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Startling Year cover

Startling Year

谭以牧Dec 2023

3.5
Word count
195K words
Chapters
94
ISBN
9787559476579
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Tags

Time Travel Fantasy Spirit HuntingSearch for FaithMillennial SolitudeLove and Being LovedDazzling CityscapeEpisodic NarrativeMythic Fantasy

Summary

The mountain-moon city of Shanyue has amassed tens of thousands of years of wealth, and its city lord Siyou, who has everything and has lived for a thousand years, finds all things bland and life devoid of interest. Persistent, she needs to find her faith in order to pass the long remainder of her life. Summoned by the Abyss Manor, she comes to the mortal world to hunt demons and restore peace, and from then on finds herself amid a series of bizarre and dazzling events. She rescues Jiang Shannü, who cannot decide between fish and bear's paw; Qiao Dangkang, tormented between loving and being loved; Fang Jingjing, who vows never to love Shen Qiao; Wang Youyuan, who falls in love with Zhang Songhe in the last month of her life; and Qianji and Shutong, who protect each other yet go to their deaths together...

In story after story, peeling back layer after layer, she gradually sees herself clearly—how she trapped herself in the past, in that time when she pushed away Bai Li Suo'an, who swore to protect her forever, step by step into another's arms, and at last took on the heavy burden of ruling Shanyue. Those vibrant lives, those beings who grow through love, inadvertently grant Siyou the taste of endless remembrance, light the lamp in her heart, and let her understand the love of this world; at the same time, they give her the courage to face her own heart, awaken the fervent longing within, and begin her journey of questioning her own heart.

Editor's review

Jing Sui centers on Siyou, the city lord of Shanyue who has lived a thousand years and finds all things bland. Summoned by the Abyss Manor, she enters the mortal world to hunt demons, and amid a string of bizarre, dazzling events she once again touches love, obsession, and faith. Tan Yimu continues his approach of writing the human heart through the fantastic: Jiang Shannü, Qiao Dangkang, Fang Jingjing, Wang Youyuan, Qianji, and Shutong each carry their own emotional predicaments, and their choices act as mirrors that let Siyou gradually see how she has been trapped in past promises and in pushing others away. The book's strength lies in how the ensemble and the main thread illuminate each other: each unit story is no isolated spectacle but a repeated inquiry into "loving and being loved" and "protecting and letting go," all converging on the protagonist's journey of facing her own heart. The prose has a cool, restrained lyricism, suited to quiet, attentive reading. If you prefer fantasy rich in inner life and finely layered emotion, this book is worth setting aside time to savor.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Fantasy readers who like cool-headed protagonists and inner-growth arcs
  • Readers who enjoy ensemble stories and emotional layers within unit narratives
  • Novel lovers who resonate with themes of loving and being loved, protecting and letting go
  • Readers comfortable with a slow-burning, lyrical pace and a focus on psychology

Not a good fit for

  • Readers seeking fast-paced action and dense plot twists
  • Readers who prefer lighthearted, comedic, or sweet romance fantasy
  • Readers who dislike multi-thread ensembles and want a single protagonist only

Reading tips

  1. Grasp the backstory of Siyou and Bai Li Suo'an first; the unit stories will then make her choices easier to understand
  2. After each unit story, reflect on how that character's predicament echoes Siyou's inner knot
  3. Readers sensitive to emotional threads may keep brief character-relationship notes to avoid confusion across parallel lines
  4. Best read in quiet sessions, one or two units at a time, leaving room to savor

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第1章 扇女·半生1
  3. 第2章 扇女·半生2
  4. 第3章 扇女·半生3
  5. 第4章 扇女·半生4
  6. 第5章 扇女·半生5
  7. 第6章 扇女·半生6
  8. 第7章 扇女·半生7
  9. 第8章 扇女·半生8
  10. 第9章 扇女·半生9
  11. 第10章 扇女·半生10
  12. 第11章 扇女·半生11
  13. 第12章 扇女·半生12
  14. 第13章 扇女·半生13
  15. 第14章 扇女·半生14
  16. 第15章 扇女·半生15
  17. 第16章 扇女·半生16
  18. 第17章 扇女·半生17
  19. 第18章 当康·盗梦1
  20. 第19章 当康·盗梦2
  21. 第20章 当康·盗梦3
  22. 第21章 当康·盗梦4
  23. 第22章 当康·盗梦5
  24. 第23章 当康·盗梦6
  25. 第24章 当康·盗梦7
  26. 第25章 当康·盗梦8
  27. 第26章 当康·盗梦9
  28. 第27章 当康·盗梦10
  29. 第28章 当康·盗梦11
  30. 第29章 当康·盗梦12
  31. 第30章 当康·盗梦13
  32. 第31章 当康·盗梦14
  33. 第32章 当康·盗梦15
  34. 第33章 当康·盗梦16
  35. 第34章 沈樵·陵鱼1
  36. 第35章 沈樵·陵鱼2
  37. 第36章 沈樵·陵鱼3
  38. 第37章 沈樵·陵鱼4
  39. 第38章 沈樵·陵鱼5
  40. 第39章 沈樵·陵鱼6
  41. 第40章 沈樵·陵鱼7
  42. 第41章 沈樵·陵鱼8
  43. 第42章 沈樵·陵鱼9
  44. 第43章 沈樵·陵鱼10
  45. 第44章 沈樵·陵鱼11
  46. 第45章 沈樵·陵鱼12
  47. 第46章 沈樵·陵鱼13
  48. 第47章 沈樵·陵鱼14
  49. 第48章 沈樵·陵鱼15
  50. 第49章 司幽·山月1
  51. 第50章 司幽·山月2
  52. 第51章 司幽·山月3
  53. 第52章 司幽·山月4
  54. 第53章 司幽·山月5
  55. 第54章 司幽·山月6
  56. 第55章 司幽·山月7
  57. 第56章 司幽·山月8
  58. 第57章 司幽·山月9
  59. 第58章 司幽·山月10
  60. 第59章 司幽·山月11
  61. 第60章 司幽·山月12
  62. 第61章 司幽·山月13
  63. 第62章 司幽·山月14
  64. 第63章 司幽·山月15
  65. 第64章 颂鹤·残念1
  66. 第65章 颂鹤·残念2
  67. 第66章 颂鹤·残念3
  68. 第67章 颂鹤·残念4
  69. 第68章 颂鹤·残念5
  70. 第69章 颂鹤·残念6
  71. 第70章 颂鹤·残念7
  72. 第71章 颂鹤·残念8
  73. 第72章 颂鹤·残念9
  74. 第73章 颂鹤·残念10
  75. 第74章 颂鹤·残念11
  76. 第75章 颂鹤·残念12
  77. 第76章 颂鹤·残念13
  78. 第77章 颂鹤·残念14
  79. 第78章 颂鹤·残念15
  80. 第79章 颂鹤·残念16
  81. 第80章 桐荷·殊同1
  82. 第81章 桐荷·殊同2
  83. 第82章 桐荷·殊同3
  84. 第83章 桐荷·殊同4
  85. 第84章 桐荷·殊同5
  86. 第85章 桐荷·殊同6
  87. 第86章 桐荷·殊同7
  88. 第87章 桐荷·殊同8
  89. 第88章 桐荷·殊同9
  90. 第89章 桐荷·殊同10
  91. 第90章 桐荷·殊同11
  92. 第91章 桐荷·殊同12
  93. 第92章 桐荷·殊同13
  94. 第93章 桐荷·殊同14

FAQ

What kind of character is the protagonist Siyou?
She is the city lord of Shanyue, a thousand years old and possessing everything accumulated over that long span, yet she finds all things bland and life devoid of interest. At the story's start she enters the mortal world to hunt demons on the Abyss Manor's summons; outwardly cool and aloof, inwardly she is trapped by a past promise and by pushing someone away. The main line of the whole book is her gradual journey to see herself clearly and rekindle her longing.
Are the unit stories closely tied to the main line?
Closely. The predicaments of Jiang Shannü, Qiao Dangkang, Fang Jingjing, Wang Youyuan, Qianji, and Shutong correspond to themes of loving and being loved, choice and promise, and serve as mirrors for Siyou's self-examination. Watch for the similarities between these characters and the protagonist's situation, and the emotional progression of the main line becomes clearer.
Is the romance line prominent?
Romance is an important component, but it is not a single sweet-romance thread. It writes more about hesitation in love, protecting and letting go, and how characters grow through love. If you expect a light, sweet love story, it may not suit you; if you like delicate, restrained emotional writing, it will resonate.
Is the style similar to Wuyou Teahouse?
Same author, and both excel at writing the human heart through fantastic premises, with similar ensemble and unit-story structures. But Jing Sui's protagonist is cooler, the lyricism and introspection denser, and the pace slower. Readers who liked Wuyou Teahouse can continue, but should adjust their pacing expectations.

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About the author

谭以牧 Author

Tan Yimu is a Chinese author known for historical-fantasy tales of the supernatural and for romance. Public information about the author is limited, and details of biography, nationality, and dates of birth and death are unknown. Nine works are held in the collection, including Return to the Mountain Temple, Pavilion of Demon Hunting, Startling Years, The Great Dream Apothecary, and The Carefree Teahouse, alongside a four-volume collected edition and two-volume editions of The Great Dream Apothecary and The Carefree Teahouse. These works draw on tales of spirits and strange beings set in ancient times, blending mystery and reasoning with everyday human feeling. Their categories span modern romance, time-travel and alternate worlds, mystery, wuxia, and social fiction, showing the author's flexibility across genres. Readers often regard the writing as representative of popular historical-fantasy supernatural fiction, with stories staged in teahouses, apothecaries, and temples, using ghosts and gods to portray human warmth and coldness in a style both lucid and grounded in ordinary life.

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