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First off, western isn't my cup of tea. The plot was okayish, but the ending of the book seemed rushed, quite unsatisfactory. My ending thought: "all this drama for that ending!?"

I hate leaving bad reviews :(

I rather hoped that Ming would subvert this genre that has such a racist reputation but woe. I found it reeking of cliche from the damsel in distress to the blind prophet to the brooding cowboy hero. The writing style was rambling and impersonal and tedious. The plot was predictable and boring. None of the characters had any personality therefore no chemistry. Vapid shallow prose that a 14yo might find moving.

:(

I‘ve struggled to finish books this year, and while my reading of THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU was slow going, I never felt the urge to abandon it. Tom Lin‘s voice is both lyrical and abrupt. His western has a certain magical realism quality to it, especially once Ming falls in with a circus group, all of whom have mystical abilities. Ming Tsu is on a quest for revenge, and it doesn‘t take long to realize it won‘t end well for him.

Overall a good story but I struggled to really get into this book. The characters are well developed but the flow of the book failed to hook me. It‘s a good western plot with a satisfying ending

There was something I really enjoyed about this revenge Western. Good if you like episodic fiction with archetypal characters and a side of violence.

Rainy Sunday vibes

The thousand crimes of sleeping floofs

Ming Tsu is a Chinese-American assassin on a bloody revenge mission who hooks up with a unique group of traveling performers in the old West. This book is a fun, though violent, Western that I liked but didn‘t love. I enjoyed the characters and felt the racism Ming experienced read as accurate to the era.

Set in an aternative history of the American West, Chinese immigrant and former railroad worker Ming Tsu becomes a top mercenary for a local crime boss. When his wife is kidnapped, Ming enacts bloody vengence to rescue while being aided by a mystical circus troupe in this spaghetti western meets kung-fu adventure that will appeal to Tarantino fans of Kill Bill and Django Unchained.

A man‘s wife is kidnapped, he is blackmailed & indentured to the Central Specific Railroad where he languishes doing backbreaking work until the reason for the blackmail goes away. The man then leaves & seeks his revenge against those responsible. The twist? The man is the son of Chinese immigrants. Ming Tsu is a fantastic character & this is a western unlike any I‘ve read. Brutal, vivid, & entertaining. A solid debut from Lin.

This afternoon‘s book on a Saturday of chores and reading and hiding from the hot sun.

Today‘s #bookhaul.