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

List is not ranked in order <<less

Novels whose main themes are political intrigues, manipulation, deception, plot and MORE PLOTS and sometimes assassinations (o.O)... more>>

...and clever MCs. (and sometimes clever villains)

Rebirth/Transmigration and Face Slapping villains; AND KINGDOM BUILDING are added bonus. <<less

To read or not to read; that is the question. The continuation . . . 

Stories full of holes but somehow you gladly fall for them. A hidden gem once you pass by their weaknesses. (No particular order) 

Decent novels that are a bit realistic. They seem more down to earth and portray what it was like in ancient times. A nice writing style makes all the difference.... more>>

This is in no particular order. <<less

Good stories above all: this automatically excludes harems, shounens, games, isekais. Everybody says "but there's this harem/isekai/..." but there isn't*. Changing love interests is not a harem.... more>>

No yuri/yaoi and their milder versions. Smut or gore - if I have to. Usually these dominate stories and turn the novel into Xfest, and this really isn't what life is about. 

Good dialogues and or characters are definitely for a plus. Good writing is as well. So is good translation quality.

Overall, a novel needs to have a story to tell. I value my time and have troubles finding it. I'm cooking something
new every chapter is not a story that will enrich me. So is monster of the week. Or face slapping. Face slapping creates enemies and is less refreshing than sneezing or equally short-lasting.  If the action scenes or fights aren't written on a Sapkowski's level, it's usually best to forego them.

* yeah, there definitely will be some 1 in a gazillion exception. But I don't want to read gazillion mediocre attempts at inflating one's ego to find it. I know there are exceptions. The Kingdom's Bloodline uses reincarnation and has traces of cultivation and is overall fascinating. But the weak writers reach for weak tropes and don't even squeeze them, so overall I'm using this as elimination criteria. Aside from reading professional books, historical books and real novels, aside from work and side-jobs, I also live. So - as I said - I value my time. <<less

My go-to Chinese Novels.

Novels that for one reason or another I really enjoyed. Not in any particular order.

Recommendation List

Tired of harem/romance ruining the plot? Check these out!... more>>

BTW, they're not in any particular order. <<less

Over the years of reading I've developed a lot of pet peeves in regards to Chinese, Korean, and Japanese novels. From Japanese comedy, Japanese character archetypes, never-ending arrogant young masters, to harems in general; I've grown completely sick of many things. These are the ones that have managed to avoid (or managed to use well) the large amount of things I've grown to despise and are what I believe are among the best. They may not remain good for the whole novel but what matters is that I enjoyed them immensely for any portion of the story. They are in no particular order.... more>>

If you want to check out novels that I don't consider the best but were still decent reads then click my username. <<less

These are the novels that I personally enjoy. I admit that some are not as good as others, but it is my personal joy. There is no particular order. ... more>>

There are novels that I have saved up to read and haven't gotten around to yet:

-Isaac

-i reincarnated for nothing

-my death flags show no sign of ending

-king of the battlefield <<less

Small list of the stories I've found to be compelling even if flawed due to at the very least getting the basics right if not excelling in one aspect. (world building, character growth, character development, action, humor, etc.)... more>>

Quoting a user from the discord: 
"The best stories with a super overpowered protagonist don't rely on combat to be the motivating force for plot progression. 
It's interpersonal relationships, it's a time limit on how long they have to reach a goal, it's severely limiting factor on their powers, any number of other things. 
Making a story about a super overpowered protagonist, and then making every single piece of conflict in the story based around fighting severely drags a story down."

I've omitted any stories hosted only on webnovel/Qidian.

Work in progress, in no particular order. <<less

This a list of my all-time favourite stories. Adding reviews in-progress. (May take over a long span of time.) Novels are sorted in descending worthwhileness.... more>> (Again from perspective.) <<less

Just the stuff I've enjoyed most. Not everything will be the same genre, but if you have enjoyed something on this list you will probably enjoy others as well.... more>>

The last 5 will be my favourite romances <<less

What I think are pretty good novels to read.

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

If you want good novels, then you've come to the right place.... more>>

Though if you are searching for harem novels and cliche titles, then i am afraid that you've come to the wrong place and should probably find another list. I dislike harems, repetitive novels and just bad novels in general. I made this list to invalidate the claims that NU doesn't contain any good novels anymore. I know the vast majority of translated works caters to the harem/anti-hero loving part of the community, but i quite frankly dislike the vast majority of titles in those genres due to how bad they are. As a result, i have created this list to include novels that IMO stand out due the excellent execution in story beats, excellent translations/localization (English primarily) and just have good characters. That's all. <<less

All this novels are ongoing novels that are special to me. Even if they are suddenly dropped i won't regret having read these novels.

Fun MCs? Interesting Plot? Schemings? Grey Moralities? Bring it on!!!! ... more>>

(I'm still working on the rank, overlook it for the moment please XD) <<less

All stuff I've read till the end and ranked by personal preference. The ones at the front are more accurate, the ones at the end are unsorted. ... more>>

My preference: Meandering slow-burn novels like Mao Ni's stuff get extra points. Harem/romance/face-slapping power fantasies get minus points. Completed novels get bonus points, and terrible endings get points knocked off. Also plus points for character building friends/family/enemies and down points for solo yolo.

English ones not included in rankings: Worm, Pact, Mother of Learning, The Perfect Run, Twig, Lightning is the Only Way, Master this Poor Disciple Died Again Today, Unable to Cultivate I can only Raise Soul Pets

MTL-only: Rebirth of the Noble Mage Behind the Scenes <<less