Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy by JF Lee

 Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy by JF Lee

"Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy" is a wuxia novel by author JF Lee, the first in a series of novels that follows the adventures of lone swordsman Li Ming. The story starts with him (grudgingly) agreeing to accompany teenage brothel employee Shu Yan to her hometown. Both of them have their own shady pasts and initially dislike each other, but with each mini-adventure along the way, they learn to put up with the other and even come to develop a surrogate father-daughter bond.

The novel is very episodic, with the book divided into multiple parts, each centering around a specific adventure along the way. Li Ming's main quest is to find and kill the man who murdered his master, wife and child years before. But to get there, he will have to deal with corrupt officials, warring gangs, smuggling rings, powerful assassins, and perhaps even a monster!

The best part about Lee's writing is the playful rapport between the characters, especially Li Ming and Shu Yan. Their banter and growth as characters is what really makes the story fun to read, even though there are frequent opportunities for Lee to write exciting swordplay sequences between one of the most powerful swordsmen in the land and a plethora of different opponents. The supporting characters are all interesting, from the lovely Luoying to the penitent Monk Kong. The main protagonists' interactions with these people feels real and makes for entertaining reading.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, so onto "Fangs of the Black Tiger!"