11 h 3 minAudiobook17 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
An empire crumbles, brothers swear loyalty, and the cleverest mind can be more dangerous than the strongest army.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, turns the collapse of the Han empire into a vast human drama. A corrupt court gives way to rebellion and rival rulers. Liu Bei wants to restore the dynasty and protect ordinary people. Cao Cao brings brilliance and ruthlessness to his ambition to rule the whole land.
As Wei, Shu and Wu struggle for power, promises matter as much as armies. Liu Bei’s sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, place loyalty at the heart of the conflict. His strategist Zhuge Liang seeks a realm for him, while Sun Quan faces a dangerous choice: resist Cao Cao or yield to his strength.
What you’ll discover
- Brotherhood under pressure Follow sworn brothers whose fierce devotion gives the struggle for power its human heart.
- Minds that shape battles Meet Zhuge Liang, the scholar whose clever plans stand beside the courage of warriors.
- The price of ambition Watch Cao Cao turn ruthless resolve and military brilliance toward command of the land.
- Trust amid betrayal Enter a world of shifting loyalties, where a warrior’s strength offers no promise of faithfulness.
- History woven with legend Explore a world where history and legend meet in battles, oaths and struggles for power.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy sweeping war stories, political intrigue and clever strategy, and for anyone curious about the roots of Chinese storytelling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rotting empire and a rebel host
- A tyrant, a beauty, and a fallen capital
- Cao Cao seizes the emperor's name
- Liu Bei seeks a sage in the hills
- Flight south and a strategist abroad
- Fire on the river at Red Cliffs
- Three powers take shape
- Loyalty, betrayal and the right to rule
- Fact, legend and the art of the telling
Who’s who
- Liu BeiA poor man of Han royal descent, kind and patient, who wants to restore the dynasty and protect the common people.
- Guan YuLiu Bei's sworn brother, a tall, bearded warrior of fierce honor who keeps his word whatever the cost.
- Zhang FeiThe third sworn brother, a loud and hot tempered fighter of great strength who loves Liu Bei and hates injustice.
- Cao CaoA brilliant, ruthless and witty minister and general who builds the strongest army and wants to rule the whole land.
- Zhuge LiangA scholar of the hills, called the Sleeping Dragon, who becomes Liu Bei's chief planner and seeks to give him a realm.
- Sun QuanThe young ruler of the southeast, who inherits his family's lands and must decide whether to resist Cao Cao.
- Zhou YuThe gifted and proud commander of Sun Quan's fleet, who wants victory and is uneasy beside Zhuge Liang's cleverness.
- Lü BuAn unmatched fighter on a famous horse, who serves one lord after another and cannot be trusted by any.
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- Audiobook
- 11 h 3 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 17 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Die Geschichte der Drei Reiche
by Luo Guanzhong · 1390
As the Han empire collapses, Liu Bei seeks to restore it amid rival rulers, sworn loyalties and betrayal.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A rotting empire and a rebel host
The novel opens in the last years of the Han dynasty, under Emperor Ling. The court is weak and corrupt. Palace eunuchs, the emperor's private servants, hold great power and sell offices to the highest bidder. Honest officials are pushed aside, and the countryside suffers from famine and plague. Luo Guanzhong sets this scene quickly, so that the reader sees why people would follow anyone who promises change.
That promise comes from Zhang Jue, a religious healer who leads a movement of followers wearing yellow cloths on their heads. They are called the Yellow Turbans. Thousands of poor farmers join them, believing that a new age is about to dawn. In the year 184 the rebellion bursts out across the land. Towns fall, officials flee, and the court has too few soldiers to answer.
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What is Romance of the Three Kingdoms about?
It tells of the fall of the Han dynasty and the long war among the states of Wei, Shu and Wu from 184 to 280. It follows Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang and many others.
Is Romance of the Three Kingdoms a true story?
It is based on real history, drawn mainly from Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, but it adds legend and invention. A common saying is that it is seven parts fact and three parts fiction.
Who are the main characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
The main figures are Liu Bei and his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the minister Cao Cao, the strategist Zhuge Liang, and Sun Quan with his commander Zhou Yu.
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