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.