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Three Kingdoms: Chinese Classics (Classic Novel in 4-Volumes)
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$44.95
Asia Trips Trips Price: $44.95
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Foreign Languages Press
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 895
EAN: 9787119005904
ISBN: 7119005901
Label: Foreign Languages Press
Manufacturer: Foreign Languages Press
Number Of Pages: 2340
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Publisher: Foreign Languages Press
Release Date: 2005-01-01
Studio: Foreign Languages Press
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Editorial Reviews:
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"The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been." Echoing the rhythms of Chinese history itself, the monumental tale Three Kingdoms begins. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this fourteenth-century masterpiece continues to be loved and read throughout China today. Three Kingdoms portrays a fateful moment at the end of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) when the future of the Chinese empire lay in the balance. Fearing attacks by three rebellious states, the emperor sent out an urgent appeal for support. In response, three young men - the aristocratic Liu Xuande, the fugitive Lord Guan, and the pig butcher Zhang Fei - met to swear eternal brotherhood and fealty to their beleaguered country. Their vow set in motion the series of events that ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Han. Writing centuries later, Luo Guanzhong drew on, often-told tales of this turbulent period to fashion a sophisticated narrative of loyalty and treachery, triumph and defeat, that came to epitomize all that was best and worst in the life of his country. Illustrated.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Very inaccessible classic. Dry translation.
Comment: First off, I want to make it clear that I respect the people who love and enjoy this novel. I do not think that their opinion of it is somehow "wrong."
The following, however, has been my experience:
Among East Asian classics, and among Chinese classics, this novel is one of the least accessible to the average English-speaking reader. The way in which the story is told is extremely dry and downright baffling to someone schooled in Western literature. The writing had no emotional resonance ever.
The lack of emotional resonance is expected, seeing as there's very little description of anything beside physical occurrences, which are summarized in very succinct form. (i.e. Character 435 stabbed Character 762, then rode to [the city of] JFDFSDG and stabbed Character 953). This sort of sentence compromises the entire book.
Basically, it reads like a reference work. It's not a "novel" as most western readers would be accustomed to thinking of one. Even if you're open to forms of literature that are drastically different from anything else you've read (as I was, going into this), you'll probably find yourself too exasperated by the novel to finish. It was really a painful experience for me.
However, all is not lost for the person seeking an entry into Chinese literature.
I recommend Dream of the Red Chamber as a good starting novel, especially the translation published by Penguin under the title "The Story of the Stone" (don't be discouraged by the alternative title, it's the same novel as Dream of the Red Chamber).
Furthermore, Red Chamber was written in the late Qing, which makes it more relevant to the modern history and identity of the region we know as China.
Those looking for older quality pieces of writing from East Asia as a whole may enjoy The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike more than they would enjoy Three Kingdoms. Both "Genji" and "Heike" are lengthy novels of Japanese origin, with Genji often being considered the world's first written novel, and certainly the first in East Asia.
To all, Good luck in your readings.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting but hard for the Western Reader
Comment: Three Kingdoms is a action packed novel that deserves to be called a classic. Nevertheless all the Chinese names and the repetitive battle scenes could easly lose the novice reader after the first thousand pages or so. If you buy this be prepared to read the footnotes throughly and become a student of Chinese culture.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great story of heroics and loyalty: Truly an epic
Comment: This is the unabridged version and truly a masterpiece. I was familiar with a very small portion of the history during this time period before I read it, so that encouraged me to try it out. If you love epic stories, this is a great one. Guanzhong based his novel on solid historical facts while adding some fictional elements in order to bring out the characters and events for the reader. I've heard it said, and I agree with it, that it is 70% history and 30% fiction. Addtionally, this is a must read for any fans of the Dynasty Warriors gaming series. My recommendation is that if you have any interest in this period of Chinese history or stories of heroics and loyalty-to-the-death, buy it, and I guarantee that you wont regret it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Most fun I've ever had with a book.
Comment: I'll be perfectly honest: I've never been one to actually sit down and read a book unless it's been marked required reading. In fact, my only fantastic literary claim up to this point was conquering the Harry Potter series. Then, I picked up these volumes. I was absolutely enthralled.
I picked up this book because I'm a big of the Dynasty Warriors series. In fact, I just recently discovered that the games themselves were based entirely off of this collection. From then on, I had a blast both playing through the games and reading the books, trying to pick out scenarios and information the game had changed (or in some instances, just completely left out). In the process, I learned something new about ancient Chinese culture and managed to have a fantastic time doing so.
I highly recommend this book. And as many others have said, do NOT buy the abridged version. Spend a little extra and get the four volume set. You'll get a lot more out of the reading.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Three Kingdoms, The Heart of Chinese Culture.
Comment: Whether you've been there or not, "Three Kingdoms" will provide you deep insite into Chinese History and Culture. Encapsulated in a Swashbuckler worthy of Hollywood, it is a roadmap to over 2000 years of a culture the West generally knows so little about. Much as the tales of King Arthur, portray Romanized Britain during the disintegration of Rome, Knightly Brothers strive to preserve the Han Empire or carve kingdoms amidst battles, plots, counter plots, seduction, and betrayal. These are stories that, even in English translation, show us as much about Chinese thought, in the way place, time, and events are portrayed, as can be gleaned from actual dialog. Annotated, Three Kingdoms can read on many levels from light entertainment to historic cultural education.
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