Rating: 
Summary: One of the best
Review: Like many people I first heard of this novel through the games from Koei. I played romance of the three kingdoms on my Nintendo when I was in high school. A few years ago I started playing the dynasty warriors series of games on the playstation. I had always wanted to read the novel, and I'm glad I did. The story starts around 185 AD, just at the end of the Han dynasty. It continues until the end of the Han dynasty in 220, and finally to the reunification of china around 280. The principle characters are rulers, generals, and politicians that make up the Wu, Wei, and Shu kingdoms. The book is really fast read, considering that the book is 2400+ pages long, it really didn't take that long to read. It is interesting and something is always going on. I don't think I would have enjoyed being a third century Chinese general. They have a pretty short life. It was kind of sad when character that I really like got killed, but considering the time span of the novel it was bound to happen. The novel does focus on the time period from 185-220, after that things start going pretty quick and after 235 AD the story is essentially over, except for a few details. I can't recommend it enough, you could read it 50 times and still get something out of it. If I were stuck on a desert island, this would be one of the books I'd like to have. Now all I need to do is visit china and see some of this stuff from the book
Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the greatest book I've read
Review: I first became intrigued with the Three Kingdoms's historical events when I played the game Dynasty Warriors 2 for PS2. Afterwards I was desperately searching to find the best novel translation and finally bought the 4-volume box set translated by Moss Roberts which is the UNABRIDGED version(make sure to get this edition as it tells the whole story w/o leaving anything out).I then set out to explore the 2200+ pages of Chinese history and I must say, it was a fascinating experience. I initially grasped what was going to happen in time but there was so much other details to the story and idealisms portrayed. Leadership, loyalty, heroism, military tactics and warfare, treason, and even romance play such a significant role in this epic novel. "The empire long united, must divide" and "the empire long divided, must unite" pretty much opens and closes the novel perfectly. Heroes such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Gai portray such loyalty that it would be kind of hard to imagine in today's society. From the other reviews I've read, most people think Liu Bei (Xuande) is the protaganist of the novel and this seems very true since Roberts lauds Bei's characteristics and portrays Cao Cao of the evil and cunning type. Personally, I think anyone can choose their personal protaganist and for me that would be Zhao Yun because of his undisputed bravery and loyalty. Another character that I admired was probably Zhuge Liang for his awe-aspiring military tactics. Zhuge was the best strategist of his time and he wrote several books on warfare but unfortunately, most were destroyed but you can still buy one of his famous books, "The Art of War." Warning, spoiler ahead:
This book has its sad moments particularly when someone important or someone who contributed a lot to his lord dies. You'll feel sympathetic towards those who fought hard as well as the ones who died. When the book starts, it's during the impending collapse of the Han then around 220 is when the real three kingdoms come into play: Shu, Wu, and Wei. It's sort of like a battle to the death of who would emerge victorious and indeed there was. Military tactics are exploited on each side and betrayal is widespread. In the end, it would be Sima Yi's family who would unite China under one rule, the Jin Dyansty.
Rating:
Summary: It's Great !!!
Review: One of the best stories I've ever (I don't read that much though).It makes you think that you have actualy witnessed it
and to some can be found quite sad (not me).It's a bit complicated and to think but thats what i like about a book.
Rating:
Summary: Finally a well translated unabridged version!
Review: And it's about time too. Moss Roberts does an excellent job of translating the epic novel by Luo Guanzhong in a full, unabridged four book series. Previously I had read an abridged version by the selfsame translator, and while I was impressed with the story, it was too choppy to satisfy me. I later found this unabridged version, purchased it at once and loved every moment of reading. This is it. The definitive "Three Kingdoms". "The Three Kingdoms" is based on the era known as The Three Kingdoms period, or San Guo Yan Yi. This period chronicles the decline of the Han to the rise of the Jin dynasty (circa AD 170-260). The story tells the tale of protagonist Zhuge Liang (referred to as Kongming throughout the story) and his efforts to help his lord Liu Bei (referred to as Xuande throughout the story) unite the land and restore the crumbling Han. You see, Liu Bei is a distant cousin of the child emperor, Liu Xian, who is manipulated by the malicious despot, Cao Cao. Bei, a poor mat weaver, steps up to the plate and helps to put down the Yellow Scarf rebellion under Zhang Jue and the story takes off from there. Zhuge Liang does not actually come into the story until much later and dies in the middle of the fourth volume, but his importance is immeasurable. This story is a must-read for history fans as well as fans of any of the video game series about the time period (Dynasty Warriors, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Tactics, etc.). Fans of the video game series will love to hear tales of their favorite characters, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and many more. An important thing to keep in mind when reading Luo Guanzhong's novel is that it is a biased account of the events. Luo Guanzhong is what I call a pro-Shuist, or someone who supports Shu (the kingdom ruled by Liu Bei), so Shu feats may be embellished and fans of the other kingdoms (Wei, Wu) might be frustrated as many of their favorite characters will not be viewed as positively as they may deserve to be. With this in mind, "The Three Kingdoms" is a fun, if not lengthy, read and will keep you turning the pages. The story isn't terribly difficult to follow but some may have trouble keeping track of the cast of characters (some 600 plus characters in all) and all of their names. What I mean by 'all of their names' is that the chinese had the surname (Zhuge), the given name (Liang) and a style (Kongming). Some officers are called by all three names and it can be difficult to follow. Zhuge Liang is called many things over the course of the novel, in addition to his surname, given name and style, but it shouldn't be to hard to follow. Probably easier then following my explanation of it, at any rate. My major complaint with this edition (and it is minor) is the poor proofreading and the poor quality of the paper and binding. This book was published to Beijing standards and would not meet American standards. You will have to be a little careful with the book while reading it, but that's not too big of a problem. Also, the typos (two or three a chapter) can get annoying and make you wonder who was proofreading the book and make you think that you could do a better job (and you probably could). That aside, this is a very enjoyable story and you will not be disappointed in buying the four-volume unabridged set translated by Moss Roberts.
Rating:
Summary: A well written and understanable translation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Most people would pick up this book and think to themselves, " Whoa! this book is a load of crap!". Believe me I've heard it before. Sure this book is well over 2,000 pages long and the names can be somewhat hard to remember, but keep in mind that this is a book for a person who likes historical warfare and the like. I must also advise parents that this book is on the more violent side, and some of the deaths are just plain gruesome! ( I mean, this is the only book I have read where someone is being slaughtered on each page.) But then, also read this book to educate yourself. If youre 9+ I really belive you can grasp concepts and understand a book like this. Another thing about this book is that Moss Roberts (translator) uses the pinyin translation system. This 'pinyin' thing is the more modern way of translating the Chinese language.If you have ever played one of Koei's ROTK (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) games you can better recognize the names and places than you can in C.H. Brewitt translations (ex. T'sao T'sao becomes Cao Cao, Sun Chien becomes Sun Jian, and Powang slope becomes Bo Wan Po). It can be read by a kid. I have read it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Truly a classic
Review: First of, this has to be one of the most epic novels I've ever read. Secondly, it's attention to detail is AWESOME. If you love epics and a little bit of history (it's not boring in the least, I couldnt put it down) then this is the book for you. the number of pages might be intimidating to that of a casual reader, but this book moves fast. A must have for any fan of epics.
Rating: 
Summary: A Partial Good translation
Review: I recently came across this book as I tried to look for some newer translations of China's classics--Romance of Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, Plum in the Golden Vase, etc. Especially, with the idea that it would be great to find either a translation that would be as good as C.H. Brewitt Taylor's translation or minutely detailed as David Tod Roy's Plum in the Golden Vase. Lastly the inclusion of Chinese characters beside it and the current Pinyin system used to spell Chinese names. While it satisfies in one area with the Chinese beside an english version and including the new Pinying system, oddly enough the translation seems not that good for a Chinese professor of Dr. Moss Roberts calibur. While misspellings are often unavoidable, but misspelling the the leader of the Yellow Turban (not scarf), as Zhang Jue instead of Zhang Jiao. Then translating zi as style seems to further dilute what this character means, which is one's courtesy or gentleman's name. Style might suggest that the characters named themselves to suit their own pleasures and boost themselves in the sight of others. When these men attempted to exhibit humility with vigor. With these minor mistakes, I can only imagine what sort of liberties are taken with the poetry incorporating within the text. One might say the author uses a meaning for meaning translation, which it can more effective than a word for word translation. However the author takes too many liberties just in the beginning of the text. I would only recommend this work to anyone that is not familiar with this era or is just interested in reading this piece of literature for fun. However for language students, that found Roy's minute dissection of Jin Ping Mei appealing will need to wait for another translation.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Story bad revision!
Review: Ok, Three Kingdoms is a amazing volume which mixes history with mythlogy during the three kingdom period of china's past. It really is a great story! The only bad part is that this volume seems like a rough draft. There are literally tons of spelling errors and mis-use of english language. Obviously they should have put more effort into translating this better for the english audience. And the price of $39.99 is a bit hefty for 4 paper-back books! I would look for a different translation for a cheaper buy.
Rating:
Summary: OOOOH YEAH
Review: I have played many games based on this book and never really read it. I have finally got a chance to read it, and it is very thorough. The books tell you about things that are not told in any of the games. Now, that I understand the story line better and can appreciate the games more.
The book starts around in the Yellow Turban era where the 10 eunuchs are misproperly using their power. Liu Bei (Xuanbei) meets with Zhang Fei and Guan Yu and become oath brothers. The book has many violent scenes which is a plus because Zhang Fei chops people in half.
The down side to these books are there are very many spelling errors. The book is also more lenient towards the Shu side rather then the Wei and Wu.
I would recommend these books to people who would like to know more about the three kingdoms and are interested in the games.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest book ever
Review: I too like many read this book because of the games, and even though I am only 15 I found this book to be the greatest piece of literature i've ever read. From start to finish this book is filled with action. You can learn many lessons about friendship, brotherhood, courage, chivalry, and strategy. After reading this tale you become wiser in almost every aspect of life, I definately recommend this book for any serious reader.
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