The Legend of the Condor Heroes
#1784.12 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 2018–2021 Reading commitment Medium Jin Yong Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
The Legend of the Condor Heroes follows Guo Jing's rise from an orphaned child on the Mongolian steppe to a celebrated martial hero amid the turmoil of Song-dynasty-era China. Originally serialized in Hong Kong between 1957 and 1959, it is the first novel of Jin Yong's wuxia Condor Trilogy and one of the best-selling Chinese-language novels of the twentieth century; its four-volume English translation was published between 2018 and 2021.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 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.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Legend of the Condor Heroes? The Legend of the Condor Heroes's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for The Legend of the Condor Heroes? Publication order, starting with A Hero Born. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Legend of the Condor Heroes finished? Complete (2018–2021).
- How much reading does The Legend of the Condor Heroes take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~988 pages).
- How is The Legend of the Condor Heroes ranked? #178 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 10,188 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #178?
Ranked #178 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.12 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (10,188 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.97 to 4.43.
- Less than 0.01 behind #177, Dragaera (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 4 books · Complete · 10k ratings · Ranks #178 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- A Hero Born (2018)
- A Bond Undone (2019)
- A Snake Lies Waiting (2020)
- A Heart Divided (2021)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No juried English-language genre award recognition has been found for this translation.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.12 across 10,188 ratings on 4 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
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is the complete four-volume English translation (A Hero Born through A Heart Divided). The two sequel novels of the wider Condor Trilogy are a separate continuity and are not catalogued here.