Reviews

The Story of Hong Gildong by

ceri124's review

3.0

3.5*
A Korean Classic and a quick read, no complaints but wouldn't necessarily read again

riotgl's review against another edition

adventurous

4.25

rxxcreel's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

bookook's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Hard to know how to rate this. It was interesting and cool as a window into a different time and culture (17th to 19th century Korea). It kind of has the feel of Robin Hood, although it turns out the main character just wants to recreate the unjust society he was born into, except with himself now in power. Way less subversive than it seemed set up to be.

benthewriter's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

5.0

Five stars for being a monumental cultural reference. The story is fun and quick, and reading it takes you into the mind of a reader of pop-fiction a hundred or more years ago in Joseon. Yes, obviously, there are plenty of plot holes and questionable choices by the writer, not to mention by the characters in the story, but that's not the point. The point is this book gets referenced nonstop in modern Korean media, and has been getting referenced for a long time. It's enjoyable to read the source material 

cait's review against another edition

This is mean and makes me sad.

jazzsequence's review

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Interesting from a mythological and historical standpoint but not something I would read again for fun. A lot more attention is given to royal minutiae than the “Robin Hood” elements or explanations and descriptions of magic. There’s never any real tension, the hero is always going to win at everything, which is of course the point of the story, but makes it less interesting to a modern audience. 

nitinkhanna's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

5.0

sugasbeanie's review

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

bapm's review

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

It was an interesting read, especially with the footnotes explaining some cultural differences and transliterations. There's not really any serious conflict of the book, just a simple and fun read.