This is the first book of it’s kind that I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed it - sure, the martial arts descriptions were very Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the flying and impossible feats but that was very much the book's charm.

It was a bit slow in places, going into historical detail and reiterating certain information but for the most part, it was classic kung fu excellence. It highlighted the many virtues that were expected of masters and the importance of being pure of heart (I’m a sucker for this kind of thing) and though it hinted at future romances, this book was about a young man uncovering the secrets of his childhood and how they came to be.

Obviously, having never read the original, I can’t comment on the accuracy of the translation or any stylistic changes - some of the dramatic character and kung fu names were entertaining, but the narrative was very enjoyable.

It focuses more on the graphic depictions of the fight scenes and landscapes rather than the characters themselves, which makes it quite impersonal but I could see it playing out in front of me.

The book would be a good fit for teenage boys craving action and adventure, and is reminiscent of martial arts movies. While I personally am not a huge fan of these flicks (and by extension, this book), one can’t help but get caught up in the story. Guo Jing is like a leaf in the wind, being blown from one event to the next. Many of the scenes feature detailed battles, some of which go on for pages. It is easy to envision exactly what is happening, and the book flies by on a breakneck pace. The action and the plot form a cohesive element that powers the book from beginning to end.

Don’t look for deep characterizations here, it’s just not that type of book. Energy is focused on the entertainment, both in the battles as well as the participants. Groups of fighters are known by their individual as well as their group names. The Four Daemons of the Yellow River should strike fear in the heart of any of their enemies, and there was no way I was not going to get involved with The Seven Freaks of the South.

I would recommend not reading the CHARACTERS section in the beginning of the book. The list of names might seem overwhelming, and it really didn’t help me with reading the book. However, if you get caught up in the series, it will be a helpful reminder of who everyone is, as the individual descriptions are short but illuminating.

The book seemed to end, not necessarily as a cliffhanger, but certainly with a lot of strings left unraveled. I am guessing this is because there will eventually be twelve books that will tell the entire story, and where “A Hero Born” stopped must have been the most logical spot. I am not an expert on translated works, but since nothing in the text seemed jarring or out of place, I would consider the work to be satisfactory. Fun read, especially for those fans of kung fu movies. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.

Kung-fu Chinese fantasy novel - not for everyone

This is the first of twelve volumes in this fantasy Kung Fu series by a celebrated Chinese author, Jin Yong. This novel centres around two sons of martial art heroes and their fate. Guo encounters a variety of martial art experts and the text is full of fights and Kung fu moves. There’s some historical context but the whole experience is long and not particularly engaging, unless you’re a fan of that sort of thing. The fact that I found this easy to put down says a lot. I completed it, hoping for a bit more inspiration but unfortunately it didn’t happen. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just missed the mark for me. I picked it up because it was dubbed as an epic tale, a classic like Game of Thrones. But it just dragged for me. I've read online that many didn't think an English translation of this story would become a hit in the American market, and I hate that I didn't like it, but I don't think it had anything to do with it being Chinese, so much as the tale is just old and not as impressive anymore, for me at any rate. I also read online a lot of people compared it to LOTR and maybe that's why I did not enjoy it, because I thought LOTR dragged on as well. I loved The Hobbit as a child, but as an adult I can't bring myself to read LOTR. Classic fantasy seems to drag on and on for me, and so did this book.

Arc provided by St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my honest review. A Hero Born is a classic story. Unfortunately for me I just could not engage with this book at all. I do believe a lot of the promising qualities definitely got lost in translation.

I normally avoid 'adult' books since they take me so long to finish, but sometimes there will be one that's just interesting enough to tempt me to pick it up. This is one of those. I was well rewarded! I ended up loving this and reading it much faster than I thought I would. Well written and original, I highly recommend this one!

Though it has no specific counterpart in Western writing, the wuxia novel has been part of Chinese literature for centuries. ‘Wuxia’ literally means ‘armed heroes’, and features stories about young heroes who usually come from a lower social class and have no lord or master to follow. These heroes usually endure some sort of personal tragedy or loss and often go on a quest to right some wrong. They are guided by a code of ethics not unlike Western chivalry or the Japanese samurai bushido, are trained in a martial art style, and do their best to redress wrongs done to themselves or others.

With his Legends of the Condor Heroes series, popular Chinese author Jin Yong (the pen name of Louis Cha) created a story that has become massively popular since it was first serialized in 1957. Since then, the series has sold more than 300,000,000 copies and been translated in multiple languages, though this new translation by Anna Holmwood is the first time the story has appeared in English.

Though A Hero Born is about the early life of Guo Jing, the story opens before his birth. Skyfury Guo and Ironheart Yang are the best of friends, and their wives are both pregnant. The two friends decide that their children will either be sworn siblings (if they are the same gender) of will be married (if they are of different genders). But before either child is born, a chance encounter with a Taoist will bring ruin onto their lives, as both Skyfury Guo, Ironheart Yang, and the Taoist are enemies of the corrupt government. When soldiers set upon them, the friends are separated and killed and their wives forced to flee. Skyfury’s wife, Lily Li, ends up in Mongolia, where she gives birth to her son, Guo Jing. Eventually, they end up in the court of Temujin, the future Genghis Khan, who takes a liking to young Guo Jing and raises him along with his own children.

Meanwhile, a group of warriors known as the Seven Freaks of the South has been searching for Guo Jing in order to fulfill a promise they made. They intend to train Guo Jing in their various styles of martial arts so that one day, he can face an opponent who will be his equal– and his opposite. The Seven Freaks of the South encounter many obstacles in their quest, however, and come across enemies who could put an end to all of them before they even locate Guo Jing.

But after many trials and travails, the Seven Freaks to find Guo Jing and begin to train him. Their elation is tempered by the fact that Guo Jing has little aptitude for martial arts, and while the boy has great mental fortitude and purity of heart, he is not very smart. The Seven Freaks worry that he will not be ready to face his opponent when the time comes. Behind all this, political forces are slowly building and will soon clash in ways that will change the course of history forever.

“Temujin’s men had claimed a resolute victory over their longstanding enemy… Temujin was flooded with the memories of his capture at their hands, their beatings and insults, the torture and the yoke. Today’s victory had gone some way to redressing that humiliation. His heart quickened, and a laugh bubbled up from within. The earth shook with the shouts of his men as they withdrew from the bloody field.”

It is clear early on that A Hero Born is not a novel from a Western tradition. There is little worldbuilding and even less explanation of the story’s historical background. Readers are expected to know who Temujin is and what his place is in Chinese history. The struggle between the Jin and Song factions are glossed over, too, and readers unfamiliar with Chinese may find themselves flailing at first, though Holmwood’s introduction goes a long way to orienting readers within the historical and cultural context of A Hero Born. But a perfect understanding of Chinese history is not necessary to the story, as contextual clues help the reader to sort out the basics of the good guys and the bad guys.

The pacing, too, is different from what Western readers will be accustomed to. Though the story spans many years and hundreds of miles, the exposition is largely glossed over in favor of intricately described action sequences featuring names of martial arts forms that seem strange at first until the reader settles into the flow of the story. If the reader has watched Chinese martial arts films such as Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002) or House of Flying Daggers (2004), then imagining the many fight scenes will be easy, as Jon Yong’s writing (and Holmwood’s translation) paints of vivid picture of the fight scenes and moves the story forward at lightning speed.

This is not to say that A Hero Born is nothing but a series of linked fight scenes. It has all the elements a great story could want– rivalries, pure-hearted heroes, clever heroines, love, loss, and tragedy backed up by sweeping historical events. Holmwood’s brilliant translation of A Hero Born opens up an exciting story to the English-speaking world and will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the next installment.

A Hero Born is an epic novel about the Chinese, the Mongols, and the Huns. It was a story of the struggle between the differing clans. It is an epic tale of adventure, little bit of romance, and some legends mixed together. The story is long but packed full of action so the pace moves quickly.
I enjoyed the adventure, the characters, and the unfolding of the world in which they lived. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had a better understanding of Chinese culture and history or a better understanding of kungfu. Due to my ignorance of these topics, I wasn't as invested into the story as I could have been but it does make me want to educate myself further on the topics.
I don't think this was a book for me but if you enjoy kungfu or Chinese history you may want to pick up this story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

A Kung-fu story based in 1200 AD China mixing fantasy action with historical events., Two babies from blood brothers are separated before their birth and taught their fighting skills by different masters; one in Mongolia in the land of the the soon-to-be Genghis Khan and the second in the corrupt Chinese southern Jin Empire. The focus is on Guo Jing, his training in Mongolia, various adventures and his journey back to the Jin Empire.
The descriptions of the various fights made use of mythical moves and capabilities that left much to the reader's imagination. I think it worked. I found the story to be fast moving with new characters coming along adding new capabilities and dimensions to this tale of corruption, kung-fu, religious sects and magical moments.
I hated the ending though - too many balls left in the air. How do I get a translated version of the next in this series?

Lost in translation. That's how it felt mostly for me. I believe this book has great potential. I was hoping for an epic fantasy paired with martial arts/Kung Fu, but I had issues with the writing style and the characters. I had trouble keeping them all apart or even picturing them in my head. The dialogues are all matter of fact without and wooden.
I really wanted to like this, but I DNFed it at 30%.
I still believe though that this will find it's fanbase.

The overall sweeping plot of the book was good. I enjoyed the historical aspect of it. The fight scenes and the explanation of kung fu also read really well. I was a little frustrated with the translation of the book, and lot of it felt too literal and the prose just didn't translate correctly or read fluently. This made the characters all seem super one dimensional.

I was glad that I gave it a shot, but I don't think I will be picking up the next book in the series, it just wasn't really my cup of tea.

This was billed as an epic tale, a Chinese LOTR, and I was excited to get an opportunity to read it. My excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Not only was it nothing like LOTR but the prose was awkward at best. I fear that a lot of its luster was lost in the translation process. Despite three separate attempts, this is a DNF for me at 27% complete.

The other main flaw for me was the lack of character development. There is plenty of action which was the best part of the story. However, the action scenes where not written well enough to overcome the flaws. I never was invested in this story and it become more and more laborious the further along I read.

I received a free copy form the publisher in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com.

I had never read any wuxia before, and in fact hadn't learned about this genre before starting A Hero Born. I had picked this book with the idea that it would be an epic fantasy (in the veins of LOTR, Kingkiller Chronicles, or even Across the Nightingale Floor). However, this was not that book. I'm not sure if it is a matter of translation or if it is a feature of the genre, but the writing style is very straightforward and almost matter-of-fact, and failed to keep my attention. Ultimately, this is not a book, possibly a genre, for me.

I just couldn't get into this book. I thought the premise would hook me but I never found myself wanting to read the next page. Dull and boring style of writing

Very conflicted with this book; I loved it, I hated it, I was confused, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

The first in a series of three volumes, translated from the original Chinese, this is a novel of the rich history of kung fu/martial arts and Taoism in ancient China. The characters are fascinating, if you can keep track of them. There were so many different people being introduced I started to have trouble remembering who was who, was that a good guy or a bad guy, was that the husbands name or the Princes name?! However, the more you read, the easier it does become to sort them all out. (And DO be sure and read the introduction, which helps immensely in explaining the who, what, where and why's.)

The kung fu fights are descriptive, but not always in a good way; "he... performed a move known as Wind Disperses Swirling Clouds", "...he attacked with Hands Move Mountain", "he pulled out his whip and performed a move known as Black Dragon Fetches Water...". These are all very cool sounding, but there was no accompanying description so if you are not fluent in kung fu, you have no idea what he is doing! Some you can figure out by the name, but others made no sense and it was hard to imagine what was going on in the fight scenes.

The plot was very engrossing, however, with betrayals, love interests, bravery and more! And the peek you get into the rise of Ghengis Kahn is mesmerizing.

So would I recommend this book? Absolutely, especially if you are a aficionado of kung fu, Taoism, ancient Chinese history, a good action story, etc. Would I recommend it with a caveat? For sure; it wasn't easy to slog thru, you have to do a lot of reading between the lines, and keeping track of everyone was not a walk in the park. But what an entertaining walk it is if you can persevere.

One last thing, although I knew this was the first installment in a series, the ending was so abrupt I almost got whiplash. So be prepared for a very unsatisfying ending. And an eager wait for Volume II..

56 points, 3 stars

Review:
I have to say, it was quite a trip figuring out the ins and outs of this particular book. This originally came out in China in 1957, but this is the first time it has been translated into English. In the US. Probably.

A Hero Born starts off with things going really wrong for the initial main characters. There are two married couples, and the husbands end up under threat and die. And the women are split up. They're both pregnant.

Which is relevant because another person is like "oh shit this is fucked up, that shouldn't have happened to these people. I'm going to avenge these guys!" And ends up fighting these other guys.

Which ends up relevant because they make a bet when they realize they are at an impasse. They will each go after and teach one of the children of the pregnant women the way of kung fu. Whichever child wins, there master was better because they were able to teach the kid better. You're going "that's nuts, who thinks that way?!" right? I was, too. Just accept it, it gets more...more from there.

That's about the first fifteen percent of A Hero Born, followed by about 18 years worth of "this boy is useless in kung fu!". Guo Jing is, of course, not useless in kung fu. But Guo Jing is a kind hearted, kind of slow young boy who grows into a young man. So he appears useless at kung fu. His teachers despair he will ever learn and win the bet. Because that is all that matters.

A Hero Born features a lot of heroic feats and tests of strength and honor. There are a lot of battles between individuals. Which means a lot of mean-spirited side characters, delving on truly awful. But also a lot of not so bad side-characters that showcase just how much of a better person Guo Jing really is than everyone else around him.

The focus of this book isn't the characters, nor the setting. It isn't really the people of China and Mongolia. It isn't the fantasy, since this is Wuxia and even that takes a very long time to show up. Nope, it is about Guo Jing and how he is so kung fu other kung fu people are like "whoa look out for him, he's so kung fu!" Because kung fu isn't just a martial art, it is a way of life.

In other words this was completely and totally the opposite of what I typically want or even like in a book. And not in a good way, which often happens with me. The initial premise of of Ghengis Khan was interesting and all, but it just wasn't enough for me. I won't be continuing with the series, but it was worth the try.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Jin Yong and Anna Holmwood, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to review this copy.

If you love stories translated from foreign cultures - if you enjoy complex stories with weighty themes like war, betrayal, love and friendship - if you are always on the lookout for exquisite writing, classic stories and books that will alter how you view the world - than pick up A Hero Born by Jin Young!

Translated from Chinese, this book seems a little intimidating at first - there are pages and pages of characters and background information to look through before the story even begins - but once you begin reading, you will find yourself hooked!

This isn't your ordinary novel. Set aside the time to immerse yourself in this book. You won't regret it!

Translation are bound to be full of minefields and so it is with A Hero Born by Jin Yong. That was my first thought as I read this book. The cultural flavor is still intact. Also the story flows pretty well in this English version too. However, the description I read said it was a Chinese “Lord of the Rings”. That statement I can’t agree with after reading the book. It is something unique in itself.

The story is quite complex and intricate involving war, displacement, politics, brotherhood, coming of age and fantasy. Quite a lot for any one book. Perhaps because of the ancient and very different cultural aspects, I found it difficult at times to feel connected to the character. There are also many characters that Guo Jing encounters in his journey. Still I can understand why it is considered a Chinese classic.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you like martial arts movies, this is a must-read. However, if you leave that kind of movie saying things like, “cool stunts, but why were they fighting again…and why did that guy let himself die?” you might want to give this a miss.

I found the historical fiction aspects of this quite interesting. My knowledge of Chinese history is negligible, and this was kind of a fun way to get a feel for cultural and political issues in the early 1200’s (Temujin / Genghis Khan is a major secondary character).

The story’s highly episodic plot (this was originally a serial) is driven by a very Eastern code of honor combined with quick tempers and arrogance. It’s probably just my Western mindset, but to me a lot of the interpersonal behavior just seemed incredibly petty and/or driven by passing whims (with little purpose other than setting up a kung fu action set piece).

There is very little plot resolution at the end of the book. We now have most of the major characters in the same place (and they have all managed to kung fu fight amongst themselves in various combinations), but none of the major story arcs have been resolved.

The translation work as a whole seemed to flow fairly smoothly considering how much difference in writing style and sentence structure there must be between the two languages. One slightly odd feature of the translation was the inconsistent handling of names: some were translated with their English meaning and others merely transliterated with the meaning pointed out in an aside.

Overall, I’m glad for the opportunity to experience a book from another culture that is so staggeringly popular (>300 million sold plus bootleg copies probably totalling over 1 billion according to one of the appendices), but apparently martial arts books just aren't my cup of tea.

This book is a bit slow to start but quickly picks up the pace and intensity as things progress. There are a ton of characters to keep up with which makes the story all the more interesting and engaging. Overall, it took a little too long to get into this but I would recommend to those action and fantasy fans.