Tales of the Reincarnated Lord has a lot of sub genres associated to it so although i feel its a pretty good read, its also a jack of all trades and master of none. Its also worth noting that this novel was axed very early on, apparently due to censorship issues in china. Due to this, a lot of the buildup, setting, backdrop and events in the novel remain unconcluded or riddled with plotholes.
Setting is medieval fantasy world with a couple of warring human kingdoms and also fantasy races like dwarves(though none make a direct appearance, possibly due to novel being axed) but are declining. The world technically has regressed most likely due some apocalyptic event(some fantasy races even possibly went extinct). There used to be magic and mages/sorcerers however that was all in the past and instead what remains of the power system now is more of a westernized cultivation based system for warriors. That said, higher tier warriors are extremely rare and the top tier warriors are non-existent. Interesting backdrop but sadly was not focused and expanded on, again probably due to novel getting axed.
As mentioned before, novel has a lot of subgenres. Theres everything for everyone but its a jack of all trades and master of none. It dabbles in political intrigue and power struggle but ain't that well written, theres no schemes within schemes and factions outplaying each other. Theres a lot of wars and battles going on but lack depth. Our MC is both the commander and fighter type. Tactics and strategies are sadly pretty basic. Action scenes are glossed over but short and sweet. I would say the battles in this novel is more of a logistical battle and lean more towards military bureaucracy. Protagonist tried to introduce modern technology to the world but to limited success as the world has slightly different laws of physics and chemistry, he did get cement and cannons going but not stuff like assault rifles. There are attempts on espionage subplots but poorly done. Theres a lot of focus on kingdom building & management and modernizing society, its quite extensive however its still lacking compared to other kingdom building juggernauts. Its a transmigration theme but so far it feels more of an afterthought rather than a overaching plot. I believe you get my point, novel is a mile wide but an inch deep.
Theres really a lot of characters involved but unfortunately lacking character development. They don't get into the limelight often so we can hardly see any developments in their respective relationships, interactions and mindset, only having fleeting presence through the chapters. There are some interesting ones and with potential but too much focus on the MC that they didn't have a chance to shine.
Our protagonist is both a like and hate for me. I think some readers might even hate him outright(he kinda rape his first mistress). He has both strengths and flaws to his character. Although i didn't like his trying to be the good guy and righteous persona but its not his main dogma as he does not practice what he preach all the time, you would say he is a hypocritic too which is not a bad thing. Its not the shallow contradiction where you are morally upright pacifist but still kill to protect and refuse to realize you are a hypocritic in self denial. Its a much deeper kind where you try to preach the good but won't shy from the lesser evil out of necessity, instead accept and acknowledge this truth. I would say he feels real and is overall a three-dimensional character. He is a King(Duke) that wants the best for his land and people but also not a perfect one. MC does get some substantial plot armor but author drops in a few setbacks and obstacles that help his character mature.
Worth noting is during the arc with his first mistress, their first born son and one of the top ministers of the family. Son grew up spoilt and corrupt, assault citizens and sexual misconduct(to put it politely), his mom turns a blind eye and always try to cover for him. The minister wants to form factions in their dukedom to push the son as a successor and heavily support the son and mom. Mom also wanted to play politics and get her son to succeed her husband. During the MC's absence, they got a small coupe going. MC returned, crushed the rebels, got his son to be tattooed with sins committed and then hanged in public. MC got his favourite mistress secretly poisoned and the minister exiled for betrayal.
Our MC may be a good leader but not a good father nor a good husband, he has flaws(wanker can't keep his wiener in his pants and has a harem). He has to face dilemmas especially in a lose-lose situation, he has to do both good and evil, make tough decisions, the lesser evil etc. Actions have consequences and protagonists must face them even if its a bad outcome and not get protected by plot armor. I'm not a sucker for tragedy but things like this make up a proper character in the novel. Their experiences both the good and bad, success and failures, their character make up and traits both positive and negative(also what audiences hate and like) all contribute to a well written character. I feel that the author nailed it on the protagonist's character.
Overall i do enjoy reading this novel, setting and world building is interesting, MC is well written, like the side characters but lack development, plot is fairly ok. Main flaw being its a jack of all trades and master of none subgenres. Also it doesn't help that it got axed thus a lot of the plot potential kinda got lost. Despite that, its still worth a read since its quite short too.
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