If I do recall, it did take me some time to get in the groove of the writing style of the Case File Compendium series. The same is the case for this new series, Guardian, though it’s by a completely different author in Preist. Though to be fair, this author has a pretty deep bibliography. And I also didn’t realize how long this particular series has been around! It’s also been adapted into a show back in 2018! Crazy.
Zhao Yunlan runs a supernatural police agency who really only get involved in cases when it’s clear the crime is not totally among the living. Him and his colleagues get involved with a case on a college campus where a student causes a chain of events after she makes a wish of sorts on one of four hallowed artifacts that have been lost in the real world for ages. The chaos of this event gets a young, handsome professor involved by the name of Shen Wei. He and Zhao Yunlun have a pretty strong and instant connection, but it’s clear the latter is trying to fight it. That doesn’t stop Zhao Yunlan from trying, and failing, but by the end of the novel, something bigger is revealed in their connection.
Since the incident at the college campus involves one of the sacred artifacts, the reaper of all reapers makes his prescence known. All living and non living beings fear the reaper, as his blade as ended the lives of many of the undead, but Zhao Yunlan has only ever felt comfortable in his prescence. He talks to him freely and even defies some of his direct orders, yet suffers none of the consequences. It becomes clear later on that they are closer than Zhao Yunlan knows. The latters life is put in grave danger when he and some of his co-workers join a research group in the mountains of an old civilization. They stumble upon another of the sacred artifacts, though this particular one seems to be even more intense than the first.
Now that the main reaper, known as the Emissary, has possession of two of these artifacts, it remains a bit unclear as to what the next step should be. It’s obvious that someone nefarious is looking to get their hands on these things to destroy everything that is currently known in existance, but for now the culprit remains a mystery. The relationship between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei in this novel, while it does reveal some major infomation, doesn’t lend much by way of romance. I’m hoping that the other two novels explores that more. And I also hope that more of the mythology becomes clearer to me. I’m not totally sure if it’s based in anything real, but at least it seems well thought out on the author’s part. I’m excited to keep reading and to eventually check out the series. Though since it’s a Chinese show, I’m sure much from the novel will be changed. At least from a relationship perspective. But still, I’m glad I picked this novel up!