The beginning of an epic that's a must-read for fans of kung fu movies and Chinese history.

Plenty of action, loads of plots, nicely written. This one is a classic - but not one that I'd heard of. I found that as I continued reading, I began researching films and stories of the same ilk.

Anna Holmwood's translation brings a fresher, current version from someone who cares deeply about her craft and this story.

An epic story with a distinctive style, translated into English in a way that still keeps an authentic voice. A Kung-fu action adventure from start to end. A fast paced page turner. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is for the naming convention; the Chinese names are translated into English descriptors. This isn't as authentic as keeping their names and I don't think that Westerners need names like Lotus and Ironheart or Skyfury to be engaged, rather than the genuine Chinese names.

We are in China in the 13th Century. The Song Empire has been invaded and half its capital city are in the hands of the enemy Jurchen. In Mongolia, a powerful warlord is uniting a nation of warriors and soon the warlords name will be known everywhere: Genghis Khan.
But our focus here is on Guo Jing, the son of a Song patriot who grew up in Khan's army. Jing is a rather unassuming young man - he quietly does what he's asked to do and he's loyal to his commander. He would probably go unnoticed in life except for one important thing: he has been fated since birth to one day confront a man who is his exact opposite in every way.

Jing is trained by masters ("shifus") with incredible skills and foresight. They are collectively known as The Seven Heroes of the South, though most think they are only a myth. The shifus will guide Jing from the Mongolian steppes to The Garden of the Drunken Immortals to fulfill his destiny.

I really liked this book.

It's been decades since I've read much Chinese literature, but I've long enjoyed the narrative of this culture. This book is a fantasy/adventure mashed-up with classic low-budget, Chinese kung fu movies. It is nearly constant excitement but we never lose sight of the character or the story.

This was quick and easy to read, which frankly surprised me. I attribute this in large part to the translation from Anna Holmwood. Even though author Jin Yong carefully describes some of the martial arts poses and moves, which if you told me he would do this I would suspect it would slow down the reading, it actually heightened my anticipation of the fight and my ability to picture what was happening.

Since reading this I've seen the term "wuxia" to describe this genre, which means "martial arts and chivalry," and this is a perfect description of this book, and something I'm very much interested in reading more.

Looking for a good book? Perhaps not for everyone, but if you enjoy adventurous fantasy and/or 'B' kung fu movies, you should really enjoy A Hero Born by Jin Yong, translated by Anna Holmwood.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I have seen Jin Yong/Louis Cha books on the shelves for years and been looking for an excuse to read one. The release of "A Hero Born" and a book discussion group in Beijing commenting on the quality of the translation was just the push needed.

In "A Hero Born", Jin Yong continues a tradition that began with the Chinese classic, "Outlaws of the Marsh." This current version, a tale in the grand tradition of adventure is worth every page and I look forward to every volume.

I wanted to love this one, I really did. But it just did not live up to my expectations. Still a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. This book is a new translation of a Chinese novel originally published in 1996. It is set in 1205 during hostility between Mongolia and the Jin Empire. The story follows Guo Jing, a young Chinese boy living in Mongolia, who is trained in Kung Fu by masters of the martial arts. This book has a lot of adventure and there is a lot of violence, but if you are interested in historical Asia it is a good boo.

The story line was interesting but overall I couldn’t enjoy the book. I had no feelings toward the characters, it couldn’t hold my attention and switching points didn’t transition well for me.

The translation felt clumsy and I had a lot of trouble getting into this story despite wanting to. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me.

I'm absolutely biased because I'm a Chinese-American kid who grew up watching these Chinese wuxia tv shows (specifically, it was Return of the Condor Heroes with Liu Yifei). I enjoyed the nostalgia trip of getting to read a wuxia novel. That being said, there's something of a disconnect that I feel with reading this instead of watching it on a screen, because the action doesn't translate as well and some of the character relationships feel more difficult to understand. Beyond that, the tropes are very old and overused by this day and age, which makes sense since this was published decades ago. The translation does its best, but this one reads a bit clumsily and I have to rely on my own knowledge of Chinese culture to understand some passages and titles. Overall I feel nostalgic reading this, but it's not entirely my cup of tea.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I really wanted to like the story in this book. I know it’s translated from Chinese and that it would lose something from the original language, but I just feel that the prose is so clunky and amateurish. The story seems to jump around and there is no flow to it. The characters seem stunted and I don’t find myself drawn to them at all. I would really like to see a better translation of the book with less clunky prose.

This was my first book to read in this wuxia genre and I had a hard time getting into it. I don't think it was the book, it feels like the translation was garbled.

I struggled to get into this and failed. It may be a great book if you have more perseverance than I do.

What an adventure. This was quite different from what I normally read. I found it intriguing and exciting. Loving martial arts movies as I do, I’m surprised I haven’t read anything like this before and wasn’t disappointed. The different fighting techniques covered and the history made this book. Provided by NetGalley.

I had a little bit of a hard time sticking with this novel due to how it was written, however it is my understanding that this book is a translation of an older version. I found the story very interesting and I will be looking into the show that is based on it.

This was a fascinating book to read, delving into a fantastical world full of characters that kept me reading well past bedtime. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for the type of story that sucks you in and doesn't let go.

I received an advanced digital copy of this novel from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Hero Born is an immersive experience. A blend of Chinese history, mythology and martial arts finally translated to English. This should become a part of the reading list for all high school literature classes. In short, an excellent read.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

This is a useful read, better than the previous edition I read. Well done.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it a lot! I really value Asian stories and this one was truly interesting and dynamic. My thanks for allowing me to review it.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

A Hero Born by Jin Yong feels like it's going to appeal to a very niche audience.
For readers who love Gongfu films and are flexible enough to move through massive novels with ultra-massive character populations, this is a most welcome translation. But I think the audience is going to need both parts of that niche definition. I suspect this may run aground in the way Tolstoy's novels do and to some extent the way Ken Liu's fantasy novels have struggled to find mass audiences. Lots of US readers find it difficult to engage with vast character populations when the names don't line up neatly with northern/western European name practices. But for readers who can flex with names and who can approach this just like any other built-world fiction, the book is a rare treat.