My Divine Diary我的成神日志

Here's a review after reading the entire novel (999 chapters) on the Chinese site. Please be aware that this review will contain spoilers. Major spoilers are in a spoiler tag.

So first off, I'd like to state that the title, "My Divine Diary", is grossly misleading. Su Hao, the protagonist of this novel, neither keeps a diary . Instead, a more suitable name would be "My Multiverse Research Institute."
But, for now, let's put a pin in that topic and lets explore the premise of this novel.

Su Hao, is a (un)lucky? guy who dies in a car crash, but in this process is bound to a mysterious space, that he calls the "Pin Ball" space. This enables him to reincarnate continously in new worlds whenever he dies. Unfortunately, in the beginning, he never seems to be able to live past the age of 5, where unpredictable accidents will kill him. After many reincarnations he slowly becomes strong enough to survive by gathering knowledge, I.e., through learning martial arts, survival skills, etc. So that he can adapt and overcome these accidents. In this process, he learns that phyiscal strength is temporary and the only thing that truly belongs to him is the knowledge he learns and records in the Pin Ball space.

And thus, the name "My Multiverse Research Institute" "My Divine Diary".

Su Hao is obsessed with gathering each world's unique power systems, uncovering the mechanics behind each power system, and learning the secrets of the universe.

What makes this story good is the various unique worlds that the author has imagined - and goes to great lengths to explain with speculative and plausible-fictional physics. Thus, what's magical is no longer magical - but science. As the great Aurthur C. Clarke once wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”

The worlds Su Hao visits are numerous, ranging from a blood Qi-based Wuxia world, to Cannibalist Evolution Elves, Space Summoner World, Intergalactic Sci-Fi, Chinese Cultivation Xianxia, to the more crazy like SCP-world (this one was weird and bordering horror).

So now that you know a little of the background, let's talk about the other stuff.
Su Hao, as I mentioned, is a research maniac, and through visiting worlds he accumulates a vast array of knowledge. He uses this knowledge to quickly becomes OP, so that he can survive the initial accidents. However, he also learns, that as he becomes stronger, so do the "accidents" that happen
Su Hao is your typical Chinese celibate-monk type protagonist. There's nothing in his eyes except research and uncovering the unknown. No romance, (nearly) no friendships, and no other pursuits, except his goal of immortality and exploring the unknown. He later picks up assistants that can help him, even when he crosses worlds. But, in the face of absolute beauty, he is unfazed, to the point that you'd have to ask if identifies as an asexual.
The story has its ups and downs, while at times it is pretty repetitive, and the research theme gets cumbersome and boring - the aspect that carries this novel is the unique worlds that Su Hao explores and the crazy ideas that he implements,
So pros of this novel is definitely the unique power systems and also the fun side stories of the characters around Su Hao, whom are affected by Su Hao's impact on the world.

Now let's talk cons.
As I briefly wrote before. There's no romance. But this is actually smaller part of a bigger problem - there's little to no personal development of the MC. Side characters, like the assistants do experience a small amount of personal growth, but it's negligible. But this is not unusual for a Chinese fantasy novels. After reading countless Chinese novels, many Chinese authors seem to have the idea that power growth = MC growth. However, for western readers those 2 things are separate. MC growth is the changing, growth and development of personality as he progresses through the story. You'd imagine that you would not behave the same, or have the same habits, if you became an all-powerful immortal as you would when you were fighting for your life. Furthermore, Su Hao has no "defects" - I.e., he has no bad habits (except neglecting his family and friends for research, no personal relationships, and no other ambitions or hobbies except exploring the unknown). He is like a machine - pure, laser-like focus on his goal - and nothing to distract him. And this type of MC, in my opinion, is boring.
Luckily, we have the side stories of the various side characters who feel more "real", and that makes up for this type of boring MC.

So throughout this novel, don't expect any re-occuring characters except Su Hao and his assistants. And don't expect any personality growth, except power growth (unlimited powah! *insert Sith Lord shoots lightning meme*).

World building is top notch, and I have written much about that. There are several themes that are go-to-classics, but also unique and interesting worlds - and as I said, this is where the novel excels. It draws you in with a unique premise, but you stay for the weird worlds and power systems. On this note, I'm also regretful that, in my opinion, the author has missed out on some easy good points

The writing is good (at least in Chinese), and so is the translation. The translation, in my opinion, has done a really good job of bringing the story to life. I would say that the translation adds some charm, which is missing from the Chinese novel. This should be understood as, that the Chinese version can sometimes feel like cookie cutter storytelling. So, I'd recommend the translation, if you want the best experience,

In conclusion, "My Divine Diary" is a pretty good serial-transmigration novel which covers the most important bases of unique worlds and interesting power systems. The research theme is heavy and becomes repetitive after while, and the novel has several drawbacks that may lead you drop it in the later chapters.

Overall, you should give the novel a shot - the first 100 chapters are definitely good and worth reading. For these reasons, I'd rate the novel 3.5/5 stars.

Enjoy!

To the MTL readers, when does he get into the main world he stays in (for the rest of the novel im guessing) or does he just keep dying and switching worlds to get stronger on his path to divinity