I'm reviewing Outlaws of the Marsh, probably written by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong in roughly the 14th century in China.

I have not yet finished this book, although I am on page 1456, with about 800 to go. In other words, this is a megabook, a supernovel, do not contemplate reading this if you had trouble with the 800 page Chronicles of Narnia or the 1000 pages of LoTR. The good news is, if you buy it in a single hardback volume it can be used as a table, a spare door or a sledge in winter.

Anyway, to the review. This is unlike any piece of Western literature I have ever read. I'm not very ewll read, but I've read a little Greek stuff (Euripidis, Homer) and the Aenied, as well as more recent offerings such as Dostoyevsky. If there is a single main character (I'm still not absolutely certain) then you don't meet him for some time and he is definitely not your stereotypical Western hero or superhero. There are a vast number of similar names used in the book (Wu Yong, Wu Song, Song Qin, Song Jiang, Qin Ming, Yang Zhi, Yang Xiong etc) so it's best not to read it when half asleep or you'll soon find yourself wondering who the hell everyone is.

I can guarantee though you won't forget Lu Da, probably my favourite character. A violent, intemperamental man who kills someone by accident and is forced to become Sagacious Lu, a Buddhist monk. Unfortunately, Sagacious Lu likes drinking his own weight in wine and killing people. Only the Black Whirlwind Li Kui is more out of control.

Because of the huge cast (over 100) of named characters (some more important than others) the book follows an unusual path. Unlike a Western book, with a few heroes, anti-heroes and rivals all following one or two plotlines, this meganovel has a wide range of intertwining storylines. For example, you meet Lu Da quite early on, and then follow him for a while until he becomes the leader of a bandit group. You then meet him a long while later when he joins up with the majority of the other characters in their marsh fortress (hence the title). This happens with numerous characters meeting, going their separate ways, and then meeting up again.

The style of the book can seem repetitive at times (in the early stages I started to wonder if the only occupation in China were arms instructor, buddhist and policeman), but I still quite like it. I do, however, wish there were more 'out of the ordinary' breaks in the story and fewer named characters. I can remember who Wu Yong, Wu Song, Chao Gai, Chai Jin, Li Kui, Sagacious Lu, Zhan Shun, Shi Qian, Yang Zhi, Yang Xiong, Sun Li, Sun the Witch, Ten Feet of Steel, Stumpy Tiger Wang, Zhu Tong, Du Qian, Lei Heng, Qin Ming, Hua Rang, Huang Xin, Xie Zhen, Xie Bao, Gongsun Shen, Guan Sheng, Xuan Nin, Huyan Zhuo, Lu Junyi, Hao Siwen, Su Chuo, Zhu Gui, Kong Ming, Kong Liang, Shi En, Shi Xiu and Nine Dragons Shi off the top of my head, but there are plenty more, which can be confusing.

The set of volumes I bought were only £20, for 4 volumes of about 2300 pages, which is a bargain, if you like the book. And, if you don't, it's still not overly expensive, for the number of pages you're buying. Perhaps buying a single volume first would be wisest before investing in a superbook.