Very cozy. Wu Xie's construction of the Iron Triangle's retirement restaurant and him is interspersed with his musings about life and the Iron Triangle being ridiculous. The latter is of course the best part.
Apparently all I wanted for these characters was a break. Wu Xie using his (not fictitious!) architect's degree to slowly build a small house. Xiaoge appearing content. Small adventures. It's like a little pastoral dream. I felt at peace while reading it.
I indeed bought this in hard copy (and I hear that the third part is coming out as a second physical book) and I have never been so happy with a purchase. The Rain Village era is genuinely so healing to read about. It's wise and a bit silly, and full of warmth.
Upping this to five stars; my soul is recharging.
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Original review in December 2022:
Enough with the mysteries and monsters! Only soft domesticity here, lads!
The other books in the DMBJ series are, broadly speaking, adventure stories. This, on the other hand, is a Studio Ghibli-esque slice of life story about the Iron Triangle's retirement in Rain Village. It's about building a home together, and having the time to reflect and relax.
It's not all plotless fluff (although there's nothing wrong with that) - the trio still get to be their badass selves on occasion, hitting a nice balance, I feel. But genuinely, I get healing vibes from reading this. Certain passages are just so beautiful and peaceful.
I fully intend to buy this in hard copy, and return to Rain Village whenever I need a pick-me-up.