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Audiobook editionPaperback · 8.5 × 11 in · 744 pagesHardcover · 8.5 × 11 in · 744 pagesAbout 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
You will love this book if you enjoy epic wars, clever strategy, tales of sworn friendship and rivalry, and one wise adviser who outwits a million soldiers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An empire begins to break apart
- The court stops listening to truth
- Three strangers choose a shared loyalty
- Shared enemies cannot erase private ambition
- Loyalty resists the gifts of power
- Respect brings Liu Bei a strategist
- Preparation turns the river into fire
- Honor carries its own risks
- Each victory carries another quarrel
Who’s who
- Liu BeiA poor sandal seller of the Han imperial line who wants to restore the dynasty and wins hearts by kindness.
- Guan YuA red-faced warrior with a great beard, famed for his crescent blade and for loyalty that no gift can buy.
- Zhang FeiA fierce, hot-tempered butcher and fighter who loves his sworn brothers and has a roar that stops armies.
- Cao CaoA brilliant, cunning commander who gathers talent, holds the emperor and wants to rule the whole realm.
- Zhuge LiangThe Sleeping Dragon, a scholar-strategist who plans wars from a carriage and serves Liu Bei with total devotion.
- Sun QuanThe young ruler of the southeast who must decide whether to submit to Cao Cao or fight beside Liu Bei.
- Zhou YuSun Quan's gifted and proud commander, who plans the fire attack at Red Cliffs and resents Kongming's brilliance.
- Lü BuA matchless warrior on the horse Red Hare, who changes masters whenever a better offer comes.
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25 languages, side by side
Romance of the Three Kingdoms in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
by Luo Guanzhong · 1390
Three men swear brotherhood in a peach garden while a failing dynasty splits into three kingdoms.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to read20 languages
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“Luo Guanzhong wished to make Liu Bei a kindly man, but draws a character who seems a hypocrite. Wanting to depict Zhuge Liang's wisdom, he makes him appear a sorcerer. His only success is in the portrayal of Lord Guan Yu, who is a gallant general to the life”
In short
What happens when an empire is so rotten that a green snake drops from the palace rafters and coils around the emperor's chair? In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, that is only the first omen.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms at a glance
- Reading time
- About 38 h 45 min30 h 45 min fast, 46 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 553,200 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1390by Luo Guanzhong
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A rotting court and a rising rebellion
The novel opens with a rule of history. After long division comes unity, and after long unity comes division. The Han dynasty has lasted four centuries, and now it is falling apart. Emperor Ling trusts a circle of eunuchs and calls their leader Zhang Rang his father.
Omens crowd the palace. A great snake coils around the throne, and a hen turns into a rooster. The scholar Cai Yong writes a blunt memorial blaming the eunuchs, and he is sent into exile for it. Honest advice has become dangerous, and the people long for change of any kind.
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Details
- First published
- 1390
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 7 h 10 min
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 744 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Hardcover
- 744 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
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Cite this edition
Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/romance-of-the-three-kingdoms.
Luo Guanzhong. (2026). Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/romance-of-the-three-kingdoms (Original work published ca. 1390)
Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/romance-of-the-three-kingdoms.
@book{luo2026romance,
author = {Luo Guanzhong},
title = {Romance of the Three Kingdoms},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/romance-of-the-three-kingdoms},
note = {First published ca. 1390}
}
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What is Romance of the Three Kingdoms about?
It tells of the fall of the Han dynasty and the war among the states of Wei, Shu and Wu. It follows Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Quan and their advisers as each tries to win the realm.
Who are Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei?
They are three men who swear brotherhood in a peach garden. Liu Bei is a kinsman of the Han house, Guan Yu a red-faced warrior of great loyalty, and Zhang Fei a fierce, loud-voiced fighter.
Is Romance of the Three Kingdoms a true story?
It is a historical novel based on real events and people from the third century. Luo Guanzhong wrote it in the fourteenth century and added legends, speeches and vivid scenes drawn from storytelling traditions.
More by Luo Guanzhong
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