Jin Yong is an enormous name in Chinese literature--and finally we're getting English translations of one of his most famous series, Legends of the Condor Heroes. This series has been filmed multiple times, and the books have been in print for half a century.

For us Westerners looking through the tiny keyhole of translated Chinese epics, this one I think serves as a good introduction. I cannot comment on the quality of the translation, but I believe that beginning with the tale of Guo Jin was a good move because this first volume is basically a coming of age tale, about a boy talented in martial arts who is in spite of it a simple person.

The Western reader has a chance to "grow up" along with Guo Jin, becoming accustomed to the picaresque style, the breezy dialogue, the many martial arts terms and moves, while taking in the details of Mongolian life on the steppe around 1200 AD. (The most famous figure in this novel is Genghis Khan.) Also, we are introduced to the world of the Jiang hu, which overlies the eternally battling imperials versus the northern clans.

The characters range from exalted to treacherous villains to just a lot of fun. We get to know the Six Freaks of the South, among other colorful figures. The reader has a chance to absorb customs and hints of culture unfamiliar to Westerners, as Guo Jin navigates his way toward adulthood and his later fame as carried out in the rest of the series.

I'm so glad to see this series at last coming to the West, and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Looking forward to more in this marvelous, complex world.

Copy provided by NetGalley

Jin Yong is an enormous name in Chinese literature--and finally we're getting English translations of one of his most famous series, Legends of the Condor Heroes. This series has been filmed multiple times, and the books have been in print for half a century.

For us Westerners looking through the tiny keyhole of translated Chinese epics, this one I think serves as a good introduction. I cannot comment on the quality of the translation, but I believe that beginning with the tale of Guo Jin was a good move because this first volume is basically a coming of age tale, about a boy talented in martial arts who is in spite of it a simple person.

The Western reader has a chance to "grow up" along with Guo Jin, becoming accustomed to the picaresque style, the breezy dialogue, the many martial arts terms and moves, while taking in the details of Mongolian life on the steppe around 1200 AD. (The most famous figure in this novel is Genghis Khan.) Also, we are introduced to the world of the Jiang hu, which overlies the eternally battling imperials versus the northern clans.

The characters range from exalted to treacherous villains to just a lot of fun. We get to know the Six Freaks of the South, among other colorful figures. The reader has a chance to absorb customs and hints of culture unfamiliar to Westerners, as Guo Jin navigates his way toward adulthood and his later fame as carried out in the rest of the series.

I'm so glad to see this series at last coming to the West, and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Looking forward to more in this marvelous, complex world.

This was the first wuxia book I've read (though I've seen some films etc. from the genre), and though I'm not competent to judge the translation's accuracy I found it readable, compelling, and a lot of fun - a cultural and stylistic shift that I enjoyed exploring. Yong's historical martial arts romance is written in a style that's simultaneously external and surprisingly emotional - I'm struck by how true it is (as I'd been told, but didn't know) that the kung fu is really less a focus than the (intricate and intimate) relationships between the main characters.

It's interesting to learn, as well, that this novel was originally serialized in a Hong Kong paper, and honestly it's not surprising - it shows some of what I suspect are the marks of that heritage in its sprawling plotlines, action scenes, and episodic plot. If you're a fan of Charles Dickens and Ang Lee you would probably really enjoy this book! It concludes somewhat abruptly (though again, not sure if that's just an artifact of the original serialization - maybe there was no "conclusion" there at first), but I'm happily going to pick up the second book.

What a great book! I must admit I was skeptical at the very start, but soon found myself hooked. The narrator in the audio version does a fantastic job. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

3/5

Loved the Chinese history but the translation was really not it. Nice illustrations

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Conceptually, the idea of the wuxia (kung fu fantasy) genre is exciting and fresh to me. The works of Jin Yong specifically are regarded with similar esteem in China as we in the west ascribe to Tolkien. After living in China for seven years, many of the characters from these stories were already on the periphery of my awareness (Guo Jing, Yang Kang, even the historical Qiu Chuji), so I wanted to read this basically as soon as I learned that an official English translation had been completed.

But it just feels so hollow. The book oscillates between contrived action scenes and expository dialogue. I rarely have a sense of place and the characters all feel like “types” more than people. I realize, of course, that the original audience for this book would have been younger: More along the lines of Harry Potter than Lord of the Rings. I probably would have loved this book at the age of 12, with the caveat that I wouldn’t have understood any of the historical and political intrigue that undergirds the story without ever really forming a compelling subplot.

For what it is worth, this translation is excellent. The translator includes footnotes on historical context that might not be familiar to western readers, with the result being that this edition feels really lovingly-crafted and respectful of the immense popularity of the author in China. I just wish I had enjoyed the story more. It felt less like a novel and more like the novelization of a run of mediocre superhero comics.