The Water Margin

Am I the only person who loves these books and thinks they're absolutely hilarious because of the Sidney Shapiro translation? I feel very shallow, because the stories and characters are certainly fascinating, but I get an enormous kick out of such lines as this:"Frigging monkeyshines! Who says I have any Right Honorable XImen in there!""Don't hog him all to yourself! Let me have a lick of the juice too. Think I don't know?""Little ape! What do you know?""Stingy as cutting vegetables with a hoof-paring knife in a wooden spoon, aren't you?"And the fact that they keep saying things like, "I don't give a tooting fart!"I apologize for this not-very-intellectual assessment of the books, but they kept me laughing out loud and reading choice passages to people. I love them!!!

Enjoyed by generation and generation for centuries in China and Many Asian Countries, this classic will make you better understand China and Chinese people, and entertain you in a way which you never find in other books.No wonder it is considered to be one of the four great Chinese classic novels {other three books are "Three Kingdoms","Journey to the West" and "A Dream of Red Mansions". Mr.Sidney Shapiro's translation maintains the original flavor of the Chinese version.Must read !!!

"Shui Hu Zhuan" (pinyin, this is how it is read in Putonghua/Chinese) is one of the four greatest Chinese novels. It is also known as "Shui Hu Chuan" and has been translated to titles such as "The Water Margin", "Outlaws of the Marsh", "All Men Are Brothers" etc.It is generally accepted that Shi Nai'an is the author of this novel who is rumoured to live from late Yuan to early Ming Dynasty, around mid 14th century, though no one has ever been able to provide solid proof of his existence. Some believe that Luo Guanzhong, author of "San Guo Yan Yi"/"Three Kingdoms", is either the co-author or editor of "Shui Hu Zhuan".Although the novel is around 600 to 650 years old, the story is about how 108 men and women became the heroic outlaws of the Marsh of Mount Liang (Liangshanbo) during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Northern Song Dynasty (1101-1125), i.e. more than two centuries before the completion of the novel.

If you read one saga in your life, you would die happy having read Outlaws of the Marsh. This is a particularly good translation and edition in that they take perhaps eight or ten different versions of this story and pack it all together in one bit so you get more quality tale for the buck. Mr. Shapiro even discusses the differences between several of the versions in the beginning of the book. The saga takes you through a few decades of this roaming band of Chinese warriors in a land of corruption and evil. Though they are no angels themselves (in fact they are demons on Earth), they fight together for loyalty and honor in the name of the Emperor during the Song dynasty. The descriptions of the battles are vivid and enthralling, and the window into the culture of that time is truly something to cherish. An ancient story such as this is not something to be taken lightly, though it has plenty of humor, sorrow, and action to captivate the attention of all ages. Characters such as Sagacious Lu, Stumpy Tiger Wang, and Liu Kui the Blackwhirlwind, will forever be a part of you in your travels. Chairman Mao, himself, actually carried this book with him during the Long March in China as a constant reminder of the proud traditions of the Chinese people. [Revised Edit] From reading some of the other reviews, I think I've come to a realization. For readers, Outlaws of the Marsh and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are a little bit like 1984 and Brave New World. Hear me out, doubters. If you read Brave New World first, you tend to have a pretty strong dislike for 1984, and vice versa. Those who've read Romance of the Three Kingdoms may pick up Outlaws of the Marsh expecting something similar in style. If that's what they're after, they'll be disappointed. I however read 1984 first, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh. Therefore, I couldn't even stand to finish Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Like it or not, Outlaws of the Marsh is truly one of a kind. You'll likely finish it like I did, wanting even more, but realizing that you've just eaten the very last Twinkie on the planet. Except here, you can just go back and reread it all over again.

"Outlaws of the Marsh" provides a fascinating look into 14th century Chinese literature- and thus the minds of 14th century Chinese the story was intended to entertain. The story was extremely popular in its day, for many of the same reasons that it endures as a stunning example of Chinese story telling today. An excellent example of 14th century Chinese vernacular literature, "Outlaws of the Marsh" has been a favorite of Chinese readers for over 600 years. This riveting story has endured the centuries for a very good reason. It contains elements that captivate even today's jaded audiences: deception, violence, murder, gangs, and drunken revelry. Rife with charismatic heroes, scheming beauties, wild troublemakers and corrupt officials, the story brims with interesting characters and plot twists. The outlaws of Liangshan Marsh, societal outcasts drawn together by their misdeeds, form an almost super-human collective against the unjust (sort of like a precursor to Robin Hood). The story is peopled with rash, violent men; lusty, evil-minded beauties; upstanding men of honor fighting for what is right; well-meaning yet dangerous oafs; and corrupt, tyrannical officials. This tale of Song Jiang, Wu Song, and the rest of the "outlaws" will keep you on the edge of your seat.