Desperate to fulfil a promise to protect and train the children of the sworn brothers Ironheart Yang and Skyfury Guo, Qui Chuji, issues a challenge to The Seven Freaks of the South, to meet up again at their eighteenth birthday and prove which martial family taught the children best.
With a few detours and with war sweeping across the plains, we embark on a journey to train and get the kids to the meeting point on time but before they can do any of that they will have to find them first.

This genre is pretty new to me outside of film but I loved getting to see some of the inspiration behind many of the movies and dramas, that I have seen. I’m also finding it a lot more difficult than I expected to review this translated classic.
I think this translation does well at capturing the mysticism and it sparks the imagination while still being accessible to the new to wuxia readers.
But there were points in the book that I found frustrating and I don’t know where to fault- if it’s because of the translation- I haven’t read the source, so I can’t say, or is it because the original is fifty years old and I am sure a bit dated now. At times though it was hard for me to keep up with the jumping around from one character to another character’s headspace. There are a lot of characters too so this was even more frustrating.

On the whole though, I loved the style- the silliness of some of the humor, the betrayals, the mythical moves with names like “open the window and push back the moon” and the strong themes of brotherhood and family honor and loyalties that transcend death. All things I enjoy in Chinese film and dramas to a degree are there and the beautiful illustrations were a huge bonus.

The story itself has a fable-like quality with the detours in the plot, as we see and hear about the Seven Freaks and their fight with Cyclone Mei, Qui Chuji and his battle with the Freaks. Charity tending to the wounded soldier- you know is going to go all wrong in the end, and all those little story arcs inside the big one kept me reading and were exciting but I also felt they could have been more cohesive in their presentation.


I can overlook most of that because I did enjoy the story, except for the way it ended. I knew that there was going to be several books to this series but I had hoped that the next story would be after the challenge from Qui Chuji was fulfilled- again hard to say where the fault lies but it was a disappointing place to end this arc.

There is a lot to love in this story though, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read this Chinese classic.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press, for granting my wish for this book.


Review will go up on blog, social media etc. closer to pub date (sept).

ARC provided by the publisher—St. Martin’s Press—in exchange for an honest review.

A Hero Born is the start to Jin Yong’s highly praised classic series but a lot of the promising quality of the book seems to get lost in translation.

I’m genuinely sad with my ratings for this one, but I have to be honest that I have mixed feelings towards this novel. When I was around 5 years old, I used to watch The Legends of the Condor Heroes a lot with my parents. When I missed an episode, my parents would tell me the story in detail; teaching me the meaning behind the actions of each character. This series, even though I’ve never read it until now, has a spot of nostalgia for me. That being said, it’s been more than 20 years and I honestly remember extremely little about it. What I do remember is that the story eventually grew significantly larger in scope and complexity than the coming-of-age tale we have in A Hero Born. I’ll divide this review strictly into what worked and what didn’t; let’s start with the parts that worked first.

A Hero Born has an engrossing story, even though the prose and the naming didn’t work (more on this in the next paragraph) for me, I found that my interest to continue reading was always there. The actions were great, the depiction of kung-fu was exciting and refreshing to read. I also enjoyed reading the theme of friendships, loyalty, and love within this book. Remember, this is just the first book of a sub-series that became a much bigger series, and for the beginning installment, I think the storyline in A Hero Born, although understandably quite full of cliché due to it being published more than 50 years ago, the book served its job as a setup for the next installments wonderfully.

As for what didn’t work, it lies mostly in the translations that seem to translate every word and names literally. Now, I haven’t read the original Chinese material and because of that, I can’t precisely compare the quality of the prose itself; I can’t blame every part that didn’t work on the translation. However, as for this edition, the prose feels so unnatural and clunky to read; some doesn’t even make sense. “An arrow hit the back of his head.” And the same character proceeded to sing as if nothing happened, what does that even mean? Which part of the arrow hit him that he was able to walk unscathed? And then there was a character who ran into a pole and literally died after. Think about it, hit in the back of the head by an arrow and ran into a pole, which one would kill a person realistically? As for why I think everything was translated literally, this can easily be analyzed from the character’s names. Instead of sticking with the original Chinese name, the translator translated the names literally. Here are a few examples:

-Duan Tiande became Justice Duan
-Huang Rong became Lotus Huang
-Guo Xiaotian became Skyfury Guo
-Yang Tiexin became Ironheart Yang
-Bao Xiruo became Charity Bao
-Li Ping became Lily Li (Just try saying this translated name repeatedly: Lilililililililililililililililili)

For me who’s used to the original names, this is all so awkward. Plus, it just seems inconsistent because some of the main characters like Guo Jing, Yang Kang, and other Mongolian characters do retain their original names. Add the fact that the narrative used head jumping (which I’m not a fan of) with a dose of omniscient style, there were simply a lot of times where I had severe difficulty in immersing myself to the story.

I’ve heard that the next installment of the series has a different translator so fingers crossed it will be a much better experience if I do move forward. For now, though, I must say that I prefer watching the TV series adaptation (any one of them) more than reading this translated work.

Official release date: September 17th, 2019

Absolutely amazing story that was very visual. I couldn't put it down! I could tell that the translator put in a lot of work on this and it shows. An absolutey fantastic job. I can't wait for the next books.

I found this book mesmerizing. Its pace is as quick as many of its kung fu moves, but this enhances its energy rather than detracting from it. This cultural difference between style and pace is quickly overshadowed by a finely woven journey that is human at its very core. Indeed, the pace becomes part of the enjoyment of the reading and one of the tools that makes the story intriguing. Though the places, characters, and words are from the East, at its heart "A Hero Born" is eloquently human, relating to the reader in unifying themes of love and loss, revenge and power, struggle and victory.

What begins with two friends and a country’s struggle to remain independent will quickly evolve into delicate plotting, journeys among the enemy, and the quest to learn what it means to be a hero. "A Hero Born" is a compelling adventure that spans lifetimes and regimes.

It isn’t often that we take the chance to read from, not just a different genre than we may normally choose, but an entirely different country and culture. This is the first time that "A Hero Born", a beloved Chinese epic, has been translated for English-speaking readers. We readers are lucky to have the opportunity to meet these characters and hear their stories while learning more about older cultures not often discussed in our own literature. More than this however, is the simple truth that the characters are engaging, the story is timeless, and I couldn’t put it down.

I love books by Asian authors. They never fail!
This one was a good book. Full of martial arts, ancient magic and good plot.
The only thing I would have cut would be too many descriptions . Too detailed. Because of that, I was kind of bored sometimes. Otherwise, everything else was super!
.............long book, so take your time reading it..................

An ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

I CANNOT believe that I haven't heard of this book until now. This is such an excellent story and it's super well translated too. It will remind you of some classic Chinese tales with a modern twist.

The protagonists are benevolent, kind, loyal, courageous, and righteous. The characters really make you root for them and this is more a tale of the protagonist vs his own skill and growth rather than external conflict. I loved that because martial arts is more about improving your own skill rather than winning against an opponent. The essence of the book is really about a kind boy trying to make his way in the world and the telling of this story makes you root for him every step of the way.

I highly recommend that you read this book. I was captivated by the characters and the story from the very first page and it's so refreshing and progressive given that these stories were written in the 1950's.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the translator, and the publisher for letting me read this book!

I loved the concept of the book but it was very long winded. As the way it is written it would make better as a movie or a series.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the free E-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this but it fell short to me. I was not invested in the story as much and I finished it only because I don't like to leave reviews without finishing the book.
The world was a bit weird and confusing. I felt like it wasn't described properly. I don't know if I did even like the writing style.
One word to describe this novel: Confusing.

Wow, what a fun read. If you like martial arts movies this is the book for you. Two sworn brothers are attacked and killed, leaving their wives behind. One of those wives is captured by a prince, another is kidnapped by an evil administrator whose death leaves her alone on the Mongolian plains.
The story follows the child of the woman who escaped to Mongolia, through his upbringing, his tutelage under various shifus (masters) and his experiences once he heads toward an appointed duel back in his homeland.
I loved every minute of it. It reminded me of Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi except with more action and less swords. I understand this is a new translation and that it is a very established story in China, and I can see why. I can't wait to get my hands on the next volume!

I have to admit that it has been many years since I have read a book about historical China and Asia and the last books I read about Martial Arts that were fiction were by James Clavell and Eric Von Lustbader so I was pleasantly surprised by this book, it mixes history and martial arts smoothly and kept me tense and looking forward to the next chapter and now to the next book! i would recommend this to any reader not just someone interested in kung fu or Ghengis Khan

A Hero Born is a classic story. I just could not engage with this book. I'm not a fan of this particular genre I guess. Unfortunately, it was a total miss for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This of this book in terms of "Epic". There is a lot of world to cover in the eloquently written pages of this journey. It reminded me of the type of story you'd find in Anime from the late 80s and early 90s. Before it had become the obsessively popular genre it is today in America. The old stuff...the good stuff. The imported anime that really had depth and a true hero's journey. (And great artwork). This book conjured images of the era it is based in (1205 I think the prologue says). I will say if this isn't your niche genre you may be bored in the first chapters where we are being introduced to the world and the main people.

With all that I have one complaint I want the other volumes!! Lol.

Great read...highly recommend to anyone who enjoys epic journeys.

A tour de force. With multifaceted characters, shocking plot twists, and rich worldbuilding, this tale delights and touches hearts. Even pacing and vivid writing make the story come alive. I did not know who to root for. All of the characters are equal parts intriguing and dangerous. The brutal world is hanging in the balance. Thank you to the publisher for granting my wish!

I was keen to read this Chinese classic translated into English and it did not disappoint. It took a little while for the style and dialogue to settle for me – hardly surprising considering the cultural and linguistic differences that needed to be forded in the translation. The characters read like the beau ideal of knights errant in old tales and married to the rich historical detail, this really worked for me. The book is nearly half martial arts moves. This was fine with me – after 25 yrs teaching and training myself, it was a breath of fresh air to see detailed and intelligent martial arts and fight scenes. My major problem with most books that depict martial arts, is that they are rarely accurate. This was like watching a Kung Fu film with the knowledge that the base manoeuvres would actually work, and I really appreciated that. However I can see how that would get on some people’s nerves. What sold it was the passion with which the story is told, and that same passion is applied to all the details too. I loved this book – it was like 19th fiction meets high fantasy via Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a side trip through Arthurian myth. And it wasn’t like any of that at all at the same time, because this book is completely and only itself. Marvellous. I understand it’s a series and I hope the rest are translated too.