Customer Reviews

Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel (One Volume)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' for the first time in 1992. I never finished it because the books were so thick. This condensed version is wonderful, because you can read the important sections in the book and finish the book in no time. The translation is also very clear and fluid. It is a pleasure to read this book.

On the content, the book outlines the story of the three warring kingdoms at the end of the Han dynasty (about 200 AD). The hero of the novel is Liu Bei, the leader of one of the three kingdoms. The novel is imbued with various elements, such as: heroism, loyalty, history, combat strategies and tactics (which you will marvel on), good (justice) versus evil (tyranny), and even romance. It is an amazing book, which is a must read for all businessmen in the Asian region.

The book also include the editor's commentaries at the end that include a discussion on the authenticity and sources of the novel.

If you love Koei's Dynasty Warriors or Romance of The Three Kingdoms you will love this book. I am a big fan of the game and wanted to see if the book was different in any way. Fortunatly it exceeded my expectations. And the translation was amazing, i am only 14 and i found it an easy read and great fun. One of the best books i've read in a very long time.

The translated version of the classic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Well translated, but Roberts cuts out some key interesting points that are integral in the story. For intstance he forgets to leave in Cao Cao's speech before his death, Zhuge Liang's seven battles with the barbarian leader as the Han Shu prime minister, etc.. It is akin to writing Moses' story, yet leaving out the fact that he parted the sea or that he spoke to Ramses.

this book was probably the best ive read in a long time. The military tactics and the swift movements of the battalions/division were so smooth. As a military enthusiast, i felt obliged to read this book, but after reading it, i knew this was a book to read over and over and over again. After studying the Chinese dynasties in sixth grade, i had somewhat of a clear view of the Han dynasty. As the three kingdoms rage in battle and buracreacy, this story holds not only adventure, but important morals in life.

I could'nt put this one down. It is an action packed epic. I was actually sorry that I did'nt get the unabridged version because I wanted to continue reading even after I was finished. The characters are well developed and the plots are interwoven to make everything flow together in a very exciting way. Try it!

I am 18 years old, and i have read this book numerous time in Chinese and in Vietnamese. It fill with battle of wits, and will, intertwine with historical events and figures, if i have one book to reccommend, this would be the one. The English version of this book have left out some important ideas and events, also have numberous error in translation, if u can read chinese, then you should try to get it in Chinese. Buy it.

It's not that often that I find English translations of Chinese classics that I truly like. Even a very good translation can make you cringe at times because a phrase that's just strange, probably because it's not very translatable. Time to time there are precious gems that really struck me, like Cyril Brich's Peony Pavilion, which I thought truly preserved all the beauty and wit of the original, without being too literal. Moss Roberts's Three Kingdoms is another, but this time maybe not for being a reflection of the original, but for helping me look at the novel with a fresh eye altogether.

First thing first, I am not a big fan of Luo Guanzhong's venerable novel. I admit, it's a good novel from a story telling perspective. There are an insane amount of historical material and legends out there, and it's almost impossible to string together a full story of the Three Kingdoms period, but Luo Guanzhong achieves it. There are many other semi-historical "romances" out there in China, but with the possible exception of Romance of Sui-Tang (which actually covers a shorter period of time and waaayyyy less material), nothing can equal Luo Guanzhong's work in terms of turning thousands of names into one coherent, captivating story.

Now, my complaints, other than the normal harp about characters being nothing like who they are in history books, lie with the style. Luo's ROTK is probably the first in China's vernacular fiction literature, therefore it is actually a lot less vernacular than all others in the same genre. At the same time, Luo's language is not exactly standard official classical Chinese either. It's this weird combination of classical and vernacular. When compared to Red Chamber, or even Water Margin, Luo's ROTK prose appears extremely terse, dry, borderline boring. When compared back to great works of history such as Shi Ji or Sanguo Zhi or even Tang fictions, Luo's prose lacks that kind of precise elegance and punch of real classical Chinese.

That is why the English translation was actually more enjoyable to read for me than the original. First of all, it's an easire and more fluid read. The style reminded me of Ivanhoe and I thought that was simply brilliant. There is no better style to carry an exotic saga of lords and retainers and battles and strategies. The translator also did not try overmuch to emphasize the oriental exoticism of the story. His translation is very matter-of-fact, and you don't notice the foreignness (probably until a proper name pops up lol), you just notice the fascinating people and events unfolding. Also, an English translation just allows me to look at it with a fresh eye. It lifts the story into a more fictional realm for me, and it's actually more enjoyable that way being more distinctively separated from real history.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a book mixed with both fictional and real life heroes and villains in a time of civil war in ancient China. The video games, TV shows, and movies that are based off of this book have a lot similarities with this book. This book inspired me to learn more about my Asian roots and to major in Asian history.

Many of the events in the book are true, but since the book is historical fiction, some of the events that took place have been altered or never happened. The same applies with the personalities of many of the characters in the book. The best thing to do is to read both the factual and the historical versions of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Even though I know this to be the case, I enjoy the book overall. The book made me realize that there are heroes and villains in every team and in every force, no matter what side is considered "a hero" and which side is considered "a villain." The book made me realize that love and relationships can have its ups and downs, and the book taught me how different people dealt with stressful situations, ambushes, strategies, and losses of lives.

There is tons of action for action lovers, there is romance, both happy and tragic, for all of the lovers out there that love love stories, and there is tons of information about China that people who are into Chinese and Asian culture can look into. I recommend this book to those that love literature, history, and Chinese culture.

Excellent Book!- hard to understand if you have never read anything about the three kingdoms before

I've played the video games about it so i understood it better

Definite buy for a Chinese history fan!

I AM FURIOUS THAT THEY MADE THIS BOOK "ABRIDGED" it is a fantastic novel that can only be appreciated in its fullness. the translator also uses names like Xuande and Kongming for charecters like Liu Bei and Zhuge Liand... which as a Dynasty Warriors fan was very confusing to me as the reader..The editor will not do a successfull job in sumerizing events either ....the Riverlands attack on Naman for example, is summed up in at least two sentences......if you really love the origonal, which most of you who do not already soon will....PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK YOU ARE JUST SHORTING CHEATING YOURSELF OUT OF A GREAT NOVEL...ITS LIKE USING CLIFFSNOTES FOR HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!