Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This is the massively fun, exciting, first book in a an epic historical martial arts series by Jin Yong - possibly the Chinese-speaking world's most popular author - who just passed away a few days ago at the age of 94. It was written in the late 1950s, but was published in the UK in English for the first time earlier this year.
It's enormous in scope, but is essentially the story of a group of eccentric kung fu experts known as the Seven Freaks of the South, who make a bet with a mysterious monk to respectively rescue one each of two kidnapped pregnant women (long story), train their as yet unborn children in martial arts, then make the kids fight each other once they turn eighteen. It's also a lot more charming than my description has probably just made it sound!
Along the way, we get Genghis Khan, comedy fight scenes, internecine Mongol battles, man bites snake, a character known irresistibly as the Ginseng Codger, condors (or are they eagles?) and more naming of kung fu moves than you can shake a stick at.
I saw the editor speak on a panel recently and he talked about how they really wanted the translation to be entertaining, and it's definitely that - Anna Holmwood has done a superlative job. It's a long book but I lapped it up, and as it ends on a great revelatory moment I can't wait for the next one!
It's enormous in scope, but is essentially the story of a group of eccentric kung fu experts known as the Seven Freaks of the South, who make a bet with a mysterious monk to respectively rescue one each of two kidnapped pregnant women (long story), train their as yet unborn children in martial arts, then make the kids fight each other once they turn eighteen. It's also a lot more charming than my description has probably just made it sound!
Along the way, we get Genghis Khan, comedy fight scenes, internecine Mongol battles, man bites snake, a character known irresistibly as the Ginseng Codger, condors (or are they eagles?) and more naming of kung fu moves than you can shake a stick at.
I saw the editor speak on a panel recently and he talked about how they really wanted the translation to be entertaining, and it's definitely that - Anna Holmwood has done a superlative job. It's a long book but I lapped it up, and as it ends on a great revelatory moment I can't wait for the next one!
adventurous
medium-paced
DNF after 170 pages. Everybody was kung fu fighting, and talking about kung fu fighting, and challenging each other at kung fu fighting, and not much else.
Unreadable.
Unreadable.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the book but felt like it ended about 20-30 pages from the end of the 3rd act. It just didn't feel self-contained.
The reader did a great job. I had some confusion with the names but that is all on my end, being unfamiliar with most of them and much of Chinese culture.
The reader did a great job. I had some confusion with the names but that is all on my end, being unfamiliar with most of them and much of Chinese culture.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
First time reading a wuxia novel, and this seems like an obvious place to start.
Fun and very readable, though I'd be curious to compare the tone of the translation against the original, given some of the complaints I've seen. Still, it has all of the things one wants in terms of colourful characters, extensive and dramatic fights, oaths of undying loyalty, etc.
It's a shame that the marketing falls back on the tiresome "the Chinese version of (famous Western author)!" method, especially because the comparison with Tolkien is even less apt than these comparisons usually are. This book is great and really respected in its own context - let it be its own thing.
Fun and very readable, though I'd be curious to compare the tone of the translation against the original, given some of the complaints I've seen. Still, it has all of the things one wants in terms of colourful characters, extensive and dramatic fights, oaths of undying loyalty, etc.
It's a shame that the marketing falls back on the tiresome "the Chinese version of (famous Western author)!" method, especially because the comparison with Tolkien is even less apt than these comparisons usually are. This book is great and really respected in its own context - let it be its own thing.