second chance at life.

First of all our MC, has already lived a life in the past. He is a grown up inside a teenager's body now; in his second chance. You don't expect him to do things like a teenager now, do you? That'll be weird. He... more>> has grown out of his youth after all. He will subconsciously act like a grown up. It's natural for him to do so.

Yes and that is why he is mature. Compared to his peers, he stands out.

The theme of the story is strictly about literature and writing. The theme's mentioned right? "This is the story about!". So how are some asking for romance?

MC is an adult in a underage body! Not emotionless. He sees things from a different POV unlike his real teenage friends.

A story that started greatly and stayed like that till the end. Just lost it's even pace at the climax. It's hardly affecting the overall reading.

Now onto my personal review!

This book slapped me back to reality and then forcefully pulled out the dormant capabilities inside me. This book changed my viewpoint on writing and basically coached me into improvement. I enjoy writing very much now. Genuinely.

I lived for the side-characters.

A book deserving of 5 stars.

Finally, The Great Storyteller is different. If you're not used to different, you won't like it. But if you are, then welcome.

A book doesn't always needs to be print worthy, adaptation worthy, translation worthy or anything that sorts. As long as it moves it's reader, even slightly, I personally think it completes it's job. <<less
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Eutune
Eutune rated it
September 30, 2018
Status: c72
This is a novel about a teenage writer who, after his first success, cannot write other best sellers anymore. Frustrated and after the best time of his life passed away in glory and misery, he ends his life to return alive to when his first success started, but this time he decides to not redo his mistakes and start anew.

It may seem like an ordinary second chance novel, but it is not. The writing is very fluid and extremely relatable, the characters will be analysed in depth and it can... more>> already be seen from the first chapters that we will assist to the growth of various characters and also their maturity. I thank the translator for choosing to work on this novel and the author for writing it. I hope the novel won't disappoint me and I wish everyone the best enjoyment while reading! ^_^) / <<less
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srrrahim
srrrahim rated it
December 16, 2018
Status: c149
-This novel is flawless
-This is literature. Not some cheap light novel where MC reincarnate to the revenge against the world and people who trample and kick him. Yes he got 2nd chance. Yes he is learning from his past mistake. But it is more than that. You will understand after reading 20 first chapter
-This novel is unique. I read so many novel, but only this novel has a MC that feels really close to me
-I`ll give 5 star just for story development and character development. That is... more>> the only thing that keep me hooked up. The way each character interact with each other, and the way they grow into you, is something that you can`t abandon even after a long hiatus. Their character still feel fresh on my head and the absent of update is making them rooted in my brain more than any other chara from other novel
-This is really good. I end up using 7 different account just to marathon reading this (You will meet 7 different SpicyChicken. And that`s me. So desperate to read it non stop
-I know this might sound boring. About an author who get a 2nd chance in life to take a slow and low profile life. So many 2nd chance concept being used but this is more original and more interesting than any other novel
This novel is my current no 1 novel that I must read every day to stay happy, so I hope all the new readers will love it too
Happy reading and have a nice day ? <<less
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downtowncray
downtowncray rated it
October 5, 2020
Status: Completed
I have read Genius of Performing Arts High first and searched for an another novel in its league. Then, I found this gem.

I like reading books and writing storiea... yet this story slapped me hard what I lack the most. It hurts. I'm kinda writing/ranting my personal opinion here tho.

Juho

- he is a calm and unfazed person. Somewhat who's complete opposite of me. He got a chance to reborn again and return into writing. Tho he kepts on writing in his previous life, it was only a failure. I mean,... more>> I felt like he was in between of writing again or stopping at the first few chapters. I can say that he was the antagonist of himself, he was too harsh on himself. I like the way he didn't used his previous life into a bigger advantage to his current life. No, he didn't have any advantage actually. He is a complete failure who just kepts on writing out of habit and desparation.

Spoiler

people kept on ranting about how he did not mention those friends he have in his past life. Like I was too shock to even think that. He was already considered a tr*sh, he didn't have any friend. People kept on bringing up his story as a fallen genius/ a person who won an award using ghost writer (coz no one believed that he wrote the first book). He was kind of warning signal to people.

[collapse]

I kinda skip some chapters after knowing the time skip.

Spoiler

Yeah, somewhat lost and somewhat not. I actually felt since he was typing 'that' story under the audience watch. I know that he was harsher to himself in that moment. He kept on getiing sunk in. The higher he gets, the more afraid he is about failure. The book with Kang face-slapped him so hard that he became what he was in his previous life. But he still kept on writing. Just the old self and current self is merging completely. Both afraid of death and failure.

[collapse]

The ending was good. I can say.

Spoiler

Yes, it was kinda short and need more details. The time skip made the readers lost the touch slightly. But what I really like was the ever character development that I have been wishing since the first few chapters. The last book? Yes, I also wanted to know what the other people thought about that piece.

But actually, it brought me back to the moment that he confessed as Yun Woo but no one believed him. He already confessed it in the literary mag con that he died once but no one believe him. You know, he was grinning at that moment like what he did when he said he was Yun Woo in front of the publishing company. That kind of emotion, expression, and thoughts.

He was hoping someone would believe him yet no one does coz they called him a genius.

The book was just kind of confession and proof on what he said at that time (in the con) but decades later. People might believe it or not but few will acknowledge.

[collapse]

The language ability... I mean, it is a cheat? I mean, huh? I guess not

Spoiler

Well, he can read in different language but it was shown that he was strugglin in the language. Let him read it, he could. But he can't write it without further studying. He was asked in the english class, remember. He does know the correct translation but he does not know why his translation is correct. So, it wasn't basically a cheat. He studied it coz that cheat is not perfect. He took that advantage of studying in using it in his book.

[collapse]

The changes in writing, I know how it feels. I kept reading the works of this local writer that I know, she was a genre novel writer online and you could say she wrote different genres already. From fantasy, thriller, horror, suspense, comedy, and romance. Tho there are some kind of resemblance of her in the writing; the complete tone, the word choice, and how the paragraph is written is completely different. That is why I get that the change in writing style is really fascinating and hard to point out if you did not know that MC wrote it.

All in all, it was a satisfying novel to read. I get that some people felt short in the ending or because the MC is too good to be true.

But I still remembered Mr. Moon's advice.

*Read, listen, and write.

*Write and write coz its the only way to improve.

*Find inspiration in some odd places.

Don't try aiming to become a genius writer. Become a great storyteller. <<less
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Suzaku128
Suzaku128 rated it
November 3, 2018
Status: c40
I found the novel extremely enjoyable. The characters, to me, are realistic and filled with personality and flaws.

It was really good, making me feel like I should write, too. Reading the synopsis told me it was a second-chance story and I thought it was your typical one. How wrong could I be? When I continued reading, I found myself enjoying the main character and his interaction with the side characters. The side characters were also enjoyable to read to and each one has their own problems just like the MC.... more>> The teacher is my favorite one. <<less
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Delorra
Delorra rated it
January 2, 2019
Status: c174
This novel reminds me of Top Management, another favorite Korean novel, in its narrative style, even though the theme and focus of the story are completely different.

This is the first novel that manages to bring strong sense of satisfaction to readers despite not utilizing the "face slapping" device found in almost every other webnovels out there. No bad people need to be brought down for the story to stay entertaining and impactful.

As for the story, imagine a talented teenage Hollywood star who got famous too early, became arrogant, and spiraled... more>> down to their demise. Here we have a talented teenage writer who came to fame during high school, lost his head to praises and public pressure, then ended up a homeless man at 40s and falling to his death in the river, only to wake up again before his mistakes happened.

There were no bad people who pulled him into this pitfalls. So far, the greatest antagonist to the MC was himself. In this new life, he strived to correct his own shortcomings while learning how to become a great storyteller along the way.

P.S. I didn't expect to enjoy his school life/slice of life interaction with his classmates so much!

Totally recommend to anyone who wants a calmer but still entertaining novel to read. <<less
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TheLovelyRose
TheLovelyRose rated it
April 23, 2020
Status: Completed
Everyone is saying that this novel is good and a must read. But for me it’s quite the opposite. It literally took me a week to read it because I had to force myself to finish it. There was nothing relaxing about it. Yun Woo was given a second chance at life and a cheat language skill where he automatically becomes fluent in the language after reading it once. All he does is write. That’s literally the plot of the story. Him writing. He never does thing children his age... more>> do and never fully immerses himself into his second chance besides writing. It didn’t feel realistic. He was always the mature one. There was always some kind of wall up between him and his friends. As they got older, somehow it was still there but it didn’t affect the relationships much then. I just couldn’t get into it no matter how much I tried. It was a tough read. <<less
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MissZer0q
MissZer0q rated it
January 1, 2019
Status: Completed
I just love how simple the whole story is being narrated. It comes off as bland but it's really just a relaxing, slice-of-life story, something you read when you just want something light and not too serious. Juho's story of slowly accepting his rebirth, his gift and the people around him is such an enjoyable and satisfying process.
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Jastermasher 1029
Jastermasher 1029 rated it
November 9, 2021
Status: Completed
The story revolves around the MC, Juho, trying to make terms and accept his past mistakes, learning to enjoy the glory of the present, while avoiding the pessimistic future. It mainly focuses on the MC, as it should be, while the author manages to successfully make good side characters. The other people have certain humane thoughts, for example, a rival author. That rival author won't automatically hate the MC because of his superiority and seniority, but just feel him out and interact with him based on the personality he has.... more>> It's not a brain-dead wetdream of a loser in life having an ultimate success, harem of babes, and a massive c*ck in his second life, but instead, learning from the past and using those actual experiences to benefit the current present and future.

Good story, I came back again today after finishing it last year. <<less
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Mors86
Mors86 rated it
January 21, 2019
Status: --
I dunno wth is going on in the heads of those people who gave this story a 1-star. Like another reviewer said it's eroding my faith in humanity.

I'm ~200 chapters in and this might be the best WN I've ever read. And I have read hundreds.
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CreativeJuices
CreativeJuices rated it
June 4, 2022
Status: Completed
This was an amazing novel. So much so that I'm shocked at the kinda low ratings on NU.

Firstly, I'd like to compliment the good points of the novel.

  • Amazingly-developed side characters. This is a point I see brought up often in other reviews, and I wholeheartedly agree, almost all of the side characters seemed substantial with their own distinct personalities and likes/dislikes. (I especially liked Coin and Mr. Moon)
  • Overall plot progression: Some people may say that the pacing is too 'slow' or 'boring, ' because it's a slice of life. I kind of disagree with this label, because while it does follow the main character, Juho Woo, and his daily life, it focuses more on writing and literature as well as the emotional turbulence that follows it. I found myself so drawn into the description of novels in this book that I desperately wanted to read each and every book mentioned. In fact, the way writing is depicted in The Great Storyteller was so compelling it motivated me to start writing again as well. Just seeing the MC's sheer passion for writing was amazing.
  • The Main Character: I read some of the other reviews that said the main character was uninteresting or was like a 'printing machine' before reading, and walked into The Great Storyteller fully expecting a flat, 2D main character. However, during (and after) reading, I realized how unbelievably incorrect those descriptions were. Juho Woo is a ~50 year old man who finds himself back into his 17 year old body, and honestly, if he were to act immature and childish it would've been even more jarring. But he isn't boring or jaded either, rather, he pokes fun at his other peers and older acquaintances in a way that fits his personality. He's not a character that's loud and rambuctious; he's a rather calm and collected person that is wholly devoted to writing, who can also be very impulsive at moments. He may seem a little too obssessed with writing, and it seems like his only purpose for living is just to write.
    Spoiler

    However, as shown in the book, when he returns to his younger self he seems to believe that he was "reborn" solely to make up for his past sins/mistakes, to write more, better novels. It's not until after the time skip where he almost dies again that he realizes he doesn't need to write to live- he just needs to live. I like to think that Juho truly started living for himself after that point.

    [collapse]
  • The realism: The Great Storyteller takes place in modern-day, and actually falls short on this aspect somewhat as the reason for Juho's rebirth is never explained
    Spoiler

    Plus he literally sees things

    [collapse]
    I also loved that Juho didn't plagiarize knowledge about other novels once he was reborn, as he wanted to reach his goal using his own efforts.
Aside from all of the amazing points, there were a few things I did dislike in the novel.

  • Gary Stue: I didn't mind that Juho resolved every problem relatively easily, as ultimately The Great Storyteller is a story that explores internal conflict more than external conflict, which I absolutely adore. However, I did dislike how random mob characters were introduced just to highlight a certain success of the MC, and although this is really common in webnovels, I think this aspect really keeps this great book at just that- a webnovel.
  • The ending: The time skip was rather abrupt, but I do like the unique method the author used to introduce it, although it's a bit more jarring in writing than, say, other media.
    Spoiler

    No one dies at the end, which was a bit unrealistic as they're all super old by then, but it was a nice touch that ended the story on a good note.

    [collapse]
    The symbolism in Crow and the literal crow was a welcome addition, as it showed that Juho will have someone to essentially carry on his legacy. Overall, I was satisfied with the ending, and it's not that I dislike the way the novel ended, but rather that the novel ended at all.
Overall:

I really loved The Great Storyteller, and it's definitely going in my favorites. The overall tone of the story is rather calm and touching, the vibrance of youth and new beginnings, the darkness of inner turmoil, and the contrast between the old, alcoholic, and homeless man and the young and successful author. I cannot stress how beautiful this story is.

tldr;

This is an amazing novel, and if you're an avid reader and/or writer, this should definitely be the next thing you read. You definitely won't regret it!
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fangyuan
fangyuan rated it
July 28, 2021
Status: Completed
A novel that started off quite well but got rather stale somewhere along the line. In the earlier parts, the author provided reasonable explanations about MC's novels but gradually, his works got really vague that you don't even know what makes those novels praise-worthy. One thing I really liked about the novel is MC's journey to find himself, whether through his writings, his peers' writings, or his interactions with people he know. Not a flawless novel and certainly not the best web novel for me but it is still a... more>> good read that I would recommend. <<less
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Novirp13
Novirp13 rated it
January 9, 2021
Status: Completed
The Great Storyteller is a good slice of life novel, with a hallucination sprinkle within it. What? Yeah, hallucination. Juho is a kid with an avid imagination, he can even converse with the characters he made himself. It was no wonder they seems so alive and sometimes relatable.

... more>>
Spoiler

Unfortunately, he's also a depressed, gloomy kid. It pained me how he kept on belittling himself. Saying that he could do better, his novels weren't as good as everyone said it was. Especially how he hallucinated even on the brink of his death. Because crow and a homeless man who fell to the river? Yeah, that wasn't real. You were seeing your past self. Why won't you lean on your friends' shoulders, Juho?? I'm sure they'll be glad to help you TAT

[collapse]

Anyway, this novel is full of imagery and flowery conversation, it almost like I'm reading a classic book. It's not your typical OP MC where he acquired a cheat skill to buldoze through every problem he'll face--

Spoiler

(Well, he does has a cheat skill. A.k.a he is a walking google translate, as he can read any languanges he encounter with a single glance. Kinda irked me that there's no explanation for this ability, so you can say it's one of the flaw of this novel)

[collapse]

--No. Juho didn't use the knowledge he got from the future to get rich, nor he steal someone else idea of a story and make it into his own. He wrote his novels with his own ability. Because, he may be a failure, but he's still a novelist. He knows how to write.

There's a thing that I don't like, however. That is, the placement of the timeskip

Spoiler

I thought the 2 years skip of Military Enlistment was bad enough, but waow. A big timeskip from 27 years old to 47 years old? That was a bit too jarring. Not to mention, it happened in the middle of a chapter as well

[collapse]

I dislike it. But on the other hand, I kinda fond of it as well.

Spoiler

Because the author used those last 6 or so chapters for Juho to undergo a journey in loving himself. Stop punishing yourself. The God gave you a second chance in life and you should live your life to the fullest. And that mean, take a break occasionaly. Nobody will hate you if your book come out later than usual TwT

[collapse]

All in all, a great novel. Character relationships are solid as well and doesn't feel like they were just background characters for author to toss away. Coin and Juho friendship kinda reminded me of Xanxus and Tsuna from Katekyo Hitman Reborn lol

4/5 because I may like the ending, but I don't think the other will. It's like a guilty pleasure. You know it's bad but like I said, you're fond of it as well 😂 <<less
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Valven
Valven rated it
June 21, 2020
Status: Completed
My #1 book.

Read for 3+ years, TGS is my all time favourite.

Give it a try.
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TraderLife
TraderLife rated it
October 30, 2022
Status: c39
It's for snobbish people.

That's what I get from reading the first few chapters, it's a typical act cool Korean Novel that's all style no substance, good looking sub-par everything else.

It's supposed to be a story about a storyteller and...... it isn't, man got no story to tell, we aren't involve closely on the process of him writing other than author telling when he's writing, even his own live is barely a story, one could grab random passerby and their live is more colorful than this MC. So what he does... more>> he do? He writes novel, what's the story? Don't know and that's it and then he got and award for it. This novel is titled great storyteller yet he doesn't tell any story, he doesn't even have a story to tell! So what is this novel about?

IT'S A LIFESTYLE NOVEL!!! A freaking SELF-INSERT on a Lifestyle of a YOUNG, POPULAR, SUCCESSFUL MALE WRITER!! Oh how much I laugh as I realize when I take step back and see past the facade of glamour, made up melancholy and flowery nonsense in this novel that hide its true nature: style over substance self insert of a successful young novelist, and that's it. <<less
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Cookmeal
Cookmeal rated it
March 29, 2022
Status: c350
As sassy as some critical reviews out there have said, there're still some ideas that can be recycled.
"He's a printing machine." Not true, but not necessarily wrong either. The lack of emotion can very easily be explained by his past life and his work ethic. To be honest, without the regression, there're a lot of ppl like that in real life too. He isn't lacking emotion, cuz I can still see his functions at least as a human. He still has to learn, to go somewhere to get the... more>> ideas, inspirations, not like he just sat there and hatch masterpieces. That's why the opinion isn't true, but why did I say it's not wrong either? It's because of the horrible downfall from chapter 250. When he reveals his identity, all thing goes wrong. It looks like the author lack inspiration himself and becomes exactly like a printing machine. Yes. The printing machine here isn't the MC, but the author. MC becomes so impulsive, I know he is somewhat impulsive, but in this case, it's just too much, to the point of contradiction. All the previous chapters fall like a lie, all the fun writing time is gone, all left for drama, and you know what's worse? It's interview drama. Chapters after chapters are filled with interviews comments that are trying to put him down a little before raising him so high in the sky. Why? Why doesn't he just live a quiet life, like he always wants? Why doesn't he just decline the nominee from the start? That means he desires the award, a greedy mess that doesn't even dare to come out in the first place. His stubbornness is second to none, if it happens the first time, it will be " I see, it is like that huh?", but the second, third, and nth times? "What the hell do you want???" The later chapters are truly a terrible experience. A trade-off of a peaceful slice-of-life but with very fresh experience (the writer's life) to an arrogant prick but pretend to be not by his calm pretense? No thanks, won't do it ever again. It's all I have to say about this story. Because I still have some fun till chapter 250, which is half of the story, I will give it a 3-star. <<less
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