Discussion Hidden Gems Recommendation

I've been talking with quite a few people, and it seems like people usually select books to read by troupes. Specific troupes usually rise to the top of Novelupdates, such that the rankings are flooded with them.

Some examples of combination of troupes that often do well
> Reincarnated into villainess/book + Knowledge of future plot
> Tower climbing/ Dungeons
> Face-slapping + Comedy
> Isekai
> Revenge plot + romance + fluff

I think it's due to these fixed troupes that sometimes, people have a fixed view of what JP/ CN/ or KR novels are like (such as JP beta MC, CN nationalistic MC, etc.)

With a huge choice of books on Novelupdates, it's normal for people to look at tags to choose the next book they will read, but this results in books that are in certain genres and troupes consistently doing well. On the other hand, there are some well-written and exciting books that receive little attention due to not being in certain troupes as readers instinctively avoid them.

So, I think it would be good to start a thread to promote 'hidden gem' so as to give some recommendations to books that are different from what is on the ranking right now but could be nice to read for a change of pace.
Some quality that the hidden gems recommended should have
1) The novel should be fairly well-translated or written
2) It's a book should be a change of pace from what's currently trending in Novelupdate's rankings, preferably in a good way

PS: Just to clarify, I'm not saying that troupes are not good since they pretty much can guarantee a reading experience a reader it seeking out. But sometimes, if you break out of a troupe, you might find yourself enjoying something that you never thought you would.
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One of these hidden gem novels that I recommend is Special District 9.
I checked the top 200 in Novelupdates, and there isn't any novel that focuses on intriguing political struggle + the connections between government officials and triads on the streets + kingdom building in a fairly dystopian world
Strengths:
+ Character building. The characters have their own individual characters, and are all fairly intelligent in their own settings, not just in terms of their wits but their EQ too. The clash of different perspectives and ideologies are really interesting to read. I really like the characters of the protagonists and some of the major antagonists, so I would give it a high score just on this.
+ Intriguing politics. The novel creates a web of interesting politics
+ Little to no filler. Most of what happens ties back into the main storyline and pushes it along.
+ Fast action. Honestly I don't really like fighting scenes, especially gunfights, so I think the novel does well to tie things up quickly without dragging on.
+ Good progression. There's no abrupt rise to power due to suddenly befriending someone or winning over a 'key aide', which can be frustrating since web novels pride itself on its fast pace, but on the other hand, we get to how the protagonist consolidates his power step by step to rise through the ranks, which can be satisfying too.
+ Decent translation. The translator worked on Library of Heaven's Path and Records of the Human Emperor before
Weaknesses:
- The apocalypse setting hasn't really been elaborated on so far. It's basically just there to 'reset' society so as to allow for a reshuffling of power and create a relatively chaotic setting. I don't think the concepts of Wasteland Districts and Development Districts have yet to be tied nicely into the story up to the current translation, focusing mainly just on politics within the Special District.
- Starts off slow for the first 30 chapters. It's basically putting in pieces for the climax, but it might be hard to see how it ties together till it wraps up in early 40s.
- There is some very cliche portrayal in the novel, e.g. everyone is constantly smoking. It's probably to build up the tone, but can't help but feel that it's overused.

Overall, I'd recommend Special District 9 for those who like to read intriguing politics, clash of ideologies, and slow kingdom building. For those who dig into those, I think it'll be a meaningful book to try.

 

guess I'll just link some of the novels I pretty much always recommend (assuming they somewhat match what the person asking for recommendations is looking for)

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-girl-who-bore-the-flame-ring/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/three-days-of-happiness/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series...ving-girl-who-lived-a-thousand-years-somehow/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/mimizuku-to-yoru-no-ou/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/semi-datte-tensei-sureba-ryuu-ni-naru/

sorry that I'm kinda too lazy to give a full explanation as to why for each of these, but I give all of them a strong recommendation.


edit: and I guess i'll just toss in a bunch of oneshots as well
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-story-of-two-brothers-a-hero-and-a-carpenter/

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-hero-♀-hypnotized-the-demon-king-♀/

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-probability-i-can-kill-my-wife-without-being-found-out/ - https://www.novelupdates.com/series/a-game-to-make-him-fall/

https://www.novelupdates.com/series...-wrote-over-summer-break-was-way-too-fantasy/ - https://www.novelupdates.com/series...d-wrote-over-winter-break-was-way-too-sci-fi/

https://www.novelupdates.com/series...rl-who-kept-challenging-a-reborn-man-like-me/

 

I'll recommend a cute, supernatural romance story that has a surprising focus on classical paintings and its hidden symbolism. Despite the focus on symbolism, it's pretty light-hearted, sweet, and simple, though it has its chilling moments. I've never heard of this title until a couple of days ago, so i guess it's counted as a 'hidden gem'.
Miss Appraiser and The Gallery Demon

 

wow

 

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/gekkou/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rakuin-no-monshou/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/ouroboros-record-circus-of-oubeniel/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series...o-talk-to-a-loner-like-me-during-lunch-break/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/manuscript-screening-boy-and-manuscript-submitting-girl/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/mimizuku-to-yoru-no-ou/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/allison/
Chinese
A step into the past
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-legend-of-the-condor-heroes/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-silly-alchemist/

 

Female General And Eldest Princess
Clear and Muddy Loss of Love
Matrilocal Marriage,
Mistress, I Was Wrong
The Witch Nichang
Princess, Spare My Life,

 

Here
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/154728/the-tyrant-duchess/

 

I would like to add some that I found recently....
1. Soul of Negary
A hidden gem I found. An evil Mc that is actually evil. Mc dies after transmigration because his body can't handle the bacteria and conditions of this world. A system steals his protag aura and he is left for dead. He becomes a spirit and does some evil things. I won't spoil much but this is definitely something worth checking out.

2.Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece
The story takes place in ancient greece where mc is a chinese guy who wakes up in the body of a mercenary boy belonging to the group invading persia. Mc quickly adapts to his situation and makes good choices. He leads his group out of persia safely and does it in a good manner. One thing I like about it is that mc is a likable person and does things that makes sense. So far he has not done anything drastic or off putting like say making a f*cking gun in greece or anything. I don't know the history well so I am not sure if what author is saying matches up or not but he explains stuff well so you don't particularly need extensive knowledge of history. SO overall if you like Kingdom Building theme and War Strategy in Medieval Times. Give this novel a chance.

3. The Great Storyteller
This is pretty old but I always felt that this was underrated.
The MC achieved great success with his debut work, his first book sold well and he became famous at age of 17, but from there on he was never able to write something as good. Eventually he lost everything, even to the point of becoming homeless but in his second life, he doesn't become op or anything. He just has a better understanding of life and uses his own experiences to write a book. This has a slice of life feel with gentle pacing. If you liked Hyouka, then this might interest you. It gives off similar vibes but without mystery but books instead. Really great read when you want to read something different than action or romance oriented novels.