A review by wyrmdog
A Hero Born by Jin Yong

4.0

There is something vaguely operatic yet quaint about this book, epic scope not withstanding. Maybe that's true of all classic wuxia fiction, but this is my first authentic foray. With prose that gets right to the point, the narrative moves fast and packs an immense amount of story into its lean (for fantasy) presentation. At times the naming of an action rather than describing it can be off-putting, with only some descriptive enough in English to really convey what's going on, but the florid labels lend a distinctive and unmistakable character to it that help make it an oversized good time.

I think what I love most about it isn't even the martial arts mayhem or the sweeping, theatrical story, but the modern mythmaking that's clearly layered over extant legends and historical figures. I am looking forward to more!