Review by Ian Keogh
Once his reputation and achievement was revealed, the question became whether any of the Murim could defeat Nine-Door Dragon in a fair fight. Hell, over the past few volumes he’s been beating them up for fun with one arm in a sling. However The Breaker 4 ended with him crumpled in an unconscious heap.
Well, that’s not quite, the case, and heroic fiction is of course littered with examples of heroes battling impossible odds and returning from absolute batterings to snatch victory despite it all. Jeon Guek-Jin doesn’t use that method because his form of action suspense is superior. What plays out is every bit as desperate and thrilling, but with numerous complications and the revelation as to why the leader of the Clan Union is far more adept than anyone suspected.
Park Jin-Hwan invests the emotional boiling-over with a furious grace. Almost the entire volume takes place on the same rooftop, yet such is Park’s illustrative dexterity you’ll actually have to stop and consider that. There’s never a dull moment despite the limited location, and that the plot moves so fast is in no small part due to Park’s skill.
Ultimately, the lesson learned in The Breaker 5 is that with great power comes great responsibility, and that’s even more the case when you’re dealing with great power originating in a dark place. If Nine-Door Dragon wins the battle, will it be at the cost of his humanity? As in the previous volume, Si-Woon’s barely seen until halfway through, although he is established as an observer, and when the time comes for him to step back into the spotlight, his role is decisive. By then there’s already been one tragedy.
There’s a sea change for the final quarter where the focus is on Si-Woon, who awakens in a hospital bed to learn much has changed, not least for him. An even bigger change is due, something Jeon slipped into the middle of chaos, yet it completely changes Si-Woon’s world. If you wanted, you could see The Breaker as ending after another phenomenal thriller, yet with the new world showcased as the finale, you’ll want more. It may yet come as there was a sequel in South Korea.
