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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

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