Guimi Zhi Zhu
Lord of Mysteries

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This Book is completed with 9 volumes and 1432 chapters (including bonus chapters)

Lord of the Mysteries starts off seeming like a typical story of a man who is suddenly transported to another world but quickly becomes a masterpiece of worldbuilding with a unique power system and tons of interesting lore.

But that's not what kept me reading this story. The best part is in my opinion the characters, Cuttlefish excels at making recognizable characters who all are very entering while having a lot of depth. That's all I can say without spoiling the series and I think it's best to go in as blind as possible.

One ... piece of advice to new readers is to give it a chance despite how confusing the first few chapters seem. I had some trouble with them at first but I kept going and this quickly became one of my favorite novels of all time.

Lord of The Mysteries has consistently been my number 1 light-novel for over my 3 years of constantly reading Light-novels, with it being better than most other light-novels that I have read such as Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint or Mushoku Tensei. This novel is simply incredible when it comes to its World-Building, Character-Writing and Pacing; truly crafting a unique experience that other novels seldom are able to achieve. The novel was even adopted into China's National Library and getting a Donghua adaptation in 2025, and by far the most popular I.P. that QIDIAN or Webnovel has.

Main Character (10/10): The main protagonist of this novel is ... Klein Moretti, with the story itself following the journey of Klein as he searches for a way to return home to Earth when he suddenly found himself transmigrated into Victorian-Era Europe. Klein is unlike your average Isekai power-fantasy protagonist, as the author masterfully presents certain aspects of his character in a realistic and sympathetic manner that adds to his depth and appeal as a main character. To preface, Klein is intended to be written as a tragic-hero throughout the course of the novel, an element of his character the works extremely well with the themes and motifs of the story. He isn't overpowered, he constantly has to struggle against innumerable odds placed against him as he tries to achieve his goal. He isn't impervious, Klein has several emotional moments throughout the novel that enhances his character while also presenting the tragedy of his character. He isn't naive or idiotic, there are several instances within the novel that demonstrates Klein to be rather resourceful and intelligent when it comes to dealing with certain situations. With that said, the best part of Klein's character by far is his development, as you can directly see how the relationships that Klein has built gradually change him as a person, either for the better or worse, as you read further into the novel. By the end of the novel, it would have fealt as you have directly seen and experienced the life of a person rather than a fictional character.

Side Cast (10/10): With how amazing the protagonist is, I'd say that the side-cast is on par or probably even better. None of these characters are forgotten as you progress further into the story, with Side-Characters from Volume 2 making short but significant appearances in Volume 5 and 6 as well. They feel genuinely believable and unique as you learn more about them. The Side-cast are also what, in my opinion, makes up for the emotional peaks of the novel, with some of their character arcs and development just being exceptional. I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read the novel yet, but some of the moments the MC share with the Side-Cast genuinely made me ugly cry. The Main Antagonist of LOTM is also by far the best Light-Novel Antagonist I have ever seen that by the end of the book, you'll be absolutely terrified of Monocles.

World-Building (10000000000/10): By far the best aspect of the novel, with most Critics of the novel even agreeing that the setting of LOTM is just brilliant. As previously stated, the setting of this novel is a Victorian-Era Europe, with the setting itself being directly inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The author fleshes out almost every aspect of the setting; from its history, religion, geography, political landscape, currency, and even the food, almost every aspect of the setting is expanded upon in some form or another. The Power System also cannot be understated for how amazing it simply is. To explain LOTM's power system without any spoilers; basically imagine what it would be like to start from a human, and work you up in becoming a Cosmic Entity. Honestly, I haven't done the World-Building or Power System enough justice in this review, just read and you'll see why so many people praise the novel for its World-Building.

Pacing (9/10): The pacing for LOTM has always been a source of criticism for many, as most complain about it being too slow especially in the beginning volumes. Honestly, I thought that the pacing was perfect throughout the majority of the novel, as it lends well to the atmosphere of the story and feeling of wonder as you watch Klein slowly learn about the world around him. The slow pacing also allows for the Author to explore the novel's side characters in more details, as you won't only be reading about Klein for most of the time. The only gripe I have with the pacing is how fast the ending felt, as the final volume was less than a quarter of the other volumes. Other than that, I thought that the pacing was perfect for the story, and if you love slow-paced novels than you should definitely try LOTM out.

Writing Style (8/10): The writing style for the novel is simple and easy to understand if you are reading the English translated version of the books, although that doesn't mean the story doesn't have any profound moments with it's characters or dialogue. The only problem with it is that the Author sometimes goes into too much details in describing the imagery of the novel. Additionally, it can be heard to keep track of things as you read further into the novel, especially when it comes to its fights and lore. Other than that, I thought the writing style to be effective at immersing the reader into the world of the novel without being extremely complicated.

TLDR: LOTM is the best novel in my opinion when it comes to its characters, pacing, world-building and writing-style. Just be sure to have some spare time as there are over 1430 chapters of the novel, although by the end of it you'll be wishing for more.

A review for me constitutes as a special occasion, but Lord of the Mysteries is truly deserving of such praise. the 7.8 rating it has does not reflect it whatsoever, if you look you'll see that 75% of readers gave it a 10, which Mal deems as spam or an undeserved rating. I believe it is completely deserving of this rating, In between a 9 and a 10 LOTM is a truly masterclass piece done by Cuttlefish. I'll break it down a little.


Story - 9/10
An extremely well-planned story, you could tell the author planned and incorporated many aspects and plot points in this novel ... beforehand, an act not done frequently with other web novel authors. There are many foreshadowed elements that one could pick up on a reread. The build up of each volume is truly amazing, with plot twists being well orchestrated. There are some pacing issues that are quite evident especially in earlier volumes, but they serve to elevate and immerse the reader into the vast and complex world of LOTM. There's humorous, joyous, emotional, and mind-blowing scenes that inadvertently make you praise the author. The main criticism I have for it (if it could be considered one) is that It's definitely not an easy and smooth read. It could get very confusing at certain points, with the author often reinstating knowledge at these points for the benefit of the reader ---though not all time, or merely reinstating it hoping all the prior knowledge and sequence of events comes with it. With such a long novel plot points you may have seen as trivial may be brought up again, with you possibly having little recollection of what happened in them.


Characters - 8.5/10
The cast may seemingly have the same tropes but as the story continues the cast gets very fleshed out and enjoyable. Enjoyable antagonists, side characters, and protagonist, I have no qualms about them . The main character alone is written phenomenally. At certain points you could truly see the growth of characters, though mostly implicit.



Worldbuilding - 10/10
Best world building I've personally seen in a fictitious story just wow. You get immersed in a fantasy world with an incredible detail to corruption, poverty, religion and vivid descriptions of areas that do wonders for your imagination. The sheer depth and complexity of the world, including lore is something to behold.

Ending/Endings 9.5/10

I included the endings of volumes in this portion as well, because I believe it is the absolute strong suit of LOTM. Each volume is carefully crafted to capture the essence of its name, with each volume developing until the ending where we can see the epitome of a masterclass piece of work. Most of the endings are filled with pure emotional moments, whether you are on the edge of your seat feening for the next chapter, or crying from the pure brilliance and sequence of events that lead to this captivating moment.



Overall 9.5/10

To describe it in 3 words I would say it's an amalgamation of greatness. Though note this review is just for the first book of this series, and there are some open ends left deliberately open.