Books

Wuxia

A genre based on classic Chinese literature, it involves a protagonist who’s an expert in martial arts, and is usually spurred on by their strong sense of justice. Typically has societal and environmental characteristics inspired by that of East Asian countries.

This is the preferred term. Synonyms are included. You can turn off synonyms.

Broader terms: Fantasy, Science fiction and fantasy, Speculative fiction

Narrower terms: Xianxia

A Hero Born

by Anna Holmwood (Translator), Jin Yong

Series:

Legends of the Condor Heroes, The Condor Trilogy

Genres:

Family saga, Wuxia

Tropes:

Arranged marriage, Band of misfits, Coming of age, Dysfunctional family, Fish out of water, Playing the long game, Shoot first ask questions later, Time skip

Characters:

Adult characters, Child characters, Daoist priest, East Asian main character(s), Martial artist, Oblivious hero, Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

Jin Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty

Places:

China, Mongolia

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

Series:

Genres:

Tropes:

Band of misfits, Religious artifacts, Secret backstory, Transporting important cargo, Travel

Characters:

Bandits, Chinese-coded main character(s), East Asian main character(s), Gender nonconforming main character(s), Malayan-coded main characters, Mercenary, NBLW, Nun

Time Periods:

Malayan Emergency inspired time period, Wuxia time period

Places:

China inspired setting, Malaya inspired setting

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System Vol. 1

by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Series:

Genres:

Tropes:

Betrayal, Crush on teacher, Plot armor, Snarky AI, Story-aware narrator, Transmigration, Unreliable narrator

Characters:

Characters in their 20s, East Asian main character(s), Teacher, Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

Places:

East Asia inspired setting