The immortal iron fist

ISBN: 9780785125365

Storyline is based on Eastern mystical martial arts. Perhaps playing too much on the mystical part, in my opinion.

The Iron Fist is the title given to the person who, after intense martial arts training, manages to pass the final test of defeating an immortal dragon. The person is appointed as defender of the heavenly city of K’un-Lun. Different people hold that role through the ages, as long as they pass the test.

Maybe the plot and the fighting moves (“Rock Smash Blow”, “Monkey Blow”, “Elephant Kick”) were too much for me. Nothing wrong though. I suppose the elegance of the Chinese meaning got lost upon translation.

Or maybe I expected a more sophisticated plot, since Brubaker is a co-author. (Co-conceived) by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction.

The past and the punishments

ISBN: 9780824818173

Eight stories translated from Chinese/ Mandarin.

P.267 “what unites these restlessly innovative, willfully provocative stories is Yu Hua’s almost obsessive preoccupation with the twin spectres of Chinese history (“the past”) and the human capacity for cruelty and violence (“the punishments”).”

Classical Love – a ghost story/ love story, Chinese style: Scholar meets maiden; falls in love; hunger and cannibalism; maiden is killed;scholar meets maiden again and wondering if she’s a ghost.

Blood and plum blossoms – another swordfighting genre-based story; Plum Blossom Sword.

The death of a landlord – Japanese invasion of China; young man forced to lead them to a town.

Some were rather surreal (“The past and the punishments”) and bloody (“1986″; p133 lists the various ways of execution by torture through the eras of Chinese rule).

The translator’s postscript section gives more context (and sense) to the stories, some of which were pretty macabre.

The home and the world

ISBN: 9780140181876

Tagore’s song and poetry shines through with lines like:

“It is the moon that has room for stains, not the stars” (P19)

“…that my husband… did not squander his manhood in the markets of woman’s flesh?” (P21)

P79. Sandip’s propensity for cruelty: where he wanted his followers to embrace cruelty, so he asked them to sever a lamb’s leg while it was still alive. They faltered so he did it himself. Earned the reverence of his followers (also shows how blindly trusting his followers were)