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Little Mushroom (Novel) #1
Pequeño Hongo, Vol. 1
"Until the day humanity falls."
In the year 2020, Earth's magnetic poles disappeared and humankind was nearly wiped out by cosmic radiation. Within the span of a hundred years, living creatures began to mutate and devour each other while the remaining humans, numbering in the tens of thousands, struggled bitterly in their man-made bases.
In the Abyss, home to the mutated xenogenics, there lived a sentient little mushroom. Because it had been nourished by the blood and flesh of the deceased human An Ze, not only did it take on a similar-looking human form, but a similar name as well: An Zhe.
An Zhe is determined to go to the human base to search for his spore, which had been harvested by humans. Once there, however, he faces the omnipresent risk of discovery and certain death as he tries to keep his non-human nature hidden from the Judges, whose responsibility is to inspect for and eliminate xenogenics like himself. And of all the Judges, Colonel Lu Feng is the most perceptive and merciless--as soon as he determines that someone is a xenogenic, he will execute that person on the spot.
But An Zhe's mutation goes undetected by Lu Feng's eyes, and so a tale of humans and xenogenics unfolds...
In the year 2020, Earth's magnetic poles disappeared and humankind was nearly wiped out by cosmic radiation. Within the span of a hundred years, living creatures began to mutate and devour each other while the remaining humans, numbering in the tens of thousands, struggled bitterly in their man-made bases.
In the Abyss, home to the mutated xenogenics, there lived a sentient little mushroom. Because it had been nourished by the blood and flesh of the deceased human An Ze, not only did it take on a similar-looking human form, but a similar name as well: An Zhe.
An Zhe is determined to go to the human base to search for his spore, which had been harvested by humans. Once there, however, he faces the omnipresent risk of discovery and certain death as he tries to keep his non-human nature hidden from the Judges, whose responsibility is to inspect for and eliminate xenogenics like himself. And of all the Judges, Colonel Lu Feng is the most perceptive and merciless--as soon as he determines that someone is a xenogenic, he will execute that person on the spot.
But An Zhe's mutation goes undetected by Lu Feng's eyes, and so a tale of humans and xenogenics unfolds...
536 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2022
About the author
Yi Shi Si Zhou
30 books193 followersAssociated Names:
* 一十四洲 (Chinese)
* Nhất Thập Tứ Châu (Vietnamese)
* อีสือซื่อโจว (Thai)
* 一十四洲 (Chinese)
* Nhất Thập Tứ Châu (Vietnamese)
* อีสือซื่อโจว (Thai)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,120 reviews
October 27, 2022
I inhaled all 27 chapters of this book in something of a daze and I am now a changed person.
Little Mushroom: Judgment Day, the 1st book in the Little Mushroom duology, follows the story of a sentient little mushroom that gains human form and journeys undetected through a dystopian world in search for his stolen spore—and into the path of the one human who can discover the truth of what he is and kill him for it.
If this sounds unlike anything you’ve ever read—it’s probably because it is. Shisi offers a fearlessly inventive and deliciously bonkers spin on the post-apocalyptic novel that is also downright endearing and a lot of fun along the way. But don’t let the cute exterior fool you—Little Mushroom: Judgment Day packs a hefty punch, achieving more levels of complexity, imagination, and depth than a surface-reading might give it credit for.
This is a story about what it means to survive in a world that perpetually flickers towards extinction. It asks questions central to our very species: what does it do to a person to understand, acutely and with pain, the world’s capacity for violence? Who are we after enduring, when all that’s left of us is so ruthless to survive even when we don’t have the stomach for it?
Dystopia is about things carried to extremes, and Shisi is unafraid to push past the hold of even our most uncomfortable imaginings. The novel’s resounding theme—should human interests be put above all else?—haunts the pages, reminding us that we are all-too-often sustained and consoled by the knowledge that science will always prevail, that survival is inevitable, that collapse is something that happens to other people in far away places. Or that, at the very least, we can always reassemble ourselves in the aftermath of collapse.
It is against this monumental reality of cataclysm that An Zhe’s innocent search for his spore unfolds, and because he’s a literal mushroom, with a rudimentary and naive understanding of good and evil or of what propels humans to do the things they do, there is very little space for the endless self-justifying impulse of “human interest.” In a little mushroom’s rendering of the world, the ugliness—that is to say, all the details of struggle and survival—is stark and unflinching, with nothing to hide behind. What we are ultimately left with is a haunted and haunting portrait of what we do to one another in our desperate grasping to unmake our undoing.
Oh, and this is also a queer love story!
All in all, I’m grateful for the enthusiasm of the several people who suggested this book to me. I signed up for a whipcrack sci-fi romp and got much more than I bargained for—and my reading experience was definitely all the better for it.
Little Mushroom: Judgment Day, the 1st book in the Little Mushroom duology, follows the story of a sentient little mushroom that gains human form and journeys undetected through a dystopian world in search for his stolen spore—and into the path of the one human who can discover the truth of what he is and kill him for it.
If this sounds unlike anything you’ve ever read—it’s probably because it is. Shisi offers a fearlessly inventive and deliciously bonkers spin on the post-apocalyptic novel that is also downright endearing and a lot of fun along the way. But don’t let the cute exterior fool you—Little Mushroom: Judgment Day packs a hefty punch, achieving more levels of complexity, imagination, and depth than a surface-reading might give it credit for.
This is a story about what it means to survive in a world that perpetually flickers towards extinction. It asks questions central to our very species: what does it do to a person to understand, acutely and with pain, the world’s capacity for violence? Who are we after enduring, when all that’s left of us is so ruthless to survive even when we don’t have the stomach for it?
Dystopia is about things carried to extremes, and Shisi is unafraid to push past the hold of even our most uncomfortable imaginings. The novel’s resounding theme—should human interests be put above all else?—haunts the pages, reminding us that we are all-too-often sustained and consoled by the knowledge that science will always prevail, that survival is inevitable, that collapse is something that happens to other people in far away places. Or that, at the very least, we can always reassemble ourselves in the aftermath of collapse.
It is against this monumental reality of cataclysm that An Zhe’s innocent search for his spore unfolds, and because he’s a literal mushroom, with a rudimentary and naive understanding of good and evil or of what propels humans to do the things they do, there is very little space for the endless self-justifying impulse of “human interest.” In a little mushroom’s rendering of the world, the ugliness—that is to say, all the details of struggle and survival—is stark and unflinching, with nothing to hide behind. What we are ultimately left with is a haunted and haunting portrait of what we do to one another in our desperate grasping to unmake our undoing.
Oh, and this is also a queer love story!
All in all, I’m grateful for the enthusiasm of the several people who suggested this book to me. I signed up for a whipcrack sci-fi romp and got much more than I bargained for—and my reading experience was definitely all the better for it.
February 28, 2022
Hi everyone!
I served as editor on Little Mushroom V1. I really hope you all enjoy it, as it's become one of my favorite projects of my career so far. He's just a little mushroom, after all.
I served as editor on Little Mushroom V1. I really hope you all enjoy it, as it's become one of my favorite projects of my career so far. He's just a little mushroom, after all.
February 7, 2025
‘I'll just sometimes think about... the choices I made. Just what am I judging, and who will judge me in the end?’
first, a warm and entirely sincere acknowledgment to my buddy reads, who committed to reading this with me and then simply didn’t, and to whom i extend full peace and love from the other side of a completed novel they have yet to open
this is going directly into my top danmei novels. i was turning pages like someone had a gun to my head and experiencing at least twice what can only be described as a minor cardiovascular event in response to plot developments, which i consider a glowing recommendation.
𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼
the apocalypse this novel builds is not the standard-issue end-of-the-world backdrop that exists primarily to make the romance feel more urgent. it is a fully realized, internally coherent catastrophe with its own grim logic and a kind of bleak poetry to it, a world where death has stopped being subtle and simply moved in permanently, setting up residence in the wastelands, the supposedly safe zones, the institutional violence of the Arbiters, and the general population of mutated horrors that have replaced the previous ecosystem, every forward movement carrying the reasonable probability of being your last one, the whole atmosphere saturated with despair and stubborn survival instinct and the particular quiet of people who have begun making their peace with things. what makes the novel genuinely distinctive is its choice of perspective, rather than filtering all of this through a seasoned survivor with the appropriate emotional calluses, we experience the apocalypse through An Zhe, a small mushroom, who arrives as the most improbable protagonist imaginable and somehow ends up being the most affecting one, starting out as a largely unbothered observer of human tragedy and gradually, through contact and accumulation, becoming someone who understands things, cares about things, and finds himself entangled in the wreckage of humanity in a way that his original fungal worldview did not remotely prepare him for, which is both very funny in concept and genuinely moving.
𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼
Lu Feng, the cold and institutionally feared Arbiter who becomes central to An Zhe’s experience of the world, is the novel’s most carefully maintained ambiguity. a man who has accepted without apparent distress that he is widely regarded as a monster, and yet who keeps doing things that complicate that reading, the novel returning again and again to the question of what he actually is: a villain draped in authority, a person trapped inside a role they didn’t entirely choose, an enforcer so absorbed into a merciless system that the distinction between the man and the machine has genuinely blurred, or simply someone who has been denied the language for wanting connection for so long that he no longer recognizes the wanting.
‘What does he look like?’
‘Like... the aurora, I suppose.’
𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼
the relationship between them develops with the patience of something that knows it doesn’t need to rush, built through mistrust and proximity and small moments of unexpected gentleness, each layer complicated by the dynamic between them. the impulse to harm sitting alongside the impulse to protect, cruelty and tenderness sharing the same space without either canceling the other out, producing a love story that feels genuinely precarious in a way that suits the world it inhabits, fragile and desperate and uncertain in exactly the right proportion. the sadness running through the novel is strangely not a heavy one. there is something almost gentle about it, which i partly attribute to An Zhe’s perspective permanently recalibrating the emotional register of everything around him, and partly to the fact that even in a world methodically dismantling any reason for optimism, the novel keeps placing small, real moments of warmth against the darkness, not as cheap consolation but as evidence that the thing people keep reaching for might still be worth reaching for, which is either quietly hopeful or the cruelest thing the novel does.
overall, the novel is very delightful, and it also has a wonderfully beautiful manhua, which would be bold of you to assume i haven't read already
pre-read:
buddy read with komy, ada, starry and riki :3
December 18, 2022
brain chemistry: altered. to unravel such a morally complex homoerotic slowburn against a backdrop of ecological collapse and political strife.....................absolutely delicious. the "non-human experiencing humanity for the first time and learning what it means to love" trope never not hits (and hits HARD) and it is even more stellar and gut-wrenching when that non-human is just a tiny little mushroom intent on honoring the owner of his human body 😭😭😭😭 lu feng is extremely annoying and soooooo hot and cold in book one, however—though i grew to love him nonetheless. MY emotionally repressed serial murdering little meow meow
December 7, 2022
Re-read 03/23 & 10/23: (Still) One of the best danmei I've had the pleasure of reading. I'd highly recommend Little Mushroom to those who are newer to the genre or maybe getting tired of re-reading the same MXTX series. 😂 I'd also recommend this book to people who like post-apocalyptic settings (for instance, if you enjoyed Fallocaust or Swan Song).
An Zhe = best mushroom. 🍄🍄🍄
Original review 12/22: My thoughts are all over the place, and I'm also halfway through the next book so I don't really feel like stopping to write a review. 😅
I will probably write something more cohesive when I re-read this (which I definitely will).
For now, all I'll say about Little Mushroom is that it is one of the best things I've ever read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
An Zhe = best mushroom. 🍄🍄🍄
Original review 12/22: My thoughts are all over the place, and I'm also halfway through the next book so I don't really feel like stopping to write a review. 😅
I will probably write something more cohesive when I re-read this (which I definitely will).
For now, all I'll say about Little Mushroom is that it is one of the best things I've ever read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
April 12, 2023
If little mushroom has million numbers of fan i am one of them. if little mushroom has ten fans i am one of them. if little mushroom have only one fan and that is me. if little mushroom has no fans, that means i am no more on the earth. if world against the little mushroom, i am against the world.
i love u my little mushroom i love u an zhe i love u an zhe’s spore i love you lu feng i love u all the characters who took one look at lu feng & an zhe and immediately went “…bffr you guys love each other just get together already 🙄”
anyways!! off to go read the second book!! can’t wait for the inevitable heartache to kick in
i love u my little mushroom i love u an zhe i love u an zhe’s spore i love you lu feng i love u all the characters who took one look at lu feng & an zhe and immediately went “…bffr you guys love each other just get together already 🙄”
anyways!! off to go read the second book!! can’t wait for the inevitable heartache to kick in
March 2, 2022
an zhe
i would forfeit all my mortal possessions for an zhe
i give this novel 5 stars purely because i love him.
i would forfeit all my mortal possessions for an zhe
i give this novel 5 stars purely because i love him.
January 21, 2025
Which version is best: PBH or 7 seas?
I preferred the PBH translation. A lot of fans were upset with 7 seas changing the name of An Zhe to Anzhe but my mind was able to ignore that and treat it as a typo.
However, what I find less forgivable is the fact that 7 seas have chosen to use 'aberrations' instead of the PBH choice of 'xenogenic'. It doesn't sound as cool nor as sci-fi.
Respect for 7 seas though for producing a gorgeous hardcover edition. I'm still obsessed with the sprayed edges. I don't regret purchasing it.
Lu Feng will always be my favourite character. The illustrations in the 7 seas version are truly some of their best.
This is still the best sci-fi danmei I've ever read and a definite must- read.
I preferred the PBH translation. A lot of fans were upset with 7 seas changing the name of An Zhe to Anzhe but my mind was able to ignore that and treat it as a typo.
However, what I find less forgivable is the fact that 7 seas have chosen to use 'aberrations' instead of the PBH choice of 'xenogenic'. It doesn't sound as cool nor as sci-fi.
Respect for 7 seas though for producing a gorgeous hardcover edition. I'm still obsessed with the sprayed edges. I don't regret purchasing it.
Lu Feng will always be my favourite character. The illustrations in the 7 seas version are truly some of their best.
This is still the best sci-fi danmei I've ever read and a definite must- read.
May 22, 2022
Do not go gentle into that good night
yeah... the book sure did not go gentle on me
My rating is for Xiao's fantastic translation in PFH edition. Do not confuse with any other translations/editions please.
yeah... the book sure did not go gentle on me
My rating is for Xiao's fantastic translation in PFH edition. Do not confuse with any other translations/editions please.
January 8, 2023
It took me 8 days to finish this book.
First of all, don’t let the cover trick you, this book is dark, dystopian setting, non human MC, monsters, lot of killing, less romance and zero heat. In the other hand it’s not that angsty and mostly sweet with the naive narration of the main character.
The writing was strange for me, the book felt dragged sometimes, and sometimes the side stories are over detailed. I had hard time to connect with the main character. There wasn’t much dialogues and those was awkward sometimes. ButTHE WORLD BUILDING IS PHENOMENAL!! I was ready to dnf but can’t bc I haven’t read anything like this. It is unique and clever and I can see the humanity would react this was in a similar situation. It got 4 stars by me because the the level of the author imagination is outstanding I’m deeply impressed with it.
First of all, don’t let the cover trick you, this book is dark, dystopian setting, non human MC, monsters, lot of killing, less romance and zero heat. In the other hand it’s not that angsty and mostly sweet with the naive narration of the main character.
The writing was strange for me, the book felt dragged sometimes, and sometimes the side stories are over detailed. I had hard time to connect with the main character. There wasn’t much dialogues and those was awkward sometimes. ButTHE WORLD BUILDING IS PHENOMENAL!! I was ready to dnf but can’t bc I haven’t read anything like this. It is unique and clever and I can see the humanity would react this was in a similar situation. It got 4 stars by me because the the level of the author imagination is outstanding I’m deeply impressed with it.
May 28, 2022
Don’t let the title and cover fool you.. THIS IS NOT A CUTE BOOK OKAY (even tho yes the main character is cute AF) it’s actually quite dark full of monsters and crazy mutant human-plant or human-arthropod and the world is in the edge of ending 😨🫣
Post apocalyptic story is one of the story that I actually love to read and happy to started this book without knowing anything other than it’s danmei and found this book own that story and A REALLY GOOD ONE *heart eyes*
Our main character is a mushroom… yessss a mushroom 🍄 and then he became human because of the blood contamination, An Zhe still has memory and knowledge from his human blood but most of his memory is lost, all he knew he needs to find his spore, something that really important for a mushroom… he then traveled to The Base, the protected cities. To enter one of the city they need to scan everyone so they knew this person is not mutant or infected.. they have this Trial Court with judges who will judge you if you can enter the city or not and also maintain peace in the city, these Judges can kill you immediately if they found out you are infected or a mutant, so our Little Mushroom need to survive this trial in order to get his spore back
We got a lot of action (some even brutal) and crazy adventures in this book and of course that angsty romance between our main lead and main interest Lu Feng… ughhh the feels!! 🥰😍 the plot is really fast and keep you in the edge of your sit!!!! I truly enjoyed my time reading this book it’s a perfect balance between great worldbuilding, plot and romance 😍👍🏼
I highly recommend this book if you love Dystopia genre, M/M angsty cute romance with grumpy sunshine trope, MONSTERS (a lot of Monsters) and fast plot! I personally cannot wait for the second book!!!
You can buy the official English translation from here: https://www.peachflowerhouse.com/mush...
Post apocalyptic story is one of the story that I actually love to read and happy to started this book without knowing anything other than it’s danmei and found this book own that story and A REALLY GOOD ONE *heart eyes*
Our main character is a mushroom… yessss a mushroom 🍄 and then he became human because of the blood contamination, An Zhe still has memory and knowledge from his human blood but most of his memory is lost, all he knew he needs to find his spore, something that really important for a mushroom… he then traveled to The Base, the protected cities. To enter one of the city they need to scan everyone so they knew this person is not mutant or infected.. they have this Trial Court with judges who will judge you if you can enter the city or not and also maintain peace in the city, these Judges can kill you immediately if they found out you are infected or a mutant, so our Little Mushroom need to survive this trial in order to get his spore back
We got a lot of action (some even brutal) and crazy adventures in this book and of course that angsty romance between our main lead and main interest Lu Feng… ughhh the feels!! 🥰😍 the plot is really fast and keep you in the edge of your sit!!!! I truly enjoyed my time reading this book it’s a perfect balance between great worldbuilding, plot and romance 😍👍🏼
I highly recommend this book if you love Dystopia genre, M/M angsty cute romance with grumpy sunshine trope, MONSTERS (a lot of Monsters) and fast plot! I personally cannot wait for the second book!!!
You can buy the official English translation from here: https://www.peachflowerhouse.com/mush...
May 27, 2022
This book gave me the top tier dystopia I've been craving for years.
It's 2120 and there's few humans left after the Earth's magnetic field failed a hundred years before, leading to terrifying mutations in the flora and fauna. In the Abyss, one of the most affected areas, a little mushroom has been nourished on An Ze, a human who passed away there. This little mushroom takes his shape and gains his knowledge and memories, and is named An Zhe by the human. The little mushroom did that so he could go to the human base and find out what happened to his spore, which had been taken from him.
However, entering the human base is not an easy task: everyone needs to be checked by the Judges, and deemed whether they are truly human. This is where An Zhe meets Lu Feng, the most feared man who is called the Arbiter, and who can kill anyone on sight if he judges them a xenogenetic. Although Lu Feng suspects An Zhe, the genetic tests disprove him, so he has to let An Zhe go.
From then on, I'd describe the book as "An Zhe can't get a break". Everything that can go wrong, it does. And yet, it is not bleak and depressing? I think it's because An Zhe is such a gentle soul. He's just a little mushroom!!! Trying to find his spore!!! and in the meantime acquiring a boyfriend, whom everyone thinks is a hardass but who has such a soft spot of him that it can be seen from space!!! And I think that's the biggest charm of this book, just that there can be gentle, soft feelings in a world that is falling apart.
I cannot wait to read the next book! I just need to know what happens to my little mushroom guy ;__:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 reread: An Zhe... he's just a little mushroom! Reread this so I can finally go for vol 2!
It's 2120 and there's few humans left after the Earth's magnetic field failed a hundred years before, leading to terrifying mutations in the flora and fauna. In the Abyss, one of the most affected areas, a little mushroom has been nourished on An Ze, a human who passed away there. This little mushroom takes his shape and gains his knowledge and memories, and is named An Zhe by the human. The little mushroom did that so he could go to the human base and find out what happened to his spore, which had been taken from him.
However, entering the human base is not an easy task: everyone needs to be checked by the Judges, and deemed whether they are truly human. This is where An Zhe meets Lu Feng, the most feared man who is called the Arbiter, and who can kill anyone on sight if he judges them a xenogenetic. Although Lu Feng suspects An Zhe, the genetic tests disprove him, so he has to let An Zhe go.
From then on, I'd describe the book as "An Zhe can't get a break". Everything that can go wrong, it does. And yet, it is not bleak and depressing? I think it's because An Zhe is such a gentle soul. He's just a little mushroom!!! Trying to find his spore!!! and in the meantime acquiring a boyfriend, whom everyone thinks is a hardass but who has such a soft spot of him that it can be seen from space!!! And I think that's the biggest charm of this book, just that there can be gentle, soft feelings in a world that is falling apart.
I cannot wait to read the next book! I just need to know what happens to my little mushroom guy ;__:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 reread: An Zhe... he's just a little mushroom! Reread this so I can finally go for vol 2!
October 6, 2026
Okay, I have no idea what to write for this book because, when I love something this much and give it 5 stars, it's usually just me over-rambling LOL.
There are a few books that make it difficult to muster the words, simply because so many thoughts and feelings knot together inside me. I find myself searching for a single sentence that might capture even a fraction of what the story left behind, while knowing no review could ever satisfy the ache it created. I didn't expect Little Mushroom to settle so deeply into the back of my mind, typed onto the pages of my memory like a long-buried journal entry. Sci-fi has always been a dubious genre for me, yet there was a strange beauty to this story that I couldn't stop following its journey to the very end. It is cold, damp, and lingeringly tactile, like stepping outside after a torrential downpour to find the air still bruised and smelling faintly of ozone.
Some spoilers beyond this point.
The world isn't merely post-apocalyptic; it is physically hostile. Humanity has been reduced to scattered enclaves behind towering concrete monoliths, besieged by cosmic radiation and a mutated ecosystem where super-bacteria, fungi, and viruses cause rapid inter-species genetic assimilation. Inside the sectors, life is sterile, crowded, and severely controlled. Outside, everything is wet, dark, ravenous, and alive. Human civilization feels like a flickering candle in a vast, black tide, and the wilderness is slowly swallowing the flame.
In a world where human values have been discarded or corrupted, An Zhe moves through the ruins with an eerie, unhurried stillness. Rather than an alien entity, he is like a non-human vessel awakening to a world he was never built to comprehend; he enters the narrative without a single human premise. Beginning as a simple fungal organism in the Abyss who absorbs the genes and identity of a dying human youth, he gathers the weight of existence piece by piece through impression and loss. His imperatives are small and ancient: he wants moisture, he wants somewhere safe to take root, and he wants his stolen spore back. He does not comprehend military hierarchy, social status, or the brutal moral calculus humans constructed to justify their survival. When navigating human gene testing, he experiences genuine confusion simply because mushrooms are neither animals nor plants—he is merely a "law-abiding mushroom" trying to navigate human rules. He observes humanity with the same detached wonder with which an ancient forest might watch a passing storm.
Because he remains untainted by human ideology, An Zhe is the only soul in the story completely unburdened by its prejudices. Where humans look out at the wilderness and see monsters, An Zhe sees a balanced ecosystem. Where they see infected threats that must be eradicated, he sees living creatures merely trying to endure. He does not understand why some lives are deemed worthy of salvation and others disposable.
In a world where survival has reduced existence to pure accounting, where bodies are fuel, people are metrics, and worth is tied entirely to function, An Zhe simply refuses to participate in the math. His innocence isn't naive; it functions as a form of radical resistance. By gathering impressions of human suffering without absorbing their cruelty, his gaze strips away our self-justifications, exposing how easily institutionalized violence becomes the default setting for survival.
This truth surfaces with heartbreaking monologue during his final moments with the real An Ze. As he lies dying in the wild, An Ze whispers: "I'm someone whose life had no meaning... I'm very happy to not go back to the human base. Just like the wilderness, they're both... places where only people with value can live on." That sense of relief, at no longer having to answer to a society where the right to exist was conditional on utility is devastating. When An Ze recognizes the little mushroom as something gentle, it forces a terrible question: how broken must a world become for simple gentleness to feel ourwardly special? An Zhe never truly becomes human over the course of the story. If anything, his non-human clarity makes us reconsider what being human was supposed to mean in the first place.
If An Zhe embodies everything this world has tried to eradicate; softness, vulnerability, instinct.... then Lu Feng is the weapon forged to take its place. He is steel because someone decided steel was the only material that wouldn't shatter. As the Arbiter of the Trial Court, he bears authority over life and death, holding the unbearable burden of deciding who lives and who is executed before contamination can consume the enclave. Painted across the base is the uncompromising truth of their existence: "Humankind's interests take precedence over all else." Sometimes saving a thousand lives really does require pulling the trigger on one. Compassion, in his position, is a luxury that costs hundreds of deaths.
That is the cruelest tragedy of Lu Feng: his detachment isn't a natural absence of feeling, but a frost weathered into his skin through every trigger pulled, a duty performed so relentlessly that the mask has long since fused to the bone. He has been reduced to a function so bitterly that even his humanity becomes secondary to what he can endure, decide, and sacrifice. Forced to execute his own mother after she contracts contamination in the wild, he kills the woman who gave him life because the cold mathematics of survival demand it. He lives as a man carved down to a singular function, carrying a question he rarely voices aloud: "I'll just sometimes think about... the choices I made. Just what am I judging, and who will judge me in the end?" Even his living quarters mirror this internal isolation: an unyielding, sterile sanctuary of glass and iron where no warmth is invited, and nothing soft is permitted to find purchase.
Which makes An Zhe's presence in that hollow room feel almost startlingly alive.
Their dynamic resonates so deeply because both survive at the very fringes of human society. Lu Feng has been forced to become inhuman so that humanity might endure. An Zhe is literally non-human, yet he is the only creature capable of looking at Lu Feng without demanding a justification for his existence. An Zhe doesn't offer moral forgiveness or fairy-tale redemption. He doesn't ask Lu Feng to put down his gun or ignore the world's cruelty. He simply gives him a corner of existence where he is allowed to stop acting as a weapon.
Their intimacy lives in gestures so subtle they'd go unnoticed anywhere else, yet here, in a world stripped of softness, they loom vast: Lu Feng shielding An Zhe's eyes from the blinding white flash of a bombing raid; wiping blood from An Zhe's cheek with a thumb; patiently fixing clumsy bandages when An Zhe hurts himself; allowing the mushroom to remain beside him when every rule of the human world demands its destruction. And An Zhe, lying awake in the darkness of the Arbiter's quarters, understands the contradiction of the room instinctively: sleeping beside Lu Feng feels "very dangerous, yet also very safe."
Lu Feng is a terror to almost everyone alive, yet he becomes An Zhe's shelter. An Zhe is an anomaly that should be hunted down and incinerated, yet he becomes the only gaze that looks at Lu Feng without calculating his cost. Even An Zhe's retrieved spore, flattening itself into a small white disc against the lab glass just to press toward him, instinctively craves Lu Feng's touch. In a world where everyone is valued for what they can do, these small moments of care mean everything.
Instead, they grant each other an exemption from the world's unrelenting demands. Beside one another, An Zhe is no longer a threat to be purged, and Lu Feng is no longer an instrument to be wielded. For brief stretches of time, the roles imposed on them simply fall away.
And perhaps that is what hurts most about Lu Feng: after spending his entire life becoming what humanity needed him to be, he finally finds someone who asks nothing of him. An Zhe does not love the Arbiter, the executioner, or the weapon. He simply stays beside Lu Feng. For someone who has spent his life turning himself into a shield for everyone else, having someone remain beside him without asking him to be anything in return may be the closest thing to tenderness he has ever known
For all its focus on survival, Little Mushroom is less about surviving the end of the world and more about what the effort to survive does to the human soul. When every mistake carries a death toll, morality shrinks to brutal utility. People become categories, mercy becomes a hazard, and love feels like an indulgence. The novel never pretends these hard choices are unnecessary, but it asks what is left of us when utility is the only value remaining. What happens to the things that cannot be justified by survival alone, gentleness, vulnerability, affection, and the simple right to exist without having to earn your breath?
An Zhe embodies those fragile things without needing to understand them. Lu Feng understands their worth entirely, having spent his life stripped of their comfort. That is why they fit together, a bit painfully and sweet. One is a mushroom holding onto an Arbiter's silver badge, waiting before he can return to his cave in the Abyss. The other is a man who has sacrificed everything he loved to buy one more day for a dying species. And there, at the sharp edge of extinction, they find the one thing neither was ever supposed to have: a reason to be gentle.
Little Mushroom does not claim humanity is precious because we are good. It makes humanity precious because even when the world demands cruelty, a soul can still choose not to surrender every tender part of itself. And perhaps that is the most beautiful truth a story about our end could ever tell.
There are a few books that make it difficult to muster the words, simply because so many thoughts and feelings knot together inside me. I find myself searching for a single sentence that might capture even a fraction of what the story left behind, while knowing no review could ever satisfy the ache it created. I didn't expect Little Mushroom to settle so deeply into the back of my mind, typed onto the pages of my memory like a long-buried journal entry. Sci-fi has always been a dubious genre for me, yet there was a strange beauty to this story that I couldn't stop following its journey to the very end. It is cold, damp, and lingeringly tactile, like stepping outside after a torrential downpour to find the air still bruised and smelling faintly of ozone.
Some spoilers beyond this point.
The world isn't merely post-apocalyptic; it is physically hostile. Humanity has been reduced to scattered enclaves behind towering concrete monoliths, besieged by cosmic radiation and a mutated ecosystem where super-bacteria, fungi, and viruses cause rapid inter-species genetic assimilation. Inside the sectors, life is sterile, crowded, and severely controlled. Outside, everything is wet, dark, ravenous, and alive. Human civilization feels like a flickering candle in a vast, black tide, and the wilderness is slowly swallowing the flame.
In a world where human values have been discarded or corrupted, An Zhe moves through the ruins with an eerie, unhurried stillness. Rather than an alien entity, he is like a non-human vessel awakening to a world he was never built to comprehend; he enters the narrative without a single human premise. Beginning as a simple fungal organism in the Abyss who absorbs the genes and identity of a dying human youth, he gathers the weight of existence piece by piece through impression and loss. His imperatives are small and ancient: he wants moisture, he wants somewhere safe to take root, and he wants his stolen spore back. He does not comprehend military hierarchy, social status, or the brutal moral calculus humans constructed to justify their survival. When navigating human gene testing, he experiences genuine confusion simply because mushrooms are neither animals nor plants—he is merely a "law-abiding mushroom" trying to navigate human rules. He observes humanity with the same detached wonder with which an ancient forest might watch a passing storm.
Because he remains untainted by human ideology, An Zhe is the only soul in the story completely unburdened by its prejudices. Where humans look out at the wilderness and see monsters, An Zhe sees a balanced ecosystem. Where they see infected threats that must be eradicated, he sees living creatures merely trying to endure. He does not understand why some lives are deemed worthy of salvation and others disposable.
In a world where survival has reduced existence to pure accounting, where bodies are fuel, people are metrics, and worth is tied entirely to function, An Zhe simply refuses to participate in the math. His innocence isn't naive; it functions as a form of radical resistance. By gathering impressions of human suffering without absorbing their cruelty, his gaze strips away our self-justifications, exposing how easily institutionalized violence becomes the default setting for survival.
This truth surfaces with heartbreaking monologue during his final moments with the real An Ze. As he lies dying in the wild, An Ze whispers: "I'm someone whose life had no meaning... I'm very happy to not go back to the human base. Just like the wilderness, they're both... places where only people with value can live on." That sense of relief, at no longer having to answer to a society where the right to exist was conditional on utility is devastating. When An Ze recognizes the little mushroom as something gentle, it forces a terrible question: how broken must a world become for simple gentleness to feel ourwardly special? An Zhe never truly becomes human over the course of the story. If anything, his non-human clarity makes us reconsider what being human was supposed to mean in the first place.
If An Zhe embodies everything this world has tried to eradicate; softness, vulnerability, instinct.... then Lu Feng is the weapon forged to take its place. He is steel because someone decided steel was the only material that wouldn't shatter. As the Arbiter of the Trial Court, he bears authority over life and death, holding the unbearable burden of deciding who lives and who is executed before contamination can consume the enclave. Painted across the base is the uncompromising truth of their existence: "Humankind's interests take precedence over all else." Sometimes saving a thousand lives really does require pulling the trigger on one. Compassion, in his position, is a luxury that costs hundreds of deaths.
That is the cruelest tragedy of Lu Feng: his detachment isn't a natural absence of feeling, but a frost weathered into his skin through every trigger pulled, a duty performed so relentlessly that the mask has long since fused to the bone. He has been reduced to a function so bitterly that even his humanity becomes secondary to what he can endure, decide, and sacrifice. Forced to execute his own mother after she contracts contamination in the wild, he kills the woman who gave him life because the cold mathematics of survival demand it. He lives as a man carved down to a singular function, carrying a question he rarely voices aloud: "I'll just sometimes think about... the choices I made. Just what am I judging, and who will judge me in the end?" Even his living quarters mirror this internal isolation: an unyielding, sterile sanctuary of glass and iron where no warmth is invited, and nothing soft is permitted to find purchase.
Which makes An Zhe's presence in that hollow room feel almost startlingly alive.
Their dynamic resonates so deeply because both survive at the very fringes of human society. Lu Feng has been forced to become inhuman so that humanity might endure. An Zhe is literally non-human, yet he is the only creature capable of looking at Lu Feng without demanding a justification for his existence. An Zhe doesn't offer moral forgiveness or fairy-tale redemption. He doesn't ask Lu Feng to put down his gun or ignore the world's cruelty. He simply gives him a corner of existence where he is allowed to stop acting as a weapon.
Their intimacy lives in gestures so subtle they'd go unnoticed anywhere else, yet here, in a world stripped of softness, they loom vast: Lu Feng shielding An Zhe's eyes from the blinding white flash of a bombing raid; wiping blood from An Zhe's cheek with a thumb; patiently fixing clumsy bandages when An Zhe hurts himself; allowing the mushroom to remain beside him when every rule of the human world demands its destruction. And An Zhe, lying awake in the darkness of the Arbiter's quarters, understands the contradiction of the room instinctively: sleeping beside Lu Feng feels "very dangerous, yet also very safe."
Lu Feng is a terror to almost everyone alive, yet he becomes An Zhe's shelter. An Zhe is an anomaly that should be hunted down and incinerated, yet he becomes the only gaze that looks at Lu Feng without calculating his cost. Even An Zhe's retrieved spore, flattening itself into a small white disc against the lab glass just to press toward him, instinctively craves Lu Feng's touch. In a world where everyone is valued for what they can do, these small moments of care mean everything.
Instead, they grant each other an exemption from the world's unrelenting demands. Beside one another, An Zhe is no longer a threat to be purged, and Lu Feng is no longer an instrument to be wielded. For brief stretches of time, the roles imposed on them simply fall away.
And perhaps that is what hurts most about Lu Feng: after spending his entire life becoming what humanity needed him to be, he finally finds someone who asks nothing of him. An Zhe does not love the Arbiter, the executioner, or the weapon. He simply stays beside Lu Feng. For someone who has spent his life turning himself into a shield for everyone else, having someone remain beside him without asking him to be anything in return may be the closest thing to tenderness he has ever known
For all its focus on survival, Little Mushroom is less about surviving the end of the world and more about what the effort to survive does to the human soul. When every mistake carries a death toll, morality shrinks to brutal utility. People become categories, mercy becomes a hazard, and love feels like an indulgence. The novel never pretends these hard choices are unnecessary, but it asks what is left of us when utility is the only value remaining. What happens to the things that cannot be justified by survival alone, gentleness, vulnerability, affection, and the simple right to exist without having to earn your breath?
An Zhe embodies those fragile things without needing to understand them. Lu Feng understands their worth entirely, having spent his life stripped of their comfort. That is why they fit together, a bit painfully and sweet. One is a mushroom holding onto an Arbiter's silver badge, waiting before he can return to his cave in the Abyss. The other is a man who has sacrificed everything he loved to buy one more day for a dying species. And there, at the sharp edge of extinction, they find the one thing neither was ever supposed to have: a reason to be gentle.
Little Mushroom does not claim humanity is precious because we are good. It makes humanity precious because even when the world demands cruelty, a soul can still choose not to surrender every tender part of itself. And perhaps that is the most beautiful truth a story about our end could ever tell.
Read
September 21, 2023“You're just a tiny… little mushroom.”
In the year 2020, Earth's magnetic poles disappeared and humankind was nearly wiped out by cosmic radiation. Within the span of a hundred years, living creatures began to mutate and devour each other while the remaining humans, numbering in the tens of thousands, struggled bitterly in their man-made bases.
In the Abyss, home to the mutated xenogenics, there lived a sentient little mushroom. Because it had been nourished by the blood and flesh of the deceased human An Ze, not only did it take on a similar-looking human form, but a similar name as well: An Zhe.
An Zhe had gained consciousness quite a while back but now with a human appearance, he can go in search of his beloved spore which was taken from him some time ago. But when he arrives at the human base, he gets the attention of the Arbiter, Lu Feng
He was the master of the Trial Court, determining whether each person entering the city was human or xenogenic. He could decide anyone's fate no matter who they were, needing no justification. Now it was his own turn to stand trial.
What follows is An Zhe’s struggle to find his spore against Lu Feng’s attention all while humanity continues to struggle to survive. “Humankind's interests take precedence over all else” and An Zhe bears witness to this as he watches countless people die. Judgement Day has arrived and the Arbiter must bear that weight.
Lu Feng doesn’t have an easy job. In fact, all of his predecessors have gone mad or killed themselves from the enormity of it all. But Lu Feng has held. For seven years he has done it all to keep humanity safe but along the way he lost his family and friends. And then he met An Zhe. His training tells him there’s something off about him but all scientific tests prove otherwise.
An Zhe is just a little mushroom so he must use An Ze’s memories to get by. This means he is not as socially aware as he should be. There are nuances in human relationships and he can’t quite understand when he is being teased (or bullied as he loves to say). It makes for adorable situations, especially with Lu Feng whom he struggles to understand.
Lu Feng reached out with his right hand and ruffled An Zhe's hair.
An Zhe lowered his eyes slightly. The feeling of being patted on the head by the Arbiter was very wondrous. He felt that Lu Feng was now very soft. If it was because his previous words comforted this man, he would feel rather happy.
Thus, he smiled at Lu Feng.
Then he saw Lu Feng's gaze turn malicious, and the fingers that had been patting his head moved downwards and pinched his face.
An Zhe felt that it was better when this man was in a worse mood, because at least then he wouldn't randomly bully others.
They’re so cute.
I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. I thought this would be a cute story of a mushroom trying to find his baby but from the first page it was nothing but pain and violence. There’s something about post-apocalyptic stories that scares me. I try to avoid them as it is in these stories that the worst of humankind is displayed but I realised it’s also where the best of humankind can be found.
“Humankind's interests take precedence over all else. It's not kindness to a single person, it's kindness to the fate of all of humankind. This is the source of unwavering conviction.”
August 6, 2024
He had never paid attention to anyone's pleas before, but that one time, he lifted the white cloth covering the corpse to reveal that person's wound.
A person's wavering starts from the first time their heart softens.
Please excuse me while I scream over how wonderful this book was. I’ve legit been reading all day and my eyes are crying for a reprieve but I persevered for An Zhe and Lu Feng.
First of all, the setting. Amazing of course. I am always down for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting. You know, the type of book that makes me feel dumb as fuck in a way that I love. But the lore, the mutations, the history were all so fascinating.
Then, the plot. Cut the book down to its basic premise; a sentient mushroom takes the form of a human to get his spore back?? Got me giggling it sounds so ridiculous. But no. It’s so much more than that. It’s got adventure. It’s got heartbreaking stories. It’s got learning the nuances and complexities of humanity.
Which leads me into the characters. An Zhe was a great main character. His naïveté, his intelligence, his calm, his curiosity (all because he’s, you know, a mushroom). All makes him so enjoyable to read. And he’s also just so fundamentally good. The mushroom has more decency and humanity than anyone, in the book and in real life. And he’s, you know, a goddamn mushroom.
And Lu Feng was a nice second lead. I’m a sucker for his whole persona of putting on a facade of a cold, heartless guy. When in reality the guy is just trying to protect people and do his job. And he’s actually a ruthless, annoying little brat (towards An Zhe) in an affectionate way, which I love.
And so of course, the romance. Slow burn and secondary to the plot? Oh yeah, that’s my jam. It’s so adorable. And all those little moments make me wanna die, because. It’s. Just. So. Cute. The way An Zhe was the only person (mushroom?) to see Lu Feng in any capacity other than the cruel Colonel, and is the only one to not blame him? Perfect. The fact that An Zhe is the only one to make Lu Feng’s heart soften and waver? Amazing.
They. Are. Everything.
"When the aurora lights up again, the Colonel will return.”
~~~
Reread:
Typically, when I reread something I once enjoyed, I have that lingering fear that the book will not feel the same as the first time. But rereading Little Mushroom I felt no such fears, and I was right to have none because this book still hits. Goodness, my love and enjoyment of this book knows no bounds.
May 4, 2022
Our main character An Zhe is a mushroom, and he loves to eat mushroom soup. So would that be considered cannibalism?
April 9, 2023
first of all, this is such a wonderful unique premise - a story about a sentient little mushroom who gains human form amidst an ecological apocalypse and has to learn what it means to be human while watching humankind lose their humanity in a bid to save the world.
i love the themes the author is exploring here - not just the essence of humanity (which is a given for a story with a non-human protagonist) but also what is worth losing in service of the greater good, and what is worth saving: individual people or the collective society? it's so interesting to see how this story unfolds with humankind sacrificing individuals in order to preserve society while slowly losing what makes life worth living in a society in the first place.
and this is all manifested in lu feng, the love interest and the character who embodies the concept of sacrificing for the greater good. not only is he constantly forced to kill people, he seems less human than our mushroom protagonist, an zhe, in that he appears to have killed all emotions within himself too. so of course, it's an zhe who starts to revive the humanity within him (a trope i do love to see in romance).
unfortunately, while i love the themes and find the two main characters fascinating, i can't look past the glaring faults of this book. the translation is just not good - and i'm wording this politely. full of odd, choppy sentences and dialogues that don't flow well at all - it made for a difficult reading experience that sadly hampered my enjoyment of the story. with sentences like "an zhe astutely picked up on the opportunity and seized the opportunity to ask...", it's obvious this book desperately needed several more rounds of editing. it's a shame because it's not the original author's fault and i wish i could properly experience this story like it was meant to be (also i've liked lower quality fan translated works before, i just had higher expectations from an officially published translation).
plus, i felt that this volume is severely lacking in emotions. not to say you can't have two emotionally repressed main characters, but then the writing needs to be skilled enough to really draw out the underlying emotional subtleties in a way that impacts the reader, the lack of which could be due to the poor translation. i was also disappointed by the absence of prominent side characters - so far the side characters in this volume are just plot devices rather than actual characters. all this resulted in me only being distantly interested in the story and not really emotionally connecting to it. hopefully this changes in the second volume.
i love the themes the author is exploring here - not just the essence of humanity (which is a given for a story with a non-human protagonist) but also what is worth losing in service of the greater good, and what is worth saving: individual people or the collective society? it's so interesting to see how this story unfolds with humankind sacrificing individuals in order to preserve society while slowly losing what makes life worth living in a society in the first place.
and this is all manifested in lu feng, the love interest and the character who embodies the concept of sacrificing for the greater good. not only is he constantly forced to kill people, he seems less human than our mushroom protagonist, an zhe, in that he appears to have killed all emotions within himself too. so of course, it's an zhe who starts to revive the humanity within him (a trope i do love to see in romance).
unfortunately, while i love the themes and find the two main characters fascinating, i can't look past the glaring faults of this book. the translation is just not good - and i'm wording this politely. full of odd, choppy sentences and dialogues that don't flow well at all - it made for a difficult reading experience that sadly hampered my enjoyment of the story. with sentences like "an zhe astutely picked up on the opportunity and seized the opportunity to ask...", it's obvious this book desperately needed several more rounds of editing. it's a shame because it's not the original author's fault and i wish i could properly experience this story like it was meant to be (also i've liked lower quality fan translated works before, i just had higher expectations from an officially published translation).
plus, i felt that this volume is severely lacking in emotions. not to say you can't have two emotionally repressed main characters, but then the writing needs to be skilled enough to really draw out the underlying emotional subtleties in a way that impacts the reader, the lack of which could be due to the poor translation. i was also disappointed by the absence of prominent side characters - so far the side characters in this volume are just plot devices rather than actual characters. all this resulted in me only being distantly interested in the story and not really emotionally connecting to it. hopefully this changes in the second volume.
March 28, 2024
At first I was like a mushroom with only one spore?? This doesn't make sense. But then I was like, that's also kinda cute, I guess.
For a setting where individual human life is not worth much and people get shot dead on a regular basis, this story is strangely wholesome. I think it deserves all the accolades.
ps if lu feng ever writes his memoirs it should be called how i met my MILF: the mushroom i'd like to f-
For a setting where individual human life is not worth much and people get shot dead on a regular basis, this story is strangely wholesome. I think it deserves all the accolades.
ps if lu feng ever writes his memoirs it should be called how i met my MILF: the mushroom i'd like to f-
July 10, 2026
i was going to eat mushrooms with my dinner tonight but now i don't think i can do it
August 25, 2026
“I always forget that safety is fleeting, while danger is eternal. We are not entitled to live—the chance is a blessing.”
Before I even get into the story, I have to talk about how much I looove the physical book! I already have the PFH version of Little Mushroom, and honestly, I never loved that cover. This one is so much more my style. Ruthie absolutely killed it with the cover art, and I love the dust jacket and the interior too. Everything about the design just looks so good to me. I also want to say something about the translation discussion that happened before this was released. I know some danmei fans decided not to buy this edition because of the translation choices, and I think that’s completely fair. Some things are going to be a really big deal for some people and not as big of a deal for others. I don’t think either side needs to be judged for their decision. I don’t speak or read Chinese, and I’m not someone who follows Chinese language discussions closely, so I can only talk about this from my experience reading the English editions. I saw some of the discussions before release, and I was honestly a little skeptical going into this. I still decided to buy it, and I ended up not regretting it.
Since this is the second official English publication, I couldn’t help comparing it to my PFH copy while I was reading. The actual story, character actions, and themes are the same, but the reading experience feels slightly different enough that I noticed it pretty quickly. The Seven Seas version has 44 chapters in this volume, while the PFH version has 27. My guess is that PFH condensed some of the shorter chapters while Seven Seas kept more of the original chapter structure, but I haven’t had time to actually look into that, so take that as just my observation. There are also a lot of little terms and name changes. “Arbiter” and “Judge” are used differently, Lu Feng is called “The Judge,” “Xenogenics” becomes “Aberrations,” and the PFH line “Humankind’s interests take precedence over all else” becomes “Humankind First.” And then there’s An Zhe becoming Anzhe, which I know caused a lot of discussion. I was also caught off guard by some of the other name changes, like Hosen to Hawthorne, Josh to George, and Seraing to Seran. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read two English translations of the same story where some character names changed this much. When I compared the actual writing, I noticed that PFH feels more direct and straightforward to me, while Seven Seas has longer and more elaborate sentences. PFH feels more restrained, while Seven Seas feels like it is trying harder to pull me into the setting and make everything feel bigger and more vivid.
And honestly, I ended up really liking this translation. I can’t speak for how accurate it is to the Chinese because I simply don’t have that knowledge, and I completely understand why someone who does might feel differently about some of the choices. I’m only talking about how it felt for me as I was actually sitting down and reading it. Once I got into it, I really like the way Seven Seas handled the bleakness of this world. Anzhe is such a strange and lovable protagonist because he sees things with this innocent, almost uncomplicated perspective, while everything around him is so harsh and terrifying. I really enjoyed that contrast, especially with Lu Feng, because there’s this constant feeling that Anzhe is standing next to someone who could completely destroy him if he wanted to. The story takes its time getting everything in place, so I definitely had moments where I felt the pacing was a little slow, but I still enjoyed being back in this world. I’ve read multiple versions of Little Mushroom, so there wasn’t really anything here that surprised me, but I still found myself enjoying the differences between editions. It actually made this feel like a different reading experience instead of just reading the exact same book again. I think that’s probably why I’m rating it the way I do. I was worried I wouldn’t like the translation as much as I liked PFH, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. It’s different, but for me, different worked this time which is completely different from my experience with Golden Terrace (I like the PFH version better).
Date Read: 2024.08.21 (PFH Version)
Re-read: 2026.08.22
Before I even get into the story, I have to talk about how much I looove the physical book! I already have the PFH version of Little Mushroom, and honestly, I never loved that cover. This one is so much more my style. Ruthie absolutely killed it with the cover art, and I love the dust jacket and the interior too. Everything about the design just looks so good to me. I also want to say something about the translation discussion that happened before this was released. I know some danmei fans decided not to buy this edition because of the translation choices, and I think that’s completely fair. Some things are going to be a really big deal for some people and not as big of a deal for others. I don’t think either side needs to be judged for their decision. I don’t speak or read Chinese, and I’m not someone who follows Chinese language discussions closely, so I can only talk about this from my experience reading the English editions. I saw some of the discussions before release, and I was honestly a little skeptical going into this. I still decided to buy it, and I ended up not regretting it.
Since this is the second official English publication, I couldn’t help comparing it to my PFH copy while I was reading. The actual story, character actions, and themes are the same, but the reading experience feels slightly different enough that I noticed it pretty quickly. The Seven Seas version has 44 chapters in this volume, while the PFH version has 27. My guess is that PFH condensed some of the shorter chapters while Seven Seas kept more of the original chapter structure, but I haven’t had time to actually look into that, so take that as just my observation. There are also a lot of little terms and name changes. “Arbiter” and “Judge” are used differently, Lu Feng is called “The Judge,” “Xenogenics” becomes “Aberrations,” and the PFH line “Humankind’s interests take precedence over all else” becomes “Humankind First.” And then there’s An Zhe becoming Anzhe, which I know caused a lot of discussion. I was also caught off guard by some of the other name changes, like Hosen to Hawthorne, Josh to George, and Seraing to Seran. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read two English translations of the same story where some character names changed this much. When I compared the actual writing, I noticed that PFH feels more direct and straightforward to me, while Seven Seas has longer and more elaborate sentences. PFH feels more restrained, while Seven Seas feels like it is trying harder to pull me into the setting and make everything feel bigger and more vivid.
And honestly, I ended up really liking this translation. I can’t speak for how accurate it is to the Chinese because I simply don’t have that knowledge, and I completely understand why someone who does might feel differently about some of the choices. I’m only talking about how it felt for me as I was actually sitting down and reading it. Once I got into it, I really like the way Seven Seas handled the bleakness of this world. Anzhe is such a strange and lovable protagonist because he sees things with this innocent, almost uncomplicated perspective, while everything around him is so harsh and terrifying. I really enjoyed that contrast, especially with Lu Feng, because there’s this constant feeling that Anzhe is standing next to someone who could completely destroy him if he wanted to. The story takes its time getting everything in place, so I definitely had moments where I felt the pacing was a little slow, but I still enjoyed being back in this world. I’ve read multiple versions of Little Mushroom, so there wasn’t really anything here that surprised me, but I still found myself enjoying the differences between editions. It actually made this feel like a different reading experience instead of just reading the exact same book again. I think that’s probably why I’m rating it the way I do. I was worried I wouldn’t like the translation as much as I liked PFH, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. It’s different, but for me, different worked this time which is completely different from my experience with Golden Terrace (I like the PFH version better).
Date Read: 2024.08.21 (PFH Version)
Re-read: 2026.08.22
January 6, 2025
Oh my god. Where do I even start!!! I loved this. Like absolutely LOVED THIS.
An Zheeee… he’s so fucking adorable man. I got such severe cuteness aggression the whole time. I just wanted to squeeze him. I was so enthralled reading about him learning how to be human 😭 I want the absolute best for my boy.
I’m also suupeerr intrigued by Lu Feng, I’m really looking forward to learning more about him. I have some vague ideas about why he’s this way, but I’m still looking forward to actually getting the full story behind him.
And oh my god, the development of their relationship is just TOO GOOD.
And the ENDING!!!!
Finally!!! I was so fucking happy An Zhe got his little spire back. I was kicking my feet throughout that whole scene. It was absolutely perfect! The best reunion by far. I’m starting the next one immediately. I’ve officially unlocked a new obsession
October 2, 2026
4,5 'Judgement Day' stars
Rated S for SPOILERS!
Little Mushroom is probably the biggest surprise of all danmie I've read/bought so far. I've never been a fan of sci-fi, and I don't see myself becoming one. When I first ventured into danmei genre and started disovering books other than MXTX's, Little Mushroom was among the first I've been recommended. I was not interested back then, not in the plot and even less in the cover (yes, I'm shallow like that). I have to admit, manhua art did sway me a little but then manhua box set happened and I was totally sold on it. I do love pretty (and shiny) things very much. (I will always treasure this cute chibi An Zhe standee!) I had no intention of buying the novel - when hardcover came out, I just wanted to take a look. But of course, I walked out of the bookstore with the book. I'm again blaming An Zhe because that tiny mushroom on the sprayed edges is the most adorable thing ever. Now, I'm wondering if it was all worth it? Right now, I don't think I'll ever re-read this, and this story didn't made me love sci-fi or more correctly post-apocalypse, but I say it's totally worth to have my preciousbaby mushroom in my pocket on my shelves.
An Zhe, the little mushroom in question, who is responsible for all those purchases, is a sentient mushroom and the protagonist of this book. The setting of the story is violent and dangerous post-apocalyptic Earth - magnetic fields were destroyed, therefore intense radiation caused mutation in flora and fauna, which forced the rest of the human population that managed to survive that catastrophe, to hide in stronghold cities named Bases. Humans still needed to venture out from time to time to gather resources no matter how dangerous were areas outside of Bases. And there, in the middle of the Abbys - the most dangerous area around Northern Base - our little mushroom, who gained consciousness by chance, met An Ze, a lost human soul, who was abandoned by his mercenary squad. Too weak to follow, too hurt to survive, An Ze spend his last minutes bonding with the little mushroom about their unfortunate destinies.
An Zhe's spore - the most important part of mushroom's body - was stolen by humans, and he wants it back. But only humans are allowed to go into Northern Base, so dying An Ze gives his mushroom friend his human form, his DNA, his identity, his memories, and that's how sentient mushroom An Zhe goes on his first big adventure in the form of a 19 years old human boy.
Finding his spore is already difficult enough but getting into the human Base turns out even more difficult. What humans fear the most are mutated humans, called aberrations - if they can infiltrate the city, there would be a threat of mass contamination. So, every human that wants to get back to the Base, must be "judged" - meaning a special force of arbiters has been trained to detect these aberrations with the naked eyes. Of course, this method is definitely not 100% accurate, unless you're the Supreme Judge, rumored to never missed an aberration in his life.
And that was how An Zhefirst met the Supreme Judge Lu Feng. Might not be exactly 'meet cute' but certainly a very memorable one for both of them. For An Zhe because he was almost exposed, and for Lu Feng because there's a first time for everything, and for all we know this was the first time he couldn't detect an aberration with one look. Not that he's aware of this yet. The majority of this story is told from An Zhe's POV but I'm dying to know what Lu Feng thought at that moment. He's known to be a person to shoot first, ask questions later, so I'm curious what went through his mind when he saw An Zhe and decided to spare him his judgement.
I already said this a couple of times but I truly adore An Zhe as a character. As he says many times himself 'he is just a little mushroom', he is not human, and he has totally different view on current situation as other people. I'm not a fan of post-apocalyptic settings because, honestly, it's very depressing to read, but here it's not really. An Zhe doesn't feel the horror of near extinction of human race because he's not a part of it. However that doesn't mean he's not being able of feelings. Afterall, he's basicallly a mushroom form of An Ze. An Zhe feels companionship with An Ze because of everything they had shared, he's not fond of people that have ill intentions toward him, he's indifferent to some, and of course, there are complicated emotions about Lu Feng, but more about that later.
An Zhe was trully lucky that it was An Ze with whom he shared this experience and not some much more unpleasent human being. Also, I wanted to include this quote because I think this is proof why spelling An Zhe is more accurate than Anzhe, since An Ze want to take the mushroom as him brother. In my opinion, that mean sharing the surname, otherwise why would he chose such a similar sounding name. But this is just my interpretation. Ok, let's move on.
The opposite of An Zhe, who is soft, cute, and delicate, we have Colonel Lu Feng - ice cold, merciless, unapproachable. The position of the Supreme Judge gives him absolute authority in the Base but at the same time also isolates him from the others. For the saftey of the humans living in stronghold cities, the Judiciary Court was established. Its members are responsible for not allowing any aberrations to enter the Base, and to shoot on spot anyone, who's a potential threat. Because of these extreme precautions the arbiters are at the same time admired and feared but also mostly hated. They do protect the people; anywhere around the Base, there are signs proclaming Humankind first but at what price comes this protection. A lot of people have family members, friends, lovers that were killed by the arbiters, or even more likely by the Supreme Judge himself. That's why a lot of them hate him. However, here's the crux of this dilemma. He's only doing what's expected of him. Some people believe he's just killing indiscriminately but as far as we know, he's only ever killed aberrations. In a way, he's sacrificing individuals for the greater good of the humankind in general.
We are very rarely privy to Lu Feng's thoughts, so I'm not sure what's his stance on those accusations. But from what I've gathered through his actions, he doesn't see this as right or wrong. This is just a job to be done with as little emotions as he's able to. I think he couldn't do this job if he was occupied with thoughts about morality, otherwise he would go insane with that many deaths on his consciousness. That's why all the previous Judges weren't able to do what he does for that long. Lu Feng is completely emotionally detached from everything, so it's interesting why he's so intrigued by An Zhe. Certainly, there's a part that's curious if An Zhe trully is 100% human but there must be something more.
I can't really talk about their relationship because i'm not sure if they even have one. As I said, I'm not exactly sure what Lu Feng sees in An Zhe. Maybe a little diversion from his daily horrors. As for An Zhe, we are aware that he's trying to get close to the Colonel because of his spore. But on the other hand, Lu Feng is the only human that truly occupies An Zhe's thoughts. He doesn't really care for others; he only ever thinks about An Ze - he wants to get back to his skeleton and spend the rest of his life with him, which is kind of morbidly very cute and sweet - and Lu Feng, who took his spore, and should therefore be an enemy but is somehow not. I think both of them are catching feelings for each other and don't now what to do with them, considering one is a cold-blood killing machine without emotions, and the other is sentient mushroom only know discovering the wonders of human sensibilities. Truly, the most complicated danmei couple.
These two have so many amazing scenes together. Definitely the most romantic non-romance (so far) I've ever read. They somehow manage to be always there for each other even if it's unintentional most of the time. (I'm running out of space, so I need to wrap up this quickly.)
Maybe An Ze never fell in love, so An Zhe can't know what's happening but he totally is falling for him. And the same goes for Lu Feng. His cold façade is slowly cracking, and soooner or later his repressed feeling will eventually come up.
Just when whatever-this-is between them started to get soft and tender, everything got extremly complicated. Among other things, An Zhe finally finds his spore, and not only that, apparently his spore also became very friendly with the colonel; such a betrayal. Or maybe An Zhe is just jelaous, haha
Anyway, just a few last words. Everything happening in this volume was very intense but the last few chapters were even more extremly so. I didn't see that coming and I'm extra nervous how humankind will manage to get out of this horrible mess.
4,5 'Judgement Day' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐
"I always forget that safety is fleeting, while danger is eternal. We are not entitled to live - the chance is a blessing."
Rated S for SPOILERS!
Little Mushroom is probably the biggest surprise of all danmie I've read/bought so far. I've never been a fan of sci-fi, and I don't see myself becoming one. When I first ventured into danmei genre and started disovering books other than MXTX's, Little Mushroom was among the first I've been recommended. I was not interested back then, not in the plot and even less in the cover (yes, I'm shallow like that). I have to admit, manhua art did sway me a little but then manhua box set happened and I was totally sold on it. I do love pretty (and shiny) things very much. (I will always treasure this cute chibi An Zhe standee!) I had no intention of buying the novel - when hardcover came out, I just wanted to take a look. But of course, I walked out of the bookstore with the book. I'm again blaming An Zhe because that tiny mushroom on the sprayed edges is the most adorable thing ever. Now, I'm wondering if it was all worth it? Right now, I don't think I'll ever re-read this, and this story didn't made me love sci-fi or more correctly post-apocalypse, but I say it's totally worth to have my precious
“Listen.” After a violent tremor and gasp, An Ze slowly closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice. “You have no attack or defense. You are just… a little mushroom.”
Maybe it was as An Ze said. He was just a little mushroom.
An Zhe, the little mushroom in question, who is responsible for all those purchases, is a sentient mushroom and the protagonist of this book. The setting of the story is violent and dangerous post-apocalyptic Earth - magnetic fields were destroyed, therefore intense radiation caused mutation in flora and fauna, which forced the rest of the human population that managed to survive that catastrophe, to hide in stronghold cities named Bases. Humans still needed to venture out from time to time to gather resources no matter how dangerous were areas outside of Bases. And there, in the middle of the Abbys - the most dangerous area around Northern Base - our little mushroom, who gained consciousness by chance, met An Ze, a lost human soul, who was abandoned by his mercenary squad. Too weak to follow, too hurt to survive, An Ze spend his last minutes bonding with the little mushroom about their unfortunate destinies.
“Poor little thing.” An Ze had stroked his hair gently. “Did it hurt when you broke?”
“I don't remember.”
So, An Ze had said, “Let’s name you An Zhe.”
And An Zhe agreed.”
An Zhe's spore - the most important part of mushroom's body - was stolen by humans, and he wants it back. But only humans are allowed to go into Northern Base, so dying An Ze gives his mushroom friend his human form, his DNA, his identity, his memories, and that's how sentient mushroom An Zhe goes on his first big adventure in the form of a 19 years old human boy.
Finding his spore is already difficult enough but getting into the human Base turns out even more difficult. What humans fear the most are mutated humans, called aberrations - if they can infiltrate the city, there would be a threat of mass contamination. So, every human that wants to get back to the Base, must be "judged" - meaning a special force of arbiters has been trained to detect these aberrations with the naked eyes. Of course, this method is definitely not 100% accurate, unless you're the Supreme Judge, rumored to never missed an aberration in his life.
A shot rang out. [...] An Zhe didn’t have time to think about what happened in that moment. He could only raise his head to look at the officer in the black uniform. It was because at this moment, the officer was slowly turning the dark muzzle—it was pointed at him.
An Zhe realized that this person must be the Judge. He was the master of the Judiciary Court, the one who decided if those passing through thr gate were human or aberration. He could decide the life and death of any person, no matter who, with no reason needed.
And now it was An Zhe's turn at trial.
His heart pounded. When the barrel of the gun turned to him, he realized he might actually die - but faced with the Judge's icy green eyes, he found himself beginning to calm down.
The Judge had come to a stop in front of him. The man's ring finger tightened around the grip; he lowered the gun and then holstered it.
“Come with me,” he said. His voice was as cooly unruffled as his expression.
[...]
He looked up in confusion. Then he heard the Judge’s voice, even colder than before. “Hold out your hand.”
An Zhe did so.
Click. He shivered at the icy feeling. One end of the silver handcuffs was around his wrist; the other was held by the officer himslef.
That was how Anze was led away.
And that was how An Zhe
An Zhe jumped out of the chair and left with this person. This time, he was freed and not handcuffed. In the uninhabited corridor, they had walked halfway through when Lu Feng suddenly opened his mouth. “The first time I saw you, my intuition told me that you aren’t human.”
An Zhe almost went into cardiac arrest. After a full three seconds, he finally said, “That… what about the second glance?”
“This is the first time I’ve applied for a genetic test.” The colonel reached out and handed over the report sheet on the genetic examination. “You better be.”
I already said this a couple of times but I truly adore An Zhe as a character. As he says many times himself 'he is just a little mushroom', he is not human, and he has totally different view on current situation as other people. I'm not a fan of post-apocalyptic settings because, honestly, it's very depressing to read, but here it's not really. An Zhe doesn't feel the horror of near extinction of human race because he's not a part of it. However that doesn't mean he's not being able of feelings. Afterall, he's basicallly a mushroom form of An Ze. An Zhe feels companionship with An Ze because of everything they had shared, he's not fond of people that have ill intentions toward him, he's indifferent to some, and of course, there are complicated emotions about Lu Feng, but more about that later.
He looked like An Ze: soft black hair and dark eyes. Many parts of him were just like An Ze, but there were also subtle differences. And he didn't have An Ze's gentle and calm demeanor.
Once , An Ze had said to him, “I feel like I've gained a little brother. I want to give you a name, little mushroom.”
An Zhe was trully lucky that it was An Ze with whom he shared this experience and not some much more unpleasent human being. Also, I wanted to include this quote because I think this is proof why spelling An Zhe is more accurate than Anzhe, since An Ze want to take the mushroom as him brother. In my opinion, that mean sharing the surname, otherwise why would he chose such a similar sounding name. But this is just my interpretation. Ok, let's move on.
The opposite of An Zhe, who is soft, cute, and delicate, we have Colonel Lu Feng - ice cold, merciless, unapproachable. The position of the Supreme Judge gives him absolute authority in the Base but at the same time also isolates him from the others. For the saftey of the humans living in stronghold cities, the Judiciary Court was established. Its members are responsible for not allowing any aberrations to enter the Base, and to shoot on spot anyone, who's a potential threat. Because of these extreme precautions the arbiters are at the same time admired and feared but also mostly hated. They do protect the people; anywhere around the Base, there are signs proclaming Humankind first but at what price comes this protection. A lot of people have family members, friends, lovers that were killed by the arbiters, or even more likely by the Supreme Judge himself. That's why a lot of them hate him. However, here's the crux of this dilemma. He's only doing what's expected of him. Some people believe he's just killing indiscriminately but as far as we know, he's only ever killed aberrations. In a way, he's sacrificing individuals for the greater good of the humankind in general.
We are very rarely privy to Lu Feng's thoughts, so I'm not sure what's his stance on those accusations. But from what I've gathered through his actions, he doesn't see this as right or wrong. This is just a job to be done with as little emotions as he's able to. I think he couldn't do this job if he was occupied with thoughts about morality, otherwise he would go insane with that many deaths on his consciousness. That's why all the previous Judges weren't able to do what he does for that long. Lu Feng is completely emotionally detached from everything, so it's interesting why he's so intrigued by An Zhe. Certainly, there's a part that's curious if An Zhe trully is 100% human but there must be something more.
"I've never gone against my principles," he said. "But there is no one to judge if what I'm doing is right."
An Zhe thought of what the young arbiter Seran had told him. "You're not certain if you were right to kill those people?"
"No, I'm certain." Lu Feng's green eyes were like a frozen lake. "I just think about the choices I've made and wonder... what am I really judging, and who will end up judging me?"
[...]
An Zhe looked at Lu Feng. "I don't hate you for the things you did," he said. "You didn't do anything wrong."
[...] Lu Feng reached out and stroked An Zhe's hair.
It was a strange feeling, having the Judge stroke his hair. Lu Feng seemed to be in a tender state of mind.
I can't really talk about their relationship because i'm not sure if they even have one. As I said, I'm not exactly sure what Lu Feng sees in An Zhe. Maybe a little diversion from his daily horrors. As for An Zhe, we are aware that he's trying to get close to the Colonel because of his spore. But on the other hand, Lu Feng is the only human that truly occupies An Zhe's thoughts. He doesn't really care for others; he only ever thinks about An Ze - he wants to get back to his skeleton and spend the rest of his life with him, which is kind of morbidly very cute and sweet - and Lu Feng, who took his spore, and should therefore be an enemy but is somehow not. I think both of them are catching feelings for each other and don't now what to do with them, considering one is a cold-blood killing machine without emotions, and the other is sentient mushroom only know discovering the wonders of human sensibilities. Truly, the most complicated danmei couple.
"Why are you still here?" said a voice he faintly recognized. [...] "Not going home yet?"
An Zhe shook his head. "I want to give this back to the colonel." He took off the jacket. "Could you pass it to him for me?"
The arbiter smiled faintly. "You're not going to wait for him?"
He'd only worn the colonel's jacket once, thought An Zhe. Now, for some reason, everyone assumed there was something between them.
"The colonel and I..." An Zhe struggled to find the words. "We're not that close."
"The colonel's been working for a long time without a break," he murmured. "Are you sure you won't wait for him?"
At that very moment, the aurora above them shifted, lightning up the sky and the earth like a bolt of lightning.
An Zhe's heart skipped a beat. Some unassailable urge swept over him; he couldn't help but look toward the gate at Lu Feng's figure, so tall and so lonely in the night. He had the sense that if he left now, he'd never have anything to do with the man again for the rest of his life.
An Zhe took the coat back. The arbiter looked at him.
"I..." said An Zhe. "I'll wait for him."
The arbiter smiled warmly and unfolded the jacket to drape it around An Zhe's shoulders. "Thank you."
"What's wrong?" asked Lu Feng, his voice lower than usual. The hallway was dimly lit; perhaps that was why the lines of his face didn't seem as sharply intimidating as they usually were.
An Zhe braced himslef. Even if only for his spore's sake, he had to ingratiate himself with the Judge.
"If... if you don't have anywhere else to go," An Zhe said, looking up at Lu Feng, "you could stay here with me."
These two have so many amazing scenes together. Definitely the most romantic non-romance (so far) I've ever read. They somehow manage to be always there for each other even if it's unintentional most of the time. (I'm running out of space, so I need to wrap up this quickly.)
"Does he look scary?"
The younglings all looked over at Anzhe, the topic apparently having piqued their interest.
"He..." An Zhe recalled Lu Feng's appearance, trying to make an assessment based on human standards of beauty. "He is a little scary, but he's also very good looking."
"What does he look like?"
The younglings' questions only became more complicated; An Zhe didn't know how to desribe it to them. As he thought long and hard about the question, he suddenly recalled the colour of Lu Feng's eyes: a deep, cold green, like the colour of the aurora in the sky.
"He looks...like the aurora," An Zhe said.
Maybe An Ze never fell in love, so An Zhe can't know what's happening but he totally is falling for him. And the same goes for Lu Feng. His cold façade is slowly cracking, and soooner or later his repressed feeling will eventually come up.
An Zhe rolled over, pressing gently against him. He'd fallen asleep.
He'd curled up like a little animal [...] There was no no tension at all in his body. As he slept, he was completely unwary and unguarded, as if...as if he was sleeping somewhere safe, somewhere he trusted with his whole heart, secure in the belief that no one would harm him.
He gave the impression of something that could be both easily destroyed and easily protected.
Lu Feng stared at him for a long time without expression. Then he reached out, the tip of his finger touching the warm skin at the center of An Zhe's brow like a dragonfly alighting on the water's surface. An Zhe's brow slowly relaxed. In just a few minutes, his slumber seemed as peaceful as before.
At that point, he realized the towel he had wrapped around himself had fallen open and slid down his body, exposing his shoullder and back. And his hand was tightly clutched around someone's hem. An Zhe had pressed up entirely against the other person's body, burying his face into his shoulder.
Just when whatever-this-is between them started to get soft and tender, everything got extremly complicated. Among other things, An Zhe finally finds his spore, and not only that, apparently his spore also became very friendly with the colonel; such a betrayal. Or maybe An Zhe is just jelaous, haha
An Zhe ground his teeth. He was sure that the person trying to touch the spore was Lu Feng, as horrible as ever.
But then the spore drifted all the way in front of that horrible man, reaching out with his hyphae to touch his finger through the glass.
An Zhe stared in horror.
When Lu Feng drew away, its hyphae drooped dejectedly.
Anyway, just a few last words. Everything happening in this volume was very intense but the last few chapters were even more extremly so. I didn't see that coming and I'm extra nervous how humankind will manage to get out of this horrible mess.
[An Zhe] looked up at Lu Feng. Lu Feng reached out and tousled his hair. There was none of the usual mockery or apathy in his eyes. An Zhe felt like he should say something - perhaps tell him to stay safe, to take care, or something along those lines. [...]
In the end, all An Zhe said was, "I made mushroom soup tonight."
Lu Feng's eyes brimmed with mirth. "Thank you," he said. "Make it again for me when I'm back."
His eyes the color of fireflies in the deepest forest on a summer night, were fixed on An Zhe.
[...]
"I might not come back," he rasped. "Take care of yourself."
4,5 'Judgement Day' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐
December 21, 2022
"When the aurora lights up again, the Colonel will return."
IM NOT SOBBING YOU ARE ♡o(╥﹏╥)o ♥♡
Please come back Lu Feng…
IM NOT SOBBING YOU ARE ♡o(╥﹏╥)o ♥♡
Please come back Lu Feng…
September 2, 2025
This might be the best Danmei I’ve ever read. I’m gnawing on the bars of my enclosure OVER A LITERAL MUSHROOM.
THE PREMISE: a sentient mushroom absorbs the life force of a human, and travels through a dystopian land of monsters and mutants to get to the human base and get his spore back. But he keeps finding himself in the orbit of the base’s most merciless protector, the same person his spore keeps trying to get to.
TROPES & VIBES:
- Dystopian future sci-fi
- Two autistic bbs
- Beautiful writing
- Character experiencing humanity for the first time
- One bed trope
- Slowwwwburn. It’s all *I have an urge to protect you* and *for some reason I keep reaching out to grab your sleeve for comfort*
THE PREMISE: a sentient mushroom absorbs the life force of a human, and travels through a dystopian land of monsters and mutants to get to the human base and get his spore back. But he keeps finding himself in the orbit of the base’s most merciless protector, the same person his spore keeps trying to get to.
TROPES & VIBES:
- Dystopian future sci-fi
- Two autistic bbs
- Beautiful writing
- Character experiencing humanity for the first time
- One bed trope
- Slowwwwburn. It’s all *I have an urge to protect you* and *for some reason I keep reaching out to grab your sleeve for comfort*
paused
February 10, 2025buddy read with gang 🙏🙏
April 24, 2026
the world *literally collapsing*
humanity *dying and getting infected*
an zhe: PERFECT TIME TO GET MY SPORE!!
humanity *dying and getting infected*
an zhe: PERFECT TIME TO GET MY SPORE!!
June 3, 2024
3 little mushrooms
First of all, the concept is really original and captivating. This cute little mushroom has taken on human form and is now exploring this post-apocalyptic planet to discover the purpose of life and how people adapt to survive.
This is entirely my fault; although I'm not a huge lover of science fiction, I wanted to give it a shot because I adore Damei and it had a great rating. Nevertheless, I wasn't happy with the outcome.
I'm relieved that the pace is quick and simple to follow because I was feeling disconnected at times. I just couldn't get into this book.
However, I really want to discuss the incredible worldbuilding and the attention to detail that went into the post-apocalyptic world and how everything works. It's as though our MC An Zhe and we, the readers, are going through this together.
I don't want to say too much about the characters because I didn't find it interesting or have a connection to any of them. An Zhe is incredibly sweet and pure, while Lu Feng is a highly interesting character. Even though I'm not a huge science fiction lover, I feel like this one has truly given me a whole new perspective.
Looking forward to the next volume.
"Humankind's interests take precedence over all else. It's not kindness to a single person, it's kindness to the fate of all of humankind. This is the source of unwavering conviction"
First of all, the concept is really original and captivating. This cute little mushroom has taken on human form and is now exploring this post-apocalyptic planet to discover the purpose of life and how people adapt to survive.
This is entirely my fault; although I'm not a huge lover of science fiction, I wanted to give it a shot because I adore Damei and it had a great rating. Nevertheless, I wasn't happy with the outcome.
I'm relieved that the pace is quick and simple to follow because I was feeling disconnected at times. I just couldn't get into this book.
However, I really want to discuss the incredible worldbuilding and the attention to detail that went into the post-apocalyptic world and how everything works. It's as though our MC An Zhe and we, the readers, are going through this together.
I don't want to say too much about the characters because I didn't find it interesting or have a connection to any of them. An Zhe is incredibly sweet and pure, while Lu Feng is a highly interesting character. Even though I'm not a huge science fiction lover, I feel like this one has truly given me a whole new perspective.
Looking forward to the next volume.
November 28, 2025
YALL THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. RAAAAAAR. In Robert's words, mhm love gay dystopian scifi. And while, historically, I've not been a scifi lover, THIS ONE WAS SO GOOD. I love how the story was driven and i felt really connected to An Zhe. I'm so curious to see where we go next based on the events of the ending and I'm curious to see how seven seas handles this title when they release their version.
January 4, 2025
This is probably the strangest, most unique story I've ever read. It's a sci-fi dystopian danmei novel following An Zhe, a little mushroom that took on a human form to go to one of the last human bases to find his stolen spore. Now tell me that doesn't sound utterly bizarre 👀
The writing is nothing spectacular. I don't know if the translation makes it so clunky and weird, but it took me a while to get used to. Even the constant use of exclamation marks outside the dialogue was throwing me off. On the other hand, it's strangely cinematic - I could easily picture everything (it was almost like I was watching an anime version in my mind). And some passages were so beautifully written that they took me by surprise. The pacing was all over the place at times but I didn't feel confused and I count that as a victory 😅
The worldbuilding is the strongest aspect, it was captivating. Even though I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi dystopian stories, I was hooked from the start, and it kept getting better and better. Yes, there are plot holes but you know what, I was happily jumping right over them 🐸
An Zhe himself...awwww 🥰🥰 I've come to adore our little mushroom, he's so damn precious. Since we follow the story through his eyes, most things seem to be happening at an emotional distance because An Zhe isn't inherently human, he isn't burdened by a myriad of deep emotions or society's moral codes. As a result, he seems so very pure and naive and I love him for it.
And then there is Lu Feng 😳 Our talk, dark and handsome Colonel, one of the top dogs in the human base. Of course, he's the coldest son of a bitch out there. And of course, he's a bit taken with our little mushroom, his cold exterior melting juuust a tiny little bit at times 🤭 I'm a basic bitch because I ate this dynamic up, all those small interactions made me giggle so much.
By no means should you go into this purely for the romance plot, though! Because it really doesn't feel romantic, there are just hints and crumbs of fondness and gentleness between An Zhe and Lu Feng. It's just that I love going feral over such crumbs 😅🥰
Can't wait to read the sequel ❤️
The writing is nothing spectacular. I don't know if the translation makes it so clunky and weird, but it took me a while to get used to. Even the constant use of exclamation marks outside the dialogue was throwing me off. On the other hand, it's strangely cinematic - I could easily picture everything (it was almost like I was watching an anime version in my mind). And some passages were so beautifully written that they took me by surprise. The pacing was all over the place at times but I didn't feel confused and I count that as a victory 😅
The worldbuilding is the strongest aspect, it was captivating. Even though I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi dystopian stories, I was hooked from the start, and it kept getting better and better. Yes, there are plot holes but you know what, I was happily jumping right over them 🐸
An Zhe himself...awwww 🥰🥰 I've come to adore our little mushroom, he's so damn precious. Since we follow the story through his eyes, most things seem to be happening at an emotional distance because An Zhe isn't inherently human, he isn't burdened by a myriad of deep emotions or society's moral codes. As a result, he seems so very pure and naive and I love him for it.
And then there is Lu Feng 😳 Our talk, dark and handsome Colonel, one of the top dogs in the human base. Of course, he's the coldest son of a bitch out there. And of course, he's a bit taken with our little mushroom, his cold exterior melting juuust a tiny little bit at times 🤭 I'm a basic bitch because I ate this dynamic up, all those small interactions made me giggle so much.
By no means should you go into this purely for the romance plot, though! Because it really doesn't feel romantic, there are just hints and crumbs of fondness and gentleness between An Zhe and Lu Feng. It's just that I love going feral over such crumbs 😅🥰
Can't wait to read the sequel ❤️
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