I  prune this list often with  better replacements. Last page has the "updates"... more>>

1. Charm of the soul pets 2. Mechanic 3. Overlord 4. Throne of magical arcana 5. Mage Adam 6. shrouded sea scape <<less

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

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

I dislike ret*rds!!!!! Too much emotional mc is also a big no~~~~~~... more>>

Extremely kind mc is also meh... 

Lets be realistic everything is meh in front of benefit oriented mc.... But they are hard to find......

Ranking after first 3 is useless.  <<less

Here is the list of the best translated novels you can find, be it Japanese, Chinese or Korean. (This list is based on my taste and subjective opinion and our opinions and taste might differ). Although I tried to rank it, but you should READ all these novels nevertheless, that's a MUST. ... more>>

This list mainly features novels from two genres : ACTION (mainly cultivation novels) and ROMANCE (preferably tragic romance which leaves deep impression on you) and excludes YAOI/BL (not a big fan of those)

If any novel isn't on this list, its because :

1. I haven't read it yet. (Believe me, I have read 300+ big-ass novels if not a thousand)

2. I didn't like it. (It may be good, just didn't suit to my taste)

Apart from this, if you are looking for ORIGINAL novels, you should give the following a try :

1. The Beginning After The End - By TurtleMe

2. The Author's PoV - By Entrail_JI

3. Supreme Magus - By Legion20 <<less

✨Only the cream of the crop ✨ All the (mostly) historical novels which have proven to stand the test of time a.k.a survived  my endless nitpicking, fluctuating moods and multiple re-read. So yeah, pretty strong novels.... more>>

PS: The others novels I liked, but not enough to be featured here, are in my yearly "New Favorite Historical Romances" lists. <<less

A hundred and three novels starred by male protagonists that you might like with NO HAREM.... more>>

·····

《 Good 'Male-Protagonist-no-harem' novels but unlisted in NU 》

↠The Beginning After The End

↠The Author's POV

↠ Mother of Learning

 

·····

THIS IS NOT ARRANGED BY RANK

·····

p.s.

I haven't read all of these books and only a few of them. I wanted male pov books that didn't have a dozen of females flocking hence after tons of reading genres and tags and a h*ck amount of reviews making sure there ain't no imposter in here I've finally formed a hundred (and two) "MALE PROTAGONIST WITH NO HAREM" READING LIST!!!! TADA ~ ~~

You're welcome ;D

Oh, and If you guys wanna recommend books and found out there's an imposter among us (diz books) please tell me- tell us! and even more so if you wanna recommend a good book ANY GENRE you know about please please please..? *with sparkling eyes* 

·····

⤜ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ⇻ <<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

The web novels in this list are not ranked.  I look for in protagonists these characteristics:... more>>

Ambitious//Ruthless/Intelligent.

I too favour Kingdom building novels.

Also in this list, I only included novels that I read somewhat or finished. <<less

Another story is: "Tyranny of Steel" The story progress something like Release That Witch. MC makes Austria become a power house by introducing gun technology... more>> in an era of cold weapon. Some reader says its unacceptable since MC does not have super power like the witches in Release That Witch but the author keep mentioning the MC have an almost photographic memory and he is an engineering soldier who focus on technology knowledge. Warning: MC is grooming his teenage fiancé to be his wife. There are s*x scenes too. (Recommended but with warning: Adult/Mature tag.)  <<less

Noice Novels...they are not in order

LIST 1 - 10 ARE THE TOP 10 NOVELS I’VE READ. FYI, my standards are exquisite, meticulous and flawless. You can trust my list. ... more>>

SO FAR, I HAVEN’T READ THE REST AFTER #11 BUT THIS LIST GENERALLY HAS GOOD REVIEWS AND ABOVE 4 STAR RATINGS. 

#ANTI BRAINDEAD MCs ALLIANCE. 
#SOME ARE BL

#HANDSOME MALE PROTAGONISTS <<less

No rankings! All random order... more>>

Just a list consisting of characters who apply to at least one of the following tags as stated in list. Some characters will have all 5 of the applied tags, others only would have 1 tag at most. Some might only be ‘slightly’ cold or calm but still will be on this list, alas falling under the category. 

The story will consist of all types of novels like the typical Korean transmigration stories to the angsty danmei. All types, infinite flow, a deep slice of life I keep my word…
Currently updating so more stories will come on here, will try to find some hidden gems, I have been on this site for a while and have only just made an account so you will have to bare with me, as I try to find those stories I have read a long time back

Also would be very nice if anybody reading this recommended anymore stories to add onto this list as I have been desperately searching for actual decent stories with this tag. Surprisingly not many stories actually fulfil this tag successfully and I rather not add some derelict dull 2000+ novel with op mc, rather stories that will captivate your interest <<less

Overlooked and underrated novels that are really unique in terms of either characters, world, story or even several at once and don't have glaring faults.... more>>

Lots of novels are interesting at first but are destroyed by either insufferable characters or a terrible story. Not these. And if you know others like them, PLEASE let me know!

Bad stories and characters are everywhere, good stories and characters are rare, but truly UNIQUE stories or characters are unforgettable and THAT is what I'm looking for after reading hundreds of titles.

People often complain that many novels' characters are flat and fixed. Well, here they are not just really well written, but grow and change over time.

No reincarnations into tr*shy young masters, no sect branches that have bigger branches behind them with sects behind them with bigger sects behind them, no fighting 10 ranks higher enemies because MC is so special, no repeating the same nonsense again and again for thousands of chapters, no all-knowing MC on a rail to the next key-item, no arranged marriages and no idiots to be killed by MC for a back and forth of revenge with family->sect->kingdom->world againd and again.

I've read many hundreds of the most popular titles and they won't make the list because of mentioned issues, or are new and I don't know of them yet.

I made a second list with titles that didn't make it because of flaws but are still a good read.

Ranked in terms of being well-rounded and polished. <<less

List contains my favorite action/horror/psychological thrillers. Some will question ones humanity but I do love antiheroes.... more>>

I like my MC strong but they're way cooler if they're clever enough to outsmart the enemies. Or should I say cunning?

Novel recommendations not link to NU in the comment section. <<less

For personal reference/rereading. Mostly plot focus & serious favs, with solid writing/characterisations/overarching plot. Any pairings (mostly bl/het), but not many harem/stallion novels. Mostly CN/KR novels for dialogue. Roughly sorted, many genres, no/low spoilers.... more>>

I prefer wuxia over xianxia, tragedy over fluff, etc. Some less serious/non-plot-focused novels included/marked for their definitive traits.
Personal genre/trait favs: comedy, tragedy, historical, mystery, psychological, scifi, realistic, mature, bittersweet, wuxia, delinquents, strategies/war, empire building, betrayal, food.   <<less

I feel really bad when I start reading a good novel thinking that it's quite good and doesn't have useless & annoying harem  it turns... more>> out to be one. It's seriously annoying. This list contains novels which aren't harem . Mc have only one wife/gf or none at all. Let's start( uh..... I'm quite new to nu so don't mind my listing style & they aren't in order) <<less

GENRES: either Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Martial Arts, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Supernatural... more>>

A compilation of my favorites (CN, JP, KR) in alphabetical order.
*read the comments for additional recommendations (original novels)
*will update when I find and read new interesting ones <<less

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

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

Novels I enjoyed/am planning to read in the future. A lot are in the kingdom building, some otome game, some reincarnation. Novels are generally ranked... more>> by page from favorite to least favorite. <<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

I've been a proofreader and editor for a dozen series, and even more importantly I've read dozens more. Of the many books I've read or... more>> worked on, these are my favorites. It is not ranked in order of greatness. Some are genre-making, most are experimental, many are bold, but all are great.  <<less

Evil and Ruthless Male Protagonists... more>>

More info on what i am searching: (The title may not be entirely accurate.)

Evil mc ( someone who do not care about other people, and can do anything for his goals )

Ruthless mc ( someone who do not hesitate to kill )

Neutral mc ( Neither a good person, nor a bad person, But care more about his own profits, Rational-Pragmatic type of route )

No Romance ( For this one, i also mean, less romance or none maybe, as well. No romance and no female lead are different. )

No Heroine ( i will use this word for those novels where there is no female lead. ) This is a word you find usually in mtl.
Extra:https://www.novelupdatesforum.com/threads/no-romance-and-no-harem-novels-only-can-be-evil-cold-ruthless-or-villain-egoist-pragmatic-mc.161306/

Sharing a Discord Invite Code, For Evil mc novels, But only MTL. Discord invite: ywyGwvK5ns. 

P.S: My reviews might be rough sometimes, but they're my honest thoughts. I wouldn't share a novel in here if I didn't think there was something worthwhile. Use them as a guide and decide for yourself. Treat each novel like a Poison Test. Enjoy your reading! <<less