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amigo_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
5.0
Coming after his first Judge Dee novel, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, which was a translation of earlier Chinese stories, this novel, The Chinese Maze Murders, was van Gulik's first effort to establish his own fictional world for Judge Dee. (In terms of the chronology of the entire series, Maze Murders fits in at 13th place.) It shows in its resemblances to the first book. It's much more methodical, longer, involved, infused with Chinese cultural practices, and reliant on a more formalized and somewhat distant language. The very passages and dialog seem to exude antiquity. I find all this pleasant. Would that van Gulik had continued with this style of writing, because I would have preferred it over his later versions of Dee, whose voice slipped into a more slangy air and at times verges on being hardboiled.
Three crimes form the core of the tale, all of them leading to murder. But Dee also finds himself involved in a military defense of this new province in which he has taken up duty as magistrate, Lan-Fang, on the northwestern edge of China. Not only does he uncover corruption, adulterous liaisons leading to patricide, and a secret cabal planning to betray the empire, he also reveals a murderess "taking advantage of young girls." Things resolve themselves in the end with a graphic description of public executions. For something written in 1950 and first published in Japanese in 1951, this is pretty risque material. I do think many contemporary readers will be impatient with it, however. But for those willing to indulge in van Gulik's very thorough view of 7th century Tang China, it's a rewarding experience.
Three crimes form the core of the tale, all of them leading to murder. But Dee also finds himself involved in a military defense of this new province in which he has taken up duty as magistrate, Lan-Fang, on the northwestern edge of China. Not only does he uncover corruption, adulterous liaisons leading to patricide, and a secret cabal planning to betray the empire, he also reveals a murderess "taking advantage of young girls." Things resolve themselves in the end with a graphic description of public executions. For something written in 1950 and first published in Japanese in 1951, this is pretty risque material. I do think many contemporary readers will be impatient with it, however. But for those willing to indulge in van Gulik's very thorough view of 7th century Tang China, it's a rewarding experience.
boringalien's review
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Physical abuse
geoffreyjen's review against another edition
5.0
Love these books, this one was especially good. Van Gulik pays a historian's attention to details about ancient China. I return time and again to reread these books, they are both intelligent and sensual as well as rich with historical detail.
jmeston's review against another edition
2.0
Only so-so but it has the glow of quasi believable antiquity. I read the introduction and totally didn't believe it. Chinese detective stories from the 1600s?! I'm still not quite clear on the source materials. It all reminds me of many movies set in ancient China. The text is pretty turgid, my husband finds it ideal as a going to sleep book.
writerlibrarian's review
4.0
This is a reread of a series associated with happiness and joy. I was a bit reluctant to reread these again. Well, I was worried for nothing. It's still captivates me, makes me smile, laugh and angry a bit too (there's plot point in this novel I didn't remember and now many years later makes me cringe. That plot point aside, I liked the friendships between Judge Dee and his staff, the way Dee finds the answers and solves the puzzles are usually crafty and cunning.
I liked it them, I like it now despite the use of the 'bad', crazy woman. it's not recent (Van Gulik writes in the post-script that it was used in the traditional detective stories in China forever) it's just it gets tiresome to make the vilain of the story a gay character. Single White Female in medieval China.
I liked it them, I like it now despite the use of the 'bad', crazy woman. it's not recent (Van Gulik writes in the post-script that it was used in the traditional detective stories in China forever) it's just it gets tiresome to make the vilain of the story a gay character. Single White Female in medieval China.
nadyne's review against another edition
3.0
First sentence: "Judge Dee leaned back in his chair."
P. 99: "Chien stared at the judge with burning eyes."
Last sentence: "He swung himself in the saddle and rode back to the city."
From Wikipedia: The Chinese Maze Murders is a detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China. It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie - chin: 狄仁傑), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. However, van Gulik's novel is set not in the Tang, but in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), society and customs depicted in the book reflect this period.
This was the first of the fictional mystery stories written by Robert van Gulik. It was based on three actual cases from Chinese criminal investigations.
Judge Dee is the magistrate in the fictional border town of Lan-fang. He confronts three mysteries involving poisoned plums, a mysterious scroll picture, passionate love letters, a hidden murder, and a ruthless robber. These are all somehow linked to the Governor's garden maze.
When you are looking for a fun and relaxing summer-read, you could read this book (although there are some explicit violence scenes). Judge Dee is an amiable person who reminds me strangely enough a lot of Georges Simenons Maigret character, not only in his relations with other people, but also in the way he solves his cases. There are three cases that demand his attention during the first week after his arrival in Lan-fang (The Case of the Murder in the Sealed Room, The Case of the Hidden Testament and The Case of the Girl with the Severed Head), and they are strangely interwoven with each other.
And of course he solves them all.
I did enjoy the book, but I thought the characters remained a bit flat. It was as if they were all caricatures: the pensive judge, the nonchalant artist, the loyal servant, the violent soldier, etc.
P. 99: "Chien stared at the judge with burning eyes."
Last sentence: "He swung himself in the saddle and rode back to the city."
From Wikipedia: The Chinese Maze Murders is a detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China. It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie - chin: 狄仁傑), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700. However, van Gulik's novel is set not in the Tang, but in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), society and customs depicted in the book reflect this period.
This was the first of the fictional mystery stories written by Robert van Gulik. It was based on three actual cases from Chinese criminal investigations.
Judge Dee is the magistrate in the fictional border town of Lan-fang. He confronts three mysteries involving poisoned plums, a mysterious scroll picture, passionate love letters, a hidden murder, and a ruthless robber. These are all somehow linked to the Governor's garden maze.
When you are looking for a fun and relaxing summer-read, you could read this book (although there are some explicit violence scenes). Judge Dee is an amiable person who reminds me strangely enough a lot of Georges Simenons Maigret character, not only in his relations with other people, but also in the way he solves his cases. There are three cases that demand his attention during the first week after his arrival in Lan-fang (The Case of the Murder in the Sealed Room, The Case of the Hidden Testament and The Case of the Girl with the Severed Head), and they are strangely interwoven with each other.
And of course he solves them all.
I did enjoy the book, but I thought the characters remained a bit flat. It was as if they were all caricatures: the pensive judge, the nonchalant artist, the loyal servant, the violent soldier, etc.
carol26388's review
4.0
Who knew 7th century China could provide such fertile source material for mysteries? And who knew that it would take a Dutch diplomat to share the style with the West? Not me. The descriptions don't quite do it justice, and the explanation behind the stories usually add another layer of interest. In this one, Van Gulik regains some of the needed pacing and action of The Chinese Gold Murders, and had me intrigued from chapter one.
Judge Dee has a new post, a border city under periodic threat from the Uyghur tribes. His entourage feels it might be more than a bit rural and possibly a step down in prestige. Their opinion seems confirmed by the populace, who takes no notice of their new judge, leaving only an old, dissatisfied servant to welcome them to dusty and ill-used quarters. Within a day of arrival, the Judge has the story: the town is under the thumb of a thug, albeit a very rich one, who is prone to beating those who can't come up a bit of coin or free labor. A distraught father beseeches him to find his missing daughter, a son requests Judge Dee to arrest his father's would-be-murderer, and a disowned widow needs aid in recovering part of her husband's estate for her son.
Apparently, traditional stories often had multiple cases going at once--much like real life--and I enjoyed the Judge's logical and organized approach to tackling the issues he faces, as well as the shenanigans by his merry band of misfits. His loyal servants, technically 'reformed,' included a clever thief, Tao Gan, and two former highwaymen from The Chinese Gold Murders, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai.
Done in semi-traditional style and based on a legendary figure, Judge Dee, these stories feel somewhat like The Brothers Grimm starring Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Like Grimm, the story can be a bit bloody, as traditional Chinese mysteries included punishment of the villain. I'll also note that some of his stories might have a sexual fetish involved as part of a motivation; I'd have to say the Chinese must have been far more liberal about this than the English reading public.
Overall, this one regained my faith in the series after the lackluster [b:The Chinese Maze Murders|1055477|The Chinese Maze Murders|Robert van Gulik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375808499s/1055477.jpg|1042028]. Recommended to those in the mood for some 7th century mysteries.
Judge Dee has a new post, a border city under periodic threat from the Uyghur tribes. His entourage feels it might be more than a bit rural and possibly a step down in prestige. Their opinion seems confirmed by the populace, who takes no notice of their new judge, leaving only an old, dissatisfied servant to welcome them to dusty and ill-used quarters. Within a day of arrival, the Judge has the story: the town is under the thumb of a thug, albeit a very rich one, who is prone to beating those who can't come up a bit of coin or free labor. A distraught father beseeches him to find his missing daughter, a son requests Judge Dee to arrest his father's would-be-murderer, and a disowned widow needs aid in recovering part of her husband's estate for her son.
Apparently, traditional stories often had multiple cases going at once--much like real life--and I enjoyed the Judge's logical and organized approach to tackling the issues he faces, as well as the shenanigans by his merry band of misfits. His loyal servants, technically 'reformed,' included a clever thief, Tao Gan, and two former highwaymen from The Chinese Gold Murders, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai.
Done in semi-traditional style and based on a legendary figure, Judge Dee, these stories feel somewhat like The Brothers Grimm starring Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Like Grimm, the story can be a bit bloody, as traditional Chinese mysteries included punishment of the villain. I'll also note that some of his stories might have a sexual fetish involved as part of a motivation; I'd have to say the Chinese must have been far more liberal about this than the English reading public.
Overall, this one regained my faith in the series after the lackluster [b:The Chinese Maze Murders|1055477|The Chinese Maze Murders|Robert van Gulik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375808499s/1055477.jpg|1042028]. Recommended to those in the mood for some 7th century mysteries.
lnatal's review
4.0
This is the story of Judge Dee who tries to solve three interconnected mysteries in the 16th century in China. Excellent reading.
This e-book is available free at the University of Chicago Press:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/freeEbook.html
This e-book is available free at the University of Chicago Press:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/freeEbook.html