Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This is a historical mystery set in 13th-century China, with a hapless young hero whose fortunes start out poorly and just go down hill from there. Set within such a restrictive society, the young student has few opportunities and fewer lucky breaks.

I was disappointed that the author did not flesh out any of the characters, even the hero. Readers have no clue what most of the characters are thinking, so we have no idea why they take the actions they do. The poverty and injustice throughout the book were depressing, and unless you're familiar with the Chinese medieval mindset, you can barely relate to the story. Descriptions are acceptable, but given this unusual setting, they could have been a real highlight for today's western readers.

The book includes quite a few gory scenes (the hero works with corpses), some violence, but no foul language or sexual references.