To clarify, I’m just a reader and not the translator for this novel. As of posting this review, I’ve caught up to the 250 available chapters, and I do recommend it as long as you go in knowing exactly what kind of story you’re looking for.
I’m new to the Pet Taming genre, but Beastmaster King is still your classic Power Fantasy. What carries it are the comedic moments between the protagonist and his familiars—especially his goofy dog—and the author’s chapter-by-chapter formula that has you looking forward to the next power-up. It’s like playing your first ARPG. Once you get your first taste of loot, you’re hooked, and before you know it, you’re already binging through chapters.
As for the actual power fantasy, it’s more than serviceable. You get plenty of moments of Lu Ran just wowing the popcorn gallery with his unbelievable luck, ‘ingenuity’, and strength. The stage he gets to display his talents on also grows ever wider, from the local city to nationwide and then globally. And unlike a lot of other stories where most of the popcorn gallery is throwaway, they instead get added to a recurring support cast of ‘losers’, whose only purpose are to gawk in awe at how much the protagonist has left them in the dust and be further humiliated again and again when his trivial actions end up ‘accidentally’ upstaging them.
The story isn’t without its criticisms. An overarching plot the author is working towards does exist, but I personally find the execution of it pretty shallow. Some of this is a consequence of the genre, with the world’s story taking a backstage to that of the protagonist. But some of it is just lazy writing. It’s hard to suspend your disbelief when every development ends up conveniently benefiting the protagonist directly. The author even tries to make it a meta joke by having the supporting cast call Lu Ran the illegitimate child of the System—i.e., Limitless City. It really is a take it or leave it sort of situation.
One other aspect I feel obligated to mention is the existence of a nationalistic side to this novel, shrouded by the only thinnest of veneers. It’s clear that Xia and Eagle Federation serve as allegories to China and the USA. It’s whatever for the most part, but some moments can hit uncomfortably close to home to readers, when the whole point of reading these fantasy novels is to get away from the real world. I specifically recall a moment with the Cherry Blossom nation that left a sour taste in my mouth.
In terms of translation, I haven’t actually checked the raws myself for accuracy, but I don’t think I have to and I trust Wuxiaworld’s vetting. The writing in English is smooth and readable, and the comedic moments are conveyed well in English. I understand that there are two translators working on this project, so I commend the editor for seamlessly merging their writing styles together for a cohesive read.
Overall, like I said in the beginning, Beastmaster King is a fun read so long as you’ve properly set your expectations. It’s not a masterpiece of writing that will have you gushing to all your friends about how amazing it is, but it doesn’t have to be. It's consistently a fun read with very few lulls in-between, and at its high points the dopamine rush hits just right. So if you’ve been looking for a good way to pass your time and have a certain itch that needs to be scratched, I highly recommend Beastmaster King.
To clarify, I’m just a reader and not the translator for this novel. As of posting this review, I’ve caught up to the 250 available chapters, and I do recommend it as long as you go in knowing exactly what kind of story you’re looking for.
I’m new to the Pet Taming genre, but Beastmaster King is still your classic Power Fantasy. What carries it are the comedic moments between the protagonist and his familiars—especially his goofy dog—and the author’s chapter-by-chapter formula that has you looking forward to the next power-up. It’s like playing your first ARPG. Once you get your first taste of loot, you’re hooked, and before you know it, you’re already binging through chapters.
As for the actual power fantasy, it’s more than serviceable. You get plenty of moments of Lu Ran just wowing the popcorn gallery with his unbelievable luck, ‘ingenuity’, and strength. The stage he gets to display his talents on also grows ever wider, from the local city to nationwide and then globally. And unlike a lot of other stories where most of the popcorn gallery is throwaway, they instead get added to a recurring support cast of ‘losers’, whose only purpose are to gawk in awe at how much the protagonist has left them in the dust and be further humiliated again and again when his trivial actions end up ‘accidentally’ upstaging them.
The story isn’t without its criticisms. An overarching plot the author is working towards does exist, but I personally find the execution of it pretty shallow. Some of this is a consequence of the genre, with the world’s story taking a backstage to that of the protagonist. But some of it is just lazy writing. It’s hard to suspend your disbelief when every development ends up conveniently benefiting the protagonist directly. The author even tries to make it a meta joke by having the supporting cast call Lu Ran the illegitimate child of the System—i.e., Limitless City. It really is a take it or leave it sort of situation.
One other aspect I feel obligated to mention is the existence of a nationalistic side to this novel, shrouded by the only thinnest of veneers. It’s clear that Xia and Eagle Federation serve as allegories to China and the USA. It’s whatever for the most part, but some moments can hit uncomfortably close to home to readers, when the whole point of reading these fantasy novels is to get away from the real world. I specifically recall a moment with the Cherry Blossom nation that left a sour taste in my mouth.
In terms of translation, I haven’t actually checked the raws myself for accuracy, but I don’t think I have to and I trust Wuxiaworld’s vetting. The writing in English is smooth and readable, and the comedic moments are conveyed well in English. I understand that there are two translators working on this project, so I commend the editor for seamlessly merging their writing styles together for a cohesive read.
Overall, like I said in the beginning, Beastmaster King is a fun read so long as you’ve properly set your expectations. It’s not a masterpiece of writing that will have you gushing to all your friends about how amazing it is, but it doesn’t have to be. It's consistently a fun read with very few lulls in-between, and at its high points the dopamine rush hits just right. So if you’ve been looking for a good way to pass your time and have a certain itch that needs to be scratched, I highly recommend Beastmaster King.
