Everlasting Empire by In-hwa YiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In many ways this was a dream come true. It is a story taking place in the Chosun dynasty that seemed very reminiscent of "The name of the Rose", complete with an introductory "Author's note" about how the book's pages were a manuscript from long ago that had been found recently, and in the way in which a murder mystery kicks off the entire convoluted story.
In a way Eco had much more leeway, since most of the characters were invented. In this book, however, most of the characters seem to be real people, so all events have to take place within what we know of their actions, beliefs and situations.
Having said that, I did find it rather confusing at times. I think the English version could have done with another editor. There were a few typos (including one of the names, which didn't help since there are many names), and I think some more background would have helped for non-Korean audiences. Maybe a brief overview (or visual) showing the rival factions and main players. Oddly enough I thought a map of the main court or capital would have been useful.
The arguments on page 191-192 against progressivism and democracy are very interesting. Particularly "A restoration is not possible in a democracy. The saying that the people are minju (masters) is a sort of intellectual syllogism, meaning that no one is the master. The president is a constitutional ruler elected by the people, so he is not the master."
Loved the discussions on how the Qin emperor had all books burned and so all Confucius teachings that have been handed down have been corrupted by Laozi's teachings, which came later (and the other side arguing against this). I find stuff like this fascinating.
The explanations about - and the use of - the poetry of allusion was also extremely interesting.
4.5 stars
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