A review by altlovesbooks
A Hero Born by Jin Yong

4.0

I enjoyed this book the way I enjoy kung fu movies and Japanese tokusatsu shows. Yes, the story isn't the deepest. Yes, people can't actually fly around with spears and swords and bows. I enjoyed the way this story was told, the way scenes were described, and the picture of old China it painted. The ending (if it could be called as such) was abrupt, but this book is a compilation of basically small serial novellas that came out periodically. If you read these like a monster-of-the-week story, all self contained and satisfying, you'll have a better experience.

That said, I feel like the translation work was a little janky in places. I don't speak or read Chinese at all, but certain passages felt better translated than others. I don't know if that's a result of the source material or no, but it was enough to disrupt my reading in places.