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  • The Last King of Shang In Easy Chinese, Pinyin and English: Based on Investiture of the Gods by Jeff Pepper book cover
  • The Last King of Shang In Easy Chinese, Pinyin and English: Based on Investiture of the Gods by Jeff Pepper book cover
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The Last King of Shang In Easy Chinese, Pinyin and English: Based on Investiture of the Gods

by Jeff Pepper

A Chinese classic retold in three reading forms

$75.07 USD
$93.84 USD $75.07 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A Chinese classic retold in three reading forms

Jeff Pepper’s retelling of *Investiture of the Gods* brings its ancient Chinese tale of a kingdom in crisis into modern Simplified Chinese, with pinyin and English presented alongside it. The story combines political upheaval with gods, immortals, and other mythic elements, as rebels challenge the Shang king’s rule. This edition gathers the complete series and includes a glossary of the Chinese vocabulary used. Its restricted vocabulary and simpler sentence structures distinguish it from a literal translation, while the parallel language versions give the book a layered format for following the story and its wording.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers studying or practicing Simplified Chinese who value pinyin and English alongside the text.
  • Readers interested in Chinese classical literature and mythological retellings.
  • Readers seeking a substantial hardcover edition that includes the complete series.

Themes

Chinese mythologyPolitical conflictLoyalty and sacrificeJustice and power

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

This contains the complete contents, in Chinese, pinyin and English, of the entire Last King of Shang series by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang.

The Last King of Shang is a retelling, in modern Simplified Chinese, of the classic novel Investiture of the Gods. It's a gripping story set in ancient China, weaving together mythology, magic, and heroism. It is a story of the rise and fall of powerful gods and mortals amidst a backdrop of political intrigue and celestial conflict. Seduced by Daji, his beautiful fox demon concubine, the Shang king brings his kingdom to the brink of ruin through cruelty and neglect.

A group of rebels led by the enigmatic Jiang Ziya seeks to restore balance and justice to the kingdom. With the help of nobles, warriors and immortals, they battle the king's forces while the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Alliances shift and destinies intertwine as the line between good and evil blurs. Will the rebels succeed in their quest to overthrow the corrupt tyrant and usher in a new era of peace?

A rich tapestry of adventure and philosophy, The Last King of Shang explores themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness.

The original novel, Investiture of the Gods, is considered one of the great classical novels of Chinese literature. Written by Xu Zhonglin in the 16th century, it is over a half million Chinese characters long, and a direct English translation runs over 2,000 pages and has a very large vocabulary.

This book is not a literal translation of the original novel. Rather, it's a retelling of the story in easy-to-read Simplified Chinese. Unlike other full-text translations, this is written using a restricted vocabulary, simpler sentence structure, and fewer proper nouns. The authors have made every effort to remain faithful to the original while retelling it in simple language. The book also contains full Pinyin (phonetic spelling) and English versions, and a complete glossary of all Chinese words used. A high quality audiobook version is available on Audible, and standard-quality versions are available on YouTube and the Imagin8 Press website.

 

This edition is a beautiful "coffee table" style hardback book. It's 8.5" x 11", 7 and weighs well over 5 pounds. You can see some pictures of the book's interior here:

tinyurl.com/LKOSpic1

tinyurl.com/LKOSpic2

tinyurl.com/LKOSpic3

 

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A Guide to Different Editions

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The Last King of Shang books are available in several different formats, depending on what you're looking for. They are listed below. You can also visit www.imagin8press.com, where you will find purchase links for all the books listed here.

 

  • The Last King of Shang -- in English
    • Available in: paperback and ebook
  • The Last King of Shang -- in Simplified Chinese
    • Available in: paperback and ebook
  • The Last King of Shang -- in Simplified Chinese, pinyin and English
    • Available in: oversized hardcover ("coffee table" size) and ebook
  • The Last King of Shang -- audiobook - in spoken Chinese
    • Available in: audiobook
  • A series of 6 individual paperbacks, in SimplifiedChinese, pinyin and English
    • Available in: paperback and ebook

 

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