The first thing I really noticed about this book was the incredibly evocative imagery. This is a fantastic tale of kung fu and Ancient China, and it lives up to it's legend. The translation into English is brilliantly done, conveying not only the full meaning and nuances of the tale, but also keeping the pace and "sound" of the original Chinese.
A truly great start to an epic tale - I look forward to reading the next books in the series!

In this book there is intrigue, romance, wicked princes and advisers. The translation of this book let it down and why I only gave it 4 stars, as it made the book difficult to understand at times as I got confused, but none the less the book it's self is a great book, the characters are great and the plot was a great plot and the explanation of the kung-Fu is great and really gets you imagining what moves they are doing in the moment.

overall this book was great and I appreciate that translating it into English must of been a difficult task so for that they did a great job but there were just a few places in the book that were a bit choppy and misleading. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone that is into historical fiction and kung-Fu.

brief summary
This novel introduces English-speaking readers to the epic world of the wuxia, full of kung fu masters villainous and virtuous, sacred oaths, disguises, and intrigue as it follows the youth and training of a young man whose destiny was set before he was even born.

full review
This contemporary novel was actually written in 1957, but it is only with this translation that English speakers have widespread access to it, and we've certainly been missing out. Translator Anna Holmwood has rendered Jin Yong's text in such a way that to read it one feels they are reading the screenplay of an old kung fu movie, the sort with outlandish makeup and lots of wirework (which I shall henceforth refer to as wire fu). This can be a good or bad thing, depending on a reader's tolerance for contrived-sounding dialogue and outrageous claims of martial prowess and spiritual enlightenment narrated in the breathless prose of a penny dreadful.

The novel begins with a vow taken between two friends who are like brothers that their as-yet unborn children will either be sworn brothers or betrothed. They seal this vow by exchanging daggers emblazoned with the names of their offspring-to-be, which were suggested by a passing monk with whom they nearly did battle until proper respect and reverence was established all around. Both of these fathers are soon murdered dreadfully and their mothers are separated by villains, one to Mongolia and the other to a storage room for handy plot devices. The monk who named these fetuses comes across a group of seven warriors (who actually call themselves the Seven Freaks) and for some obscure reason must match himself against them, which terminates in a bet between them: the monk will find one of the missing mothers, the Freaks the other, and they will each teach the resultant child their martial arts and in eighteen years pit the children against each other to determine who is the ultimate winner (the Freaks or the monk).

What follows is the sort of convoluted plotting one expects from wuxia tradition. There's intrigue, romance, wicked princes and advisers, and a cameo from young Genghis Khan (back when he still went by Temujin). It is a lot of fun, but would probably be easier to follow as a cinematic experience, where there would be visual cues to help remind people who is who. Names fly fast and furious, and without the handy guide at the beginning of the book it would be easy to lose track of characters, even though their names have frequently been simplified or translated directly (for instance, the character Rong is named Lotus so that English readers can be in on the joke that this character is a woman in disguise, since most English speakers would not otherwise know that Rong has several semantic interpretations, some of which indicate femininity). Many characters have several names (all of the monks seem to, for instance), and their assumed names range from "eh, okay" to "what in the world" (I'm thinking specifically of Iron Corpse and Copper Corpse, an evil married pair who practices evil kung fu involving skulls and a lot of evil, apparently). Since this is the first book in a long series, it is to be expected that the cast of characters will increase drastically, so with luck there will be a series recap at the beginning of the next volume.

One of the traits that sets this book firmly in the wuxia tradition is the way characters are introduced to each other and to the audience. Minimal time is devoted to physical description, but multiple chapters are given to describing kung fu styles and then narrating the resultant battle between acquaintances. Because there's absolutely going to be a battle. Apparently kung fu masters are like cats, who must, upon meeting, establish who is the most important and best of all before any real conversation or useful action can be taken. The lineage of shifus must be exchanged (or divined upon recognizing a style of fighting), along with insults, false modesty, and finally epic wire fu battles involving not only implausible physical prowess, but feats of qi mastery that can literally render another human being stunned and speechless. It's unbelievable, of course, and more than a little silly, but for fans of the genre this is the stuff that makes the novel a delight. It also adds significantly to its length. If people simply bowed and exchanged names when they met, this book would be at least a hundred pages shorter.

I am not sure that this book makes the best introduction to the genre, as readers unfamiliar with the style might find the florid language and plot contrivances excessive and off-putting, but it does typify the wuxia genre, so fans should be pleased by this addition to English-language wuxia offerings. I was unable to make heads or tails of the chapter divisions, and why they were placed as they were, but I enjoyed the illustrations and appreciated the notes on translation and historical figures at the end of the book.

An interesting read. Read with my 16-year-old son and mandarin student, whose teacher got him really excited about the author. He says he enjoyed the book and its intricate plot. He liked the diversity in the types of characters. He did think it got confusing in places, and he thought it got a little slow in some places, but overall he enjoyed the book.

Being a history buff, I enjoyed this unusual book. At times the writing is jagged; it is unclear exactly what happened. I would tell myself 'it was lost in translation.' But the references to the Mongols, Khan, and that era made the read worth it to me. The question is, what happens next? The hero of the book, Guo, is a sensitive and honest young man, a good fighter, but appears not the brightest. I questioned whether Wanyan *could* be Wang's son, but the book didn't make it that far. I would be interested to read the next book - if there is one - just to answer that question.

I did not enjoy this book unfortunately. The translation seemed very literal making the language choppy. I had high hopes but this book unfortunately fell short.

Jin Yong’s epic serial starts with “A Hero Born” a classic wuxia story from the late 1950s. Yong’s story has been adapted into television, films and even a comic book. This is the first volume of an expected four book series, and it’s a doozy.

Set during the Jin Song Wars of China in the 12th-13th century, “A Hero Born” is a generational tale that starts with Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, sworn brothers who hate the Jurchen invaders. They both swear that, like them, their children will either be sworn-siblings or will marry. This kicks off an epic that will span decades of fantastical, mystical, and impressive martial arts fights.

Unfortunately, this translation, while a noble attempt by Anna Holmwood, left a lot to be desired. While likely adhering to the Yong’s original, which works well for those familiar with other Classical Chinese stories, it may be a bit off-putting for many Western readers. Also, while common in Eastern stories for a character’s name to change given circumstances, Holmwood would have been better served by leaving them consistent, as this may be another point of confusion for English-language readers.

That all said, Jin Yong’s epic is not one to be missed by fans of martial arts, whether familiar with wuxia or not. This epic tale spanning multiple generations in a China that is at once both very real, and filled with fantasy and the fantastical.

It's a book whose story is about a part of the history of China and the separation of families.. The writer's ability to put you right into the landscape, character's lives and political climate of the time. It is a wonderful book where martial arts, loyalty and betrayal are artfully woven. I didn't find this book to be fantasy so much.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I thought the plot, translation/overall writing, characters, and mystical scenes were well done. I only wish in these cases I could read in every language and understand them. So I could see what underlying tones or hidden elements may be accidentally (or intentionally) left out.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected! I was worried that I was going to DNF it actually since I read a few reviews from people I follow in Goodreads that the translation style wasn't that great. But the more I read, the more I enjoyed.

Let me separate my opinion in two ways, the translation and the original.

For the translation, it was simple and easy to breeze through it. However, because of that, I felt like it didn't have that much mystical feel to it that's part of the classic Chinese fantasy. Another thing I wasn't a big fan of was how the translator also translated some of the characters names. I would have preferred it if she just mentioned what they meant and stuck with the original names. Besides these complains, the translation was good.

As for the original, it is your typical classic Chinese fantasy story, which means martial arts and the exagerated need to protect honor (super exaggerated in my opinion at least). I didn't enjoy the beginning of the story much. I started enjoying it a lot midway until the end though. The one thing that bothered me in the beginning was how it felt like the author momentarily forgot that the women were pregnant? It's barely mentioned and moreover the women were thrown here and there and barely had enough food to eat to support the babies (but then again this is fiction but it still bothered me though). Besides that I liked where the story is heading.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and I'm definitely reading the sequels. I can't believe this ended in a cliffhanger too 😩


Digital copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

A very fun read, though parts of it quite slow. Definitely not anything like Lord of the Rings, except that it's a modern classic apparently? Really appreciate the translation work that went into this one. Beautifully written.

As a lover of Asian culture, this book really surprised me!
I loved the whole premise and the writing style was on point!
Highly recommend!

The Legends of the Condor Heroes took over sixty years to find its way to western shores, but the impacts of Louis Cha's (Jin Yong is his pen name) sweeping historical wuxia series have been trickling into American culture since the Shaw Brothers began making martial arts movies in the seventies. Everything from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to The Matrix has been influenced by the dynamic characters, intricate fight sequences and mythical abilities of Cha's, Legends of the Condor Heroes trilogy.

The first book in the series, A Hero Born, begins during the Jin-Song wars of the 12th century, when the Jurchen were invading the southern Song and a young Temüjin (Ghengis Khan) was preparing to unite the tribes of Mongolia. The story follows Guo Jing, the son of a murdered Song patriot, who is raised with Temüjin's army. Guo's fate becomes twisted from growing up as a second generation of sworn brothers when his father and best friend were murdered and their pregnant wives separated. An unfortunate run-in between a Taoist—sworn to train the two sons—and The Seven Heroes of the South, split the destinies of the unborn sons only to force them to face each other in combat when they become grown men.

The english publisher describes the Legends of the Condor Heroes as the Chinese Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, but doing so creates expectations in the western reader that can not be fulfilled by Cha's work. I think it would be more accurate to describe the seminal series as a Marvel Universe rooted in the history of one of the oldest civilizations. The characters and their powers of strength and wisdom feel more like western superheroes than a fantasy-world made up of imaginary kingdoms and races. Cha's China is real, filled with men and women of exceptional skills and abilities, fighting for honor—or greed and revenge—as classic heroes and villains.

The task of translating this work into english must have been as dizzying for Anna Holmwood as the fast-moving action of the plot itself. The book unfolds at breakneck speed across two decades, filling your mind with ballet-like choreography and historical context as effectively as any action movie. Holmwood's notes following the story provide context in her choices in translation as well as more context on the communities of wuxia (martial artists) as wulin (a collection of heroes bound by a code of martial arts) and jianghu (more like a society of gangsters). I have rarely had more fun reading a novel and look forward to the rest of the dynasty-spanning epic, as well as revisiting the stories often.

3.8

This novel follows two sworn brothers from the Song kingdom - Guo Jing (main character), who was taken in by the Mongolians and Yang Kang, who was raised by the Jin. Fate brought them together one day under very unexpected circumstances. What's to become to these brothers who serve opposing parties? Will they stay brothers or nemesis? Will Guo Jing regain his motherland from the Jin Empire?

Firstly, don't let the translation turn you off. Don't let it deter you from reading it. Although sometimes it felt like I was reading subtitles from a Kung fu show (not a bad thing, really) , I thoroughly enjoyed the journey! (I love kung-fu movies by the way)

The story was amazing! It felt as though I was watching a Kung-fu movie! Despite their funny-sounding kung-fu names (like Browbeater Hou, Gallant Ouyang, Lama Supreme Wisdom) and moves such as Weight Steps to Catch the Toad, Orchid Touch, Branch Bears the White Chimpanzee (it's understandable since it was translated from Chinese, which I'm aware isn't an easy feat) I loved how the moves played out in my mind. I also fell in love with the characters - from Guo Jing to all the shifus and enemies they met and made along the way! Enjoyed the funny parts too!

What's bothering me now is that I got to wait for the next volume! Guo Jing and Lotus kind of grew on me and I want to know what happens to them, and the contest between Guo Jing and his sworn brother, Yang Kang! Who's going to win? Will they stay brothers as sworn or nemesis? And I want to know more about Eternal Spring Qiu Chuji and the Seven Freaks! And what's to become of the Song and Jin Empire?

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

English translation of the first volume of “Legend of the Condor Heroes,” an epic Chinese martial arts series /historical fantasy set in the 1200s (warring Jin and Song kingdoms and the rise of the Mongols under Genghis Khan). The novel addresses interesting questions about loyalty and patriotism by following the deeply different but parallel narratives of two protagonists from the Song kingdom born at the same time to families broken by war: Guo Jing (main hero), who is taken by his mother to Mongolia and Yang Kang, who is raised by the Jin. As they grow up and become young men, will they be loyal to the community they are raised in or to the ones of their birth? Competition for mastery of the martial arts also play a major role. The series is so popular in China and Taiwan I believe it has been turned into TV series at least 4-5 times over the last 30 years.

I read this out of curiosity about the source material. I found the direct translation of people’s names a bit jarring (eg., names like Lotus, Jade Han, The Freaks) and there were so many characters it was difficult to track at first. Although there are a few strong female characters, for the most part historical gender stereotypes apply.

I found the beginning a bit slow going because it focuses first on what happens to the protagonists’ parents before they are born and how they end up where they are. However once the protagonists become young men out in the world (and particularly once Guo Jing meets Lotus!) the story picked up. and I look forward to reading the next volume.

A Hero Born by Jin Yong – 2 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250220608

I suppose my expectation was to read a saga similar to Shogan by James Clavell where history flowed out of the story while the plot covered centuries and several volumes. Was I surprised when my mind became saturated with silly Kung Fu movements, names, and skirmish after skirmish that contributed to the advertised saga. Grammatically it is well written, a reflection of the translator I presume. The underlying plot of two children born to Song parents who were killed by Jin terrorists, manipulators and controllers of the governments for years, who reunite as sworn brothers under the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan was inviting. The continuous Kung Fu was a bit Beyond the Tallest Elephant Head and as interesting as the Boring Boar Trips on Chestnuts movement. Sorry, I just had to create my own nonsensical phrases to illustrate what is, I guess, the image of Chinese fantasy distributed throughout. I love Sci Fi and Fantasies; but, this was far too consuming for the enjoyment obtained -- 11 more volumes of this? No thanks. I’ll be generous and rate it a 2.

Reviewer: Rich

This is a coming of age novel for two boys, born of martial arts masters and destined to grow up as brothers but separated by circumstances.

Overall this novel was good but I didn't find myself dragged into it. I was reading it but wasn't engulfed like you get with truly amazing stories. I think this is due to my inability to truly connect with the characters.

The plot was good with plenty of action. However the constant underlying theme of loyalty and honour was too much. I never understood why honour was so important, even if it costs you your life.

The characters were strange, especially the Seven Freaks. I wasn't sure if the author was trying to make them comical as they constantly bickered and fought among themselves. Some comical characters are okay, if they're consistent. But then the author had them concerned with honour through an agreement they made 18 years ago with the Taoist which didn't mix with their laid back and comical side.

Also no deaths had any emotional impacts. It was just like "oh, so and so died. Oh well, time to move on."

In summary this was a good fantasy novel. I think something was lost in translation as I didn't feel as big of an emotional impact as I would have liked.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I received a copy through Netgalley to review.

I had just finished a couple other books of a similar setting and was itching for something more. I've always been a fan of stories like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Ip Man", "Red Cliff", etc so this seemed right up my alley.

The book begins without too much in the way of introduction, we briefly meet Skyfury Guo and Ironheart Yang. Things happen and then we are into the rest of the bulk of the book about Guo Jing and his adolescence growing up with the family of Temujin a.k.a. Genghis Khan. The story is definitely building towards something but we don't quite get there by the end of the book.

The action sequences are smooth and exciting, the overall story is compelling, and the plot is coherent. My biggest grievance is with some of the naming conventions that make it difficult to keep track of who is who, followed by the rapid perspective changes that sometimes required looking back over what I had just read to see who's eyes I was "seeing" out of.

Overall, I was pleased with the book and will be looking to pick up the 2nd and continue on.

It is a difficult thing to find Chinese fiction translated into English. A great deal of the classics (Zhuangzi, Confucius, Laozi), the ‘four novels of the Chinese canon’, and a fair amount of poetry have all made their way in translation, but modern and post-modern (and I assume now meta-modern) novels are few and far between. It is thus perhaps something of a significant moment that The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha) has made its way across the lingual divide in an official translation from St. Martin’s Press, the first volume of which is A Hero Born.

A Hero Born doesn’t stop from the word go. Telling the story of the sworn brothers Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, it is set against a backdrop of the Song-Jin dynasties (in what is roughly China today) and the rise of the Mongolian tribes to the north. In action-packed style, it tells the story of farmers Yang and Guo whose lives, caught at an unfortunate crossroads, take a fateful turn when a renegade Taoist monk who has recently killed a corrupt government official finds his way to their village. The army tracking him there, the fight turns ugly, and spins the lives of Yang and Guo’s families in different directions. A Hero Born is the story of those lives—or at least Act I.


Exotic in the context of modern Western fantasy series, A Hero Born is a breath of fresh air—or Ginseng Wind Caresses the Soul if the novel would have its way. Where most multi-volume fantasies in English these days readily and willingly bog themselves down in the boring minutiae of ‘worldbuilding’, Jin readily eschews spurious detail to focus on plot, action, and to some degree, character. Major events, fighting, and story transitions core to the novel, the scenes move very quickly as action shifts the narrative space perpetually forward, rarely if ever pausing to detail court attire, expound on the qualities of a lady’s hair brush, or navel gaze into the flow of wind through the heather. It is the day to Robert Jordan’s night.

And the transitions are anything but predictable. Jin Yong’s mind a wonderfully imaginative place, the scenes play out beyond what is often a black & white, good vs evil setup. Kung fu the mode rigeur, fanciful styles and moves, incredible leaps and feats of strength splash colorfully across the page, even as the imaginary hierarchy of kung fu masters that reveals itself is tested in combat. Nothing says martial arts like a duel between Master Eternal Spring and his Lightning Ignites the Sky thrust versus the mercenary Three-Horned Dragon and his parry, Nine Ying Skeleton Claw. One can almost see the hidden wires of Hong Kong’s action movie scene bouncing the characters and their outlandish stylings across the book’s screen. These scenes, often resolved in unexpected ways though standard in set up, flow into and feed the overarching narrative arc in highly entertaining ways.

If there is any downside to the book, it’s that its end is a pause—not a cliffhanger, not a natural break in the action, a pause. The reality seems that instead of publishing one massive volume, St. Martin’s Press chose to break the book into four volumes. When considering two things 1) Yong’s style, i.e. his perpetual avalanche of story that leaves no room for cliffhangers or natural breaks, and 2) the Chinese language fits in significantly tighter spaces than does the English, means what is probably a good sized volume in Chinese doesn’t naturally fit into a single volume in English, and publishers likely chose to pause at a proportional place rather than plot break. So be it.

In the end, A Hero Born feels like a kung fu re-visioning of Outlaw of the Marsh (aka The Water Margin) with a bit of the wild stylings of the Monkey King’s Journey to the West to ginseng matters up. The emphasis is on martial prowess, but behind it are a strong set of morals focusing on the value of virtue, honesty, family, allegiance, perseverance, and a dash of Chinese filial piety thrown in for good measure. In content, the book is wholly non-Western—a refreshing thing. Fantasies featuring princesses, knights, and dragons a worn, muddy road in the West, having things mixed up with the exotic nature of kung fu, Chinese history, and Oriental custom, not to mention a pace that excludes the minutiae of worldbuilding, is a Nine Dragons of the East blast of clean air.

I have read the book in its original language, and struggle to review this book in an objective way. The original author wrote this book with a lot of good prose, he had a great writing style. But the translation of that book is not the best. I understand that it is hard, but a lot of the hidden meaning was lost in the book.
A Hero Born is not some boring book about kung fu and martial arts, and the elegance is lost during translation. Perhaps this is in need of another edit.