What Is The Best Judge Dee Book Reading Order?

Judge Dee mysteries are a very particular type of read – almost puzzles wrapped in a fine silk. A special cadence that got me to read half a series on a single weekend of rainy days. Now, for reading order, this is how I’d approach it: first the original translations by van Gulik to get the essence of the Chinese ‘model’; then proceed in publication order to best experience his growth as a writer; and, last but not least, in internal chronological order to better follow the continuitiy of Dee’s experiences. Each with its own specific charms.

Following a reading path which is most clear for readers who are completely new to the works of Judge Dee is to start with the book in which the greatest part of the material used for the celebrated cases was collated, i.e. ‘The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee’ (occasioned by Lee Pearson’s unusual request, but later printed separately in the Ninth Chinese Collection). This book must be read in conjunction with the very earliest works by van Gulik in which the Chinese model is faithfully set out (such as The Secluded Lantern and The Missing Plate). The majority of the short stories in the short story collections (most of them reprinted in The Chinese755–95) are, on the other hand, quite straight-forward to read in any order you like (the various ‘Cases’ are set out in collections and reprinted separately in various editions). Indeed, these ‘pickup editions’ of short Judge Dee stories make for very enjoyable reading on the commute (and that is how I have mostly read them too).

Some advice for how to read these books well: Take notes. I used a small notebook to keep track of people and places, because Chinese names and official titles can get confusing. Also read the appendices and translator’s notes to the books — Van Gulik was very fond of explaining to his readers the customs and laws of his stories, and that information often helps explain jokes or motives. And if you do read some of the many pastiches of Dee’s cases that have been written by other authors, remember that they are not sequels to the Van Gulik books, but rather “fan fiction”, and so should be read with appropriate distinction. Read the Van Gulik books first. Then you can read other Dee stories, but let that world stand on its own as much as it can.

One reason that I’m impatient and would rather be straight into the good stuff of a series is that my preferred reading order would be to pick the shortest case first to hook you in to reading more and then decide whether you want to read a single story through, such as ‘The Night They Murdered Madam’, or read through the life of Judge Dee (as told in The Blood Poets’ ‘The Chinese Maze Murders’ for example) or read through the evolution of the author himself (again using ‘The Chinese Maze Murders’ as a good example of his early works). This mixture has given me the best of both worlds so far.

If you’re the type of reader who likes to binge-read a series then alternately reading longer novels and short-case collections will help to maintain a good reading pace. Short cases make great bedtime reads or even reads to take on the go, such as to read during your lunch break. The longer novels are best read when you have the time to become immersed in the many stories and characters that Judge Dee encounters. Also, don’t read all of the pastiches before reading the originals. Each of the novels by Van Gulik has a unique flavor, humor and approach to the Dee Mysteries that are sometimes lacking in the pastiches.

The Van Gulik Novels: A Starter Plan. This is how I would suggest approaching the Judge Dee stories. Start with an introductory collection of cases like Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. Then read the first Dee novel, The Chinese Maze Murders, followed by The Chinese Bell Murders. Next, continue with a middle period novel like The Haunted Monastery, an eerie tale set in a long abandoned monastery, a real attraction for Dee and his soldiers. Now you can start to follow Dee as he solves a variety of crimes, be they mere puzzles or more complex crimes that also involve politics. My favorite case so far is the first in The Chinese Bell Murders. I’m sure you’ll find a favorite case within the second novel.

These are old books, and I get a kick out of pulling them down from the shelf to read (very worn paper, nice old woodcut illustrations by Van Gulik, a real puzzle/courtroom + historical detail mix). Of the three ways to read Judge Dee, I would recommend 1) the translated Chinese cases first to get a feel for the ‘original’ material, then 2) in publication order so you can see Van Gulik’s growth as a writer, or 3) in internal chronological order to follow the developmental arc of Dee himself, younger magistrate dealing with fewer highly intertwined plot lines and progressing to more confident, established Dee dealing with more complex cases.

My main tip for beginners would be to read ‘Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee’, as these are the original Chinese cases of Judge Dee’s celebrated career translated and annotated for readers. Next, I would recommend reading all of Robert van Gulik’s novels (in publication order) as these novels beautifully show the development of a genre (the detective story) through the eyes of the Chinese. Or, if you are more interested in the growth of the character of Judge Dee, read them all in internal-chronology order, beginning with the Magistrate still quite young and not dealing with as many complicated, and interwoven, plots and stories. The three central ‘cornerstone’ novels would be The Chinese Maze Murders, The Chinese Bell Murders and The Haunted Monastery. These represent his basic locked-room mystery style (where you have a ‘perfect’ crime committed in a hermetically sealed environment and no apparent means by which the crime could have been committed), and his multi-story, multi-plot or even ‘operatic’ style where Dee must solve many seemingly unrelated cases simultaneously (which make up the bulk of his work).

One last thing: read them slowly and don’t get too hung up in modern pastiches after you’ve read van Gulik’s work. Collect the various editions and read Judge Dee novels interspersed with ‘lighter’ reading to best experience the world of classical Chinese law, politics, culture and philosophy. The footnotes and cultural asides are NOT extra clutter – they’re all part of the reading experience too. Oh and yes, get an edition with van Gulik’s original woodcut-style illustrations – they add a lot to the experience and really help in ‘imagining’ the scenes as they unfold. If you’re interested, I’ll happily map out a list of various starting points for people, based on the amount of puzzle, character and culture they want to experience – just let me know!