A Hero Born
the bestselling Chinese fantasy phenomenon
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- €5.49
Publisher Description
****NOW A RECORD-BREAKING FILM STARRING THE UNTAMED'S XIAO ZHAN****
THE CHINESE "LORD OF THE RINGS" - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD.
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ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST FANTASY NOVELS OF ALL TIME.
"Jin Yong's work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars" combined" Nick Frisch, New Yorker
"Like every fairy tale you're ever loved, imbued with jokes and epic grandeur. Prepare to be swept along." Jamie Buxton, Daily Mail
China: 1200 A.D.
The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.
Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song patriot, grew 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.
Guided by his faithful shifus, The Seven Heroes of the South, Guo Jing must return to China - to the Garden of the Drunken Immortals in Jiaxing - to fulfil his destiny. But in a divided land riven by war and betrayal, his courage and his loyalties will be tested at every turn.
Translated from the Chinese by Anna Holmwood
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An unrefined translation muddles this posthumous U.S. debut for renowned wuxia author Jin Yong (1924 2018). During the Song Dynasty, Southern patriots Skyfury Guo and Ironheart Yang meet a Taoist monk, Qiu Chuji, who gives the sworn brothers names, daggers, and the promise of kung fu training for their unborn sons. An act of kindness by Yang's wife, however, has fatal consequences, thrusting the families violently apart. After Guo dies and Yang is presumed dead, Qiu Chuji and the Seven Freaks of the South make a bet. Each party will train one of the patriots' sons for 18 years; a fight between the two will determine which master was the better teacher. The Freaks locate and teach Guo Jing in Mongolia before sending him off toward Jiaxing, the battle site. The fate of Yang's son is less clear. Meanwhile, the machinations of the Sixth Prince Wanyan Honglie on behalf of the Jin Empire promise trouble for the Song in subsequent installments. Despite occasional illustrations, the fight scenes integral to the genre are stagnant due to Holmwood's mundane and sometimes confusing rendition (one character "jabbed at the housekeeper's jaw, splitting it"). The ending is not a cliff-hanger so much as an abrupt stop halfway through the plot. Jin Yong's work is undoubtedly worth reading, but this interpretation of it will do little to introduce or endear his writing to Anglophones.
