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