The Book and the Sword
#7443.88 adjusted 3.91 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1955–1960 Reading commitment Medium Jin Yong Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Jin Yong (Louis Cha) serialised The Book and the Sword in the Hong Kong newspaper New Evening Post from 1955 to 1956. It is set in 18th-century Qing China under the Qianlong Emperor and follows the Red Flower Society, a secret group trying to overthrow Manchu rule, led by Chen Jialuo, together with allied Uyghur tribesmen. Hu Fei, a swordsman later called the Flying Fox, appears in two linked novels: Side Story of the Flying Fox (The Young Flying Fox, 1960) tells of his youth, and Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (1959) is set later in his life. The set is complete.
Historical fantasy, Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Book and the Sword Jin Yong
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 書劍恩仇錄; Serialised in the New Evening Post (Hong Kong) from 8 February 1955 to 5 September 1956. English translation by Graham Earnshaw, Oxford University Press, 2004/2005. | 1955 | 1 | core | 3.93 (661 ratings) | |
| 飛狐外傳; Serialised in Wuxia and History (Hong Kong) from 1960 to 1961; written after Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain but set earlier in Hu Fei's life. Rating shown is for the listed edition of this title. | 1960 | 2 | core | 3.89 (229 ratings) | |
| 雪山飛狐; Serialised in the New Evening Post (Hong Kong) from 9 February to 18 June 1959; a short novel of about 130,000 Chinese characters. English translation by Olivia Mok, Chinese University Press, 1993. | 1959 | 3 | core | 3.83 (591 ratings) |
Qing-era wuxia novels following the Red Flower Society and the swordsman Hu Fei.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Book and the Sword? The Book and the Sword's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Book and the Sword? Publication order, starting with 書劍恩仇錄. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Book and the Sword finished? Complete (1955–1960).
- How much reading does The Book and the Sword take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Book and the Sword ranked? #744 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,481 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #744?
Ranked #744 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.88 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,481 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.10 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #743, Saga of Frost (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 1k ratings · Ranks #744 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 (3 Core Canon books)
- 書劍恩仇錄 (1955)
- 雪山飛狐 (1959)
- 飛狐外傳 (1960)
Documented internal/story order
- 書劍恩仇錄 (1955)
- 飛狐外傳 (1960)
- 雪山飛狐 (1959)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.88 across 1,481 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Book and the Sword Tier 2
- Wuxia Society: The Book and the Sword Tier 2
- Wuxia Society: Side Story of the Flying Fox Tier 2
- Wuxia Society: Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Jin Yong Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Book and the Sword (1955), Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (1959) and The Young Flying Fox (1960).