A Hero Born is the first in the classic Chinese epic Legends of the Condor Heroes by Yong Jin.

I have never read a kung fu epic before and I liked it. There were parts that were slow and I think that I should've gone for a physical book over audio. It's not the narrator's fault, he did a good job. There were just some things I found confusing and I couldn't rewind to listen again as I primarily listened to this one while driving. The fight scenes were a lot of fun and I especially enjoyed the indexes at the end explaining the history behind Chinese kung fu. Fair warning, this ends on a cliff hanger. ( )

And then a hero is born...

After his father, a Song patriot, was murdered, Guo Jing and his mother fled to the plains and joined Ghengis Khan and his people. Loyal, humble and driven, he learned all he could from the warlord and his army in hopes of one day joining them in their cause.

With the help and guidance of his shifus, The Seven Heroes of the South, Guo Jing returns to China to face his foe and carry out his destiny. But in a land divided by treachery and war, betrayal and ambition, he’ll have to put his courage and knowledge to the test to survive.

Thank you Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read this!

I was excited when I first heard they were going to have this book translated into English and then I saw it on goodreads as a giveaway. I was so excited for a chance to win this. When I got the email saying that I won I couldn’t wait for it to arrive.

I was able to finish the book but it was and it wasn’t what I was expecting. The fight scenes were hard to follow. I think someone who is more familiar with different styles of fighting would enjoy them more. Some of the moves were hard to picture. It was slow in the beginning but picked up. All around it’s not a bad story. maybe down the road I will try reading this book again and will be able to see and appreciate it more. Happy reading everyone!! ( )

Sehr spannend, ziemlich sympathische Hauptfiguren.
Was mir bei der Lektüre eher unangenehm war, ist der antiquierte Ehrbegriff, der an allen Ecken und Enden aufscheint, inklusive blindem Gehorsam gegenüber Höhergestellten. Dieser bleibt zwar nicht unkritisiert, und es gibt Helden unter den Figuren, die ihn nicht praktizieren. Trotzdem wird er bei denen, die es tun, als selbstverständlich und edel dargestellt.
In seltsamer Verdrehung eben dieses Ehrbegriffs sind viele Figuren aber auch böse und verschlagen, wahren, wenn es sein muss, die Etikette, sind ansonsten aber sehr unangenehme Zeitgenossen.
Als großes, leuchtendes Ideal bleibt vor allem ein chinesischer Nationalismus, der auch vor dem Kaiserhaus gewisser Epochen nicht Halt macht.
So bleibt ein negativer Beigeschmack. Trotzdem hat es großen Spaß gemacht, das Buch zu lesen, das leider mit einem Cliffhanger endet.
Wahrscheinlich wird mir nichts anderes übrig bleiben, als weitere Bände zu lesen. ( )

DNF. P. 126. I tried but I just lost interest. Because honestly, translation is more than just switching words from one language into another. It involves interpretation as well and the interpretation of the translation leaves much to be desired.

One of the best books I've read. The translation is also very good describing all the moves thoroughly. Absolutely recommend it for anyone who likes Kung Fu or martial arts in general. If you enjoy Kung Fu movies, you would most likely enjoy this book too. ( )