The God Remnant

王若虚Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House2025

Rating 3.8
Chapters
8
ISBN
9787533979799

Tags

Featured Fiction Alternate History Historical MysteryHistorical ThemesSuspenseDynasty CollapseMetafictionEmbedded StructurePuzzle SolvingFull-Length NovelContemporary Chinese Literature

Summary

The God Remnant is an alternate-history novel by the young writer Wang Ruoxu. It is set on a timeline altered after Qin Shi Huang is assassinated at Bolangsha: in the early fourteenth century, the glorious Wei dynasty collapses and the realm splinters. In the capital of Yang (East Yang), south of the Yangtze and on the shore of the East Sea, the young minor official Qu Shaohao holds a lowly post as a "novelist scribe"—every day he sits in taverns and teahouses listening to street gossip and writing reports, with a dim future ahead. One day, the notorious special envoy of the State of Bodou, Hachen Elang, who carries a secret diplomatic mission, dies mysteriously by poison, and chance makes Qu Shaohao the assistant of Ju Youren, an official of the Investigating Bureau, and the two investigate the case together. Over the following decade and more, they pass through the ordeals of the Tiger Cage Case, the Royal Clan Case, the Palace Burning Case, and other major cases: the minister Gao Xuan is falsely accused of colluding with the enemy and dies in prison; a descendant of the Northern Qing royal clan comes seeking refuge with the Wei seal, stirring upheaval across the map; a great fire burns the royal palace and becomes the fuse for the dynasty's fall. The four cases are independent yet mutually cause and effect, linking together East Yang's trajectory from prosperity to decline. As Qu Shaohao investigates, he also records, leaving behind the Extracts from The God Remnant, which circulates in later ages; centuries later, the novelist Wang Yahua discovers this "unreliable" notebook, spends ten years cross-checking it with historical sources, and finally writes this book, The God Remnant. Through a nested "book within a book" structure, the novel asks: what is history, and what is fiction?

Editor's review

《遗神》是王若虚从书写个人化“狂热青春”转向历史叙事的一次转身，也是2025年中文长篇小说中颇为醒目的“类型+文学”实验。小说最巧妙的地方，是把主角设定为古代诸子百家里的“小说家”一脉——“小说稗”曲少毫，他的工作是采风、记录、上报，说白了就是替朝廷“打听闲话”。这个微末职位既接住了当下“牛马视角看历史”的情绪，也天然构成一个叙事机关：记录真相的人，恰恰亲历了一场场被改写的谎言。四桩大案金酒、虎牢、皇族、焚宫层层推进，查案的过程既是悬疑解谜，也是朝堂角力；案子的真相常常让位给各方“都能接受的说法”，这份冷峻颇有分量。而“书中书”的嵌套——几百年后小说家王雅华以《遗神往摘》与史料互证写出本书——又让全书升格为一部关于历史书写的元小说。书末的“词条注解”“事件年表”以学术体例包装虚构内容，戏仿史书编纂，细节癖好十足。小白、那多、陈楸帆、何袜皮、黄德海、蔡骏、蔡崇达联袂推荐，2025年上海书展期间阿来、黄平曾与作者对谈。适合既爱读悬疑故事、又愿意琢磨“故事是怎么被讲出来的”的读者。

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. 先读“编辑代序”，留意作者刻意模糊虚实边界的叙事设计，再进入正文。
  2. 四案可视为一条因果链，读时随手记下各案牵涉的派系与人名，后文呼应会更清晰。
  3. 读完正文后再回头读“词条注解”与“附录”，体会作者用学术体例戏仿史书编纂的用意。
  4. 可配合阅读《三国志》与《三国演义》的对照讨论，理解小说“以小说补史”的主题。

About the publisher

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is a Chinese publisher specializing in literary publishing. Judging from the 808 titles in the database, its publishing areas cover world classics, foreign literature, social novels, folk literature and classic works, as well as modern and contemporary literature and prose. Representative titles include foreign literary translations such as Anna Karenina, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, In Praise of Shadows and The Complete Tragedies and Comedies of Shakespeare, alongside classic works by Lao She and Lu Xun such as Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Wandering. Its authors and translators include Leo Tolstoy, Cao Ying, Lao She, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Zhu Shenghao. The press emphasizes the translation and introduction of classic texts and the compilation of native literary works, giving equal weight to Chinese and foreign literature. Owing to limited public information, its specific series and editorial policies are not elaborated here.

Contents

  1. Editor's Preface
  2. The Golden Wine Case
  3. The Tiger Cage Case
  4. The Royal Clan Case
  5. The Palace Burning Case
  6. Epilogue · Afterword
  7. Entry Annotations
  8. Appendix

FAQ

《遗神》是真实历史还是架空？ 是架空历史。作者设定秦始皇在博浪沙遇刺、太子扶苏继位后历史走向分岔，此后东扬、渤都、西青、南景等政权均为虚构，但制度、官场与人情逻辑参照真实历史推演。
这本书是推理小说吗？ 可归为历史悬疑。全书以金酒案、虎牢案、皇族案、焚宫案四案串联，但重点不在诡计解密，而在真相如何被权力改写、办案人如何在夹缝中求生。
“遗神”这个书名是什么意思？ 据作者说明，书名出自主人公曲少毫入城时拟的名目，意为将神思留在故土、从记忆中摘取那些即将被遗忘的往事，兼指精神与历史深处的隐秘。
没有读过王若虚之前的作品，能直接读吗？ 可以。本书是独立完整的长篇，与他此前的青春题材作品《狂热》《马贼》等无情节关联，从这本进入他的创作转型期反而更合适。

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

王若虚 Author

Wang Ruoxu is an author about whom limited public information is currently available. Two of his works are included in the collection, with Huanan Ji and Yishen as representative titles. According to the existing classification, his writing spans documentary literature and suspense mystery, suggesting an approach that moves between factual record and fictional narrative. Both titles carry a classical and mysterious flavor, which may echo his inclination toward suspense and mystery. Because key details such as dates of birth and death, nationality, education, and writing career remain unknown, it is difficult to trace his life in more specific terms or to determine the exact background and sequence of the two works. On the basis of the available material, Wang Ruoxu's subjects range widely, with documentary and suspense elements coexisting, and readers may form a preliminary impression of his writing from this.