Wuxia Novel Recommendations by Author

i'm going to start (set an example!).  i only feel comfortable rec'ing for jin yong and gu long, since i've read several of their stories.  and just to emphasize that these are my personal opinions and aren't meant to be any authoritative list for anything!  

jin yong

1. book to introduce new reader to author: eagle-shooting heroes (often more commonly known as legend of the condor heroes)

• good adventure story set in song dynasty, big cast of characters
• themes: politics & war, revenge, justice

reinafu ok, done. we had "proper" translated titles for JY's books (vs the TVB titles) but i can't find the list at present.

Lone Crane would you like to rec some?

Yes, I definitely will. Most recommendations will be based on what I have read from critics and fans and what the author is famous for, though there are a few I can personally recommend. I just need to find the time to sit down and write it out. Any author you want to know about first?

Zheng Feng - 鄭丰

Zheng Feng (real name Chen Yu-hui) is a relatively new author, born in Taiwan but lives and works in Hong Kong, she is the daughter of Chen Li-an, former president of the Control Yuan in Taiwan. She was an investment banker before quitting to write full-time. Her first novel, 《天觀雙俠》(又名《多情浪子癡情俠》) won a top wuxia literary prize in China in 2005 and was subsequently published in 2005 under the name 《多情浪子癡情俠》(though her original title was 《天觀雙俠》 and was published under this title in Taiwan). I'm currently reading this novel. It's good so far, but too early to assess it. Zheng Feng has been called the "Female Jin Yong" by Jin Yong's former newspaper, Ming Pao. Her style definitely shows Jin Yong's influence, particularly her paragraphs, which are dense like Jin Yong's.

But the novel I want to recommend for this thread is her newest novel (2015): Valley of Life and Death  《生死谷》. Think Hunger Games + Lord of the Flies + wuxia and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this novel.

Set during the late Tang dynasty, it's about a girl. Pei Ruoran, who is abducted and taken to a secret location where she is trained along with 200 other children to become an assassin. But not all 200 will make it through the training. The first half of the novel describes the training and this is where the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies parts come in, as the children (they are all 7-9 years old at the start of the novel) are forced to compete against each other, as only 8 will make it to the end.

Valley of Life and Death is a refreshing wuxia novel because it is not like most wuxia. For one thing, the scope isn't big or epic. The first half of the novel is the assassin training, and here we get to know our main characters, the other being a boy names Little Tiger whom Pei Ruoran does not get along with at first. Both are from rich families and were abducted off the streets of Chang'an and taken to the valley to begin their training. The second half of the novel describes what they do after completing their training and have become assassins. But there are not a lot of different martial arts schools/sects contending against each other as in many wuxia novels, but is limited to the assassin group and one or two others.

Zheng Feng gets into her characters' heads, and actually that's where we are most of the novel. There isn't page after page of longwinded dialogue like in Wolong Sheng's novels. The major conflict in the novel is survival for the first part, then dealing with the moral implications of their new life as assassins in the second. The vividly-depicted characters are the major draw with this novel, and the ending is actually good and thought-provoking, not rushed or cliched. There's also no love stories that don't make sense, as in characters falling for each other with little reason as happens often in wuxia. It's nice to see a girl main character, one who is a true protagonist and not just the most-capable character (such as in much of Wolong Sheng's work, where the main character is actually a guy but the women are smarter and propel a lot of the action). In Valley of Life and Death, all the characters stand on their own.

An ebook version of this novel is available in three volumes from the Google Play store. I've only seen traditional Chinese versions of this novel, haven't seen any simplified Chinese versions. Below is a picture of the Taiwan standard print edition (there is also a limited edition which have different covers).

Zheng Feng's first novel, as well as her third novel, 《神偷天下》 can be found at the haodoo site. Links below:


《多情浪子癡情俠》

《神偷天下》

Link to first volume of Valley of Life and Death on Google Play: Volume 1. Actually it looks like all Zheng Feng's books are on Google Play.

My list of recommendation :
From Jin Yong:
1. The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龍八部) : intricate plot, multi ethnic characters.
2. The Eagle-Shooting Heores [LOCH] (射鵰英雄傳) heroic theme
3. Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge (書劍恩仇錄) interesting historical background
4. The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (笑傲江湖) interesting characters and story plot
5. The Deer and the Cauldron (鹿鼎記) not heroic, but very interesting and funny
6. The Giant Eagle and Its Companion [ROCH] (神鵰俠侶) heroic theme, romantic love story
7. The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龍記) heroic theme and interesting plot
8. Ode to Gallantry (俠客行) interesting story. but I didn't feel like I was reading Jin Yong's novel when I read this.
Jin Yong is the master! His novel characters are really impressive that you would hardly forget them

Liang Yusheng:
1. 女帝奇英专 The Female Emperor Eccentric Heroes
2. 萍踪侠影录 :
3. 冰川天女 The Glacial Maiden
4. The White Hair Demonnesse 白发魔女传 and the Tianshan Series.
5. 玉弓緣 The Jade Bow Connection
I would say that reading LYS's book is not easy. Because sometimes you don't even know the real focus of who are the real main characters in the book. Unlike JY's books that you could say The Eagle-Shooting Heores [LOCH], the main characters are GJ and HR. But in LYS's book, it is more like the story and plot matter the most, not the characters.
Reading LYS book, could be pretty boring at some point. I could read his books for a few hours, and then stop for days or weeks. And the continue again. But then when I finish it, I would be really impressed and the story still in my head even after a long time.


Gu Long's:
Flying Li's Dagger
Chu Liu Xiang
Lu Xiaofeng
Honestly I'm pretty surprised that I have read a lot of GL's books. But except Flying Li's Dagger小李飞刀, I don't really remember the stories. Reading Gu Long's novels are very addictive. I remember that when I read GL's novel, I could read it non stop for days. I really enjoyed it, but then I forgot it easily. Not because the stories are bad. But I don't know why it's not impressive enough.

This forum seems a little desolate now, so I'll chime in with a few of my recommendations. (Due to the coronavirus? Cannot spread online right?)

For the novice wuxia reader:

Jin Yong

1) The Book and the Sword: Gratitude and Vengeance (書劍恩仇錄): A good introduction to Jin Yong, not his best novel, but manageable in length (2 volumes). Also, since this is his first novel, you get a good idea what his strengths and weaknesses are.

I don't like Chen Jialuo much, but the novel still reads well despite you not identifying with him. There is the imbecilic Princess Fragrance, but she's not the most irritating of JY's heroines. Huo Qingtong is a nice corrective. This novel is good because it has a host of interesting side characters: Li Yuanzhi, Luo Bing, Wen Tailai, Yu Yutong etc.

2) Flying Fox of Snowy Mountains (雪山飛狐): Short but structurally sound, and intriguing as the plot unfolds. This is one of JY's best short novels. Although Hu Fei has short shrift here, he develops in the companion volume. Also contains the "hero" I most dislike, the airhead Miao Renfeng.

3) The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳): The first of JY's epic novels. It is not as fascinating as the later full-length works, but Guo Jing is an interesting simpleton (!) while Huang Rong is always entertaining.

Liang Yusheng

I really don't recommend reading every LYS unless you are a completist. He does have annoying habits, especially in introducing too many characters, but his best novels are (almost) as good as JY's. I can only recommend his earlier novels since I have yet to progress beyond them. 

1) The Legend of the White-Haired Demoness (白髮魔女傳): LYS's first major novel, not perfect but with a fascinating heroine in Lian Nichang. Also, I do not dislike Zhuo Yihang that much. Yue Mingke is among LYS's best supporting characters.

2) The Wanderer's Chronicle (萍踪俠影錄): I think this is the best LYS I've read so far. Also with his best protagonist, Zhang Danfeng. This book is great because of him.

Gu Long

Probably start with his shorter, one-volume novels to get his style and themes.

1) Meteor, Butterfly, Sword (流星‧蝴蝶‧劍): Representative of the "Triad-style" heroes of Gu Long.

2) The Horizon, Bright Moon, Saber (天涯‧明月‧刀): One of his best short novels.

3) The Legendary Siblings (絕代雙驕): I recommend this although I haven't read it yet, as Gu Long's earliest major work (from hearsay).


For the intermediate reader:

Jin Yong

1) After the first Flying Fox, the intermediate reader can progress to the prequel/companion novel The Young Flying Fox (飛狐外傳). Although not his best novel, this 2-volume novel is impassioned and contains my favorite JY hero, Hu Fei.

2) After The Legend of the Condor Heroes, read the next two in the trilogy: Divine Condor, Chivalric Couple (神鵰俠侶) and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (倚天屠龍記). Both are even better, IMHO, than the first.

Liang Yusheng

1) Again I'm recommending something I haven't yet read, Romance of the Jade Bow Amidst Misty Seas (雲海玉弓緣).

2) Or continue with the Wanderer's series: The Blossom-Scattering Heroine (散花女俠) and The Upheavals of the Sword Alliance (聯劍風雲錄). They are not as good as the first in the series, but worth a read.

Gu Long

1) Any novel first published after The Legendary Siblings.   I do not think highly of his early works.


P. S. As for Wang Dulu, just read any of his one-volume novels (I do not recommend Yongzheng and Nian Gengyao though.) He is a consistent wuxia novelist, although his works usually end tragically. Think ill-fated romances like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Leave his Crane-Iron Pentalogy to the last.