Sturgeon's law: 99% of everything is terrible.... more>>

I know many people say that there are no good novels on this site, and it oftens feels like the top lists are filled with overpowered MC's, undeveloped harems, 2D characters, and lacking plots.

There are some novels that stand out, however, whether that be for their plots, characters, or translations.

This is a list for my personal 1%. It is ranked in order. <<less

Sequence is CN- JP- KR- Fluffy- (Comedy)- Exceptions- To-reads. Not ranked by number. 
My descriptions varies greatly from a gist, polished review, impressions, or explains key points.        ... more>>

[Flexible Preferences] 
A. Protags are somehow mostly male but I read both!- interesting, has compelling qualities, flawed with development
B. Entertaining, Distinct, & Creative
C. Steady premise, no TERRIBLE plot hole 
D. Romance: good execution, pacing, build-up, & evokes emotion; no bullsh!t drama & brain-dead denseness
E. Vital, relevant, fleshed-out characters
F. Comedic & Fun
G. Danger, Wars, Battles, Strategy, Tactics, Trials, Fights, Thriller, Suspense
H. Lore, Culture, Kingdom, Worldbuilding 
I. Political Intrigue, Schemes, Mind Games, Manipulation, Mystery
J.  Pure tragedies rarely - it hurts!
K. No BL/GL(yet?)
L. Can be R-18 
M. Polygamous-like IF great story | even if you're averse consider my recs. ;)

[Criteria]
1. These are (mostly) 4/5 stars in story, translation and enjoyment according to my flawed evaluation that is mainly 3/10 objective, 7/10 subjective.
2. I have perused the novels or adaptation before sharing my thoughts.
3. Writing must be consistent, coherent and engaging and the ending must at least not be sh!t. Clichés to a point are fine however it needs to be purposeful & executed well. 
4. I will keep adding books that are promising, satisfying, translated.  <<less

50+ High Quality Novels.... more>>

read untranslated novels using ChatGPT, superior to Mtl. <<less

Caution: bear the risk of having your taste being too sky-high standard.

This is it, yal already know... more>>

Webnovels: f*ck WEBNOVEL, sh*t ASS SITE, PIRACY W

Shadow s*ave: "I can't believe I am still finding good novels to read. This is one of the best novels I've ever read and is f*cking well written. Deep plot, good apocalypse setting, characters are incredibly lifelike, interesting and diverse. An actual f*cking masterpiece currently. Enough said." #0.5

Paragon of Sin: "Very very very very good. MC is cool, not very generic, a different feeling all together while still being a cultivation ln. Also dude is just incredibly op but still feels like its deserved idk not for everybody and this is coming from a guy who hates disgusting op mcs off rip. Enough said." #1.5

Birth of the Demonic Sword: "Falls off at the end but rly cool, dark, and powerful mc. Enough said." #10.5

Divine Emperor of Death: "Man has cheats but somehow it doesn't take away from the overall story. Harem as well. Enough said."   #18.5

Blood Warlock: Succubus Partner in the Apocalypse: "Very similar to God and Devil in the beginning but then changes for the worst, it feels like a self-insert type thing. Also the mc is brainless and s*upidly op. Enough Said." #26.5

Chao's Heir: "From the same author of BotDS and it greatly dissapoints. There's so much things wrong with this one that it would take me a day to get into the details. Do not read. Enough said." #40.5 <<less

A list of novels I like so I don't forget. Not in order. I try to not make this similar to FIEND's and other people's list but there aren't that many decent ones with no romance y'know. ... more>>

Some novels : Since The Red Moon Appeared, The Damned, Supreme Grandpa, Is That A Wisp?, Spending My Retirement In A Game.

P.S. I still haven't differentiated quick transmigration and world hopping so I could be mistaken about some. Thank you for understanding. <<less

These are novels that i believe have reached the peak. They are not flawless but they have certain attributes that couldn't be any better. It could be a single genre or multiple. But every one of these novels are something I have relished. ... more>>

They are not listed in any order other than when I remembered them. And this is not an exhaustive list. There are many novels that i have loved reading but didn't include because while they were good they did not reach the peak in any attribute or i have read but lost my memory of them to rate them precisely as a masterpiece.  <<less

Well first off these are my masterpiece novels and you can be rest assured each of novel here are quality novels that has something for everyone on each of them. But it will heavily depend on your taste whether you will like them or not. I will leave out description for what to expect so even though they are my masterpiece you might not enjoy. Pick carefully.... more>>

And Please ignore the ranking i love each and every novel here equally they cannot be ranked as  each one of them excels in their own genre. And another advise dont trust NU ratings blindly. Who knows you might enjoy the novel very much even though ratings are low. Low-ratings doesnt mean bad novel. I have found myself there and sometimes even though NU ratings were low i really enjoyed the story.

Another thing is there are very less JP/Kr novels here cause good CN novels are wholesome while KR novels are short and sweet but not wholesome. About jap novels though,i have lot of grievance with them, None of Jap novel MC feel humane except the 1% jp novel Mc. Yes i feel sociopathic, Hypocritical, Genocidal, Arrogant, Racist, hotblooded CN mc more humane then jap beta c*ck pu*sy Gary stu mc.  <<less

Serious/Seinen themes with as less cliché elements as possible. Preferably clever and calm MCs. No harems, maybe one odd love interest but nothing frivolous. Negligible... more>> comedy tropes.  <<less

I hate harem. Why? Because most of the time it leads the story to a direction that's not pleasing. And most of all I don't... more>> fantasize about having thousands of girl on my lap.  Hell I'm not even interested in romance . Anyway this list contains novels that have zero harem and maybe it will have novels that have romance, but almost all of them are not focused on romance
So enjoy (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ <<less

Chinese Cultivation novels, from Coiling Dragon to Against the Gods, were some of the absolute earliest novels listed on Novel Updates. Japanese isekai novels have... more>> been around the block for quite awhile, too, with middling popularity before Novel Updates even existed. ... And we <<less

The best Chinese novels this site has to offer.

I’ve read too many novels... more>>

Not sorted yet, currently adding reviews <<less

My personal opinion on cultivation novels that I enjoyed. Other than #1 and #2 the rest of the novels are in no particular order. Everything... more>> below #11 are novels that I enjoyed for the most part but had some gripes with. <<less

Novels which have been deemed to be excellent in some regard, irrespective of genres and themes. While not exhaustive in any way, this list will be periodically updated as I read more. Note that erot*c content might also be included. To better understand why I chose certain series, check out my reviews!... more>>

Note: I am biased towards reading more CN, and I have stopped reading any novel related to QI since the controversy with WW. Thus, you might find this list to be particularly biased, so take it with a pinch of salt. The order/numbering is not indicative of anything. <<less

No description.

Can't think of a name

Don't expect many harems with characters who can't think for themselves or fall in love with the MC before page 1. Many might have a slow moving plot... have to invest yourself into the characters to find the tragic, beautiful and poignant!... more>>

First, some English original webnovels that are superb and easily googleable (in order of best characters, not necessarily plot): 
1. Trailer tr*sh
2. Iron Teeth
3. Castle Kingside (rewrite)
4. Metaworld Chronicles
5. The Good Student
6. Worm (Parahumans)
7. AnimeCon Harem (18+)
8. Mother of Learning
9. Selena's Reign
10. Double Blind: A modern litRPG
11. Tidal Lock (unfinished)

Note that I've been recently pruning and updating the list to remove some that were just good stories with average characters and move them over to new lists that are top of their genre. You can see all my rec lists at https://www.novelupdates.com/user/10378/tallrice/ <<less

This is a list for my personal 0.1%. ... more>>

List is not ranked in order <<less

On most occasions, I tend to read 1/3~ of a novel to get a feel of things. These are [completed] some personal favorites and also some to pass time. A small summary of the novel which may contain spoilers!... more>>

I started out with Wuxia and explored other genre like Xianxia and Xianhuan. Not a ranking list btw ^^;;

Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng... etc, all great. <<less

After reading many novels I reached the conclusion that (for a male at least) the perfect novel needs 3 ingredients to satisfy the reader without boring him:... more>>

1 - STRENGTH : Constant MC drive to Increase his power/strength via cultivation or other means. The greater the obstacles he overcomes, the hardship, and the explosion of his power after he strengthened himself, the greater is the psychological reward. Examples: I Shall Seal The Heavens, Against The Gods, The Desolate Era.

2 - BEAUTY : An unending series of beauties in distress, with saving them as the main motivation to go on with the story. The MC should not be necessary a righteous person, but he should have a soft spot for damsels in distress. The beauties must not necessarily become part of the MC harem, they just need to be grateful to him. Examples: Womanizing Mage, Ancient Strengthening Technique, Battle Through the Heavens.

3 - WISDOM : The MC must outsmart his enemies. The most cunning, the better. Battle strength alone is not going to keep interest in the long run. Scheming and strategy, especially long term grand designs and political ploys, keep the story interesting. Antagonists also need to be crafty to make defeating them a rewarding experience. EXAMPLES: Legend of Ling Tian, Nirvana in Fire, Transcending the Nine Heavens.

So the formula is Xianxia/Xuanhuan + Save-The-Beauties + Cunning Protagonist.

This is a list of the best novels of this kind. <<less

I grew up with the development of Chinese Web Novels. In the beginning of 21st century, I started reading online novels, when Qidian set about... more>> expanding its business. Eastern fantasy was my favorite type. In every summer and winter vacation, I would read dozens of them. It was a great surprise for me when I heard NovelUpdates, which gave me the chance to create this list and share with you many memorable fantasy novels serving as milestones. <<less

Thrash novels are too prevalent, that's why I made it easier for everyone and just made a list of in mea sentetia novels that actually do have great plot or those that stand out from their peers. These are the must reads. ... more>>

PS: Honestly just read Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, Patrick Rothfuss, etc. for actual good fantasy novels.

  <<less

No BL and GL... more>>

In no particular order <<less

Could have forgotten some but most should be in here. Also this is mostly as a recommendations guide to my veteran friend Yoda, if other... more>> stumble upon it, feel free to take a look. <<less