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The Gathering Company: Part Three of the Marshes of Mount Liang by Luo Guanzhong, Nai'an Shi
mary_soon_lee's review
2.0
This is the third book of the five-volume Dent-Young translation of the Chinese classic usually known as "Water Margin." The translation is clear and easy to read, using tags such as the Professor or the Magic Messenger to help distinguish the large cast of characters. This volume has many fantasy elements, from the aforementioned Magic Messenger's speedy walking, to spells and counterspells deployed during battles. It's clear that the reader is meant to root for the 108 heroes of the marshes, delighting in their victories over evil government officials. On becoming the leader of the heroes, Song Jiang expresses his intention "that together we may follow heaven's path."
Had I managed to root for the heroes, I think I would have enjoyed this quite a bit, yet I didn't succeed in suspending my dislike of them. In this third volume, the hero Morbid "advanced on [his wife], dug out her tongue with his knife and cut it off, which put an end to the screams," then killed her. In another lovely incident, following Song Jiang's orders, the hero Iron Ox killed a boy of only about four years old. Likewise, Song Jiang ordered "Gao Lian's family, young and old, good and bad, thirty or forty people in all, executed in the market-place." Hey ho.
Not being enamored of the characters, I found myself appreciating secondary aspects of the book. For instance, I very much like the inclusion of Ming dynasty engravings to illustrate the story. And I like the details of finery, food, weapons, which provide a glance into life in China hundreds of years ago.
Had I managed to root for the heroes, I think I would have enjoyed this quite a bit, yet I didn't succeed in suspending my dislike of them. In this third volume, the hero Morbid "advanced on [his wife], dug out her tongue with his knife and cut it off, which put an end to the screams," then killed her. In another lovely incident, following Song Jiang's orders, the hero Iron Ox killed a boy of only about four years old. Likewise, Song Jiang ordered "Gao Lian's family, young and old, good and bad, thirty or forty people in all, executed in the market-place." Hey ho.
Not being enamored of the characters, I found myself appreciating secondary aspects of the book. For instance, I very much like the inclusion of Ming dynasty engravings to illustrate the story. And I like the details of finery, food, weapons, which provide a glance into life in China hundreds of years ago.
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