Three Kingdoms, Volume 01: Heroes and Chaos

Three Kingdoms #1

by Wei Dong Chen, Xiao Long Liang (Illustrator)

At the end of the second century, the lands of ancient China are thrown into turmoil when the Han Dynasty collapses, and when a tyrant overthrows the weak emperor, a group of regional lords forms an army to restore the nation. But bravery and valor are soon stifled by ambition and cunning, and the coalition dissolves before the battle is even won. Now, a new group of heroes must emerge if China is to survive.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Manga, Young Adult, China

173 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2015

Reviews

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful graphic novel series about Chinese history. When I first started reading it, I feared that it might not keep my attention, and that I would have to list it as "Did Not Finish". But, boy was I ever wrong. It kept my attention very well, keeping me reading past when I wanted to sleep a couple nights, keeping me turning more and more pages, wanting to know more and more.
I know much more about Chinese history after having read this, and I recommend it to everyone. I'm not good with remembering Chinese names, but I did come to place the names of the characters with their faces relatively quickly, since the GN introduced everyone when they played a big part in the story.
I will be happily reading V2 as well soon.
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This volume was provided to me by JR Comics, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book on many levels, and I would like to have the entire series. The comic book sections have very good art and are engaging, and the preview of characters and sections explaining the history and references to the literature upon which the narrative is based are very useful as well. Those familiar with the Dynasty Warrior games will really enjoy this. Wish that these were all combined in bigger volumes, however. I bought one to see how good the series was, and I liked it, but I would rather read them straight through gathered in a bigger text, perhaps in a bigger sized book as well.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you want classic epic adventure on a massive scale? Forget Greece. Forget Rome. China was the Texas of the classical world; everything was bigger there. When 200,000 rebel troops enter the capital and execute the emperor, three cowboys, I mean peasants, defy the new ruler and his vast army, complete with a man-to-man showdown worthy of the OK Corral.

[Mimi]

I get it’s a stylistic choice so that western readers aren’t confused by the naming conventions but.. I can’t. Just have the names be correct and put a disclaimer at the beginning like “oh Chinese has last names in front hehe” please

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable adaptation to give you an overview of a massive work of world fiction. The art is subpar though.

[Zeke Chase · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to prime myself for a read of R3K, which I'm going into knowing the reputation of it being one of the most epic pieces of literature ever written, which is why I went to this Jr Comics recreation. A primer before I attempt my first read.

But alas, this is not the best of graphic novels. It is written for a teen audience, and it quite readily shows. the chapter synopses work nicely, but the dialogue itself is too stilted, too forced. There's no character development, a lot of skimming of story without actually showing any meat of the story, and, the final straw, I was dreading picking this thing up every time I did.

A valiant effort, but it misses the mark.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this book is marketed as manga, though it's not officially, I will tell you that.
Manga is Japanese, is black and white, and seems much less costly.
This book is Chinese, is full colour, and seems expensive, even if possibly not to produce, certainly for me to end up comprehending.

I appreciate how easy this book is to comprehend, though the subject matter is complicated. (At least, I find it complicated!)
And it is pretty, or maybe just people like me find this kind of artwork pleasing to the eye.

[Yaritza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic was good. It was a book about chaos, war and power for land. It was great to know more about China and it's history. It a great book for young children. It has great illustrations the names and characters were not easy for me to keep up with.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems like it is meant for a fairly young audience, and it's understandably a little matter-of-fact.

[Emmaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my review at http://noflyingnotights.com/2015/01/1...