The Three Kingdoms is Yoshikawa Eiji's masterpiece and the finest fusion of Chinese culture and Japanese sensibilities. In Japan, countless historians, politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, and artists have been influenced by The Three Kingdoms. They regard it as a monumental work of history, a comprehensive guide to statecraft, a business-strategy bible, and an inspiring classic, studying its history and culture, paths to success, ways of handling affairs, theories of leadership, and more. The Three Kingdoms series consists of five books. This is the first, covering The Peach Garden and The Stars, the first two of the ten volumes.
The Peach Garden: While buying tea for his mother, Liu Bei encounters Yellow Turban rebels and is rescued by Zhang Fei. He later meets Guan Yu, a teacher at the Cottage School. Sharing the same ideals, the three become sworn brothers in the Peach Garden, and the story truly begins.
The Stars: The legendary figures of the Three Kingdoms all take the stage. Guan Yu warms wine and beheads Hua Xiong; the three heroes fight Lü Bu at Hulao Pass; Cao Cao suffers his first defeat at Xingyang; Sun Jian and Yuan Shao fall out over the Imperial Seal; Lü Bu kills Dong Zhuo with the Chain Scheme; and after his defeat, Lü Bu seeks refuge with Liu Bei... The various factions wage war without end, and the struggle for supremacy among the heroes grows ever fiercer.
"Three Kingdoms 1: Signs of Chaos" is so wonderfully written! I feel like I have traveled back to that era when heroes were born in large numbers. The three sworn brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in the book reminded me of me and my good friends. We always help each other and feel like brothers. There are also those thrilling battle scenes, such as Guan Yu warming wine and killing Hua Xiong, which made my blood boil. What I like most is the author's description of the characters. Every character is so lifelike, as if they are standing in front of me. This book got me really interested in history and I can't wait to read the next one!
Yes, the first 7 chapters are especially fat.