The Three Kingdoms, Volume 2: The Sleeping Dragon: The Epic Chinese Tale of Loyalty and War in a Dynamic New Translation (with Footnotes)

Vol. 2 of 3K touched me in a special way. Vol. 1 was a good appetizer. Vol. 2 is the main course. I enjoyed It especially because it gave me insights into people who I experience in daily life. Liu Bei got his vision of who he was from being a descendant of political leaders. His work experience was only as a maker of straw sandals, but his vision of who he is, is based on his ancestors. To him, this qualified him to be the Emperor of China. We all know that character traits can genetically be passed from one generation to another. Often character traits skip a generation and appear in a second or third generation person. His inheritance opened the doorway to a place of possible political leadership. Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei's senior Advisor, is the ultimate networker. The fact that he was a person of wisdom enabled him to come up with ideas and schemes. With these qualities he was able, through networking, to be able to overcome great challenges. He was not wealthy nor did he carry a weapon other than his ability to wisely advise. Amazing. Liu Bei's ultimate challenger, his nemesis, was Cao Cao whose ability was to charge forward with great energy in an aggressive way. Often he seems ruthless in his efforts, but this is the way of the person who obsessively charges onward to achieve his goals. Sun Quan seems like a person who finds himself promoted into a position that is really beyond his skills and talents. He relies on advisors and skillful supporters to maintain his position. It is easy to relate these main characters in Three Kingdom to people we meet and deal with today. This book gives me insight into dealing with people I deal with in everyday life. This version of Three Kingdoms was an easy read. All the Chinese names and places quickly began to confuse me however the list of main characters and who they were listed at the front of the book was a big help in getting through the exciting events written in this book.

Volume 2 is an exciting continuation to the dramas of Vol. 1 of Iverson’s Three Kingdoms. We learn more about the main characters as the story of Three Kingdoms reveals new dimensions of their impact on all the events that are about to happen. Again, the story flowed with one exciting happening after another. One reads about how the human nature of individuals can exceed our imaginations as one marvelous, unforeseen event after another comes to happen. It was amazing to read of the advice of Advisor Zhuge Liang to foresee and plan one new adventure after another to create happenings that reveal what a practical imagination can achieve. Loyalty and trust have new meaning to any reader of this book.

A new character was introduced at the conclusion of volume 1 who was to play a critical role in this epic adventure. Serendipity comes to Liu Bei in volume 2 as the new character becomes his advisor. The new character leads Liu Bei to military success over Cao Cao’s forces with clever winning strategies. However, the twist in the plot a few pages later reveals the perils of deceit and cunning to which Cao Cao is capable.Incidents like this seem to mirror real life today; what seems like bad luck actually becomes good luck. In this situation the loss of his wise advisor opens an opportunity for Liu Bei. The advisor, as he is leaving, makes a recommendation to Liu Bei that will change the dynamics of all that has come before. We gather from the sequence of events to follow a whole new range of exciting strategies and episodes, filled with surprises.

If you are going to start reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms then you should start with this book series. This edition is more coherent and well put together with footnotes at the bottom and end of each chapter. There is a character list in the beginning with brief descriptions. The names and places are spelled/pronounced more accurately. This series is a MUST for any fan of classical literature.

Best translation that I have of the series. I have 4 different ones. Very happy with this book.

Stunning world literature! Excellent translation.

Absolutely love them

good

(NOTE: This is a review for all three volumes of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms)I had been aware of this epic of Chinese literature for many years, but first developed a serious interest in reading it after having watched the excellent Chinese drama adaptation made in 2010. That gave me the impetus to pick up the first volume and give it a go.Some words of caution first, from one who has now read all three volumes. This is a book that very much requires you to juggle hundreds of names in your head and keep track of who is who. Indeed, I would strongly recommend watching that aforementioned TV series prior to reading the books. This may sound the wrong way around, but having made my way through all 1,377 pages, it would have been considerably harder without some pre-knowledge of key characters to anchor my progress. Having some understanding, for example, that a Lu Su matters where a Lu Xun does not, certainly makes getting through the book a mite less daunting.Another warning for those considering embarking on the Three Kingdoms: if you are not interested in military strategy and take no pleasure in reading about the minutiae of war, you should probably turn away. A significant percentage of the book is spent on detailing battles: many, many battles, often in quick succession. While war itself is not the core of what the Three Kingdoms is about, it is nevertheless the medium through which many of the story's messages are related.This is a fictionalised account of a very real historic period in Chinese history. After the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 AD, the country fell into a state of civil war, as rival warlords fought one another for superiority - each claiming to be the rightful successor to Han. Gradually power consolidated around three separate kingdoms: Wei in the North, Wu in the South and Shu in the West. Each was led by its own charismatic leader - Cao Cao, Sun Quan and Liu Bei respectively. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms tells their story, how they rose to power, what they did with that power and how each, ultimately, fell. It is truly epic in its scale, and widely recognised in China as one of the greatest books ever written.For me, this book is about much more than just a historic narrative. Still less is it a book merely about military tactics - although they certainly feature prominently throughout. Rather, the Three Kingdoms represents an insightful, penetrating look at power - how it can be won, how it can be maintained and how it can be lost. Each of the three rulers demonstrates different virtues and flaws, and is aided by a wide variety of generals and advisers, each with their own agendas. The ruthlessness of Cao Cao is tempered by his intellectual brilliance and his ability to exercise power without ever openly admitting to it. The virtue of Liu Bei, meanwhile, is undone by his inability to win his own battles and by his undying loyalty to those who do not always serve him best. The astuteness of Sun Quan is highlighted by the way in which he employs people best suited to the role, implicitly acknowledging his own shortcomings. Each ruler has a coterie of advisers, and the relationship between power and those who would shape and direct that power is fascinating. Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi both stand out as impressive figures in their own right, often outshining the men they exist to serve. Their interplay, in particular, is a highlight of the book. And it would be remiss of me not to mention Liu Bei's two brothers-in-arms: Zhang Fei, the oft-drunk and irascible warrior and Guan Yu, the legendary fighter who keeps his honour to his very last breath.Another lesson the Three Kingdoms teaches is that for all the struggles and grand designs, winning or losing may very often lie in the lap of the gods. A rainstorm at the wrong moment or a change in the direction of the wind can make all the difference. Illnesses strike down otherwise undefeated veterans, just as ultimately the collapse of the three kingdoms ends up owing more to the dissipation and idleness of the rulers' successors than to any great military victory. Power is ephemeral, and it cannot ever be taken for granted.There are so many stories and sub-plots woven into the fabric of the Three Kingdoms that it would be both infeasible and futile to assess them all here. The best I can say of this book is that it is a joy to read and its many pages a wonderful place within which to lose yourself. It is long, and there will be times when you may wonder if the battles will ever end with one siding achieving anything close to a significant victory; but stick with it and you will be rewarded.