野狐岭

by Xuemo., 雪漠

百年前，西部最有名的两支驼队，在野狐岭失踪了。百年后，“我”来到野狐岭。特殊的相遇，让当年的驼队释放出了所有的生命记忆。于是，在那个神秘的野狐岭，一个跨越阴阳、南北、正邪、人畜两界的故事，揭开了序幕……

《野狐岭》的故事里有一个自始至终不现身的杀手，一个痴迷木鱼歌的岭南落魄书生，一个身怀深仇大恨从岭南追杀到凉州的女子，一个成天念经一心想出家的少掌柜，一个好色但心善的老掌柜，一个穿道袍着僧鞋、会算命住庙里的道长，一个神龙见首不见尾的沙匪，一首末日预言的凉州古谣，几位经验丰富艺高胆大的驼把式，几匹争风吃醋的骆驼，还有一些历史人物如凉州英豪齐飞卿陆富基、凉州小人豁子蔡武祁录，更有岭南土客械斗、凉州飞卿起义等历史大事……

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Xuemo （雪漠）, is a shining star in the Chinese literary and cultural world. Born in Gansu, China, he has a prolific career spanning over 70 works. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages, including English, French, German, Swedish, and Spanish, etc. Nearly 60 foreign-language editions translated by distinguished translators were published worldwide. Since 2019, Xue Mo's works have been consistently globally featured at independent booths at the Frankfurt Book Fairs, the London Book Fari, Los Angeles Book Fair, the AAS Annual Conference, the Tokyo/Hong Kong Film Festival, etc. In 2022, he topped the International Media Spotlight List at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Honors:
Winner of the 2024 NYC Big Book Award; Winner of the 2024 Independent Press Award; Winner of the 2024 International Impact Book Award; Winner of the 2022 Sri Lanka National Literary Award; Winner of the 2022 Excellent Translation Award by the China International Communications Group (CICG) in global.
Nominated three times for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, Winner of the Dunhuang Literature and Art Award six consecutive times, 2015 Top Ten Figures in Chinese Brand Culture in China, etc.
In China, the School of Foreign Languages at Ningbo University established the "Xue Mo Research Center for Chinese Literary Translation," while the New Era Literary and Art Development Research Center at Central South University founded the "Xue Mo Institute," as well as Wuwei Xue Mo Academy武威雪漠书院, all have been fostered good communications across different cultures.
His cultural pieces, the audio book of Xue Mo's interpretation of the Diamond Sutra, named 《佛陀的智慧》on Ximalaya platform, with over 30 million plays, which has consistently ranked among the top dozen in its category for years.
As of now, Xue Mo's works have garnered attention and reviews by tons of scholars from prestigious universities worldwide, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Northwestern University, the University of Hawaii, Durham University, the University of Warwick, Heidelberg University, and the University of Munich, etc. Moreover, the number of reviews continues to grow.
For more information about Xue Mo and his books, you could visit our official website: http://xuemo.cn/ ; http://www.xuemo.com/

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!*]

This is a weird situation. The author and translator bona fides are all legit, but the book's description is straight-up ChatGPT in both structure and content. It's kind of hilarious how bad and transparent it is. I can't say anything about the book itself yet (it's up for GR Giveaway and also it's FREE as a Kindle e-book at the moment) but the U.S. publisher is sus.

You should entirely discount the "Winner the 2024 International Impact Book Award". This is not a real award, but one of countless "everyone who pays wins a prize" meaningless book awards, like Reader's Favorite, Titan Literary Awards, I can't even list them all. These things all have dozens of award categories, covering every possible genre and sub-genre and sub-sub-topic, and you can pay more to be entered in more categories, hooray! I have yet to see any evidence that anyone who enters doesn't win at minimum a "honorable mention" or similar award level. This "International Impact" award, for example, has 5 categories under just "Female Empowerment" and it gives out awards EVERY MONTH. Those "prize" stickers from these things that are plastered all over many self-published books are warnings that you should stay away; they mean nothing about the book's value and to me they indicate that the author has poor judgement. For this particular book though, I'll blame this one on the publisher, who is not really a book publisher as far as I can tell.

[Christopher Pitts]

dnf. loved the descriptions, really evocative of rural China, but the story itself just didn't hold my attention --it was all over the place and hard to follow.

[Victoria Gilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Wild Fox Ridge to be a remarkable literary experience that lingers long after the final page. Rather than telling a conventional historical mystery, Xuemo creates a sweeping meditation on memory, history, mortality, and the unseen forces that continue to shape human lives across generations. It is a novel that rewards patience, reflection, and a willingness to embrace multiple perspectives.

What impressed me most is the book's ambitious narrative structure. The series of midnight interviews with the spirits of those connected to the vanished camel caravans gradually reveals a complex mosaic of voices, each adding another layer to a mystery that extends far beyond a simple disappearance. The shifting viewpoints create a rich emotional and philosophical depth, allowing history to unfold through personal memories rather than straightforward chronology.

I also appreciated the seamless integration of Chinese folklore, spiritual traditions, and historical context. The novel never treats these elements as decorative background; instead, they become essential to understanding the characters, their choices, and the larger questions the story explores about destiny, desire, suffering, and transcendence. The result is a work that feels both culturally immersive and universally resonant.

What ultimately makes Wild Fox Ridge so memorable is its ability to balance intellectual ambition with emotional power. Beneath the historical mystery and supernatural framework lies a deeply human story about longing, sacrifice, and the enduring echoes of the past. Readers who enjoy literary fiction, philosophical storytelling, historical epics, and culturally rich narratives will find this to be an extraordinary and deeply rewarding novel.

[Tommy Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Fox Ridge is built on voices. Every of its chapters alternates between the narrator’s present situation and the ghosts’ stories, with the narrator’s pace subtly connected to the ghosts’ memories—yet the voices are far more complex than just two.
The chapters, meaning gatherings, meetings and encounters, bring together all kinds of ghosts, reflecting the novel’s complexity and multiplicity.
It resonates with the times: there are invisible killers, scholars obsessed with so calledd wooden-fish-song, vengeful women, murderous bandits, camel leaders, and even camels with human-like thoughts. Tying them all together is the living narrator from the present, creating an intricate, ambiguous world.

[于万红 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Centering on a century-old mystery of a camel caravan, the book adopts a distinctive narrative of spirit summoning, letting the ghosts of the deceased caravan members speak one after another. People from all walks of life gathered in the vast desert, setting off on an uncertain journey with their desires, ideals, love and hatred. Among them were noble-minded patriots, greedy and self-serving folk, avengers trapped in hatred, as well as simple and honest camel drivers. These vivid ordinary figures are far from perfect heroes. Flawed and haunted by obsessions, they are a true reflection of humanity.

[TommyF · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, Wild Fox Ridge seems unrestrained and imaginative, and its best point is that you can start reading from any page. Beginning at page 200 feels much the same as starting from page one; you can even read it backwards. It’s an open story that draws you in no matter which direction you go. The Writer infuses it with poetic charm, which lets readers pick it up at any point. Unlike tightly plotted novels that make no sense if read out of order, Wild Fox Ridge is flexible and open, offering a fresh reading experience that frees the imagination—a key trait of modernism. Its beauty lies in the fact that you can discover its essence and subtlety from any starting point.

[Jack Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a very engaging novel. My first impression was that The Writer is immensely talented and naturally commanding. In Wild Fox Ridge, he places characters and events under extreme pressure, laying bare human nature through trials of hardship. When the characters are trapped in Wild Fox Ridge and conflicts break out between two camel drivers of Mongolian national and Chinese national Han, human nature is revealed to the fullest—this is the most brilliant part. It shows his deep understanding of humanity: people are not simply good or evil, but exist in complex grey areas, and that complexity makes them vivid and fascinating.

[Donald Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

What impressed me most about Wild Fox Ridge is its vivid, detailed and thorough depiction of the camel caravan drivers’ lives. Their way of life, this culture, their attitudes toward work and major life events—these are my favorite parts. Reading it, I thought: if The Writer hadn’t written this, these things might never be known to future generations. He presents a truly unique world with powerful, distinctive writing which brings this small corner of human life to a full, rich life and draws me right in. The careful observation of life and profound vitality captured so powerfully by the author are immensely valuable in themselves.

[Soledad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath the boundless Gobi and sweeping sandstorms, Wild Fox Ridge evokes the long‑buried past of the Silk Road through a time‑transcending soul‑calling ritual. With rugged yet passionate prose, Xuemo portrays mortal obsessions, the ebb and flow of faith, and the struggles of human nature, revealing national spirit and life’s true essence amid desert winds. More than a forgotten story, it is a soul‑stirring epic of desolation, capturing enduring spiritual persistence and the light of redemption across time.

[Tom Fl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Wild Fox Ridge, I felt transported into a brand-new world—it was a unique western Chinese landscape and way of life. Using a distinctive style, The Writer blends multiple narrative voices like a western symphony and local dialogue, letting different narrators speak. The summoner and recorder in the book is essentially the main narrator, representing the present, who calls forth ghosts to tell their own stories. Some narrate history subjectively, while others converse with each other as they recount their tales. This narrative structure is one of the novel’s most striking features.

[Chris Hightower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Fox Ridge portrays north western Chinese culture, though 100 years ago, but much of it's part remains the same at it's land—its existence, suffering, life and death, desires, revenge and resistance. It depicts a real China and captures a fading agricultural civilization, only fading when industry and modern revolution in recent 50 years, featuring this western culture of desert traditions, legends, myths and folk songs. It also explores the relationship between humans and nature, with brilliant descriptions of camels, from their reproduction to their death.

[MICHEAL SLIM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Writer incorporates detective element, suspense element and mystery elements into the Wild Fox Ridge, interweaving the living and the ghosts, and telling the mysterious disappearance of two camel caravans in a gripping, unpredictable way. He brings together the worlds of the living and the dead, the north and the south, good and evil, blends regional culture and historical legends. And he also bring some featured North China folk ballads with some South China wooden-fish folk songs. The tone is both solemn and humorous, tight and relaxed, creating great textual tension.

[Philip John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Wild Fox Ridge reads refreshing and stunningly groundbreaking. It blends down-to-earth, solid writing with mysterious plots, innovative forms, unrestrained narrative and wild imagination. It is grand, profound and highly readable, it is irreplaceable in terms of literature, as well as culture, folklore and history. What’s especially impressive is how The Writer, like a master of TaiChi, skillfully weaves such a rich and complex array of writing elements together with extraordinary command and superb storytelling.

[Ethan Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This weird, mesmerizing desert mystery hooked me instantly. A writer treks to Wild Fox Ridge to solve the century-old disappearance of two camel caravans, summoning ghosts of long-dead camel traders to tell their conflicting stories. It’s like a western Chinese Rashomon wrapped in magical realism. Bleak windswept landscapes, tangled greed and regret, plus profound questions about memory and fate. Super unique storytelling, haunting and unforgettable once you sink into its dusty, dreamlike world.

[Cheyenne Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very grateful to have won this giveaway! When I read the description of this book, I knew I had to enter! I had never stumbled upon a book like this one, I was immediately intrigued to understand more. I have started the book and I recommend it to anyone into history and a good mystery. I have found that in a busy schedule, letting kindle read aloud is a great hack. You’ll be left wondering until you can read your next page otherwise!

[肖兴 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book，also the Chinese history。Wild Fox Ridge is a grand feast of the soul deep in the desert. With unrestrained imagination, avant-garde narration and profound compassion, Xuemo brings the vanished camel caravans back to life and gives voice to the long-silent spirits. Ultimately, it poses a question to every reader: when obsessions blind us like desert winds, how do we find our way home and attain spiritual redemption?

[Jimmy Tompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desert winds and sand may bury mortal remains, yet memories and spirits endure forever. Transcending pure realism, this novel takes on an allegorical tone, conveying a philosophy of life: fate is fickle, and only the soul can rise above it all.
This book deepened my understanding of life and death. It inspires me to embrace life with a positive mindset and refine my soul through worldly experiences

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel that blends a western epic with whispers of the soul. Centered on the mysterious disappearance of two caravans, one Mongolian and one Han, decades ago at Wild Fox Ridge, it adopts multi-perspective narration, spiritual storytelling and fragmented storytelling techniques. It depicts the harshness of the desert, the life-and-death struggles of camel drivers, as well as the conflicts between desire and faith, presenting a tightly woven narrative steeped in profound desolation.

[Susan LIP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Fox Ridge is one of the most challenging novels I have ever read. It’s hard to sum up—what exactly is it trying to convey, what is its underlying message?
I think its ambiguity is one of its greatest strengths.
The Writer uses a contemporary perspective to re-embed life from a century ago into our present, letting us experience the real western life back then. This concept is fascinating and shares similarities with all historical writing.

[Finrodwaterfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The realistic descriptions in Wild Fox Ridge are brilliant, especially the parts about camel caravan teams. They deserve to be written about: their struggles with nature, their confrontations with bandits, their close bonds with camels, and even rivalries between camels. Beyond being thrilling and unusual, these stories reveal profound ideas and spiritual depth.

[Mo]

What impresses me most about Wild Fox Ridge is its vivid, detailed and tangible portrayal of the camel drivers’ lives. I am particularly fond of how the book depicts their daily existence, unique culture, as well as their inherent attitudes toward work and major events in life.

[Sh]

Wild Fox Ridge feels utterly fresh and breathtaking. It fuses grounded prose, mysterious plots, original forms, freewheeling storytelling and bold imagination seamlessly.

[Joanna12699]

A great novel to kill the killer in our heart.