A Discovered Diamond
"...ticks all the boxes – murder, mystery, treason, glorious villains, reluctant heroes and more than a touch of the supernatural."
Family Drama / Fantasy
15th
Century
China
A stand out novel that ticks all
the boxes – murder, mystery, treason, glorious villains, reluctant heroes and
more than a touch of the supernatural.
Feng, the son of the town
magistrate, witnesses the accidental poisoning of his father whilst at a banquet
for the Prince of Yan, whose army prepares to pass through the Great Wall. Feng
should inherit his father's positional duties, but is shamed by his ambitious
deputy and the evil Chang is appointed in his place. Chang has issues of
personal revenge on his mind and no one is safe.
Bolin is an impoverished son of a
fisherman, conscripted to work on cleaning the Dragon's Head – the eastern end
of the Wall - but he suffers headaches and visions, refusing to believe that he
has 'yin-yang' eyes. Luli is a widow who possesses many gifts and it is these
three who must work independently to try and solve the mystery of the
disappearance of Dragon Master Wing twenty years earlier, find the Dragon Pearl
and release the dragon itself.
There is not much time: the
Mongols are gathering north of the Wall and they have their own talisman – The
Blue Wolf.
I really enjoyed reading this
novel – the action is constant and provides an interesting insight into Chinese
culture, beliefs and superstitions. Bolin is on a voyage of discovery to find
himself and his destiny whilst Feng, through a scroll left with Luli, finds out
exactly who he is. There are some great cameos: the torturer, an old soldier
and Luli's son, mute since witnessing the death of his father some years
before. And there is just enough of a cliffhanger to warrant, I hope, a sequel.
With an attractive cover, I
recommend this book, especially to those interested in Middle Ages China.
© Richard Tearle
I really enjoyed reading this
ReplyDeleteHi Richard, thanks for the great review. Justin.
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