Nayi, dragon god of water, darkness, and cold is stripped of his immortality and banished to the mortal realm. After nurturing the nascent human race, he retires deep into the mountains to cultivate in an attempt to reclaim his place in heaven. However, as thousands of years pass, Nayi’s body and power only deteriorate with age.

Then, a young dragon shows up on Nayi’s doorstep claiming to be his son and begging for help against vicious phoenix raiders. Nayi is thrust into a new role as a first-time father and teacher.

And he has no idea what he’s doing.

Inspired by the xianxia genre, Once Immortal is a whimsical, fable-style eastern fantasy novel which doubles as a comedic mediation on mortality, mentorship, and parenthood. Witness the birth of a realm of dragons and phoenixes, the Land of Sea and Flame. Enter Nayi’s mountain school for dragons, and join his class as they train to become great martial artists.

Another fantastic delivery by Juzi. Their previous book, Sun Slayer, was among my best reads of last year, so I jumped at the chance to see what they have come up with this time. And what a mind-blowing surprise it’s been!

Was the sun really something worth dying for?

While set in the same universe as Sun Slayer, this story is presented in a very different style. Coming from the action-heavy dark fantasy, I absolutely didn’t expect to be thrust into a humorous cozy fantasy. Yet, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit.

I was with you in the beginning

I will be with you in the end.

Despite the comedic style of delivery, the author manages to weave in various deeply emotional themes and crafts a fairytale-esque experience that will leave you craving more of the beautifully-depicted (and yet grounded) fictional escapades in the world where fire and water magic are perpetually at odds.

I hated feeling warm, but somehow, this warmth simply felt right.

So what is the story about? A dragon god discovering the nuances of mortality. An exploration of parenthood. A very unique magic school where young dragons learn about cultivation. A cautionary tale about risk taking and balancing idealism with pragmatism. And above all, it’s just plain fun.

Shrill, incessant screeching that made me want to gouge out my ears with a knife.

Are those baby dragons I hear?

If you are new to this genre of Asian fantasy, dragons here are not your typical Western fire-breathing, violent, gargantuan beings. Think more of flying snake-like mythical creatures with water affinity. The phoenixes are the ones with fire affinity.

I am the dragon. I am the stream which flows from the highest peak and snakes across the grasslands. I am the drink coiled inside your cup, still so you may consume me.

This is an origin story of Juzi’s world—a crude childhood project crafted by two young siblings taking their first steps into godhood. The events here follow the two godlings getting grounded in the world of mortals as a punishment for the chaos they inflict on the universe. Quite a fun departure from the classic elaborate & long-winded alt-mythologies.

All we did was bend the fabric of the universe and rip a divide between heaven and earth.

While Nai (the primary focus of the story) and Moon are interesting in their own right, Kai was the first character I fell in love with. The young dragon climbs a treacherous mountain in the hope of appealing to a mythical ancestor god to help his people against bandits with fire affinity. Wonderful premise.

I lived with my adoptive mother until last year.

I kept accidentally flooding the house whenever I wet the bed, so she couldn’t handle me anymore.

That expedition leads to a dying god suddenly discovering that he somehow has four-hundred forty-four offsprings. This eventually leads to the establishment of a school of magic for water-magic cultivators within the bowels of an ancient mountain. In the icy confines of the dragon god’s abode, the students learn magic living alongside fishes, squids, whales, and various other water creatures. This summary hardly does justice to Juzi’s beautiful depictions.

I loved the dragon & phoenix gods, especially their imperfections, the aspects of cultivation magic, and the deeply interlinked themes around exploration of humanity and its failings.

You’ll catch me if I fall, right?

Why would you make that assumption?

Eventually, the character I loved most was Chayu—a unique, morally-gray individual whose cynical, battle-scarred viewpoint serves as a fantastic contrast to the sibling gods and their larger-than-life perspectives. Not unexpectedly, it also ties back to the elements I loved most in Sun Slayer. I do wish Chayu gets his own book at some point.

A pale, sickly old man stood at the edge of the tower balcony, his eyes fixed on the horizon as he made a signal with his hand.

The author also found a way to weave in themes of human greed and its environmental impact, though I did feel that tangent didn’t fit in as well with the overall plotline.

You will, Moon, lose your crown. Either you give it up on your terms, or time will find a crueler way to take it from you.

But all in all, it was a great experience. Go dive in. If you enjoy Asian fantasy themes, balanced fantasy with humorous, comedic elements, this is written for you. But even if not, give it a chance. The depictions, dialogues, and world-building are so well done, you aren’t likely to regret it. I loved how deeply the water & fire related elements were incorporated into the world-building.

I read this book first as a beta reader. Months later, I found myself just as absorbed once again in the story when I tried to skim the pre-release copy for quotes. Juzi has a talent to pull you into their magical world where sleep has no place.

It will make your shrimp brain explode.