Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy

Tales of the Swordsman (A Wuxia Saga), Book 1

De: JF Lee

Narrado por: JF Lee

There is only one kind of justice in the jianghu: the kind you bring with a sword.

Shu Yan is done being sold—first by her parents, and then by the owner of the brothel where she has been a serving girl.

Now a runaway with a price on her head, she has to choose: the dangers of being a young girl alone in the world, or the dangers of accompanying a legendary swordsman bent on revenge?

And maybe, if she can convince him to take her along, he will learn Shu Yan isn't the only one who needs the help of others.

Inspired by classic Kung Fu films and spaghetti western movies, Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy is the first volume of tales of the swordsman—adventures of wuxia action, witty banter, martial arts camaraderie, bandits, princesses, and treacherous villains.

©2020 Ivor Lee (P)2022 Ivor Lee

Enjoyed it

I liked this book and will be getting the next in the series. I’d recommend to anyone that enjoys a good steady story.

Excellent Wuxia Adventure!

Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy is an excellent Wuxia Adventure. If you enjoy tales with conflicted heroes who find themselves with unlikely sidekicks, who get them into crazy amounts of trouble, which requires epic sword fights.... Look no further. Lee's first book is a great introduction into the wide world of Wuxia. I can't wait to start the sequel!

Captivating an intense

No, I’m not a huge reader, but this book really caught my attention right off the bat! The story and the detail were absolutely amazing. I love the Asian culture and certain history behind it. I would recommend this to anybody of all ages.

Best duo since The Hound and Arya

or maybe even Leon and Mathilda. It was great sword slinging wuxia action, and since I don't want the story to die, here I am. Can't wait to see what happens to the duo next.

A world of adventure....

WOW.... I haven't felt this much excitement since I was a kid in the seventies discovering Robert E. Howard for the first time. J.F. Lee's stories are quite different from REH, but the same muscular prose is at play, and the page turning obsession to find out what happens next.... Here are doomed heroes and enchanted swords, and martial arts, and derring do, and stories that will touch your heart and thrill your mind's eye. This has the fun aspects of anime, like Samurai Champloo crossed with the hard prose of a master storyteller who doesn't get caught up in minutiae, and knows how to propell the story he is telling ever forward..... I bought this on a whim, after watching Come Drink With Me ..... And now I'm hooked.... Went out and bought everything I could find by this author..... Highly recommend!!!!

Not bad but

Not as good as I hoped, it felt like a string of connected short stories. Good enough to look for book two though

Amazing story, weak narration.

I started reading the kindle version, and decided to get the Audible to listen at work, but I couldn't get through it. Authors who narrate their own works know what their characters sound like, but rarely have the ability to perform. This isn't an exception. If this gets re-released with a professional narrator, I'll give it another go.

Fun and adventurous wuxia!

Really enjoyed listening to this gem of an indie wuxia story. JF Lee did a great job narrating and voicing different characters throughout the story, and it was really engaging to listen to. The action was all compelling as well. If you're interested in more wuxia stories in audiobook format, definitely recommend this for your audiobook collection!

Wuxia is alive and well with JF Lee

Inbetween waiting for the English translations of Jin Yong’s Return of the Condor Heroes I’ve been itching for anything to fill the gap and satiate my craving for more of this genre. Enter JF Lee and Tales of the Swordsman. Very clearly a love letter to the genre as well as other influences (Li Ming & Shu Yan feel very inspired by Mugen & Fuu of Samurai Champloo), it never hinders the storytelling or the adventure you’re embarking on in this series. I’m very appreciative of what Lee is delivering with this series, and I’m so glad I rolled the dice on giving the series a shot. Having just finished book 1, I’ll be ordering the next of the series after hitting submit on this review. Is it perfect? No. However, it’s incredibly fun, engaging, and the strengths of the story make up for any weaknesses it may otherwise have.

Kept me smiling while on the edge of my seat

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook! It brought to mind the fantasy martial arts movies I grew up watching with my dad and the Asian dramas I love watching now. The author narrates, and he does a fabulous job capturing each character's personality. I loved the banter between the characters, especially!