A Hero Born by Jin Yong
Oct. 20th, 2022 10:59 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
China: 1200AD.
The peaceful Song Empire has been invaded by the warlike Jurchen tribes from the north. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppes, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a chieftain whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.
Our hero, Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song warrior, grows up with Genghis Khan’s army. He is humble, loyal, perhaps not altogether wise, and is fated from birth to one day confront an opponent who is the opposite of him in every way: privileged, cunning and flawlessly trained in the martial arts.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
This is the first ever English translation from Chinese of Jin Yong’s classic historical fantasy tale of kung fu masters and evil empires by Anna Holmwood. Originally published in 1958 (the first in a quartet), it has an action-driven, energetic plot and although the portrayal of grumpy kung-fu masters seems stereotypical now, it was innovative at the time and there’s a lot of fun to be had in seeing the various masters compete with each other.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
The peaceful Song Empire has been invaded by the warlike Jurchen tribes from the north. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppes, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a chieftain whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.
Our hero, Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song warrior, grows up with Genghis Khan’s army. He is humble, loyal, perhaps not altogether wise, and is fated from birth to one day confront an opponent who is the opposite of him in every way: privileged, cunning and flawlessly trained in the martial arts.
The Verdict:
This is the first ever English translation from Chinese of Jin Yong’s classic historical fantasy tale of kung fu masters and evil empires by Anna Holmwood. Originally published in 1958 (the first in a quartet), it has an action-driven, energetic plot and although the portrayal of grumpy kung-fu masters seems stereotypical now, it was innovative at the time and there’s a lot of fun to be had in seeing the various masters compete with each other.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.