Heaven Official's Blessing - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

 

Title: Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Volume 1

Author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment, 2021 (Paperback), originally published in China in 2017

Length: 417 pages

Genre: Adult; Fantasy

Started: December 14, 2021

Finished: December 28, 2021

Summary:

From the back cover:

A God Fallen...A Ghost Risen

Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedicated study and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise may also fall, and fall he does - cast from the heavens and banished to the world below. 

Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears...What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?

Review:

I first discovered Heaven Official's Blessing last year when the anime series first came out (was on Funimation, now moved to Netflix). Everyone was hyping up this new show from China and I was curious and wanted to check it out. I ended up adoring the story and the characters, so picking up the official English translation of the original Chinese novel was a given. 

First of all, in my opinion the story was relatively easy to get into. Granted I've studied Chinese history, religion, literature, and mythology back in university so I'm coming from a knowledge base most people don't have, but I still think the concepts are not beyond comprehension to the average person. The translation team for the English release thankfully included a ton of cultural guides, notes and glossaries at the end of the book, which help immensely. They even show names in Chinese characters and break down what each character means, which I appreciated since I realized the names are allegories or symbolic to the respective character. 

The translation itself is what appears to be a middle of the road translation: not insanely literal, but not fully localized either. It's relatively easy to read as well. This first volume (out of four total, the second is supposed to release in February) matches up with the content of the first season of the show, and doesn't really contain anything in addition to that (if anything the show added in slight details not present in the novel), so if you've seen the show you know the plot of this first volume. 

For those who can get into the story, the characters are worth the investment. Xie Lian is adorable in his  sincerity and the descriptions in the book just make you want to hug him. San Lang/Hua Cheung reveals his intentions pretty early on, and he could be the literal poster boy for devotion and loyalty. Even the secondary characters like the other gods have their moments and bring some great humour into the story. 

Recommendation:

For English fans of the show, you need to read this. For anyone else who's perhaps wanting to explore danmei (a genre of Chinese literature featuring romantic relationships between male characters), this is a great example of it. If you're not sure if this is up your alley, I recommend trying out the show on Netflix to see if you can get into it. The show is gorgeous on its own, so it's not a wasted effort by any means. 

Thoughts on the cover:

I was hoping they'd use an image from the wedding scene, and I got my wish. There's also a full colour two-page spread of the same enlarged image in the beginning of the book, which is a nice bonus. I love the red and gold colour scheme with Hua Cheung's signature butterflies.