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Title: Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain: Martial Arts Fiction in Contemporary Chinese Literature by Jin Yong, Yung Chin, Olivia Mok ISBN: 9-6220152-6-3 Publisher: Coronet Books Pub. Date: December, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $57.50

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Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (11 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent book, lousy translation
Comment: I almost threw the book in the trash when I read the first page - I was so disappointed with the translation. How could anyone use a dictionary to translate martial arts terminology. Fortunately, I stuck around to read to page three, and could not put the book down afterwards. Such a unique plot, simple yet powerful characters with a conciseness in writing style rarely seen in Western works. Must read.

Rating: 2
Summary: Appalling translation
Comment: The translation of this work is at best clumsy and frequently appalling. As a previous reviewer notes much appears to have been carried out using, poorly, a dictionary. Thus we have "knife" used to refer to what in English is commonly called a sabre. The reason being (I assume) that the character used to describe the weapon commonly means knife. Frequently, she has chosen arcane language. Thus we get "myrmidon" to describe a senior captain/bodyguard; the translater not appreciating that the term when used in English literature is either jocular or derogatory. Some phrases and clauses are meaningless. It all reflects badly on the editorial team at the Chinese University Press in Hong Kong and, unfortunately, tells one much about the standard of English here. Where does this leave the reader? Frankly, I cannot understand how anyone could give this book a high rating other than out of a desperate desire to read something of this genre. The Deer and the Cauldron is far superior. This book can only be recommended to somebody who is prepared to persevere with the translation out of an interest in martial arts literature.

Rating: 4
Summary: not The Deer and the Cauldron, but not bad
Comment: This is a spin-off of a multi-volume Cha novel, not yet translated. Fox Volant and the Snowy Mountain features a few common characters. It is not considered one of Cha's best works, but was a convenient book to translate first, because it is shorter than most, and has fewer references to Chinese culture and history, making it more accessible to those who don't know much about the Manchu dynasty or the Shaolin temple or historical figures.

Although the translation of Fox Volant feels a bit clumsy, especially at the beginning, I still enjoyed reading. In fact, I started and finished in a day.

However, anyone interested in reading a Cha novel should start with his masterpiece, The Deer and the Cauldron, the last and arguably best martial arts series by China's greatest martial arts writer. Definitely give Fox Volant a try, but only after you've read the three volumes of Deer & Cauldron. More of Cha's novels are being translated, and I am eagerly looking forward to devouring them.