Review: Trash of the Count's Family
Overview
| Date | 2019-11-25 |
| Rating | |
| Language | Korean |
| Media | Novel |
| Original Title | 백작가의 망나니가 되었다 |
| Author | Yulyeohan (유려한) |
| Original Status | Work in Progress |
| Translation Status | Ongoing |
| Romance? | Gen |
Warnings
Non-graphic depiction of animal (dragon) abuse.
Review
Strengths
- A hilarious narrator whose inner dialogue is a very funny contrast against the accidental heroic image he has.
- Adorable baby tsundere dragon.
- Excellent supporting cast overall. Everyone has their own stories and motivations.
- Amazing plotting. Lots of tiny details & foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the novel all eventually tie in together to a very complex overall plot.
Flaws
It's still an unfinished work in progress even in the original language.This gen fantasy novel has been a surprisingly funny and heart-warming read despite being such a common and cliched setup. The main character transmigrates into a book series as the no-good, drunken older son of a Count (Cale) who gets beat up in the first chapter of the book. He starts with a small goal of not getting beaten up. Which then led to him planning for the upcoming war so he and his family could stay safe, and in his quest to retire a rich slacker, he accidentally ends up gathering a team of friends & heroes who go around saving the world.
My favourite parts of this book:
- Adorable baby dragon (and two kitten shapeshifters) who spend all their time roasting Cale for being a weakling
- Everyone misunderstanding Cale, thinking he's being modest, or being silently stoic and self-sacrificial, while his inner monologue is all about trying to find the easiest task for himself and having others do the heavy lifting. He's constantly trying to tell people "No, I'm not interested in your secrets" which unfortunately causes people to trust him more and embroil him into more plots. He is a good guy at heart, though, which is why once he finds out about something, he'll still strive to do the right thing even if it means not being lazy.
- Crown Prince Alberu's friendship with Cale is probably the most hilarious in the book. Alberu was written to be a kind of quest-giver NPC, so he's very skilled at sitting in the back while making others do all the legwork for him. He immediately sees a kindred soul in Cale, and dislikes him immensely for it. So many of their interactions are mind games trying to throw hot potato tasks at each other, it's great. They do eventually warm up to each other and become genuine friends.
- Grumpy ancient dragon who got dragged into this mess and spends his time figuratively yelling at clouds sighing fondly about kids these days.
- Amazing Found Family feelings + teamwork overcoming increasingly difficult odds together.
This is a sprawling epic of a fantasy novel whose plot starts with simple politics and war into something much darker and more complex. However, through it all, it maintains the positive outlook and relationship between the main characters. I highly recommend this novel for an engaging and comforting escapist read.