A Pawn's Passage过河卒

This is supposedly the second book of this storyline and I haven’t read the first or third book. It clearly doesn’t need you to read the other books and I don’t even know where they are but apparently those books have different main characters and are all different times in history. The third book being in the dharma-ending times so while the ending seems cut off it makes sense now that I think about it, and we’ll hopefully hear about it in that book.
That story focuses more on external enemies which is the opposite of the internal enemies here.
I finished this about a month ago and had my review accidentally deleted and got too lazy to write it again. Now I forgot what I said in that review but I’ll try.

I’ll start with pros:
The story has a lot of depth and has a variety of different types of characters with different motives. There aren’t any massive plot holes and no big mistakes that I could see with the world. It’s also fun seeing the mc gain power and his character development along the way. It’s especially nice to see the mc gain more confidence as time goes on. While there were many different types of countries and ethnicities, some might say it has a lot of racism, I’d say it isn’t only racism but also gives praise to different countries. For example I dislike how they show the westerners some times but I also like how they showed praise every time they introduced parts of their culture they use, for example auctions or banquets. The depth the author gives these countries is also reassuring. But he does put down some countries as weaker than the mc’s country but I wouldn’t call that racism per se. And the mc’s country isn’t the strongest country throughout the story, they are tied with the western country who has a completely different system. The mc sometimes dislikes some foreign things/actionsc but he also likes some of them, showing it isn’t just one sided hatred. This is a mix of a pro and a con, take is as you will. I also like the different abilities of the different “cultivation classes” and their abilities, but it might get confusing at times. Main character is also pretty nice, he has character and isn’t completely bland, with his own quirks. I mainly like the schemes from higher level cultivators/leaders of the Daoist Order, and how intricate they are. Of course it’s annoying when the mc is schemed against and is hopeless to do anything.

For those who like quick action, stay clear. This novel has a lot of info dumps, and more than half of that info is not necessary. It does deepen the world depth but that usually is only needed when you’re hooked in the story, but here it comes straight away. You can skip some of these info dumps, for example if they start talking about a bridge and it’s historical meaning, which will not be talked about again later on. Also, the mc gains strength in an unnatural way, not through his own cultivation but through external means. He does actions that help him go up this political-like ladder in the Daoist organization and picks up the external means/items to help his cultivation through the Daoist organization or other means. Because of this, he gains strength pretty quickly compared to others and even though he starts low he quickly catches up and surpasses his peers. I also somewhat dislike the ending because it seems cut off but as I said before, the author probably wanted to show off what the mc did in the next book as history and maybe we‘ll even seethe mc in that book. Hopefully I can find it and find time to read it

From the very first chapter I realized this is a special book. Not another formulaic cultivation story, but something genuinely deep and noticeably different. And I don’t mean that as a lazy compliment — you can feel it in how the author builds the world.

I’ve read 30 chapters… but it took me three attempts, about ten chapters per attempt. And I’m stepping back again.

Why? Because this book is extremely heavy in terms of information density. In a weird way it reminds me of reading a quantum physics textbook: you’re not “just following the plot,” you’re trying to hold a massive amount of rules, terms, ranks, and context in your head — and the world doesn’t fully click unless you do.

What makes it great

In most novels, a character description is basically “what they look like, what they do, what they say.” Here it works differently: you see a person the way a full member of that society would see them, because the MC (and the author) constantly provides the social and institutional context.

It’s not “a patch on a uniform.” It’s:

* a marker of rank,
* a marker of membership in a specific state organization,
* and even the color can add extra meaning.

You get detailed explanations about things like headwear types tied to cultivation levels, each with its own name, and strict appearance requirements by rank that are enforced by official rules — and it’s all described thoroughly, not in passing.

The excerpt you included is a perfect example: it goes deep into embroidered emblems, civil vs. military symbols (birds vs. beasts), exceptions like the Green Phoenix Guard, the historical reasons behind uniform colors, and even the internal hierarchy and staffing numbers. It’s basically a mini-lecture on how the state works.

And honestly — it’s impressive. It makes the world feel so real that you start thinking, “Yeah, a dynasty like this could actually exist.”

So why am I not continuing?

Here’s the paradox: the book is so good at creating realism that it becomes… hard for me to stay engaged.

Not because it’s boring. It’s not.
Because it’s overwhelming.

When I read a scene, instead of smoothly moving through the story, I constantly have to:

* remember ranks,
* remember institutional structures,
* keep track of named hats/robes/insignias,
* hold onto symbolism,
* process tons of Chinese names,
* and deal with pinyin that my brain simply doesn’t “lock in.”

At a certain point, reading starts feeling less like immersion and more like homework — as if the author gave you an incredibly rich world, but also handed you a reference manual and said, “Learn this first.”

What would make it easier to read

The only way I can realistically see myself continuing comfortably is if the translation/edition provided:

* frequent translator notes (short but constant),
* a small glossary for ranks and institutions,
* and ideally even illustrations (for the hats, uniforms, emblems, etc.).

Because otherwise, there’s just too much information to retain. And if you don’t retain it, you lose the point of what the author is doing.

Overall

I think A Pawn’s Passage is a very good book — so good that the world feels real.
But that same realism, combined with the sheer amount of detail, makes it exhausting: I can’t read it in a flow; I have to stop, process, and memorize.

Who might love it: readers who enjoy dense, almost encyclopedic worldbuilding and don’t mind reading slowly, like studying a setting.
Who might struggle (like I do):
readers who want immersion through events and emotion rather than a constant stream of ranks, rules, and institutions.

In short: the book is impressive — but it demands not just attention, it demands stamina.

Info dump: The novel
Not bad, just a solid 7/10