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I think one of the nicest benefits of doing my MA is that the library also contains a great deal of Chinese literature in translation. Including modern martial arts novels. For the most part I prefer actual historical stories, rather than contemporary ones, but enjoying them so much as television shows and movies I thought I should try and read some of the novels as well.
The Deer and the Cauldron is actually written by the same author as the tv series I'm watching at the moment, Condor Heroes. I think I prefer watching martial arts to reading about them. It's always so great to watch and can be a bit harder to imagine. The Deer and the Cauldron also suffers in that it really has only one main character, and very few female characters. The main character is a boy of 12 who grew up in a brothel. He can be quite fun, and also a bit annoying. Book 1 covers his journey to the capital where he gets abducted by eunuchs and embroiled in palace intrigue and then adopted into the martial arts underworld. The Deer and the Cauldron is supposed to be the most untraditional of Louis Cha's novels, as the main character is such a rake. It is interesting to see someone who is so irrepressible try to deal with such a structured society, whether it’s the martial arts world, or the Imperial one. Ironically enough he almost seems to have less trouble with the Imperial side than with the heroes. I'm looking forward to reading the second book. Intrigues seem to be growing and I'm sure much more adventure lies ahead. Unfortunately SOAS only has books 1 and 2 in the library so I'm not sure where I'm going to be able to track down the final part. Perhaps Amazon, though as "oxford translations" they are a bit pricey. It is also amusing to note that nearly all the swear words get translated, except fuck, which is left in transliteration with no explanation. It was fun, not as great as classical Chinese novels, or quite as pleasing as the tv and movie adaptations. But worth a read.
The Deer and the Cauldron is actually written by the same author as the tv series I'm watching at the moment, Condor Heroes. I think I prefer watching martial arts to reading about them. It's always so great to watch and can be a bit harder to imagine. The Deer and the Cauldron also suffers in that it really has only one main character, and very few female characters. The main character is a boy of 12 who grew up in a brothel. He can be quite fun, and also a bit annoying. Book 1 covers his journey to the capital where he gets abducted by eunuchs and embroiled in palace intrigue and then adopted into the martial arts underworld. The Deer and the Cauldron is supposed to be the most untraditional of Louis Cha's novels, as the main character is such a rake. It is interesting to see someone who is so irrepressible try to deal with such a structured society, whether it’s the martial arts world, or the Imperial one. Ironically enough he almost seems to have less trouble with the Imperial side than with the heroes. I'm looking forward to reading the second book. Intrigues seem to be growing and I'm sure much more adventure lies ahead. Unfortunately SOAS only has books 1 and 2 in the library so I'm not sure where I'm going to be able to track down the final part. Perhaps Amazon, though as "oxford translations" they are a bit pricey. It is also amusing to note that nearly all the swear words get translated, except fuck, which is left in transliteration with no explanation. It was fun, not as great as classical Chinese novels, or quite as pleasing as the tv and movie adaptations. But worth a read.