world literature

First off, you have to read the full translation of this book. I read the 1976 abridged version of Three Kingdoms translated by Moss Roberts first and thought it was pretty good, but felt that the story wasn't developed enough and lacked cohesion. Then a few years ago I finally found and purchased the full unabridged version published by the University of California Press and also translated by Dr. Roberts. This is the full-blown epic from start to finish with all the details and many of the translation errors of the previous editions eliminated. The prose was also improved and flows eloquently throughout the book's entire 3000+ pages. Three Kingdoms is the tale (part historical, part legend and myth) of the fall of the Later Han Dynasty of China. It chronicles the lives of those feudal lords and their retainers who tried to either replace the empire or restore it. While the novel actually follows literally hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the 3 families who would eventually carve out the 3 kingdoms from the remnants of the Han. The Liu family in the Shu kingdom led by Liu Bei, The Cao family in Wei led by Cao Cao, and the Sun family in Wu eventually led by Sun Quan. The book deals with the plots, personal and army battles, intrigues, and struggles of these families to achieve dominance for almost 100 yrs. This book also gives you a sense of the way the Chinese view their history: cyclical rather than linear (as in the West). The first and last lines of the book sum this view up best: "The empire long united must divide..." and "The empire long divided must unite..." If you are at least a little interested in Chinese history (ancient or modern) and culture this book is a must read.

If you have ever played any of KOEI Dynasty Series games, then you are familiar with the Han Dynasty and some of the Chinese History. If you were interested in knowing more than what you did in the video games, then this book is for you.

This is an awesome epic novel, sweeping the history of Chinese history. All of the characters that are in the Dynasty Series game are here for our further knowledge. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lu Bu, Cao Cao, Cao Song, Dio Chan, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Sun Shiang San..... the list goes on and on.

This story written over a thousand years ago, accurately portrays the lives and feelings of these "heroes". The author is a little swayed by the Shu family, and he seems to favor them, portraying Guan Yu, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei as the most loyal and honorable sworn brothers, with Cao Cao a sort of evil madman. But that is okay, since I never liked Cao Cao in the game anyway.

All in all, this is a long and worthwhile read. I would recommend the unabridged version as it is more complete and thorough. You will not be disapointed to see these wonderful characters come to life.

And have the money and space, get this one; has the original chinese characters on one page, the facing page has the translation. Moss's annotations are insightful and interesting- the only complaint is the lackluster grammar and spelling... But, looking beyond that, this is a great addition to any literary collection, public or private. (And if you need to see what the book is about, you probably wouldn't be reading this)