I love wuxia in the movies, but I wasn't sure about in novels. Turns out I shouldn't have been worried. Cha's book is a lot of fun (though sometimes it pushes my secondhand embarrassment buttons). I enjoyed this novel and Trinket/Wei Xiaobao's adventures. I was also surprised how much fun it was to read about kungfu. I can't always visualize it correctly, but that doesn't matter, it's still a great time. I'm eager to get a copy of the second book, which will hopefully come from a library in the near future.

The first book of The Deer and The Cauldron is fast-paced and the changes to Trinket/Wei Xiaobao's life (from son of a prostitute to fake eunuch to Triad member) are building up toward something. There are a few moments when I thought everything would unravel, but Cha skillfully keeps us on edge. There is a cliffhanger at the end of the first book, but I don't feel cheated since I knew this was just the first book. Also, my favorite part of the book is when Trinket/Wei Xiaobao meets up with Chen Jinnan/Helmsman Chen.

I did read that Minford's translation left out a few things, but I didn't necessarily feel that I was missing anything, so whatever he left out must've been either minor or flawlessly removed from the novel. My biggest complaint about the translation, though, is calling the main character Trinket instead of Wei Xiaobao (the same for other characters throughout the novel). Otherwise, I don't find the novel hard to understand or complicated to follow. But overall, I've totally enjoyed the book. ( )