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viviennemorgain's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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
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.
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
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.
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.
grogu_djarin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overall Thoughts:
Wow! This book amazed me! I'm quite a fan of wuxia films (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon being one of my favorites) and this more or less reads exactly like one of those films and I'd call it an action novel if there is such a thing. There were so many great martial arts scenes and they felt like something out of a movie or anime series. One even lasted 15 pages and had my heart racing!
That said, it's not a shallow action story at all. There are a lot of great themes presented in the story such as loyalty, duty, honor, and love all within the historical setting of Jin and Song China and the Mongolian hordes. There is a lot of political intrigue, culture, and history intertwined with the story to beautiful effect. There were also a substantial number of twists and turn of varying complexity and they all fit in very naturally into the story. Some were easy to anticipate while others were completely unexpected and they overall created a gripping narrative.
Wow! This book amazed me! I'm quite a fan of wuxia films (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon being one of my favorites) and this more or less reads exactly like one of those films and I'd call it an action novel if there is such a thing. There were so many great martial arts scenes and they felt like something out of a movie or anime series. One even lasted 15 pages and had my heart racing!
That said, it's not a shallow action story at all. There are a lot of great themes presented in the story such as loyalty, duty, honor, and love all within the historical setting of Jin and Song China and the Mongolian hordes. There is a lot of political intrigue, culture, and history intertwined with the story to beautiful effect. There were also a substantial number of twists and turn of varying complexity and they all fit in very naturally into the story. Some were easy to anticipate while others were completely unexpected and they overall created a gripping narrative.
Likes:
- I really enjoyed how the story fit within the history of the Jin invasion of Song China and the unification of the Mongolian tribes under Genghis Khan. While there are some minor liberties taken for the sake of the story, it contributes to an epic feeling of being part of something larger. I especially liked Temujin (Genghis Khan) as a character.
- There were a lot of really intense and exciting fight scenes that had me at the edge of my seat and my heart racing! My favorite was the fight between the Seven Freaks and Twice Foul Dark Wind that lasted 15 pages!
- This book had quite a few twists and turns and a great variety at that. Some you readily anticipate because you're privy to more information than the characters. Others you can figure out if you pay attention to a breadcrumb trail of clues. Some more twists I wasn't able to anticipate at all but in hindsight make perfect sense because the book didn't explicitly rule out the possibility. Lastly a fourth kind of twist exists that you'll only be aware of if you're familiar with the history of the period when the plot takes a turn to follow historical events.
- I found Guo Jing very endearing. He's a bit dim-witted but sincere and good-hearted to a fault.
- The villains are truly frightening, both from their personalities and their martial skills.
Dislikes:
- For the arc of the book premised on the bond between Guo Jing and Yang Kang, most of the story focuses on Guo Jing and Yang Kang does not have a huge part in it.
- Names are localized inconsistently. Some are direct translations (such as Ke Zhen'e) while others translate the first name and leave a Chinese surname (Mercy Mu). It was a weird stylistic choice and sometimes I was unsure if these were names or titles.
Other Notes:
- This book ends on a cliffhanger right in the middle of an action sequence so you'll definitely want to plan to read the next part, A Bond Undone, immediately afterwards.
- The appendix has various historical and cultural notes ordered by page so it's nice to check through these every few chapters because it adds some nice context. None of it was really necessary to follow the story, but it was quite neat seeing that certain characters or references have historical significance.
Would Recommend To:
- Anyone who enjoys martial arts, kung fu, or wuxia genres. This book also reads like it could easily be adapted into an anime or JRPG so if you enjoy either of these things you'll probably like this as well. Also someone interested in Chinese history especially that of the Song and Jin Empires and the reign of Genghis Khan as it's set during that time.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Anyone disinterested in martial arts, kung fu, or wuxia genres. Also it would be best to avoid this if you don't want a long read because this isn't a standalone book but rather volume 1 of a much longer book.
nlreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition
I have seen this series countless of times at my local library, but never got the chance to pick it up since the first book was never available. When I finally saw it on the shelf I was delighted to finally dive right into it.
Sadly I was disappointed. It started out good but along the way the story kinda lost me. There was A LOT of talk about fighting, followed by said fighting. I am personally not interested in these kinds of stories. I need a connection to the characters and personal relationships between said characters to be invested. Instead I felt really disconnected from the characters and the book overall.
I would recommend this series for people that enjoy manga like Blade of the Immortal or Vagabond.
Sadly I was disappointed. It started out good but along the way the story kinda lost me. There was A LOT of talk about fighting, followed by said fighting. I am personally not interested in these kinds of stories. I need a connection to the characters and personal relationships between said characters to be invested. Instead I felt really disconnected from the characters and the book overall.
I would recommend this series for people that enjoy manga like Blade of the Immortal or Vagabond.
doublemm's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75