Dark Piece

Name: Dark Piece
ISBN: 9787538769319

路魆Shidai Literature Publishing House · ChinaSep 2023

3.6

Word count: 191K words
Chapters: 25
ISBN: 9787538769319

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Summary

In a virtual courtroom, an audience at the city theater listens to a strange memoir report in order to assign a stage role to the reporter, Sun Shengxi, and treat his "illness of no-self." It all stems from a delusion his mother voiced in his childhood: "You are the child I conceived by emanation. Your father is the mountain spirit, a monster from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio." Carrying the infamous label of "son of the mountain spirit," Sun Shengxi searches far and wide, through long years of fantasy and pain, only to discover that his life began with a decades-long fictional plan. At the story's end, fiction once again intervenes with irresistible will, completing the narrator's very existence.

Editor's review

Anzi is young writer Lu Kui's latest novel, published by Times Literature and Art Publishing House in 2024, ISBN 9787538769319. The work continues Lu Kui's signature magical realism style but shows clear advancement in narrative structure and the depth of philosophical speculation. The author skillfully elevates a concrete story seemingly about Go into an abstract exploration of human nature, fate, and the essence of existence. The "hidden stone" in the book is not only a latent setup in the game but also a metaphor for the suppressed potential, forgotten memories, or unnoticed decisive moments in an individual's life. Lu Kui's writing is cold and poetic, demonstrating excellent control in building a world where reality and illusion intertwine. The plot advances as meticulously as a Go game, with suspense set up and revealed at a well-judged pace, ensuring readability while leaving ample room for interpretation. The book's value lies not only in its exquisite story but also in inviting readers to join this intellectual game about "choice" and "possibility." For readers who seek intellectual challenge and philosophical resonance in literature, Anzi is undoubtedly a sincere work not to be missed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy novels combining literary quality with speculative depth
Those interested in Go, game metaphors, or Eastern philosophical elements
Fans who appreciate Lu Kui's previous works and hope to see his style continue and break new ground
Readers seeking a reading experience that lingers and provokes thought beyond the story

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast-paced, strongly plot-driven, purely entertaining reading
Readers impatient with narratives rich in symbolism, metaphor, and psychological description

Reading tips

Try reading the advance of the "Go game" in the book alongside the trajectory of the protagonist's inner changes to appreciate the dual narrative of metaphor.
Don't rush to finish in one sitting; pausing to savor key chapters may help you better understand the story's deep structure.
Don't worry if Go terminology is unfamiliar—the story's core lies in its philosophical meaning rather than specific Go technique.

About the publisher

Shidai Literature Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

Shidai Literature Publishing House is a literary publisher known for foreign literature and classic works. Judging from the more than 300 titles in the catalog, its publishing focus is on foreign literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, classic works, and world masterpieces, with attention to translation quality and series-based presentation. Representative books include Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, The Decay of the Angel, and Forbidden Colors in the Zitu Classic Library series, as well as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lu Xun's essays, and the four-volume The Sea of Fertility. Its translator resources include Chen Dewen, Gao Huiqin, Lu Qiushi, and Ding Kaite, while the authors involved include Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, Lu Xun, and Jane Austen. The publisher is characterized by translated literature and reissues of classics, balancing popular reading with cultural accumulation; public information about its complete catalog and publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
I 暗子图谱
一
二
三
四
五
六
七
八
II 猿猴旅店
九
十
十一
十二
十三
十四
十五
III 须弥山巅
十六
十七
十八
十九
IV 回到前夜
二十

FAQ

Is Anzi a turning point in Lu Kui's work?

It can be seen as a deepening and expansion of his creative trajectory. It retains the author's signature magical-realist foundation and cold style, but reaches new heights in the grandeur of its themes and the complexity of its narrative structure, making it a representative work of his mature style.

Is this book difficult to get into?

It is a serious literary work that requires some patience and thoughtful engagement. But the author uses a compelling central story as a vehicle, giving concrete form to profound themes, so for readers with some literary reading experience, it is not hard to enter—the key is immersion and reflection.

Is the ending open?

The novel reaches a logically coherent conclusion, but regarding the ultimate meaning of the "hidden stone" and the characters' final fates, the author leaves some poetic space open to multiple interpretations. This approach better suits the book's theme of exploring possibility and the unknown.

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About the author

路魆 Author

Lu Xu is an author about whom limited public information is available. Two works are currently known, Jipusai Jiaoyou (Gypsy Outing) and Anzi (The Hidden Child), both commonly classified as social fiction. These two works suggest that Lu Xu's writing attends to social reality and the circumstances of individuals, presenting, in novel form, the encounters and choices of people within specific environments. The subject matter has a clear realist orientation, with narratives built around social relations and life experience; the style tends toward realism, emphasizing the interweaving of plot and character fate. Because no clear record exists of the author's biography, nationality, education, or creative career, this introduction relies only on the works listed and makes no conjectures about personal history. On the available evidence, Lu Xu's output remains small, yet both works are grouped under social fiction, indicating a relatively concentrated direction in writing. Readers wishing to understand the author's creative development and artistic features may turn to the texts of Gypsy Outing and The Hidden Child for further study.