- #1
Definitely one of the better novels being translated right now by anybody. Translation is pretty impeccable as well. The tactics/grand strategy the protagonists employs in war are fundamentally sound and his background as a middling Go player and professional chess player gives his insight some plausibility, especially combined with his pre-existing game knowledge of the opposing generals' tactical tendencies and strengths/weaknesses and his knowledge of how the game's wars would ordinarily develop, he's formidable but not preposterously so; that is to say, there's a reason for him to be winning these clashes besides just the protagonist's armor. The politics of it all are alright as well. My only complaint is that I wish the character-to-character stuff had a little more time spent on it, the micro level stuff rather than the macro level stuff.