The Condor Trilogy
#1454.18 adjusted 4.16 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 9 books Status Complete 1959–2021 Reading commitment High Jin Yong Last reviewed 2026-10-14
Overview
Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy, the wuxia sequence that did most to shape the genre's modern popularity across the Chinese-speaking world, serialised in Hong Kong newspapers between 1957 and 1963. The Legend of the Condor Heroes follows Guo Jing from an orphaned childhood on the Mongolian steppe to celebrated martial hero amid the wars of Song-dynasty China. The Return of the Condor Heroes, a direct sequel set a dozen years later, follows Yang Guo, son of Guo Jing's treacherous sworn brother, and his forbidden love for his master Xiaolongnü. Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre jumps a century ahead to the end of the Mongol Yuan dynasty and the young Zhang Wuji, heir to the feuds the earlier novels set in motion.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (9 works) counts toward ranking
Legends of the Condor Heroes (English translation) Jin Yong
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Hero Born | 2018 | 1 | core | 3.97 (6,258 ratings) |
 | A Bond Undone | 2019 | 2 | core | 4.26 (1,596 ratings) |
 | A Snake Lies Waiting | 2020 | 3 | core | 4.43 (1,164 ratings) |
 | A Heart Divided | 2021 | 4 | core | 4.43 (1,170 ratings) |
Core Canon: the four-volume English translation (MacLehose Press, translated by Anna Holmwood, Gigi Chang, and Shelly Bryant) of the wuxia novel Jin Yong originally serialized in Hong Kong Commercial Daily from 1957-1959. This is the first novel of the wider Condor Trilogy; its two sequels (The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber) are a separate continuity not yet catalogued and are a future candidate on their own merits.
Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre Jin Yong
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 1; ISBN recorded is volume 1 of the Ming Ho (明河社, Hong Kong) four-volume traditional-Chinese edition (21st printing, 2023), the author's own publisher; corrected 2026-10-14 from that edition's volume-4 number, recorded here in error. | 1961 | 1 | core | 4.46 (242 ratings) |
 | Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 2; ISBN recorded is volume 2 of the Ming Ho (明河社, Hong Kong) four-volume traditional-Chinese edition (21st printing, 2023), the author's own publisher; replaces the Yuan Liu (Taipei) volume-2 number recorded on 2026-10-12, so that the four volumes share one edition. | 1962 | 2 | core | 4.59 (196 ratings) |
 | Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 3; ISBN recorded is volume 3 of the Ming Ho (明河社, Hong Kong) four-volume traditional-Chinese edition (21st printing, 2023), the author's own publisher. | 1962 | 3 | core | 4.58 (159 ratings) |
 | Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 4; ISBN recorded is volume 4 of the Ming Ho (明河社, Hong Kong) four-volume traditional-Chinese edition (21st printing, 2023), the author's own publisher. | 1963 | 4 | core | 4.54 (177 ratings) |
Core Canon: the original Chinese prose novel (serialized in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, 6 July 1961 to 2 September 1963), as split into its standard four-volume paperback edition (Ming Ho Press / 明河社, matching the reader-rating platform's own four-volume listing). No official English translation of this third Condor Trilogy novel has been published as of this pass (only a fan/unofficial online translation exists, not used as a source); the ongoing English translation of the trilogy has so far only covered the first novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes. This is the prose novel only, distinct from Ma Wing Shing's manhua adaptation of the same story, which is permanently out of scope for this canon and was not consulted for any fact here.
The Return of the Condor Heroes (1959) core · 4.51 (935 ratings); The second novel of the Condor Trilogy, a direct sequel to The Legend of the Condor Heroes, serialised in Ming Pao from 20 May 1959 to 5 July 1961 and revised in 1976 and 2003. Registered as one work (the standard four-volume Chinese edition is one novel split for length). An official English translation by Gigi Chang is in progress at MacLehose Press: volume 1, A Past Unearthed, appeared in 2023, with three volumes to follow.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Condor Trilogy? The Condor Trilogy's Core Canon is 9 books.
- What is the reading order for The Condor Trilogy? Publication order, starting with A Hero Born. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Condor Trilogy finished? Complete (1959–2021).
- How much reading does The Condor Trilogy take? High reading commitment (estimated from 9 Core Canon books · ~2,704 pages).
- How is The Condor Trilogy ranked? #145 in this site's official ranking, based on 11,897 reader ratings across 9 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #145?
Ranked #145 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.18 across 9 core books.
- A smaller readership (11,897 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.97 to 4.59.
- Less than 0.01 behind #144, Under Heaven / River of Stars (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 9 books · Complete · 12k ratings · Ranks #145 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (9 Core Canon books)
- The Return of the Condor Heroes (1959)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 1 (1961)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 2 (1962)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 3 (1962)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 4 (1963)
- A Hero Born (2018)
- A Bond Undone (2019)
- A Snake Lies Waiting (2020)
- A Heart Divided (2021)
Documented internal/story order: 8 of 9 Core Canon books
- A Hero Born (2018)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 1 (1961)
- A Bond Undone (2019)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 2 (1962)
- A Snake Lies Waiting (2020)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 3 (1962)
- A Heart Divided (2021)
- Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Volume 4 (1963)
Internal chronology is documented for 8 of 9 Core Canon books; the remaining 1 are not yet mapped onto the same ordinal scale.
Awards (verified)
- No juried English-language genre award recognition has been found for this translation.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Condor Trilogy and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Lions of Al-Rassan / The Sarantine Mosaic Historical fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.24
- Kushiel's Legacy Romantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.20
- Under Heaven / River of Stars Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
- Conan / Kull / Bran Mak Morn Sword & sorcery / Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.91
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.18 across 11,897 ratings on 9 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit eight universes: progression fantasy, translated fantasy, and older pulp fantasy accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Legend of the Condor Heroes Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Condor Trilogy Tier 2
- Publisher series page: Legends of the Condor Heroes Tier 2
- Wikipedia: The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Tier 2
- Rating-platform listing: 倚天屠龍記（一） Tier 1
- Rating-platform listing: 倚天屠龍記（二） Tier 1
- Rating-platform listing: 倚天屠龍記（三） Tier 1
- Rating-platform listing: 倚天屠龍記（四） Tier 1
- Cosmos Books (天地圖書) listing: 倚天屠龍記 [1-4] 原作平裝, Ming Ho Press Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-27
Rule: Core Canon = the three novels: The Legend of the Condor Heroes (registered as its 4-volume English translation, 2018-2021), The Return of the Condor Heroes (registered as one work; English translation in progress, volume 1 A Past Unearthed 2023) and Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (registered as its standard 4-volume Chinese edition; no official English translation). Merged and completed on 2026-09-27 under the one-world rule. Manhua and other adaptations are out of scope.