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Thread: Have you guys ever tried reading the works of unknown authors?

  1. #1
    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Default Have you guys ever tried reading the works of unknown authors?

    I'm just curious. Last time when I asked members here to recommend wuxia novels other than Jin Yong and Gu Long's works, the authors that came up were Liang Yu Sheng, Huang Yi, Wan Du Lu and Wan Rui An. All these authors have works adapted to TV series and movies.

    I just wonder, have you guys ever tried reading the works of unknown authors? There are a lot of not very well known authors' works in the wuxia section of online literature sites. Have u ever, like, see an interesting title from an unfamiliar wuxia author and go read it?

    If u have, what are your experience, i.e. are the novel(s) good or bad?
    Last edited by kidd; 03-19-06 at 11:12 PM.
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Senior Member Siven's Avatar
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    Sun Xiao Sun Xiao Sun Xiao! 孙晓!孙晓!孙晓!

    Well he only has 1 book so far (an extremely long one...), 英雄志, but it may be the best that wuxia genre has produced in the last 10 years. I read a lot of amateur authors who first found an audience on online literature sites, which is a big thing in China. The really popular ones then go on to be published. A lot of them are junk, as you might expect, but there're also quite a few real gems. Unfortunately even really good works sometimes are left unfinished, given that almost all are written in serialized form and made available part by part. Either the author loses interest or the readers do. You really find all kinds, and that's what I like about it in part, the imagination and attempt to break old molds. The above mentioned though is by far the best of the lot that I've encountered, an opinion shared by a very vocal and increasing minority.
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    I have a feeling that the lack of new Wuxia stories may be because that everyone thinks that there will be nothing better than the original Jin Yong or Gu Long works... this is an interesting topic.

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    Senior Member Extremer88's Avatar
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    I once saw on tv that there was a wuxia author from Singapore, but couldn't remember his name. He was not very famous, and I'm not enen sure whether he published his novels or not...
    ..ext88

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Actually, Jin Yong is the last wuxia author that I turned to. My first few wuxia novels were all written by various authors whose names I no longer remember (which I read between age 8 and 11). Some time later, I read a novel by Gu Long (~ age 13). Much later, I started reading Jin Yong (~ age 20).

    At the time, I did enjoy reading anything related to wuxia. Now that I have read Jin Yong, I think that my "taste bar" has been somewhat raised.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member Extremer88's Avatar
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    I think if you want to earn a living through writing wuxia, its going to be very hard, to break the jin Yong, Gu Long and Liang Yusheng's novels on the market, its hard.
    ..ext88

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    Senior Member dan J's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidd
    I just wonder, have you guys ever tried reading the works of unknown authors? There are a lot of not very well known authors' works in the wuxia section of online literature sites. Have u ever, like, see an interesting title from an unfamiliar wuxia author and go read it?
    I've tried a fair share of wuxia authors. Wo Long Sheng, SiMa Ling, Ni Kuang, SiMa Zi Yan, Zhuge Qing Yun etc. All of whom are actually well known wuxia authors. But none achieved the quality that I expect in a well written book. Some of the well known works (probably cuz the adaptions) like Xian He Shen Zhen, Tian Can Bian and Lu Zhi Qin Mo are surpisingly poor, where all the characters are one dimensional stereotypes. You can only imagine what most of these unknown authors can do. I haven't found a single net writer that I can get past the first page (of course I only tried 2 or 3). The best of them is probably writing at mediocre fan fic level.

    Which is really sad for wuxia genre as a whole. As a wuxia fan (I guess more of a JY and GL fan), I don't see wuxia will ever be considered serious literature unless more Pulitzer Prize worthy authors will take up the genre. I always like to draw parallel between wuxia and western fantasy (which I read a few), where you have old masters like Frank Herbert, hacks that are inexplicably popular like R. A. Salvatore, and new authors that can truly follow the foot steps of the greats like George R. R. Martin. It's the George R. R. Martin of the wuxia genre that I cannot find. I think I will give Sun Xiao a try, he just might be what I am searching for. If he is, thanks Siven.
    It means you got eyes like apostrophes, you dress white, talk black, and drive Jew. So how am I supposed to know what kind of zipperhead dog-munching dink you are if you don't?

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    Senior Member danshu_'s Avatar
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    maybe what it will take is authors who are already famous and respected in other genres trying their hands at wuxia. this is what has happened in cinema.

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    Senior Member Guo Xiang's Avatar
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    I think Jinyong books is somewhat like Microsoft. I mean, all I see on bookshelves in bookstores are Jinyong books, accompanied by a small amount of Gulong books and a miserable rare amount of Liang Yusheng books (which I've taken a vast liking to).
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    Senior Member Extremer88's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guo Xiang
    I think Jinyong books is somewhat like Microsoft. I mean, all I see on bookshelves in bookstores are Jinyong books, accompanied by a small amount of Gulong books and a miserable rare amount of Liang Yusheng books (which I've taken a vast liking to).
    Haha, that means JY = Microsoft, GL = Apple...
    ..ext88

  11. #11
    TommyH
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    Ohh I tried wuxia fanfictions written by people online. they weren't bad but i don't think they could be compared to published books.

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    Senior Member Siven's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TommyH
    Ohh I tried wuxia fanfictions written by people online. they weren't bad but i don't think they could be compared to published books.
    There's a difference between fanfiction as based on established works or original stories that only emulate or evoke the style or feel of famous writers. There's no lack of originality and talent in the vast pool of amateur writers, and the most popular of them usually end up getting published.

    The way I see it, for wuxia to reach greater heights of literary achievement, it has to break the mold and appeal to a wider audience, instead of being mainly "fantasies for grown-ups" as JY's works have been called. However at the same time it must preserve the essential elements of what makes it wuxia...which is really hard to define.
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    Senior Member dan J's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Siven
    The way I see it, for wuxia to reach greater heights of literary achievement, it has to break the mold and appeal to a wider audience, instead of being mainly "fantasies for grown-ups" as JY's works have been called. However at the same time it must preserve the essential elements of what makes it wuxia...which is really hard to define.
    I don't believe it's a matter of appeal. The main reason why general wuxia is considered pulp is because most of the writing out there have virtually no literary value. Even the well known authors fail in their writing ability. I'm not saynig all wuxia writers have to be literary giants, but the general quality has to improve.
    It means you got eyes like apostrophes, you dress white, talk black, and drive Jew. So how am I supposed to know what kind of zipperhead dog-munching dink you are if you don't?

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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Last edited by kidd; 05-17-06 at 09:06 PM.
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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