A review by reddoscar
Heroes of Chaos by

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Review of Heroes of Chaos (Three Kingdoms Chronicles #2) by Baptiste Pinson Wu 

eARC kindly provided by author. Release date 15th March 2023. 

 

Heroes of Chaos is a fast paced adventure through ancient China. Baptiste Pinson Wu has written a sequel that flows naturally from the first book without a hitch. He has once again managed to weave history and fiction together in a satisfying way. Heroes of Chaos errs on the casual side of historical fiction with regards characterisation and dialogue but retains all of the chaos of the Three Kingdoms era. 

 

Everything regarding worldbuilding from my review of Yellow Sky Revolt applies to this book and I won’t be rehashing that. 

 

Recommended listening while reading: Red Cliff soundtrack, [LINK: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC73C36A0BF31C17E] 

 

 

Plot 

 

In a short prologue Liao Hua discusses the events of Yellow Sky Revolt, book one, with Chen Shou before continuing his life’s story. Heroes of Chaos opens hard with the famous duel between Lü Bu and the Three Brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. BPW’s writing shines here and made a duel that occurred almost 2000 years ago seem like it could have turned out differently. An excellent first chapter that pulls you in and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Fast paced and full of action. 

 

The story follows Liao Hua from 190 to 196 on his journey to becoming a professional soldier and finding his place within Cao Cao’s military. Through the wars in Yan and Xu provinces, quelling rebellions in Dong, avenging a death, recruiting a great officer, being imprisoned, and finding a girl, Liao Hua (Chun) does it all. While the first book focussed on Chun travelling with the Yellow Turbans and being too young to act much on his own, we now see him making an impact on the world. He may be ‘a ranker’ in Lord Cao’s army but his bristled nature and sense of self shows he is destined for more, if only someone would see it. 

 

The novel is not 100% historically accurate, how could it be when we know little about the leading man. Some events have been altered in part or totally, some characters have been removed from the narrative and others added in. If you are familiar with the source material and other retellings than you will notice a couple but don’t let BPW’s creative changes deter you from the book and series. He has done an excellent job in crafting a living, breathing, Three Kingdoms. To those unfamiliar with the setting just jump in and have a great time. 

 

 

Characters 

 

The characters surrounding Liao Chun shift from teachers to comrades for Heroes of Chaos. Chun himself grows from boy to man becoming a soldier and then something more. We continue to see the introduction of big name historical characters, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, Xun Yu, Xu Huang, and more but also minor and fictional ones that are more personable with Liao Chun serving on the frontlines with him. His fellow students from the first book also reappear, namely Cao Ang, Man Chong, and Cao Anmin. 

 

Yu Jin serves as our hard-nosed Captain who trains Liao Chun, and many others, from simpering fools - young and old - into disciplined soldiers. He is loud, foul-mouthed, and wants nothing more than his soldiers to be gods of war. He is a man you will respect but wouldn’t rush to share a cup of baijiu with. 

 

Liao Chun’s immediate tent is made up of a ragtag team comprising: 

 

Cao Anmin, the timid nephew of Lord Cao raised to leadership of the tent but lacking the personality to fulfil the role. 

 

Wu Rang, ‘… could take a jibe from a comrade but would not suffer the foolishness of his superiors,’ aged 46 is nicknamed Grandpa. A veteran to fighting but it would appear never to a captain of Yu Jin’s temperament. 

 

Du Yuan, ex-Yellow Turban who joined Cao Cao’s academy, alongside Chun, as a timid boy but developed into a fearsome warrior, aggressive and skilled. 

 

Jiao Meng, the pampered son of a wealthy merchant, felt nothing but disgust for the life money bought and wishes to make himself into a man. 

 

Bu Lao, or Pox, like the majority of the army is a farmer used to hard labour and unrefined behaviour. His face marked by pox scars. 

 

Together they learn how to be disciplined soldiers, fight their first battles, and become an efficient killing machine on the front lines. Each of Chun’s unit quickly receive nicknames and BPW lays their individual character foundations in a few purposeful strokes of action and dialogue allowing each to develop throughout the story. 

 

Of the established characters from the first book I will only talk of Xiahou Dun.

Chun does not like Dun and while he accepts the man is a capable administrator he admonishes him for his lack of military prowess and severe rule keeping. Xiahou Dun’s soldiers complain about ‘the bastard in charge’ who serves punishments for made up mistakes. I don’t mind Pinson Wu taking liberties with the characters or history but with Dun I find it a little much at times. First is the change in how he loses his left eye. According to the Sanguozhi (Records of the Three Kingdoms) Dun loses his eye in a battle against Lü Bu but BPW has him lose it in when taken captive by some lowly peons instead. In Romance it is an arrow shot by Lü Bu’s general Cao Xing while Dun duelled Gao Shun. Xiahou Dun was taken captive by a false surrender trick and later rescued by Han Hao in the Sanguozhi and this has been altered a little to fit better with this story.

 

Second is the treatment of those in his command and care as the Sanguozhi describes Dun as a righteous man who “carried soil on his back like the peasants” when there was a drought and he blockaded a river for new fields to be planted on the riverbed. It also says “he was a prudent man to himself and generous to others,” though also “righteous but violent.” (All of this can be found here [LINK: https://kongming.net/novel/sgz/xiahoudun.php]. As can many other officer biographies from a range of sources.) Little of this fits with the character we see in Pinson Wu’s Three Kingdom Chronicles and for fans of Xiahou Dun it is hard to swallow the complete shift in natures. This is not uncommon for adaptations to Three Kingdoms era history, Chan Mou’s Ravages of Time features radically different interpretations of characters and events.

 

I trust BPW has something in the works later in the series for this rivalry of righteousness between Dun and Chun and given how little is known about Liao Hua’s life I do look forward to whatever he has planned out. His characterisation, actions, and responses regarding Xiahou Dun all flow and work well from a story telling perspective even if I dislike it. Though in storytelling some emotional response is better than none and as such BPW has done his job as a writer. 

 

In general characters are well-defined and while some may be a little caricatured all-in-all it fits the tone BPW set in the first book. 

 

 

Writing 

 

First person perspective lends itself to a freer flow of consciousness style that matches the casual nature of Heroes of Chaos. You are in Liao Chun’s head and the world to him is full of injustice, often directed at him. This ego carries him far and farther still. He is loyal to those around him as much as he is to himself and the writing conveys this well. 

 

It is evident in the writing that BPW is excited by this tale he has woven and that cheer spreads to the reader. Is it perfect? No, there are hiccups. Passages that lack rhythm, clunky sentences with too many commas, and sections that could have been tighter. These missteps do not hinder the story and the feeling and experiences of Chun emanate from the page and carry the reader. 

 

 

4.5/5 

 

Solid second entry into what is shaping up to be a brilliant series.