The Chinese Maze Murders: A Judge Dee Mystery (Judge Dee Mysteries)

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Van Gulik obviously knew and loved China and its history and culture. He served as a diplomat there and had translated classic Chinese literature. His purpose in writing The Chinese Maze Murders according to his forward was to create a mystery novel along the lines of classic Chinese mysteries that would appeal both to contemporary Asians and Westerners and I loved the result.

One of the major differences between that model and the Western sort of mystery is that instead of one central mystery, Dee has three cases that are woven into the plot, and this allows us to roam among all classes of Chinese society of the time. Mind you, the story is deliberately anachronistic. Like his models, Van Gulik frames the story as being told by a man of the Ming Dynasty almost a thousand years later, and the details Van Gulik warns us are of that time, not of the time it is set.

Regardless, Van Gulik's novel and series has the quality of the best historical fiction: Judge Dee and the people surrounding him feel very much of their own place and time--not our own. That's a lot of the fascination. And yet sometimes it seems startingly modern in unexpected ways. That's part of the fascination too. Jan 07, Sonja rated it it was amazing Shelves: The Chinese Maze Murders is my absolute favourite in the Judge Dee series, which spans 17 books in all - including Van Gulik's original translation of Dee Gong An and two short story-collections.

Some of these short stories were reworked into graphic novels by Van Gulik and graphic artist Frits Kloezeman, to be published in Het Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad and other Dutch papers from I have been reading and re-reading these books since I was about ten years of age. History, fiction and myst The Chinese Maze Murders is my absolute favourite in the Judge Dee series, which spans 17 books in all - including Van Gulik's original translation of Dee Gong An and two short story-collections.

History, fiction and mystery are neatly combined into detective stories that follow the typical pattern in Chinese detective fiction of the Magistrate solving various cases - which may be interconnected, but not always are - simultaneously. In the Maze Murders, tying in character background with the plot specifically, one of Dee's lieutenants, Chiao Tai makes for a very compelling read. The case of the murder in the locked room is a classic, often used in detective fiction, and given a fresh spin if one can speak of "fresh" in the case of a book written in !

It ties in so very beautifully to the case of the hidden testament and that of the missing girl, interconnecting the three through circumstance rather than by design. The writing is practical and unpretentious, and though it may not hold against today's expectations of prose, I personally have always liked Van Gulik's mix of humour and gravity.

The historicity of the book and the rest of the series is interesting: This is in keeping with the Chinese author's penchant for casting a story that takes place in the past in contemporary terms. Invariably, the five books in the "main" series The Chinese Gold, Lake, Bell, Maze and Nail Murders , are preceded by a chapter written from the viewpoint of a Ming dynasty official, merchant, or other personage, who, following a ghostly encounter of some sort, recounts one of the specific Judge Dee mysteries.

A definite recommendation for anyone who enjoys either ancient China, detective novels, or both! Jan 13, Amanda rated it really liked it Shelves: This is officially my first review on GoodReads!!!

It is also one of my first reviews ever. So, bare with me. I have owned this book for at least 3 or 4 years and never even read the back cover or needless to say, cracked it open. I wish I had sooner. This book was delightfully enjoyable. I liked the mixture of civil and This is officially my first review on GoodReads!!! I liked the mixture of civil and criminal investigations occurring simultaneously.

Adding political issues to be dealt with, this story kept you reading. This book went all over the place in approximately a weeks time, but did it in an organized way that made you capable of following everything that was happening. The solutions to the criminal cases were also greatly interesting and reading about the Chinese sources in the end made it ever more so. The foreword, postscript and Chinese sources all added interesting insight into the book. The postscript and sources helped wrap up and explain the details of the story. I overall thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be looking to add some more Judge Dee Mysteries to my future reading list.

A Judge Dee Mystery

Feb 12, Nancy Oakes rated it really liked it Shelves: In this particular installment, there are 3 subplots: Murder in the Sealed Room, a missing testament, and last but not least, a story that features a girl without a head. Most interesting is the way the story is told and the supernatural elements. A highly enjoyable detective set in ancient China. Robert van Gulik definitely made me interested in reading more in this genre. He bases his stories on an old Chinese genre of writing detective stories, which revolve around the magistrate: He was the detective and the judge in one.

The story is streamlined to revolve around the mysteries, with the historical and cultural context as a background. Therefore, unlike historical novels pure sang, a A highly enjoyable detective set in ancient China. Therefore, unlike historical novels pure sang, all historical details which are unnecessary for the story to be told are left out. It is therefore an action-packed, quick and enjoyable read. However, it in no way suffers from a lack of historical grounding. Gulik has done his research and his knowledge of ancient China, as well as the original Chinese detective stories, shows.

His main character is a known historical figure from the Tang dynasty and he has done considerable research for his character and his cases, as well as the court and police proceedings of the time.

Furthermore, the afterword explains how Gulik used several narrative elements in the original Chinese detective stories. My only squabble with the book is that the language, especially in the beginning, was a tad old fashioned and therefore it took some time to get into the story. As my edition is rather old , that might not be an issue in later translations and reprints. Jun 21, Tephra rated it liked it Shelves: Unlike modern western mysteries where the detective has one case to solve in the course of the story, Judge Dee solves several, mostly unrelated, cases.

As a result the feel of the story is more "slice of life" than "dramatic event", which I enjoyed.

Potential readers should be aware that the story does reflect the culture of the times, both that of the writer and that of Judge Dee. There is a lot of casual violence in the day to day life of the characters, torture is a valid way to obtain confes Unlike modern western mysteries where the detective has one case to solve in the course of the story, Judge Dee solves several, mostly unrelated, cases. There is a lot of casual violence in the day to day life of the characters, torture is a valid way to obtain confessions, and any executions will be detailed at the end. The violence is not glorified, it's just what happens, but if someone is flayed until their bones are exposed you will know it.

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Aug 03, Erik rated it really liked it. Two books in one of my favorite mystery series, the Judge Dee novels, about a 7th-century Chinese magistrate. Robert van Gulik evokes the setting well. Even though he knew much more about ancient China than the reader, he never pulls a bad sci-fi move such as having the characters tell each other the social context they should already know.

Van Gulik was also great at physical settings here, a year-old monastery during a summer thunderstorm and Lan-fang, a town on the northwest border that Two books in one of my favorite mystery series, the Judge Dee novels, about a 7th-century Chinese magistrate. Van Gulik was also great at physical settings here, a year-old monastery during a summer thunderstorm and Lan-fang, a town on the northwest border that the trade route has passed by. Oct 03, Janice rated it really liked it. Starts off coming into new jurisdiction to find a tyrant has overtaken the town, is he worried He is more concerned with solving an open 8 year old case than he is with the tyrant.

He handles the tyrant easily and goes on to solve 2 murders. Love the look into life in China in the 7th century, what they eat, clothes, customs and punishments. Jul 26, Laura rated it really liked it Recommends it for: This is the story of Judge Dee who tries to solve three interconnected mysteries in the 16th century in China. This e-book is available free at the University of Chicago Press: Initially, this novel went against the grain for me because I wanted to read stories written in the Ming Dynasty period, and this was a modern author writing about those times.

Nonetheless, I thought I'd give it a go, and see what I could glean about the culture of the time, which was my aim. Van Gulik included a lot of interesting detail, and the novel was well researched. I guess I was also convinced to read it because Van Gulik had written so many other novels set in China, so I figured he mu Initially, this novel went against the grain for me because I wanted to read stories written in the Ming Dynasty period, and this was a modern author writing about those times.

I guess I was also convinced to read it because Van Gulik had written so many other novels set in China, so I figured he must know what he's talking about. I am not a crime novel reader normally either, and so can't really comment on his contribution to the genre. But I enjoyed the book, I finished it, and I learnt some stuff about the Chinese justice system and its inner workings. An excellent re-read of an old series. Nov 20, Mazeli Dee rated it it was amazing.

I did not expect to bawl my eyes out in this book. Gosh, Chiao Tai made me cry buckets! Terutama alurnya yang menyuguhkan pengusutan berbagai kasus secara paralel. Hakim Dee sibuk sekali di buku yang satu ini. Bukan hanya satu atau dua kasus saja yang harus dipecahkannya, namun total ada lima perkara berturut-turut, yaitu 2 usaha makar, 1 pembunuhan, 1 orang hilang dan 1 perkara perebutan warisan. Itu belum termasuk perkara-perkara sepele yang mampir ke ruang sidangnya. Namun ternyata semua perkara tersebut saling kait-mengkait, bukan saja di masa sekarang, namun juga sudah sedari masa yang lampau di mana sebagain pelaku-pelakunya sudah tidak ada lagi.

Jad Hakim Dee sibuk sekali di buku yang satu ini. Jadi teringat kata-katanya Mrs. Oliver, "old sins cast long shadow. Kepala jaga Fang meminta pertolongan pengadilan mencari putrinya yang hilang. Diduga diculik oleh Chien Mow. Chien Mow mati merana, namun ternyata ia hanyalah pion, otak pelaku makar masihlah misterius. Mantan Jend Ding mati akibat racun dari senjata rahasia.

Namun ia juga membawa sekotak manisan buah, yang juga beracun. Woo Feng memang sering menghilang dari kamarnya, namun ternyata ia hanya sedang kasmaran dengan seorang gadis di kuil tua. Ternyata gadis itu adalah anak gadis Fang yang sedang hilang. Tuan muda Ding juga punya kekasih rahasia. Janda muda Loo menyerahkan bukti warisan berupa lukisan. Suku-suku perbatasan berencana menyerang kota, hanya menunggu tanda dari si otak makar. Siapa si otak usaha-usaha pemberontakan ini?

Siapa yang membunuh mantan Jend Ding, dan mengapa? Bagaimana sebenarnya surat wasiat pembagian warisan Mantan Gubernur Loo? Siapa yang menculik anak gadis Fang, dan mengapa?

Series: Judge Dee: Chronological order

Drama ruang sidangnya, kadang-kadang terkesan sadis dengan hukuman cambuk dan penyiksaan lainnya. Apalagi di akhir kisah, pelaksanaan hukuman mati pagi para pelaku kejahatan digambarkan dengan jelas. Penyelesaian misterinya sendiri sangatlah menarik dan tak terduga-duga. Belokan cerita yang apik dan terencana dengan detail. Gaya bahasa yang digunakan bukanlah gaya EYD, lebih ke gaya bertutur yang seringkali mengingatkan pada cerita silat Kho Ping Ho atau yang sejenisnya. Lalu di beberapa adegan, seperti saat Ma Joong berbicara tak resmi, digunakan dialek betawi kasar.

Sedikit aneh jadinya, membaca lu-gue di novel detektif cina, meskipun maksudnya jelas untuk menangkap ketidakformalan keadaan. Yang sedikit mengganggu adalah bahwa beberapa istilah diterjemahkan dengan tidak konsisten di sepanjang cerita. Misalnya kata-kata di lukisan Mantan Gubernur Loo, di hal. Oiya, tampaknya ada beberapa bagian kisah yang melompat terkena sensor ata kenapa??!? Dec 16, Gottfried Neuner rated it it was amazing.

The Judge Dee novels by Robert van Gulik are a strange beast. The original book, the Dee Gong An, was written by an anonymous author in 17th century Ming-dynasty China, and recounted three cases as they were solved by the main character and his assistants. After this translation saw some success on the market van Gulik decided to try his hand on writing mysteries in the same style as the original book, which makes this book, and all of the 14 or so that followed, basically fanfiction. Rather good fanfiction though, and some that captures ancient China in a way that it hardly has been before or after in the west.

Robert van Gulik was a noted Sinologist, and he seemed to go out of his way to let his knowledge shine through, even if the structure of the novel was slightly westernized. The Chinese Maze Murders is one of the earlier books in the series, and very closely follows the model set by the original book, but allows for some deviations. One of these is the framing narrative which has a Ming-dynasty gentleman writing down a story related by someone he met in a wineshop.

Which explains why this story has the social conventions of the Ming Dynasty instead of the Tang Dynasty, and all other historical inaccuracies. It also has a slightly cumbersome beige prose format, which takes getting used to. This also would be abandoned in later novels. Judge Dee has just been assigned to the far off border province of Fan Lan when he already has to deal with a few mysteries and a political powder keg: The judge and his assistants go on doing their jobs trying to unravel these mysteries at the same time.

It is this interconnectedness of the cases which makes these novels so interesting. And so one case might be solved, but in it's wake leave an even bigger mystery. In my opinion this is a perfect little gem of a book. Later books in the series varied the formula towards a more westernized form of storytelling, but in this book we have something that both provides a look at normal life in ancient China, and a good mystery story. Sep 27, Mal Warwick rated it really liked it Shelves: Goodreads sets the novel in , but that's wrong.

The Chinese Maze Murders was the first novel in the series. Judge Dee was a favorite protagonist in detective novels written for hundreds of years thereafter. Second, the case Yoo versus Yoo [over an inheritance]. They are separate issues and have nothing to do with the substance of our three cases. Oh, and by the way, there are two additional problems confronting Judge Dee and his colleagues: In other words, The Chinese Maze Murders is unlike any present-day detective novel. No contemporary writer of detective fiction would attempt to maneuver through so many plots and subplots in a single volume.

But Van Gulik pulls it off. The book is laced with typos and hard-to-explain grammatical errors, and Van Gulik has the exasperating habit of placing an exclamation mark after almost every sentence uttered by Judge Dee. About the author Robert van Gulik was a Dutch novelist, diplomat, and musician who authored 16 Judge Dee novels after translating an 18th century Chinese detective novel on which he based the series.

Irrungen und Wirrungen eines Beamten Richter Di hat es schon schwer: Die chaotische Situation verschlimmert sich noch, als ein bekannter Exgeneral ermordet aufgefunden wird, die Tochter eines Schmieds verschwindet und auch noch parallel dazu e Irrungen und Wirrungen eines Beamten Richter Di hat es schon schwer: Die chaotische Situation verschlimmert sich noch, als ein bekannter Exgeneral ermordet aufgefunden wird, die Tochter eines Schmieds verschwindet und auch noch parallel dazu ein Erbrechtsstreit eskaliert Van Guliks Richter-Di-Romane orientieren sich an chinesischen Vorbildern aus vergangenen Jahrhunderten, und gleichzeitig am klassischen westlichen Detektivroman.

And now for something completely different Although a true historical figure, the stories are an amalgamation and re-imagining of many such stories that make up traditional Chinese literature. In this first outing, Judge De And now for something completely different In this first outing, Judge Dee arrives in the city, cleans up corruption, solves multiple murders and is confronted by an overwhelming invasion by barbarians from north.

Will right or might prevail? Judge Dee, in riding toward Lan-fang to take up his post as District Magistrate, is accosted by a small band of robbers. Dee and his two loyal subordinates subdue the attackers and kill a couple ; it is the prelude to their arrival in the city only to discover the Tribunal facility in disarray. They quickly learn the city has been under the thumb of a local tyrant, Chien Mow: Like many concepts in the book world, "series" is a somewhat fluid and contested notion.

A good rule of thumb is that series have a conventional name and are intentional creations , on the part of the author or publisher. For now, avoid forcing the issue with mere "lists" of works possessing an arbitrary shared characteristic, such as relating to a particular place. Avoid series that cross authors, unless the authors were or became aware of the series identification eg. Also avoid publisher series, unless the publisher has a true monopoly over the "works" in question.

Judge Dee - Wikipedia

So, the Dummies guides are a series of works. But the Loeb Classical Library is a series of editions, not of works. Home Groups Talk Zeitgeist. The 12 Days of LT scavenger hunt is going on. Can you solve the clues? I Agree This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms. Common Knowledge Series Judge Dee: Chronological order Series by cover. Series description Judge Dee was a historical person.

In the latter half of his career, he became a Minister of State, and through his wise counsels exercised a beneficial influence on the internal and external affairs of the T'ang Empire. However, it is chiefly because of his reputation as a detector of crime, acquired while serving as district magistrate, that his name lives on among the Chinese people. Today the Chinese still consider him their master-detective, and his name is as popular with them as Sherlock Holmes is with us. Although the stories told [in the series] are entirely fictional, I utilized some data from old Chinese crime literature, especially a thirteenth-century manual of jurisprudence and detection which I published some ten years ago in an English translation.

This inspired to create his own series of stories. The stories are best read in order, as they refer to one another, although they can stand on their own. The short stories, which are found in various anthologies, are noted with decimal numbers. The anthologies in which they may be found on noted in the Description field and the Publication field of their record. Related series Judge Dee: Juge Ti - Ordre chronologique. Juge Ti - Ordre de publication. Related publisher series SaPo.