Gaaah, I have so much to say about this novel... It's from Wuzhe (巫哲), the same author who wrote SAYE, and so far, every novel of hers I read has an amazing cast of vivid characters. But let's start it properly: this novel is a must for everyone who likes the derealized, surrealistic, bizarre world-building, with internal logic that might be challenging at the beginning, but gets more and more clear the longer one reads. Reading this, you will experience a kind of dreamy, grotesque landscape of that melting world. ... more>>

To summarise my feelings about this novels without getting into the spoilers, it kind of gives me this 'absurd' vibe people who read Albert Camus' works might be familiar with. The feeling of absurdity is born when you start to see the incongruousness of the world and life, and begin to titter on a thin line between choosing living on and succumbing to despair, death even. The truth one regards as granted, the imagined future one regards as given starts to break down, leaving you before the choice of either bowing down to your fear against inevitable, or rebelling against the absurd world and fate, no matter the fact that in the long run, it's all futile.

Personally, I find Melted City (or Melting City, as I prefer to call it so)  is a little bit more optimistic version of such reality than eg. "The Plague" by Camus, or rather it follows the story of the characters that were born surrounded by the absurd, crumbling world, and thus found a will to fight to the last drop of their blood for the right they claimed to themselves,  the right to live the way they want, and die the way they wish (don't get me wrong tho, it's HE). 

Regarding romance... don't expect either heaps of dog food or any form of smut, the main couple's relationship is moving, but it's easily the most subtle main CP I've ever experienced in danmei. Their story together flows slowly and a reader who didn't read the tags might not even realize it's a BL until virtually the end of the story, but it doesn't mean the connection they share isn't in any way heartwarming. Despite it being so platonic (and me being a perv), I can definitely say it's one of the most memorable CPs for me. 

Many readers on the Chinese side found this novel challenging to read, as a lot of details only come to focus pretty late in the story, but I still would like to recommend giving it a chance, as it's a really worthwhile read. It's not long, so even though it's not necessarily a casual read, it's also not a too much of a daunting challenge.  <<less

Let me start from a disclaimer: IT'S NOT A NOVEL FOR EVERYONE. Before starting reading it, you should make sure you're not triggered by... well, possibly every trigger warning, ranging from extreme gore to r*pe and mindbreak. It's a novel diving deep into the most vile and filthy vision of human society, where all the possible forms of moral abominations can be commercialised, and will be commercialised. Both of the characters were past some really traumatic experiences, and they're about to face even more of them, pushing them closer and closer to the brink of mental breakdown. ... more>>

Thus, it's not a novel for the faint of heart, and it never advertises itself as such.  Main couple romance is no sweet story, and their experiences with each other don't necessarily bring that always-on-demand dog food and gay fluff, it's more like a mutual search for something to cling to in the face of despair for the sake of seeking the faintest ray of hope. But if you feel like diving with those two (undeniably crazy) characters into the quagmire of inhuman atrocities to search for some light at the end of the tunnel, you might want to consider reading it.

I, myself, have a really mixed feelings regarding this novel, as it pushes my views of the role of morals in society to the limit, but one thing I have to admit--it's a memorable experience.  I was able to connect with those characters, understand and feel their rage, their fear and insanity, and there's no doubt it'll stick with me for long years to come. 

For those interested, there is also a three seasons long audio drama adaptation at misseavan (link for the first season here: https://www.missevan.com/mdrama/16437).

And also.

IT'S A SWITCH BABY, HECK YEAH!!! (*bonks herself into oblivion*) <<less