Shrouded Seascape

Description

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The underground sea is pitch black and mysterious, with islands inhabited by grotesque and terrifying monsters.

Humans are not the protagonists of this eerie place; madness and death are. Begging for the mercy of those sea creatures will only lead to a gradual deformation in the darkness, leaving the poor souls struggling to survive.

If we want to regain the former glory of humanity, we must have the courage to navigate the steamship and venture into the depths of the Earthsea, with a determination to face death.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Mysteries of the Earthsea
诡秘地海
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Deep Sea Embers (3)
Lord of the Mysteries (2)
13 Minke Street (1)
Ten Day Ultimatum (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. CN Male Protagonist NO Romance NO Harem
  2. High Quality Novels
  3. Certified Banger
  4. Gentle undulations
  5. CN novels - Read Later

Latest Release

Date Group Release
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c50
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c49
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c48
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c47
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c46
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c45
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c44
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c43
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c42
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c41
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c40
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c39
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c38
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c37
10/02/23 Wuxiaworld c36
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11 Reviews sorted by


Eternal Liar
Eternal Liar rated it
April 4, 2023
Status: --
This would've been a great original novel if not for the fact that I suspect the writer is borrowing all their source material from the Sunless Sea and is going to be less original as time goes on, but time will prove.

So far I find the writing lacking in details, granted this is a webnovel but my gripe lies in the fact that the writer is lacking in imagination to describe the richness and mysteries of anything they encounter and rushes through some parts they could not elucidate.
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TurdFerguson777
TurdFerguson777 rated it
September 26, 2023
Status: c232
its pretty good at the start but after a 50 chapters or so it gets a lot better, I'm suprised it's so low rated, because it's better than 99% of chinese novels on this site.

Basically a guy from earth goes out on a boat one day and somehow ends in an ocean where there is no sun, no stars, and it is completely dark. He gets picked up by a ship, and eventually he becomes the captain of a cargo ship. This is where the story begins from. His goal... more>> is to find the way to surface.

Power System:

The world's technology and power system is pretty weird and convoluted but generally it's like 19th century style, but there's electricity and magic (which is mostly cursory and not talked about much) and other weird stuff. The main power at least for humans (there are other indigenous races), comes from relics --> similar to artefacts in LOTM, they give you power for a price

Spoiler

Later revealed that people from the surface came down to study these artifacts and sometimes even made them.

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The other main power are the weird things in the sea, these monsters are powerful and strange and there are even cults who consider some of these monsters gods.

Setting:

Apparently it is similar to the game sunless sea. There is a seemingly endless dark subterranean sea, and most people live on islands, that may sink randomly. The person in charge of an island is called the governor and they are usually the one who explored the island or descendants of that person.

Character:

I would say the characters in the novel are more 3d and the portrayl of women is better than most chinese novels, ofcourse it still not great, as most of female characters are dependant on the MC in some way or another. The MC is somewhat similar to klein, but he is a lot more indifferent and cruel - he's kind of hypocritical because he doesn't want be ruthless but he lets other's do it for him

Spoiler

E.g. Whole crew needs to survive, so first mate suggest to do a ritual sacrifice, captain rebukes him, but then doesn't stop him from doing it (whether the character is able or not, the author is acting for him)

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Overall I'll give it 5 stars because I feel it's too lowly rated here, but in my personal rating it would be like a 4/5 (5/5 is LOTM on web-novel scale) <<less
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Saronin Jayhart
Saronin Jayhart rated it
July 25, 2024
Status: c43
It was actually pretty hard to figure out why I didn't quite like it. It has a very interesting setting and worldbuilding

... more>>
Spoiler

Reminiscent of Deep Sea Embers, but without Vision 001 and taking place before all the islands were discovered.

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Lovecraftian style theme, with exciting moments that keep you on the edge of your seat, it's relatively well written has a great translation.

I couldn't understand why I didn't really like it, until I realized, the author reveals the mysteries from the start leaving the mystery only for the characters to solve leaving nothing for the reader to figure out and so all you can do is frustratedly shout at them for not realizing what's happening despite living in a world that should make them cautious of these things. The mysteries that aren't explained from the seem to have no development, since the characters, for the most part, aren't really interested in solving the mysteries (since doing so might make them go insane) leaving the reader unsatisfied.

Also I can say for certain he is not a cautious protagonist, at least he is not cautious compared to any of the characters in Deep Sea Embers, considering the similar setting he appears to be slow-witted, and lacking experience, never seeming to learn new precautions from any of his encounters and rushing head first into danger for the sake of a quick buck. He might be cautious by the standard of regular sci-fi or fantasy settings, but not by the standard of cosmic horror.

Spoiler

You write in your diary daily, so read the effing diary after every incident. For pete's sake use it to confirm how many crew you have aboard, their names, features and who died. You've been living in a world where crew are replaced/increased with monsters regularly for 8 years. You'd think that'd be obvious by now. Heck have two of them, one in your language and one in theirs, so that you can compare the entries. :Facepalm:

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SpHyNx
SpHyNx rated it
November 10, 2023
Status: c166
So ever since finishing LOTM a while back, I've been craving stories like that for a long time. Sadly, as many of you fellow readers know, they are hard to find. Shrouded Seascape is one of those that managed to scratch that itch that I had for Lovecraftian horror, with an amazing world and even better characters.

For me, personally, as of chapter 166, I believe this novel’s strongest point to be its MC. He ‘feels’ human, and his motives are relatable and understandable. Unlike those Xianxias where the MC holds... more>> an iron will to shake mountains and move the seas and all that bla bla, our MC has a reason to be driven, he struggles A LOT and you can’t help but root for him. The side characters are I would say 50/50 they are not bad per se, but neither are they amazing.

Overall; I truly believe that this is a hidden gem that just needs a bit more exposure. It's truly been a long time since I last felt goosebumps when reading a novel, and this one managed to do just that. <<less
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jimdakid
jimdakid rated it
December 19, 2023
Status: c241
I like this novel a lot. The setting reminds me of Deep Sea Embers, but the main character is not as OP as Captain Duncan. Instead, there is a greater focus on the SCP-like artifacts and beings that lurk in the underground sea. The pacing is quite fast, but I do not feel like the writing quality suffers for it. It helps that the translation quality is top-notch.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Seraphic
Seraphic rated it
November 17, 2023
Status: c147
There's a couple of Lovecraft-inspired webnovels that have been or are being translated, but this one stands out to me as specifically capturing the essence of a ttrpg like Call of Cthulhu. There's horror, sure, but it's more of an action story about surviving a world that's very much hostile to humans, even if it means gradually losing your sanity along the way.
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puukkiss
puukkiss rated it
April 3, 2023
Status: c15
Nice. So far, not bad. Yeah, comparing it to LotM might be banal, but as there aren't that many stories in steam age/sea only LotM sea arc felt closest with otherworldly Cthulhu islands/power.

World building seems solid, giving the feeling of a lived in world of steam punk, sea, and monsters. Side characters have enough flavour to remember them.

Only critic I could say it was too on the nose with when their minds were controlled. As if readers have a bad memory to remember simply facts. Plus, only two female characters... more>> introduced so far were sexy ladies... Hopefully some normal woman side characters will show up...

Translation: Good. Reads smoothly and there aren't any clumsy places. (But English is my second language, so who do I know?) Also, for now, updates are at a good pace.

Will read on as it is translated. <<less
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Oldfour rated it
December 20, 2023
Status: c240
This book is great! If you want an unusual Chinese novel that has lots of fresh stuff this is it! It has cosmic horror, lovecraftian stuff, and scp stuff! Very early on you realize that the horrors of the sea are so bad that even when you win, the wounds to your psyche may last for life. The writing is unique, and there are monsters I've never even considered before!
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grrman
grrman rated it
August 18, 2024
Status: c728
It's a very good novel. It's about a MC who is struggling to retain his humanity in an actual insane world. It's a novel about exploring the seas while being the lowest being on the food chain. Whether it's monsters that want to eat you, the call of the seas slowly corrupting your mind, or otherworldy beings driving people insane, our MC struggles through a dark world full of mysteries. It's a harsh novel that does a good job at staying grounded in human emotions even while exploring islands and... more>> concepts that are hard to comprehend.

The strongest part of the novel are the emotions. The author does a good job at building a supporting cast of characters and periodically switching POVs so we slowly get a more accurate view at what's going on around the world. The shift in POVs help us see things from a regular person's point of view because our MC is very different from the rest of the world. The author does a good job at world building and setting things up for the future. There are lots of characters and places that reappear and are relevant in the far future. I've never read a SCP type novels so all the concepts seem very fresh to me. I think the author does a good job at explaining things so the reader doesn't have to be familiar with Lovecraftian myths.

There's lots of mystery, action and horror, but also quite a bit heart warming moments and light hearted scenes. I think it's a very well rounded novel, that keeps you on the edge of your seat and is hard to predict what's the next twist going to be or who is going to survive a scene. <<less
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QinQing_Chen
QinQing_Chen rated it
October 3, 2023
Status: c124
For now, I'll put it as 5 star. It's about a person of our world that is sent to a world with steam-punk and Lovecraft theme. He is desprete and obsessed to go back to this world. That is peaceful compared with the one that have alot of Lovecraft monsters in it. It is more like action story actually. Some people might found it like a game... But since I never play it, so I can't say it is alike or not. anyway, I read the Mtl. So some nuance... more>> might not be felt, but this is quite a good story that also have theme of sea. <<less
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japuncess
japuncess rated it
August 30, 2024
Status: c500
This is the first time I am posting a review in this website because I wanted this book to get more recognized because it is so underrated currently. Coming from an avid light novel reader, I read ch, jp, korean novels, the notable ones include Er gen novels, Lord of the misteries (and the 2nd one), Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Return of the Mount Hua sect to name a few,

I really enjoyed the level of writing and plot Shrouded Seascape has. It is quite similar to LOTM, however the setting... more>> is different, since in this world, everything is happening inside the earth/deap earth. This means that technology isnt that developed, things are happening mostly between islands and seas (yeah pirates and exploration is the main theme here). The catch is that SCP related stuff is in play here, in LOTM terms, sealed artifacts, although it is called relics here, and it also has certain drawbacks when used. Although the power level isnt really as defined as in LOTM, it has its unique ways of gauging the characters strength.

The best thing about this novel is that, although it has a slow start like LOTM, it begins picking the pace fast as we encover more and more mysteries, and islands. Begininning from the main character, we feel like we are learning about the world at the same pace as him, as I am in like the middle of the book currently (i think), each chapter makes me anticipating of what is coming next, as every solved mystery always leads to another intriguing mystery.

Lastly, my favourite part about this novel is the characters, and the dynamic between them. Although the author mainky focuses on MC's development, like other authors do, this author doesnt abandon the side/supporting characters. He develops them with the MC, and also shows how their character progresses throughout the story. The MC and the side characters also shares a strong bond, and some scenes in the story can be really emotional (yes, beware). Unlike LOTM, this story has its share of romances, however it isn't written too strongly like other harem novels. Actually, I kinda got depressed reading one of the sad chapters.

Well, this is my review, and I hope more people give this novel/book a chance. I really like fantasy/dark fantasy novels, and I feel like if you like reading er gen novels (especially the timescape one) and LOTM then you will enjoy reading this novel!!!

You can read this in Wuxiaworld app btw xD, the translation is nice!!!! And maybe you can see my comments too (Daoist TenDongs) <<less
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