Review: General On Top, I Am Below

February 22, 2017 By in Book Review, CNovel Tags: , 40 Comments

I finished reading General On Top, I Am Below and thought to put in a short post/review of it since this novel is very memorable. There will be a drama coming out about it (which I now look forward and hope that it remains funny). A short synopsis can be found in SSB and the raw links are also available there.

SETUP

After finishing the war, the General sent an apology report to the Emperor stated that she had kept the Emperor in the dark on her gender. The entire court was stunned because no one believed that she was a female as she conduct herself as a guy. She ate like a guy, tease females, like to look at beautiful females, cursed like a guy, dress like a guy, look like one. It was only when her senile grandfather mention “Ye family only have sons! Just a son with a vagina!” that the Emperor collapse and believe it. After much deliberations, the Emperor decided to marry her to his nephew.

This nephew of his has a poor bill of health when he was young. Faint when it’s too hot, fall ill if it’s too cold and was always kept indoors behind four walls. Many times when he was young, even when he is grown up, he was mistaken as a female as he had a very beautiful face and fair skin. When he got better and his mother let him out of the house, he discover the colourful outside world and love to go to Courtesan Houses to play.

This novel basically tells the story of how this couple got together, learn to love one another and grow together.

MY THOUGHTS

This novel is by far the funniest one I ever read!!! Even though the funny things are consistent throughout the entire novel, it is still funny! Example, all his concubines started fawning the General after she married into the family like she is the husband and the Prince got angry! How the General’s senile grandfather look at the Prince and told him to quickly give birth! How he got so jealous of another female that he told the General, “If she is here, there is no me!”

I keep bursting into laughter when I was reading it and there is always something funny in each chapter. Maybe I should translate this novel after finishing Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage.

40 responses

  2. Oh my goodness yes. I love your translation projects–“Malicious Empress” is one of my absolute favorite translations that I’m following these days, and “General on Top” sounds wonderful for your next project. It’ll be a couple of years until “Malicious Empress” is finished, though, right? 🙂

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      • I know 2+ years might sound a bit daunting, but “Malicious Empress” is worth it, and your readers will happily stick with you on this journey. Nobody can ask for you to translate more than you are able to fit in your real life schedule, since we are so very grateful that you’re even doing this at all. Sure, I’d be ecstatic if you could update 3 or 4 times a week, lol, but honestly? Even more than a higher frequency of updates, I’m just thankful that given your track record, I can trust you 100% to complete the project, no matter how long it takes. That’s worth the most to a reader who’s already gotten invested in a story–to have the guarantee of finding out the ending one day. 🙂

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  5. Yes, yes, yes… Please translate this novel once you’re done with the current one. I thought this novel was very interesting when I was reading the synopsis on shushengbar. So the Prince really isn’t an ambitious man. I thought there was a possibility that he was actually pretending to be one since the other Princes would probably try to kill him for the throne. I’m curious about the drama now but I don’t know any of the names that you had mentioned above. Do you know the name of the title for the movie? Thanks!

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  8. Oh gosh, this novel was so funny! That one scene where the elder would look at Prince for giving birth lol Or that one scene where she went to drag him back home when he escaped lolol
    Maybe the drama airing later on will bring in potential translators?

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  16. Yes! Please!
    I’m currently following your Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage and it’s by far my favourite of chinese novels. Big Fan of your translations!

    I saw the trailer of this drama coming out. Super interested! But I’m one of those people who like to read the original first if I can.
    Lots of love!
    I trust in your taste and story choices.

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  17. Yes! Please!
    I’m already following Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage and it’s by far my favorite chinese novel that I’ve read.. er reading.

    I saw the trailers for the drama and it looks super good! But I’m one of those people who’d like to read the original first if I can.

    I really enjoy your translations and I trust in your tastes. Big Fan!
    Lots of love! ❤❤❤

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  23. I think translating this would definitely be a huge break after the Malicious Empress. If you need an (additional) editor/proofreader, let me know.

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  25. Oh, please translate it!! I will sincerely wait for it just like I have been patiently waiting for your amazing translation of rebirth of the malicious empress. I already watched the drama first without knowing that there was a chinese novel and although I enjoyed the premise, it lacked a few elements for me to enjoy the show fully. When I found out that there is a novel from where it was adapated, oh boy, I am excited to read it. I am really hopeful that I could read your translation of the novel soon!

    May you always be blessed and thank you for your hard work!

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  28. Wait a minute, the novel you mentioned seems like the drama, General and I starring Sandra Ma. That drama was indeed soooo funny, she had a cousin girl who had gone all things to make her fall in love with her even though she was a woman and the husband was so furious about it! Damn, I miss that drama 😁 it had also a movie where the cousin female of the General transmigrated in the modern world. There, she had fulfilled her very wish to be with the general, only that the general was a ‘man’ there, like wtf almost half the people from her past also transmigrated in the modern world. Unfortunately, I haven’t finished watching the movie, I just watched halfway through it because it wasn’t subtitled in English 😭

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  29. I only just came across the drama based on this novel. When I found out it was based on a novel I really wanted to read it but I can’t read Chinese 🙈
    Really hope you’ll consider doing a translation of this novel.
    I have no doubt it will bring some lightness to all of us right now.

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  30. I actually watche the Drama a year or two before…
    Hiw come I didn’t know it was adapted from a novel?? :0
    Thanks for sharing! <3333

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