A Past Unearthed - by Jin Yong (Paperback)

About the Book

"Genghis Khan is dead, but the Mongolians, led by his son, continue their assault on the Central Plains. A new generation of martial artists has emerged to face this threat, foremost among them Guo Jing and his wife Lotus Huang. And a new danger stalks the land, with all the fury of a woman scorned - Blithe Li, the Red Serpent Celestial. It is an encounter with this pitiless foe that reunites Guo Jing with Penance, the son of his treacherous sworn brother, Yang Kang. He resolves to lift the boy from a life of vagrancy and initiate him into the martial world. Placed under the care of the Quanzhen Sect at their temple in the Zhongnan Mountains, Penance stumbles across the mysterious history behind this most respected martial school"--

Book Synopsis

THE CHINESE "LORD OF THE RINGS" - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD.

"Jin Yong's work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars" combined" New Yorker

"If you haven't read Jin Yong's work, you haven't yet fully experienced the fantasy genre" FONDA LEE

CHINA, 1237 A.D.

Genghis Khan is dead. The Mongolians, led by the conqueror's third son, Ogedai, have vanquished the Jurchen Jin Empire, and now turn their armies on their ally the Great Song Empire. A dozen years have passed since the second Contest of Mount Hua.

A new generation of martial artists are vying for recognition in the jianghu, but as the fall of their country looms closer, the making of a hero depends on more than mere kung fu skills.

A chance meeting with his father's sworn brother Guo Jing lifts Penance Yang from a life of vagrancy and initiates him into the martial world to which his parents Yang Kang and Mercy Mu once belonged.

Placed under the care of the Quanzhen Sect at their base in the Zhongnan Mountains, Penance stumbles across the mysterious history behind the founding of this most respected martial school and embarks on a journey during that forces him to come to terms with his family's past as well as secrets of his own heart.

Translated from the Chinese by Gigi Chang

Review Quotes

'[Jin Yong's] work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of Harry Potter and Star Wars combined . . . With his combination of erudition, sentiment, propulsive plotting, and vivid prose, he is widely regarded as the genre's finest writer . . . Holmwood's translation offers the best opportunity yet for English-language readers to encounter one of the world's most beloved writers'--Nick Frisch, New Yorker

'The most widely read Chinese writer alive. His books have been adapted into TV series, films and video games, and his dense, immersive world inspires the kind of adoration bestowed on those created by writers like western worldbuilders such as JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and George RR Martin.'--Marcel Theroux, Guardian

About the Author

Jin Yong is one of the world's bestselling writers, with more than 300 million of his works sold (not including unknown numbers of bootleg copies). He is beloved across China for his wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry) novels, which have given rise to film, television, comic book and video game adaptations. He was awarded an O.B.E. in 1981, and is one of two authors on the MacLehose list who have asteroids named in their honour (the other being Georges Perec).