Reviews

I was super disappointed. I guess the Hungarian translation was simply sub-par. It was the most boring fantasy or wuxia I've ever come across. I may have a look at the English translation to see its quality. I don't understand how can something this famous be this boring.

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

I've been getting more and more excited about this book ever since I came across it and it felt like a dream in my hands. Exquisitely crafted, it is a joy to hold in your hands. It feels like the kind of book you would find in an ancient, Chinese library.

That feeling also seeps into the way it reads. It's a glorious epic with thrilling action scenes, battles, heroes journeys, multiple characters reacting in every way imaginable, and an ending that begs for more. The writing reminds me of a myth, and Yong has an incredible voice. The fight scenes were among my favourite, not just because they were exciting, but because there were so many different titles to so many different moves. I could almost see the characters moving in my head with each strike.

The story itself is grand and opens so many different avenues that I would love explored. The very origins of the chief character are explored, but there are dozens of surprising twists along the way, especially given the intense cliffhanger ending.

With so many characters and so many names, it was a little hard for me to connect with some of them, and some characters took the honour route a liiiiiiitle too far for me. I understand that this could be a cultural thing, but it took me out of the story from time to time. Again, that is likely a personality thing. This in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this epic adventure, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Asian lore, kung fu, and legends in the making.

gatun's review against another edition

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3.0

A Hero Born (Legends of the Condor Heroes #1) by Jin Yong, translated by Anna Holmwood, was available on Netgalley. I chose it because I wanted to try reading a Asian story written by an Asian author. It is the first book in a series that is described as epic. It is also historical fiction of a culture that is rich and vast. The story is large in every way. It is over 450 pages. The book begins with a Cast of Characters which list each major character's names and tells a little about them.

Guo Jing and Yang Kang were sworn brothers at their birth. Their fathers were heroes who were killed defending their country. Their mothers fled the area. The two boys ended up being raised by the two different powers. A Taoist priest searches for boys, to bring them together again as brothers and as fighting companions. The book reminded me of the great film The Seven Samurai.
It was difficult for me to keep the locations, names, and allegiances straight. I had the same problem with Russian Literature in college. I think I need to listen to the audiobook. After that, I will have a better understanding of the book.

I received a copy of the ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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