Amazing translation, world-building, and foreshadowing can’t replace a novel’s heart, and revenge narratives walk the fine line between letting readers root for the protagonist and having the protagonist commit deplorable acts of violence. For me, The Dragon leans too far into the latter, and by the narrative’s end, I don’t feel like Gu Fuyou earns my or Zhong Michu’s forgiveness.

*this review contains minor spoilers*

The Dragon sped onto the fan-translated baihe scene as quickly as it left, with its translator (who is only known as the admin of DragonTL) posting an average of two chapters a day and completing the novel in just a little over two months. According to them, they accomplished this by translating and editing the entire novel before scheduling it for release.

DragonTL’s dedication to their project shines through in the completed work, which possesses one of the best translations I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading on the web.

The novel seamlessly balances excellently naturalized English with various Chinese naming conventions and customs, and it trusts its Anglophone readers to familiarize themselves with the xianxia genre as they’re immersed in the writing.

The decision to translate the title《见龙》into The Dragon is also an inspired one. The Chinese character “见” (jiàn) could be translated into English as the verb equivalent of “see/meet,” but a one-to-one translation of the title into Meet the Dragon simply doesn’t convey the same elegance as the Chinese heading. In this way, The Dragon is more accurate to the spirit of the original title.

The same level of care carries on into the chapters themselves, and it’s tiny details like these that make the English fan translation of The Dragon stand out. But unfortunately, even a great translation couldn’t salvage the latter half of the novel for me.

The first volume of The Dragon introduces readers to Gu Fuyou, the only daughter of a highly respected cultivator in the martial arts world. Despite her heritage, Gu Fuyou struggles with even basic cultivation, making her a laughingstock within the Xuan Miao Sect.

Due to her lack of natural talent, Gu Fuyou develops a lifelong passion for array formation techniques, and she dreams of forging a sword artifact so powerful it proves that these techniques are, like her, worth more than being sidelined by other cultivators.

When Gu Fuyou attempts a spirit beast summoning formation, she accidentally summons Zhong Michu, the talented once-in-a-generation disciple of the Xuan Miao sect leader, thereby binding their fates together forever.

In the first volume of the novel, Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu strengthen their bonds with each other. While Gu Fuyou initially admires Zhong Michu for her status, Zhong Michu eventually comes to admire Gu Fuyou for her drive and passion.

These initial moments where the protagonists get to be relatively carefree are my favorite parts of the novel. Gu Fuyou’s desire to prove herself over and over again makes her a compelling protagonist, and it’s easy to see how Zhong Michu would fall for that kind of intensity in a person when she herself has never experienced what it’s like to chase after a goal. 

Because the story began with such a solid foundation, I struggle to understand why it needed to go down the path it did. Without going into too much detail—following the first volume, the tone of The Dragon and the characterization of Gu Fuyou quickly take a downward turn.

After the gruesome events of the finale, Gu Fuyou becomes obsessed with revenge. She forgets her dreams and pursues a single-minded desire to eliminate her enemies. As Gu Fuyou’s body count rises, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand how Zhong Michu, who is still in love with her, can justify her actions.

Author Tai Yang Jun clearly means for Gu Fuyou to go on an arc of redemption and rediscover herself after overcoming tragedy and adversity, but by the end of the story, I’m left wondering if our protagonist can be forgiven at all, least of all by Zhong Michu, whom she consistently disrespects and treats with disregard for her (ZMC’s) feelings.

Combined with a tasteless slavery subplot, volumes two and three—which make up most of the novel—left a bad taste in my mouth.

And it kills me because I wanted to love this novel so deeply. I adored the idea of a fantasy romance between a driven underdog-type character and a powerful half-dragon who regards that person as her ray of light, and I was ready to crown The Dragon as one of my all-time favorite xianxia baihe novels.

But after Gu Fuyou returns in volume two, her passion and charm, much like her array formation techniques, are sidelined in favor of a revenge plot that captures none of the magic of the first volume.

Plot: 4
Characters: 3
Romance: 2
Translation: 5
Bias: 2

Overall: 3.2

Link(s): [Original Novel] [Audio Drama] [Fan Translation]