As I took up my pen to write this recommendation, I felt I ought to begin by repeating the various requirements for a Heavenly Rankings recommendation-not for any other reason, but to better discuss, in detail, the Dust Along the Immortal Road that lived in my heart. I set out my views below.
Heavenly Rankings: we hope that every work admitted to the Heavenly Rankings will be beyond dispute. These works either pioneered a trend in writing or possessed an indisputably formidable strength of their own. But most importantly, works on the Heavenly Rankings always move us and give us something to think about. They embody their authors' souls and their views of the world. Though they are only entertainment novels, they leave us with something to ponder after the pleasure has passed.
After reading the comments section, I acknowledged that there was some controversy over whether this work belonged on the Heavenly Rankings. I had not read enough books to say clearly whether Dust Along the Immortal Road pioneered any trend in writing; neither my literary cultivation nor my experience of life qualified me to judge whether a work possessed indisputably formidable strength. All I could speak of, then, was what this work made me feel.
Flat and flavorless-what verdict could be more frightening? That was how I felt about the first two chapters. I merely thought the author's prose was fairly good, gritted my teeth, and read another chapter. Well, that too was ordinary. Another chapter: still too trite. One more: the poetry was decent. Two more chapters, then bed... Before I knew it, daylight had broken. There was not a trace of delight in my heart; envy galloped unchecked. Ordinarily, I fancied I had a little ink in me, holding my head high and flaunting my arrogance.