A review by puglord
A Hero Born by Jin Yong

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, and a writer of Chinese heritage would’ve been better suited to translating the nuances in language and culture. Not to mention that the name translations sounded ridiculous in contrast with the historical China background, with names like Skyfury Guo contradicting with Qiu Chuji. His name should’ve been kept as Guo Xiaotian rather than changed to pander to white audiences. 

As for the characters, there was a diverse cast of them, all with different martial arts styles. But all of them were quick to anger. While the action scenes were interesting, it was irritating how the characters were constantly getting angry and ending up in fights when the situation could’ve been easily resolved. Their personalities weren’t as distinctive either. A lot of them were flat and one-dimensional.