The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (1-4)

Author: Jin Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber is the third book in the "" trilogy. The male protagonists of these three novels have completely different personalities. Guo Jing is honest and straightforward, Yang Guo is deeply passionate and unrestrained, while Zhang Wuji's character is more complex and also relatively weak. He lacks a strong heroic spirit, though he has many virtues, he also has many flaws, perhaps, he is more similar to ordinary people. Yang Guo is absolutely proactive. Guo Jing is very firm on major issues, but needs Huang Rong to push him on minor matters. Zhang Wuji's life is always influenced by others and dominated by the environment, unable to break free from constraints. In love, Yang Guo is utterly devoted to Xiao Longnü, disregarding social norms; Guo Jing wavers between Huang Rong and Princess Hua Zheng, purely due to moral values, and never hesitates in love. Zhang Wuji, however, is always entangled and ambiguous. Regarding the four girls—Zhou Zhifei, Zhao Min, Yin Li, and Xiao Zhao—his love seems deepest for Zhao Min, and he later says the same about Zhou Zhifei, but deep down, he doesn’t know which girl he loves more. Neither does the author. Since his personality is already written this way, all developments depend entirely on his character, and the author cannot interfere. Someone like Zhang Wuji, no matter how skilled in martial arts, cannot become a great political leader. Of course, he never wanted to, and even if forced, he would inevitably fail. China’s three thousand years of political history have long made the conclusion clear. A successful political leader in China must meet three conditions: "endurance," which includes self-restraint, tolerance, and cruelty toward political rivals; "decisiveness"; and a strong desire for power. Zhang Wuji lacks half of these conditions. Zhou Zhifei and Zhao Min, however, both possess political talent, so though beautiful, they are not lovable. In my heart, I prefer Xiao Zhao. But I can’t let her be with Zhang Wuji, and it often makes me melancholic. Therefore, the love stories in this book are not particularly beautiful, though they may be more realistic. Zhang Wuji is not a good leader, but he can be a good friend. In fact, the emotional focus of this book is not on romantic love between men and women, but on the brotherly bonds between men, the camaraderie of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, and the paternal love between Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Cuishan, as well as between Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji. However, the book’s portrayal of Zhang Sanfeng’s grief when he sees Zhang Cuishan commit suicide and Xie Xun’s sorrow upon hearing of Zhang Wuji’s death is too superficial; real life is not like that. This book introduces you to the themes of "Thinking of You Across the Sea," "Pine and Cypress on Wudang Mountain," "A Hundred-Fold Forged Sword Glows with Profound Light," and "Writing in Disarray, Heart in Turmoil."