Sanguo - Books, Culture, Podcasts, and Revolution

About the Sanguo Yanyi Audiobook

By the Romance of the Three Kingdoms on Amazon

I have long been fascinated with the almost two millenia-old Chinese epic, the Sanguo Yanyi, or "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as it has been called here in the west. The book, written by various authors contributing to it throughout the centuries, is truly one of the finest examples of epic storytelling in the history of the world. I tend to refer to it, sometimes, when I'm describing the story to people, as "The Chinese Illiad". The term might be a tad bit imprecise, since the Illiad only covers, what, ten years or so? Whereas, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms covers 90+ years of Chinese history. Some time back, I got a bug up my ass or something, and decided to go out and find audiobook versions of all my favorite books. I have been very successful for the most part, but there were some glaring omissions that I could not countenance. For one thing, I've not yet been able to score an audio copy of "The Aeneid" by Virgil. And from all the information I've thus far been able to gather, there is no audiobook adaptation of the Three Kingdoms saga. (Perhaps this might have something to do with the fact that the story is 120 chapters long!) To say that I was a bit indignant to discover that no one had ever made an audiobook version of one of the best-selling books of all time, one of the greatest STORIES of all time would be a bit of an understatement. I looked and looked and looked for months to see if I could track down an audio copy, and found none. So I decided that I would make one myself.

By the way, I just want to say right here and now: I do not speak any of the Chinese dialects, so if I happen to mispronounce anything, my apologies, but I do the best I can. :p I realize that this is a project which will probably consume my entire lifetime. The book is, as I have said before, quite a long one. But I am resolved to finish this project, if it takes me forever, and when I'm done, the world will have this fine, fine story of loyalty, brotherhood, ambition, and betrayal in audiobook form! This version is adapted from the online version published by the good folks at Threekingdoms.com, featuring a musical score taken from the many Romance of the Three Kingdoms video games put out by Koei over the years. The music is courtesy of Kongming.net. If you're as much of a fan of the Three Kingdoms as I am, you'll have to check that one out! I have put a lot of work into this so far, and it's not going to stop, so I hope that each and every one of you enjoy this.

Entries in Ma Teng (4)

Monday

Jun252012

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 57

Monday, June 25, 2012 at 2:07AM

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 57:

Sleeping Dragon Mourns In Chaisang;

Young Phoenix Intervenes At Leiyang.

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WARNING: D.J. RASPE IS PRONE TO BOUTS OF BLEAK DEPRESSION AND HE DISAPPEARS SOMETIMES, AND WHEN HE DOES, HIS CONTENT SLOWS TO A STANDSTILL. BUT HE USUALLY COMES BACK EVENTUALLY...LET THE SHOW GO ON. OH YEAH, AND SOMETHING ABOUT SPOILERS TOO...

So, it's been about a year since the last episode, and you're probably good and ready for a new episode, huh? Well, all right then. Let's get down to it. It is to be recalled that, at a previous point in the story, I mentioned how those who read this story tend to take sides. Some people are Cao Cao fans. Some are Liu Bei fans. Some are Zhuge Liang Fans, and some like Zhou Yu...this chapter, Chapter 57, is for the Cao Cao fans, it would seem.

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Romance of the Three Kingdoms,

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The Battle of Tong Gate,

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The Revenge of Ma Chao,

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Tuesday

Sep152009

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 21

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 2:21PM

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 21:

In A Plum Garden, Cao Cao Discusses Heroes;

Using The Host's Forces, Guan Yu Takes Xuzhou.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MIGHT JUST CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS. MAYBE. JUUUUUUUUST MAYBE....

Chapter 21 is sort of a transitional chapter between one plot arc and another. Lu Bu has been destroyed, Liu Bei and Cao Cao have developed an uneasy friendship, and outside the capitol, the affairs of the Imperial warlords (i.e. Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Liu Biao, Liu Yan/Zhang, etc.) grind on as the Middle Kingdom enters the 3rd century...

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Saturday

Sep122009

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 20

Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 2:03PM

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 20:

Cao Cao Organizes A Hunting Expedition In Xutian;

Dong Cheng Receives A Secret Command In The Palace.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. SERIOUSLY.

Okay, so now it's Chapter 20. That means that we're 1/6th of the way through the novel. Yay!

For several chapters, the story has focused on Xuzhou, and the events there. Now, Lu Bu, the mightiest warrior in the land, is dead, as is Chen Gong. (Moment of silence, everyone...) The power of Yuan Shu has been broken, and Liu Bei is pretty much subordinate to Cao Cao at this point...

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Thursday

Sep032009

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 10

Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 12:56PM

The Sanguo Yanyi - Chapter 10:

Gathering Arms, Ma Teng Moves To Rescue The Emperor;

Commanding A Force, Cao Cao Marches To Avenge His Father.

Listen:

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, AND IS PART OF A COMPLETE BREAKFAST...

Ahhhhhh, Chapter 10. Dong Zhuo's fat, bloated corpse, rejected by Mother Nature Herself, can do little but lay there and ooze gravy out of every pore. I suppose that's poetic justice there...

Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo's former generals, the ones I like to call "The Xiliang Four", have seized control of the Imperial Court in Chang'an, and the air is always heavy with the threat of violence. Li Jue and Guo Si, the leaders of this new regime, have made no secret of their desire to kill Liu Xian and rule his empire in their own names.

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